March 29, 2008

SHE'S ON FIRE TAKES GRADE 2 GERALD ROSENBURG STAKES FOR TEAM VALOR
FILLY FOLLOWS IN LEGENDARY FOOTSTEPS OF STABLE'S MARE IRRIDESCENCE

She's On Fire drew away to take Grade 2 by nearly 9 lengths.

SHE'S ON FIRE RED HOT IN GERALD ROSENBERG STAKES

She's On Fire (SAF) delivered on her promise of a year ago when she demolished the opposition in the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes over 2000m at Turffontein today, skating home almost nine lengths clear of Zaitoon (SAF), Carry On Katie (SAF) and Run Angel Run (SAF).

Attracting serious support on the day, the daughter of Jet Master (SAF) was backed into 11/10 and settled in about fifth place early on as Imperialist went out to make the running from Spring Garland, Rhizome and Run Angel Run. Zaitoon and Winter Ade were further back as Carry On Katie and Young Sensation brought up the rear.

Rhizome moved up to challenge early in the straight as Imperialist and Spring Garland fell away, but She's On Fire moved up quickly down the centre of the track and the race was over as a contest when she hit the front passing the 400m. With the race clearly in safekeeping, jockey Weichong Marwing decided to open up and the last 100m turned into a proper spectacle as She's On Fire put daylight between herself and the opposition.

Zaitoon ran her best race in ages, plugging away for second, while Carry On Katie and Run Angel Run made progress through the field but could not mount a challenge to the winner.



Barry Irwin was at Turffontein Saturday to collect the trophy.

There was plenty to celebrate about She's On Fire's performance. She showed great promise early in her career, but suffered bone chips in her knees when a creditable fourth in last year's Empress Club Stakes. Trainer Ormonde Ferraris has done a wonderful job in bring her back to her best and a graded victory is very much in line with the potential she had showed in her early days. Her enforced layoff means that she has very few miles on the clock for a 5-year-old (this was only her eleventh career start) and while this win has boosted her paddock value, she is certainly worth persevering with on the track itself if she stays sound. She is also get to bred even further than this: dam Cream Of The Crop won the 3200m Chairmans Handicap and she in turn was a daughter of the great staying mare, July and Gold Cup winner Devon Air. Considering her impressive pedigree, it's surprising that she was snapped up for a mere R90 000 at the National Yearling Sales four years ago.

It was great to see Ferraris register a feature double on the day, following Santa's win earlier in the day in the Caradoc Gold Cup and the stable has now turned the corner after enduring a spell in the doldrums. Speaking after She's On Fire's win, the veteran trainer said, "I only have a string of about 40 horses, not very high calibre, but I have been targeting these two races for some time, especially with this filly."

GERALD ROSENBURG S. G2

by Ada van der Bent

Team Valor principal Barry Irwin was on hand to witness She’s On Fire’s annihilation of the opposition in this Gr.2 event, and so join the international racing outfit’s ever-growing portfolio of South African-bred stakeswinners.



Barry Irwin is interviewed postrace by TellyTrack's Julie Alexander.

The five-year-old delivered the best effort of her career, when she forged past pacesetter Imperialist at the quarter mark, before turning the race into a procession and recording her first stakes victory by almost nine lengths. Her victory also completed a fine feature double for the Ferraris stable and a four-timer on the day for jockey Weichong Marwing.

She’s On Fire entered this race off a creditable fourth in the Gr.1 Empress Club, where she finished within two lengths of Team Valor’s Stratos.

Off the track for almost a year after knee chip surgery, she repaid the patience of her connections with this command performance and now boasts five wins and four places from eleven lifetime starts. Her stakes earnings of R486,705 represent a handsome return on the R90,000 she cost when purchased at the 2004 National Sale.

She’s On Fire continues Jet Master’s relentless march towards a second consecutive champion sire’s title, following the victory of three-year-old J J The Jet Plane in the Gr.3 Senor Santa barely a week ago.

Bred in KwaZulu-Natal, She’s On Fire is the first stakeswinner out of the classy stayer Cream Of The Crop, who won the Gr.3 Chairmans Handicap over 3200m and who also counts Gr.1-placed Topsational (Foveros) amongst her six winners. More importantly, she is a daughter of the incomparable Devon Air, the champion stayer of 1983-84. Trained by the legendary Terrance Millard, this English-bred proved herself one of the finest mares to grace the South African turf by completing the July/Gold Cup double in 1984. In addition to Cream Of The Crop, she also produced Settler’s Trophy winner, Plymouth Rock (Foveros).

Devon Air’s half-brother Vicomte (Firestreak), proved an equally talented stayer, finishing third in both the Gr.2 Doncaster Cup and Gr.2 Henry II Stakes, while half-sister Chouchounova (Lomond) placed in the Lingfield Oaks Trial.

Sadly, Cream Of The Crop died in 2005 after producing a colt by Mogok.