David Mollett
5 December 2008
Johannesburg — TRIBUTES poured in yesterday for one of the most respected ladies in racing, Jean Jaffee, who has died following a long illness.
The wife of renowned businessman and racehorse owner Laurie Jaffee, who passed away in March, Jaffee not only held forthright opinions on the sport, but also wrote two books: And A way They G o and They R aced t o W in.
The two best horses owned by the Jaffees were Empress Club and London News. The latter scored a ground-breaking win for South African racing by winning the QE II Cup in Hong Kong in 1997.
Alec Laird trained London News and he said yesterday he was sad to learn of Mrs Jaffee's death. "She always enjoyed her racing and had a great eye for a horse. She was very much in tune and involved with the sport and I valued her opinion.
"Hong Kong was a great moment for them -- it's the only time I've seen Mr Jaffee speechless," said Laird.
Cape trainer Mike Bass commented: "I have not been training for the Jaffees very long, but they were lovely people and Jean's death closes a chapter in racing."
"I intend to run her filly (Consensual) in Saturday's Avontuur Guineas at Kenilworth because it's what she would have wanted. I believe her daughter may come down for the race," said Bass.
The Avontuur is one of two big fillies races this weekend with the R300000 Ipi Tombe Challenge due to be run over 1600m at Turffontein.
Two KwaZulu-Natal trainers, Mike Miller and Gavin van Zyl, race with their top females, Outcome and Prestic, and the latter could follow up her recent course win in the Yellowwood Handicap.
Team Valor are represented by the Mogok filly, Gypsy's Warning, who has now joined the stable of Ormond Ferraris. The veteran trainer has booked Piere Strydom for the ride.
One runner who could upset calculations is Charles Laird's Aussie import, Blue Swift. The four-year-old will be 5kg better off against Prestic compared to their clash in the Yellowwood.
While it might pay to take a chance on Gypsy's Warning despite her long absence, with exactas boxing her, Prestic and Blue Swift might be the best way to bet on the race.
Greenwich Park, a horse bred by Laurie and Jean Jaffee, should make a bold bid in the supporting feature, the Secretariat Stakes, over 1400m.
It looks significant that champion jockey Mark Khan has remained in Gauteng rather than flown to the Cape to partner the stable's runner, Chiquita, in the Fillies Guineas.
Greenwich Park, owned by Team Valor, is a son of Western Winter and his chief rival could be another of that stallion's progeny, Meet At MalaMala.
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