Johannesburg To Face Six Older Rivals In Seven Furlong Gladness
April 5, 2002
By, Alastair Donald
International Racing Bureau

Johannesburg's trainer, Aidan O'Brien, revealed on the afternoon of Apr. 4 that the undefeated Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner of 2001 would make his seasonal bow at The Curragh on Sun., Apr. 7 in the seven furlong Group III Gladness Stakes on turf, rather than travel over to England for the Fosters- International Trial Stakes, to be run over a mile on Lingfield's Polytrack surface on the previous day. The Gladness Stakes was the race originally identified by owner Michael Tabor, when plans for Johannesburg were first outlined in February.

Johannesburg will face a total of six rivals in the race, including stable companion Shoal Creek, who is likely to ensure a true pace. As the only three-year-old in the Gladness, Johannesburg will be receiving between five and 11 pounds from his older rivals, and defeat for Johannesburg would come as a major disappointment in this race, his first step on a road that may lead to Kentucky.

Lingfield executives were no doubt disappointed by the decision of Johannesburg's connections to sidestep their Trial, a race that had been put on by the racetrack specifically to encourage the colts appearance at the track. They can take consolation from the fact that Castle Gandolfo, Aidan O'Brien's other possible Kentucky Derby (GI) starter is slated to go postward in the Lingfield heat on Apr. 6, where he will be accompanied by stable companion Creekview. In a field of eleven, the O'Brien pair head the betting market, with Castle Gandolfo 11-8 and Creekview at 4-1, with the remainder of the field being 7-1 or better the rest.

The turf at the Curragh is expected to be no worse than "yielding" after several days of sunshine, and this was no doubt a factor in the decision to keep Johannesburg in Ireland. "We always had our eye on the Gladness," said O'Brien, "and we were hoping that The Curragh was going to dry out and give us some nice ground. At the moment it looks as if we're going to get that."

It will not be lost on American turf writers and race fans alike that the one-race Kentucky Derby preparation for Johannesburg is closely mirroring that of Europe's last Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner, Arazi, 10 years on, who came to Louisville off just one race on turf in France and finished up the track on Derby day. That Johannesburg is passing up the opportunity to race on the Polytrack this weekend, a surface that is as close as Britain has to a dirt surface, may heighten incredulity in certain quarters even further.

The field for the Castlemartin/La Louviere Studs Gladness Stakes (Gr. III), with trainers, jockeys and odds (courtesy of The Racing Post) is: Rebelline (mare), Kevin Prendergast, D. P. McDonogh, 6-1; One Won One, Joanna Morgan, Eddie Ahern, 8-1; Shoal Creek, A. P. O'Brien, P.J. Scallan, 10-1; Tarry Flynn, D. K. Weld, P. Shanahan, 12-1; Cool Clarity, D. K. Weld, P. J. Smullen, 10-1; Caelic Queen (mare), John Oxx, J. P. Murtagh, 12-1 and Johannesburg, A. P. O'Brien, Michael Kinane, 4-9. Post time for the Group III stakes is 3:45 p.m. (Curragh time).

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