Port Elizabeth trainer Yvette Bremner landed the first G1 win of her career at Turffontein last Saturday courtesy of her six-year-old gelding Copper Parade in the R1 million Computaform Sprint.
He produced a blistering turn nof foot over the 1000m to beat the hot favourite Via Africa and connections are now eyeing the G1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville on May 24.
Copper Parade enjoyed a fine career with top Cape trainer Joey Ramsden before moving to Bremner’s Fairview yard at the beginning of last season.
He won the G1 Golden Horseshoe over 1450m at Clairwood as a two-year-old for Ramsden and finished second in the G1 Mercury Sprint as a three-year-old as well as fourth in the G1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint as a four-year-old.
Copper Parade had run at Turffontein twice before, winning the Listed Golden Loom Handicap over Saturday’s course and distance last November before being beaten by Here Comes Billy when carrying topweight in the G2 Merchants over 1160m.
Copper Parade was involved in an incident in the G1 Cape Flying Championship earlier this year when being loaded early and then breaking through the stalls.
“We have never had any luck in Cape Town,” said Bremner.
However Copper Parade returned to Port Elizabeth and won a Conditions Plate over 1 000m at Fairview in good style before his penultimate start in the Listed East Cape Sprint Cup over the same course and distance when he finished second after nothing went right.
Bremner said, “We had expected a good pace in that race but it didn’t happen and Copper Parade ended up absolutely reefing behind them.
Ïf it’s a crawl and a sprint horses won’t catch the leaders and that’s what happened that day. It was a disaster,”she said.
“He likes to be covered up and then when he is switched out he takes off. He loves it.”
Bremner recently took over the share in Copper Parade of her life partner Hedley McGrath, but clarified yesterday that it was still “our share”. The other share is held by Optima Trust, whose nominee is Val Fenix.
The yard’s previous biggest away success had been when their five-year-old Blaze Of Fire finished third in last year’s G1 Champions Cup over 1800m at Greyville.
He was subsequently named the Port Elizabeth Horse Of The Year.
Bremner said he had “loved Durban” so she would consider another Champions Season campaign depending on how he did in his next start which would be his third run since returning from injury.
