Spring Valley-bred Crusade filly flew home yesterday at Greyville racecourse over 1000m by almost three lengths, giving her delighted owner his first winner.

Trained by Michael Roberts and sold at the National Yearling Sale for R140 000, the filly also took home the BSA Maiden Juvenile Plate Bonus of R50 000. It was only her third start – she has placed in both her previous starts, finishing second last time out.

Out of the Alami mare I Said Hey, she is by Crusade who is currently sporting a winners to runners percentage of 35% with 29 winners for the season and 126 places. Crusade stands at Clifton Stud.

Hey Delilah is a half-sister to multiple winner and Black Type Just As I Said, and Lock Him Up.

Her dam has a Flying The Flag yearling which will likely be on sale this year. This is the dam line of Sarabande, Dance Every Dance and Refer To Daddy amongst many others. Not a family to ignore!

With currently only 40 racehorses on the track in total and in his oldest crop being four year olds (only 16 registered horses in his first year), Just As Well has maintained incredible winners to runners percentages since his juveniles hit the tracks two years ago – for most of last year at over 40%.

He has had two winners in two days at both Scottsville and the Vaal, both bred by Bruce Le Roux of Spring Valley Stud; the first is Prime Suspect, a winner of his third start and the latest is Just As I Said, who captured his sixth career victory. Just As I Said sold for only R80 000 at the 2014 KZN Yearling Sale, and has earned over R350 000 in stakes. Prime Suspect was not sold at the 2015 KZN Yearling Sale, and has won and placed from three starts, already earning over R60 000.

On Monday Just As Well’s stats according to the NHRA website were close on 38%, and since then he has had two winners and place from four runners.

Just As Well has had limited opportunities at stud covering small books of mares, but his results speak for themselves. Bred on the same cross that has produced Judpot – by AP Indy out of a Nureyev mare, his damline goes back to the likes of E Dubai and Raven’s Pass.

Just As Well stands at Spring Valley Stud, owned predominantly in a syndicate by Roski Stud and Anton Procter.

A good looking stallion very much in the mold of AP Indy, Just As Well throws incredibly muscular individuals with plenty of bone, substance and quality.

He crossed the line first in the Gr1 Northern Dancer Stakes in Canada, only to have the race revoked six months later in the court room.

He also won the Gr3 Arlington Handicap and placed second in two Gr1’s, including the Arlington Million.

Just As Well had four wins over 1000m – 2000m, and is a half-brother to Gr1 winner Rainbow View and Gr3 winner, Winter View.

Amongst his outstanding progeny is CTS Ready To Run Cup winner Chilli Con Carne, Black Types Just As I Said and Just Africa, as well as Princess Analia, the brilliant filly Just Vogue and Well In Flight.

The Alchemy are offering Lot 5 by Just As Well at the upcoming BSA Cape Yearling Sale, to be held at Mistico Equestrian Estate on 16 March. The filly is named Crystal Stream, out of Lady Jane Grey (SNL) by Lujain. This is the immediate damline of sire Peacetime and former KZN resident sire (now at Mauritzfontein) Byword, as well as European champion Continent.

Bruce Le Roux has a colt out of Positive Thoughts (USA) by King Of Kings heading to the National Yearling Sale.

Just As Well stands for R10 000 at Spring Valley Stud.

Spring Valley sire Just As Well has only 40 runners in total on the tracks in South Africa, from juveniles to four year olds and December saw him achieve five winners and 10 places, taking his winners to runners percentage to an impressive 30%.

Just As Well, known affectionately as Jaws, had an unusual story as a racehorse in that after injuring himself, his owner “turned him out into the mountains with the wild ponies,” and he “roughed it out and was forgotten up there for a year!” as the late Greg Royden-Turner of Roski Stud recounts the story.

A vastly underestimated stallion that produces a horse with lovely bone and a fine balance of quality and substance, last season he finished on an impressive winners to runners percentage of 41%, the consistent Just As Well is also the sire of Ready To Run Cup winner Chili Con Carne, and Black Type’s and Group 1 performers Just Africa, Just As I Said and Well In Flight.

Just As I Said has now won two races on the trot at Turffontein over 1160m for trainer Lucky Houdalakis whilst Gavin Van Zyl’s impeccably bred Just Cruised In, won his last start and hasn’t been out of the money in his four previous starts.

He is out of Shadwell Stud’s Modraj by Machiavellian – the mare is from the immediate dam line of Urban Sea, therefore the direct family of super sires Galileo and Sea The Stars. This makes him a half-brother to Dubai winner, Alareef.

Just As Well is also responsible for producing Kenya’s Champion Juvenile colt last season bred by Jill Fox of The Fort Stud, named As Paragon. The colt won again recently in December taking the H.V. Pirie Trophy.

Owned in a partnership, predominantly by Roski Stud and Anton Procter, Just As Well is is the splitting image of his sire AP Indy, out of Gr1 winner No Matter What by Nureyev, and shares a dam line with E Dubai and Raven’s Pass.

Sent back into training, Just As Well had the bulk of his Graded Stakes wins and places after that as an older horse and showed immense courage.

He won four races over dirt and turf from 1000m – 2000m, including crossing the line first in the Gr1 Northern Dancer Breeders Cup Turf Stakes. He also placed second in the Gr1 Arlington Million, the Gr1 Gulfstream Park Handicap and placed in the Gr1 Makers Mark Mile. He is Timeform Rated 118.

Just As Well stood for a fee of R10 000 in 2016.