Chad Le Clos tries out a new sport

Lafferty described the two-year-old Toreador colt as “a very nice horse who should run very well” in Wednesday’s first race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m, under Ian Sturgeon. Chad’s father, Bert, was overwhelmed when his son clinched the Olympic 200m Butterfly gold medal in 2012, with a final lunge that enabled him to pip swimming legend Michael Phelps.

Phelps was a hero of Chad’s and the win was unexpected. Bert said: “When the BBC interviewed me I just couldn’t stop saying UN-believable, UN-believable! From there, the words just stuck and they have even called Chad’s book Unbelievable!

“You must understand that having come from small beginnings in Greyville and then Pinetown, I was just so excited, it was a moment in a million. I always say to people I am the richest man in the world. You just can’t buy what we have.”

The BBC interview went viral on social media and this was also partly due to Bert’s touching admiration for his “unbelievable, most down to earth, beautiful boy“. Bert later featured in a South African television advertisement singing the Nat King Cole classic Unbelievable.

Chad is a World and Commonwealth champion and currently holds the world short course records in both the 100m and 200m butterfly. Bert is a former bookmaker; this is why he knows a lot about the Sport Of Kings.

He said: “I wanted Chad to enjoy a different outlook and watching the horse run once every two months will be fun. He knows absolutely nothing about the game, he has only been to one July, but he is very excited about Wednesday.”

Bert also revealed that in everything he does, Chad likes to be a winner, so he will expect his horse to be as well prepared for racing as he is for his swimming events. Chad has won many admirers, not only for his swimming exploits but also for his humble nature. He will likely be a big drawcard at the Scottsville meeting, which he will attend with Bert, other members of the family and friends.

He owns the horse in partnership with Greg Blank, Phillip Kahan and Bridget Conway. Kahan’s The Alchemy Stud bred the Toreador colt. Meanwhile, Lafferty is undergoing a second round of chemotherapy for cancer of the lymph glands behind the stomach.

The overall condition of his body has been shown in tests to be excellent and the prognosis for full recovery is very positive. Lafferty’s mental strength has been “Un-believable” and he was his normal jovial self when interviewed about Chad Le Clos’ first runner.