Joey Soma interview: July green light flashing

“All horses are special, even the maidens. To me it’s a privilege to be in their company,” said the popular Highveld trainer this week after a stirring win at the weekend with Got The Greenlight in the Daily News 2000 – one of South Africa’s most-prized three-year-old contests.

“I don’t train them so much as they take me for a ride!” jokes Soma about the string of 32 horses in his stables at Turffontein.

Who would begrudge such an enthusiast success in the country’s biggest race, the Vodacom Durban July, which takes place at Greyville towards the end of this month?

He has a very credible chance of scaling the pinnacle with Got The Greenlight, a progressive three-year-old in which he shares ownership with Dayalan Chinsammy and Hassen Adams.

“I think we have a nice shot at the July. That win in the Daily News was impressive and he is clearly something special. It’s a good July field this year, but our horse has got a good turn of foot – which you need at Greyville – plus he’ll only be carrying 53kg.”

Current champion jockey Lyle Hewitson has been booked for the big race as Bernard Fayd’Herbe, who piloted the gelding on Sunday, cannot get down to that weight.

The latest victory was Got The Greenlight’s sixth from his 12 starts, and his second Grade 1 title after the SA Classic before lockdown in early March. The handicappers have shoved his merit rating up from 116 to 118.

Commenting on the colt’s career to date, Soma points out that he has always had valid excuses when not winning – looking for more ground, returning after a rest or having bad luck in running. An excursion to Cape Town for a richly-endowed sales race involved a quarantine, with 20-hours-a-day confinement in an enclosed space which would have tested the most chilled creature; yet he still got to within four-lengths of the local winner.

And speaking of temperament, when Got The Greenlight burst through the gates before the off on Sunday, many a backer’s heart sank. Horses up to such antics seldom win.

“He stayed calm, unlike many horses who get stirred up when that happens. He knew it wasn’t the end of the world; he’s a very, very intelligent customer,” says the trainer.

When they eventually got underway from the 2000m start, 28-10 chance Got The Greenlight sat just off pacemaker Padre Pio before accelerating in the straight and scoring easily by 1.50 lengths. The 15-10 favourite, Golden Ducat, just failed to catch Padre Pio and had to settle for third place.

Both these adversaries are likely to bump heads again with Soma’s charge in the July.

Got The Greenlight was floated to Durban just before Sunday’s meeting and made the trip back north shortly after. “We will prepare him here at Turffontein and repeat the procedure for the July.”

Asked if he has any condition to take off his star, Soma chuckles: “I’m always amused when people say a horse is only 90% fit when they win a big race. How can you be 90% and win a Grade 1?

“I will say that he came out of the SA Derby [immediately after the racing shutdown on 6 June] very well; he was a fitter horse for that race – in which he was a bit unlucky, by the way, but still finished a close-up third.

“The July will be his third run after a rest, which tends to be the best lead-in to a target.”

How does Got The Greenlight compare to Soma’s other good horses down the years?

“I never compare. They’re all special in their own eras. I love all my horses equally.”

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