“JANOOBI” is said to mean “Southern” or “Directed towards the South”and Mike de Kock will be proud to have won a Graded race with another impressive, South African-bred two-year-old for Sheikh Hamdan of Dubai at Turffontein on Saturday.

Janoobi  put up an admirable performance in the Gr3 Protea Stakes over 1,100m – a distance conceivably a mile too short based on his pedigree and a race in which he had to draw on class, more than anything else, to make it to the winning post half a length ahead of Seattle Singer and Flying Myth.

Janoobi had to draw on his classy reserves to win the Protea Stakes. (JC Photos)

Janoobi “ran in snatches”, as rightly described by commentator Alistair Cohen and jockey Anton Marcus explained:  “He doesn’t really enjoy  sprinting. He hit a flat spot today, I was patently worried that the 1,100m would be too short. At one point I thought he wouldn’t run a place, but he picked it up. His class pulled him through.”

Assistant trainer John Buckler shared Marcus’ sentiments. He congratulated Sheikh Hamdan and said: “I’d like to see Janoobi race around the bend.”

When you have a two-year-old by Silvano from a mare by Rakeen that can sprint early one can easily share everyone’s expectations that he’d develop into a top-class miler-stayer. But despite the stoutness of his sire and his damsire, Janoobi’s damline is laden with black-type pace which explains his above average, precocious speed.

Janoobi’s dam, Chasta Daisy, is an unraced half-sister to Scented Samantha (the dam of champion sprinter Sweet Sanette and Franny) and Aromatic  (the dam of Gr1-winning sprinter Philippa Johnson).  Chasta Daisy’s first two foals are full-brothers to Janoobi and are both still in training and doing well. Six-year-old Sedge has won seven races up to 1400m and five-year-old Silver Scooter has won five races up to a mile.

As for any kind of proven staying influence, the name Set To Music appears in Janoobi’s second dam – many will recall this hard-galloping stayer from the early 2000s and one-time Summer Cup favourite who was at his best between 2000m – 2400m.

Outright pace is so far dominant in a pedigree that should produce a top stayer on paper, but judged on the stable’s assessment and Anton Marcus’ comments, Janoobi could be the one to put the balance into this Silvano-Rakeen cross. He could literally be anything still!

Raised at Maine Chance Farm, Janoobi was a R1,2-million purchase at the 2015 CTS Premier Yearling Sale in Cape Town.