Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Sebastian James, whose mother died two days after he was born in September 2021, has made a good start to his racing career, following his hard-working third on debut at Pinjarra late last month with an all-the-way success in the $21,000 Nova Nation’s Pace for two-year-olds at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
His victory revived happy memories for his breeder Steve Johnson, who races the colt in partnership with his daughter Charlotte.
Sebastian James is by American sire Captain Crunch and is out of the unraced Artesian mare Nina Sue, whose dam Like A Dame produced eight winners, including David Hercules, who was bred by Johnson and raced 108 times for Johnson’s wife Jeneen and David Botha for 39 wins, 35 placings and stakes of $1,263,159.
Sebastian James is the only foal out of Nina Sue, who died two days after foaling that pacer. “Nina Sue had two club feet and we decided not to race her,” said Johnson. “She died of complications, and Sebastian James was reared by a thoroughbred mare.”
David Hercules is now 17 years of age and is enjoying his retirement at Johnson’s Serpentine property.
“Sebastian James is a lovely horse,” said Johnson. “He is very green, and we are hoping he will be good enough to race in the major feature events for two-year-olds this year.”
Sebastian James, trained by Katja Warwick, was the $4.30 second fancy in Friday night’s race in which he began from the coveted No. 1 barrier and was driven confidently by Chris Lewis, who sent him straight to the front and was able to get him to relax with a modest lead time of 38.9sec., followed by quarters of 31.9sec., 30.8sec., 29.7sec. and 28.1sec.
He held on to win by a head from $5 chance Captain Stirling, who fought on grandly after racing in the breeze. Lake Pichola, the $2.30 favourite, enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before finishing fast to be a nose away in third place.