PDF - PARADE MAGAZINE

Transcription

seasons greetings to our loyal customers,
may the beauty of the season bring special joy.
Merry Christmas and a winning new year!
Success is Just
in the
bag
ask Santa...
For horse related questions, contact Epol on info@epol.co.za or DebbieD@rcl.co.za
For more information about Epol Specific feeds and services: www.epolequine.co.za
In this issue
Cover Picture: Equus Horse Of
The Year, Futura.
Photo by Liesl King.
Parade is a Gold Circle
publication and showcases
thoroughbred horseracing,
breeding and tote (pari-mutuel)
betting in South Africa.
Views expressed in Parade
are solely those of the writers
and the organisations they
represent.
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES:
Andrew Harrison (Editor)
T: 031 314 1917
E: andrewh@goldcircle.co.za
ADVERTISING &
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Olivia Abdulla
C: 074 675 1657
T: 031 314 1545
F: 031 314 1779
E: olivian@goldcircle.co.za
Jackie Andrew
C: 082 863 0680
T: 011 234 6824
F: 086 273 1908
E: jacquioa@telkomsa.net
GOLD CIRCLE
PHOTOGRAPHER
Nkosi Hlophe
T: 031 314 1922
E: nkosih@goldcircle.co.za
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Denzil Govender
T: 031 314 1920
E: denzilg@goldcircle.co.za
Racing
Features
06 10 18 22 26 32 36
40
44
50
54
58
96
Sansui Summer Cup
Uncle Tommy
PE Racing
Sean Cormack
A Vintage Year
Carry On Alice
John Slade
Double Clutch
Women Jockeys
Felix Coetzee
Veterinary Breakthrough
Robin Scott
Horsing with Hennessey
Industry
70 KZN Breeders Awards
72 Racemares and Broodmares
76Gondolette
78
80
Sales
64
66
Cape Premier Yearling Sale
CTS Ready To Run Sale
Pink Drive
Racing Association
Statistics
82 94 Graded Race Results
Racing Calendar
PHOTo by: liesl king
Breeding
Editor’s Note
Contributors
Another year has come and gone and it has been a great one for horse
racing both locally and internationally. It also marked the decommissioning of
the Vaal sand track.
Locally Futura garnered Equus Horse of the Year due to what was possibly
the best performance of his career when touching off Ice Machine in the
Champions Cup. Not streaking clear of his opposition, it was a performance of
great courage and if he passes that trait on to his progeny he will make a serious
Michael Clower
addition to our stallion ranks.
Internationally we were blessed with Triple Crown hero American Pharoah who went on to crown his
achievement in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and, possibly more importantly, fired the imagination of the
American public. Golden Horn tripped at his final hurdle in the Breeders’ Cup Turf but the Arc and
Investec Derby winner was coming off a tough season and it may have been one race too far.
Ada van der Bent
The grey gelding Solow, after an inauspicious start to his racing career, set the turf alight at the grand old
age of seven. Our international correspondent Liesl King pays fitting tribute to this trio and concludes,
“Solow may not be destined for stud duties like Golden Horn, or have rewritten history like American
Pharoah, but his rise from moderate conditions races to Group 1 stardom is no less inspiring and he is a
worthy member of the trio of extraordinary horses that made 2015 a truly vintage year!”
In this edition we bid farewell to Robin Scott of Scott Brothers Stud in the KZN Midlands. ‘Scotty’, as he
Liesl King
is fondly known to his many friends in the industry, has finally called it a day and is busy selling up the stud
that he and brothers Des and Neville built into one of the country’s leading nurseries. The names of Jungle
Cove, Foveros and Politician will be a lasting legacy and Candiese Marnewick paid tribute.
One of the first stud managers employed by Robin was John Slade. A stud manager without peer, he has
finally decided to go on his own. He leaves Maine Chance Farms with the distinction of having bred the
first three horses past the post in this year’s Vodacom Durban July, a Group 1 feat not matched anywhere
in the world. He leaves for the Karoo come January and Robyn Louw has a rare interview with a man,
Henk Steenkamp
publicity shy but not short on opinions when it comes to breeding thoroughbreds. As one wag describe
John; “He can be so blunt he makes your eyes water.”
The New Year promises much with the first $US 1 million race to be run at Kenilworth on Saturday,
January 23. The Investec Cape Dream will be supported by the R1 million Investec Cape Derby and the
R1 million Klawervlei Majorca, two races brought forward from J&B Met day and preceded by the CTS
Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
Sarah Whitelaw
Andrew Harrison
Durban, South Africa
SOUTH AFRICAN RACECOURSE GPS CO-ORDINATES
Robyn Louw
KENILWORTH
S 33 59.808
E 18 28.723 TURFFONTEIN
S 26 14.386
E 28 03.185
8km from centre of Cape Town and 12 km from Cape Town International
4km from centre of Johannesburg and 25 km from OR Tambo
airport
International airport
DURBANVILLE
S 33 50.446
E 18 38.308
VAAL
S 26 44.601
E 27 54.283
20 km from centre of Cape Town and 14 km from Cape Town
8 km from Vereeniging, 60km from Johannesburg and 75km from
International airport
OR Tambo international airport
GREYVILLE
S 29 50.833
35 km from from King Shaka International Airport
E 31 00.965
SCOTTSVILLE
S 29 36.618
E 30 24.047
2km from centre of Pietermaritzburg and 75 km from centre of Durban
Michele Wing
FAIRVIEW S 33 56.008
E 25 22.865
26km from centre of Port Elizabeth and 22km from Port Elizabeth airport
KIMBERLEY
S 28 43.677
E 24 50.346
7km from centre of Kimberley and 10 km from Kimberley airport
Captain Al
SA Champion Sire 2015
Seven times SA Champion Sire of 2yo’s
Sire of 7 Champions
... a few of his
2015 Champions
Carry On Alice
Cape Champion 2yo Filly 2014
Cape Champion 3yo Filly 2015
Captain Chaos
Cape Champion
2yo Colt 2015
Princess Royal
Cape Champion
2yo Filly 2015
Captain Of All
Equus Champion Sprinter 2015
Cape Horse of the Year 2015
Cape Champion Older Male 2015
Cape Champion Sprinter 2015
Captain America
Gr1 Horse Chestnut S
Gr2 Green Point S
FreemanStallions
ENQUIRIES & BOOKINGS TO: JOHN FREEMAN
EQUO PRODESSE
T: +27 (0)21 418 0566
W: www.freemanstallions.co.za
Klawervlei Stud
JOHN KÖSTER
T: +27 (0)23 616 2980
W: www.klawervlei.co.za
RACING sansui summer cup
Master Sabina continues Woodruff’s domination of the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup.
woodruff is
master of the
cup
Geoff Woodruff’s runners dominated the finish of the R2-million
Gauteng SANSUI Summer Cup for the third year running and for the
fifth time in all.
6
PARADE MAGAZINE
PHOTos by: jc photographics
Noah From Goa (left) and New Predator (right) fight out the finish in the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans.
H
owever, backers of 13-2 chance Master
Sabina had an anxious wait while the stewards
deliberated over an objection from Sean Cormack on 15-1 runner-up Deo Juvente.
100m out it looked as if 6-1 favourite French Navy
on the inside would defy top weight but the Woodruff
pair launched their challenge on the outer and champion
jockey Gavin Lerena's mount scored by a long head.
The pair came close and Cormack lodged his objection
the minute he reached the scales for "intimidation and
interference in the closing stages". The stewards deliberated for the best part of 15 minutes before allowing the
result to stand.
Master Sabina is owned and was bred by Michael de
Broglio by Jet Master out of the Sportsworld mare Sabina
Park who won the SA Fillies Nursery and the SA Oaks.
Woodruff had saddled four of the first five past the
PARADE MAGAZINE
7
PHOTo by: jc photographics
RACING sansui summer cup
Stable companions Master Sabina and Deo Juvente battling out the finish of the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup.
post in 2013, when the race was won by Yorker, and then
first and second last year with Louis The King and Killua
Castle.
Top weight and 6-1 favourite French Navy ran an exceptional race and looked to have it sewn up with a furlong to run as he hit the front, running on from some way
back. However, his burden told as the line approached
and Master Sabina and Deo Juvente battled past and he
had to be content with third.
Vodacom Durban July winner Power King loomed
dangerous for a few strides but came up empty and was
going backwards as the line approached.
Weichong Marwing elected to make his run up the
centre on fourth placed Mac de Lago but it proved his
undoing as he hit traffic at a crucial stage, checking his
momentum. In the end he did well to regather and kick
on for fourth.
Master Sabina had finished second in the 2013 Summer Cup and he was well fancied to win this race last year.
But he injured a tendon in a workout days before the race
and had to be scratched.
Master Sabina and Deo Juvente cornered alongside
each other and came together approaching the final 200m.
It was a battle royal over the final 100m, but Master
Sabina got his nose down as they flashed past the post to
beat his stablemate by a long head.
Judicial, third last year and stone last in the Victory
Moon Stakes two weeks earlier, ran a gem and was beaten
8
PARADE MAGAZINE
less than a length with Mac de Lago running on well to
finish the same margin back in fifth.
A disappointed Sean Tarry, said of French Navy, “you
can give start and you can give weight, but you can’t give
both start and weight”.
There was disappointment for swimming icon Chad le
Clos when the horse he part-owns, Unbelievable Chad,
was scratched at the start of the Investec Dingaans after
bolting in the canter past. In a thrilling ding-dong tussle
down the straight the Mike de Kock-trained Tiger Ridge
gelding Noah From Goa, who started favourite and was
handy throughout under Anthony Delpech, just got up to
deny the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained New Predator.
The long-striding Mike Azzie-trained Abashiri showed a
smart turn of foot and held on for third from recent BSA
Ready To Run winner Lineker. Abashiri looks to have a
particularly bright future.
The Alec Laird-trained-trained Ideal World filly made
light of a Gr 1 penalty to win the Gr 2 Bradlows/Morkels
Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m, wearing down
Bichette under regular pilot Weichong Marwing. The
Paul Peter-trained London finished third ahead of a disappointing Trophy Wife with Pennington Sands next
best.
In the Gr 3 Joshua Doore/Russels Fillies Mile, Marwing dictated on the Johan Janse Van Vuuren-trained
Negroamaro, who was backed into favourite. She stole a
length or two early in the straight and never looked in
danger of being caught. The 16-1 shot Heaps Of Fun ran
on for second, just pipping the Stanley Ferreira-trained
Juxtapose. Persian Rug ran a better race to clinch fourth
ahead of Ntoma.
Joey Ramsden won the Gr 2 Merchants, now sponsored by AmTote, for the third time on this occasion with
the huge four-year-old Western Winter gelding Brutal
Force. He has come into his own since being gelded and
Anton Marcus hit the front 200m out and held off the
early leader, the Alec Laird-trained Dollar Dazzler. Yvette
Bremner completed a fine raid from Port Elizabeth, with
just three runners, when eight-year-old long shot Copper
Parade flew up for third and Al Don Cumarco getting a
cheque for fifth.
The Gr 3 Magnolia Handicap was won by the classy
four-year-old Stanley Ferreira-trained Kahal filly Kwinta under Marco van Rensburg. She just touched off the
luckless Janse van Vuuren-trained Silver Class, who has
been knocking on the door since being dropped to sprints.
The Tarry-trained Australian-bred Supertube under S'Manga Khumalo fought bravely to land the Gr 3
Gauteng Racing Association Handicap over 3200m. He
caught the Weiho Marwing-trained Cool Chardonnay in
the run in and then drew away bravely to beat him in hard
fought style.
Chris Dirks, spokesperson for SANSUI South Africa
said: “This was our seventh year of coming on board as
one of the partners of the Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup.
Most importantly we would like to thanks thousands of
Gautengers and visitors from other provinces for taking
time out of their busy schedules to come and experience
verton Stud
Riverton Stud - successful Breeders of last season’s
Longines World’s 2nd joint top rated Sprinter and
SA’s highest Merit rated horse, the 3 x Gr1 winning
Captain of All
Presenting yearlings at sale bred the natural way:
CTS Premiers & March and BSA Val de Vie & Nationals
www.rivertonstud.co.za
what the Summer Cup has to offer. The Sansui Summer
Cup is one of the oldest races in Johannesburg and since
our partnership with the race, there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of people attending the race,
and this year was no different. We humbly thank you for
your patronage thus far and we look forward to your continued support in the future,” said Dirks
RACING uncle tommy
soldier of the
TURF
Uncle Tommy at home on the Vaal sand.
The demise of the Vaal sand was
met with mixed reaction from
trainers and public alike, although
the jockeys will probably be
relieved that they can dispense
of the ‘welding’ masks.
Words by andrew harrison
10
PARADE MAGAZINE
H
owever, there was no doubt that some
horses revelled in the sand, one of those being
Uncle Tommy. The chestnut son of Kahal, bred
at Summerhill Stud, was lengths better on the Vaal sand
than on any other surface and it was fitting that he was
victorious at one of the last meetings held on that surface.
Second in the Supreme Cup sponsored by SAP, he
rounded of his sand career with a stunning performance
in a Pinnacle Stakes event over a ‘mile’ in October this
year. Seemingly hopelessly out of his ground turning for
home, Uncle Tommy popped the myth of horses not
Dynasty
Fort Wood - Blake’s Affair (Commodore Blake)
TRIPLE EQUUS OUTSTANDING SIRE
One of only three sires ever to get 3 Horses of the Year
15 Equus Awards
FreemanStallions
EQUO PRODESSE
T: +27 (0)21 418 0566
Highlands Stud
MIKE SHARKEY
T: +27 (0)23 626 2331
W: www.highlandsfarmstud.co.za
RACING uncle tommy
being able to quicken on the surface, storming home from
the back of the field.
Trainer Weiho Marwing has relocated his main string
to KwaZulu-Natal where he has set up at the Ashburton
training centre and Uncle Tommy is already off the mark
on the Greyville polytrack.
Racing in the familiar silks of Hassen Adams, Uncle
Tommy is one of those rare top class performers who has
stayed sound for seven seasons and 58 races, a tribute to
his trainer’s skill and placement as Uncle Tommy has won
13 of those starts and placed 27 times.
Asked on the possibility retirement, Marwing laughed.
“No! If Tommy had to retire from racing I think he would
fade away.” A tribute to a true soldier of the turf.
UNCLE TOMMY (SAF) ch.g. 2007 KAHAL (GB) x COUSIN LINDA (SAF) by BADGER LAND (USA)
Trainer: Weiho Marwing Owner: Mr Hassen Adams Colours: Royal blue, silver hoops, quartered cap
Total Stakes in SAF over 7 seasons - R1717365 Runs: 58 Wins: 13 Placed: 27 MR: 114
Race Date
Track
2010-07-11 Clairwood Park 2010-07-25 Scottsville
2010-10-13 Durbanville
2010-10-23 Durbanville
2010-11-06 Kenilworth
2011-03-05Durbanville
2011-05-04Kenilworth
2011-06-11
Kenilworth
2011-11-02
Kenilworth
2011-11-13
Kenilworth
2012-08-18 Turffontein
2012-09-02 Scottsville
2012-10-04 Vaal
2012-11-10 Vaal
2012-12-06 Vaal
2013-01-10 Vaal
2013-01-29 Vaal
2013-02-28 Vaal
2013-03-26 Vaal
2013-06-20 Vaal
2013-08-03 Flamingo 2013-08-31 Vaal
2013-09-28 Vaal
2013-10-29 Vaal
2013-11-26 Vaal
2014-01-02 Vaal
2014-02-13 Vaal
2014-04-22 Vaal
2014-05-27 Vaal
2014-07-15 Vaal
2014-08-21 Vaal
2014-09-27 Vaal
2014-12-26 Greyville
2015-04-21 Vaal
2015-06-09 Vaal
2015-09-26 Vaal
2015-10-20 Vaal
12
PARADE MAGAZINE
Dist MR
1000 ?
1200 ?
1200 ?
1400 ?
1400 80
1200 80
1200 80
1200 78
120078
1200 80
120080
1200 84
1200 88
1000 88
1200 88
1200 92
1400 92
1200 92
1200 92
1200 92
1160 92
1400 92
1200 92
1160 91
1400 89
145088
1600 88
145092
145099
1600 102
1450 102
1160 88
1600 102
1600 1200 111
1450 116
1400 92
1200 116
1160 92
1600 116
1400 86
1450 115
1400 88
1600 100
1600 113
1450 121
1200 121
1450 121
1450 114
1600 99
1400 99
1600 105
1600 105
1600 114
1600 114
1600 105
1450 112
1600 114
Wght
57.0
55.0
59.0*0.0
58.0*0.0
58.0
59.0
60.0
60.0*0.0
58.0
58.0
52.0
53.5
55.5
55.5
59.0
52.0
58.0
58.0
58.0
56.0
58.0
57.0
60.0
55.0
57.5
60.0
55.5
59.0
58.5*4.0
62.0*4.0
60.0
52.0
59.5*2.5
60.0*2.5
60.0*2.5
63.0
57.0*2.5
60.0*2.5
58.0
60.0
56.5
60.0*2.5
58.5
60.0
60.0
61.5
61.5
61.5*2.5
60.0
57.5
61.0
66.0*4.0
62.0
60.0
63.0
59.5
60.0
61.5
AIBI Dr
A
5
A
13
A
4
A
11
A
5
A B 7
A B 11
A B 6
A B1
A B 9
A B1
A B 5
A B 4
A B 3
A B 11
A B 1
A B 6
A B 18
A B 1
A B 2
A B 5
A B 5
A B 2
A B 6
A
13
A 2
A
7
A 2
A 2
A
2
A
3
A B 5
A B 6
A B 10
A B 1
A B 2
A B 11
A B 4
A B 7
A B 2
A B 6
A B 5
A B 6
A B 4
A B 6
A B 4
A B 7
A B 9
A B 9
A B 12
A B 2
A B 6
A B 9
A B 7
A B 8
A B 10
A B 3
A B 2
Fi
9
4
2
5
5
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
4
10
1
15
8
9
4
9
2
5
8
6
3
1
6
1
1
2
3
5
2
1
2
3
6
2
2
3
1
3
3
7
1
2
3
2
2
5
1
3
8
6
3
2
2
1
W/D
10.75
9.25
0.50
4.50
1.10
1.75
3.25
-2.50
-0.25
4.50
-0.10
-0.50
2.70
5.60
-1.50
7.75
3.90
8.80
1.80
4.60
1.50
3.80
6.50
2.60
5.00
-0.25
3.75
-1.25
-1.00
8.25
2.75
6.85
1.50
-9.00
1.25
2.25
3.25
2.00
0.50
0.50
-0.50
2.75
2.00
8.25
-1.25
1.25
2.25
1.25
3.00
5.05
-0.75
0.10
2.95
9.80
2.60
0.25
2.25
-2.25
Winner/*2nd
WHAT A WINTER
HOT ROCKET
THE SHARK (ZIM)
KING FAHIEM
BASTILLE DAY
WINDS OF WAR
CYPRESS POINT
*TIGERS EYE
*CAP ALRIGHT
BAD WINTER
*CAPTAIN THRILLER
*CYPRESS POINT
EXPLORATION
RABATTACHE
*CAP ALRIGHT
SHADES OF INDIGO
LOS COLMOS
DIVINE JET
DEPARDIEU
CAP ALRIGHT
DELIVER THE POWER
PESSOA
MYTHICAL PALACE (AUS)
SOWETO SLEW (AUS)
MERHEE (AUS)
*CROWN HEIGHTS (AUS)
POMODORO
*BOY OH BOY
*MR TOBIN (ARG)
PYLON
THE MOUSEKETEER
MERHEE (AUS)
MAGIC SMOKE
*KINGOFMOUNTAIN
HERE COMES BILLY
IN A RUSH
WYLIE HALL (AUS)
ACROSS THE ICE
TIGER TERRITORY
FORMATION
*PRINCE JAZEEM
THE MOUSEKETEER
WHITELINE FEVER
YORKER
*PYLON
JET JAMBOREE
SUGAR AND SHAKE
JET JAMBOREE
TOMMY GUN
FOURTH ESTATE
*CAPTAIN’S DAUGHTER
STORMY ECLIPSE
THE HANGMAN
STAVINSKY
LAVENDER LANDSCAPE
NIGHT TRIP
DEPUTY JUD
*BIG SHOT
Jockey
Chase Maujean
Anton Marcus
Aldo Domeyer
Aldo Domeyer
Christopher Puller
Bernard Fayd’Herbe
Bernard Fayd’Herbe
Aldo Domeyer
Gerrit Schlechter
Gerrit Schlechter
Gerrit Schlechter
Gerrit Schlechter
Gerrit Schlechter
Oswald Noach
Gerrit Schlechter
Muzi Yeni
Gerrit Schlechter
M J Odendaal
Gerrit Schlechter
Morne Winnaar
M J Odendaal
M J Odendaal
Sean Veale
Sean Veale
Sean Veale
S’Manga Khumalo
Derreck David
Piere Strydom
Wesley Marwing
Wesley Marwing
Piere Strydom
M J Odendaal
Wesley Marwing
Wesley Marwing
Wesley Marwing
Kevin Shea
Wesley Marwing
Wesley Marwing
Anthony Delpech
S’Manga Khumalo
Ian Sturgeon
Wesley Marwing
Weichong Marwing
Grant Van Niekerk
Richard Fourie
S’Manga Khumalo
S’Manga Khumalo
Wesley Marwing
Weichong Marwing
Derryl Daniels
Marco V’Rensburg
Akshay Balloo
S’Manga Khumalo
Marco V’Rensburg
Callan Murray
S’Manga Khumalo
Ian Sturgeon
Wesley Marwing
GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS)
1st 3yo in 40 yrs to win the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate
Highest rated 3yo in SA 2012
1st crop of 2yo’s racing in 2016
FreemanStallions
EQUO PRODESSE
T: +27 (0)21 418 0566
Varsfontein Stud
PARADE MAGAZINE
CARL DE VOS
T: +27 (0)21 869 8238
W: www.varsfontein.co.za
13
VArsfontein
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Pathfork
Distorted Humor - Visions Of Clarity (Sadler’s Wells)
Undefeated 2yo Gr1 Winner
Irish Champion 2yo
1st crop of 2yo’s racing in 2016
FreemanStallions
EQUO PRODESSE
T: +27 (0)21 418 0566
Highlands Stud
MIKE SHARKEY
T: +27 (0)23 626 2331
W: www.highlandsfarmstud.co.za
another
year has
raced
by...
16
PARADE MAGAZINE
Photos by nkosi hlophe
RACING
PARADE MAGAZINE
17
RACING pe racing
The jockeys line up before the start of the first leg of the International Jockeys Challenge at Fairview.
tarry lifts
the cup
At the end of October and early November, Port Elizabeth
racing enjoyed a golden period in its history with many firsts at
the picturesque Fairview race track.
Words by henk steenkamp
18
PARADE MAGAZINE
PHOTos by: deon botha
S
till, there was no luck for the PE trainers trying to win the R350 000 Gr3 Betting World Algoa
Cup over 2000m for the first time since 2009, on a
windy afternoon on October 25th.
Instead it was current champion national trainer, Sean
Tarry, who dominated the East Cape’s biggest race on his
first visit to the Friendly City.
The 4 year-old colt, Stonehenge, won the race for the
Seventh Rock Syndicate (Nom: Markus Jooste), just
getting the better of his stable mate, Orchestrated, in a
thrilling finish.
In the process the 22 year old Julius Mariba become
the first black jockey in the long history of this popular
race to reach the winning post first. In fact, it was the
first time two black jockeys took the first two places in
the Algoa Cup, with S’Manga Khumalo ending up in the
second box.
That was not the only first. Veterans of racing in the
East Cape also made it the first time that a jockey won
the Algoa Cup using front running tactics.
It worked, but Tarry and Mariba revealed afterwards
that it wasn’t exactly the plan.
“Orchestrated was supposed to sit second and Stonehenge midfield (but the opposite happened). Both jockeys used their initiative and both horses are winners to
me.”
“Full credit to Julius. In the wind it was a bold move to
go to the front and dictate the pace,” Tarry said.
According to Mariba the trainer doesn’t like the jockeys
fighting his horses. “So, I decided to go up there and it
worked out well,” Mariba explained.
Tarry had his hands full trying to saddle his horses
in the strong wind and even took a kick from a nervous
Stonehenge.
In the end, the trip from Johannesburg was worth the
effort. Tarry might be back next year to show the PE
trainers that it is not only the Cape Town visitors that are
interested in that lovely trophy.
Last season’s champion trainer, Justin Snaith, filled the
next three places after the Tarry runners. Masterly was in
third, followed by Krambambuli, and Current Event.
And the home town challengers? Symbolik (Dorrie
Sham) did the best of them, but the bad luck started even
before the race.
One of PE’s stars, Gogetthesheriff, was scratched in
the week leading up to the race. Trainer Jacques Strydom,
the last winning local trainer with Surfin’ USA in 2009,
Champion trainer Sean Tarry with the Algoa Cup.
prepped Gogetthesherriff to perfection for a big run.
The 5 year-old gelding was looking an absolute picture,
when he developed a temperature. It was sad for the stable to take Gogetthesheriff out of the race but Strydom
could not take a chance with a sick horse.
Kalamain then become PE’s big hope (along with
Symbolik), but you could hear the scream of despair from
the East Cape champion trainer, Alan Greeff, from miles
away when Kalamain was badly left at the start and never
recovered.
The fact that Tarry raided from Gauteng and that four
Cape Town trainers, Snaith, Mike Bass, Glen Kotzen and
Vaughan Marshall also had runners, showed that the Algoa Cup will continue to attract some fine horses from
the other centres.
The sponsor, Betting World, is very happy with the state
of affairs and predicted a long relationship with the Algoa
Cup. It was Betting World’s seventh year of sponsorship.
On the track the locals did not have much to shout
about, but off the track PE produced another great family
day with the usual myriad of on course entertainment.
PARADE MAGAZINE
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PHOTo by: deon botha
RACING PE RACing
Julius Mariba receives his trophy as the winning jockey from Betting World’s Dean Finder.
There was a unique start to the day with a charity walk
in aid of polio awareness, hosted by the Rotary Club in
Port Elizabeth.
The charity drive continued with the Wildekrans Wine
Estate potjiekos competition, hosted by the Lions of St
Croix, in aid of the Sydenham Retirement Village in Port
Elizabeth. The President of the local Lions Club, Tilly
Strydom, has been involved with charity projects with
race meetings in the East Cape for many years. She is
also a race horse owner with the stable of her son, Jacques.
PE Racing continued to make history and Friday the
13th was a lucky date for East Cape Racing. It was yet
another day of firsts as Port Elizabeth got their first turn
to host the RACING. IT’S A RUSH International Jockeys Challenge.
The first leg of this challenge saw some breath-taking
riding when the South African team took on the overseas
riders in four races.
Not only did the famous PE hospitality impress all, but
the Fairview track also deserved the accolades.
“It is a lovely track. The best horse wins on this track.
That is what you want,” remarked Irish jockey, Pat Cosgrave.
This meeting started with another first, Port Elizabeth’s
first ever Work Riders race. This Maiden Plate was won
by Vuzi Matwa aboard the 4 year-old gelding Momentous, owned by Markus and Ingrid Jooste, and trained by
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Tara Laing.
“There will be some more firsts for PE,” promised the
CEO of the Racing Association, Larry Wainstein.”
“This is a special day for PE Racing. We had confidence
in PE to host the Jockey Challenge and they did not let
us down.”
“Port Elizabeth is a fantastic place to race and don’t
have to stand back for the other centres.”
“There was lovely camaraderie and that is what sport is
about,” Wainstein said.
The Work Riders race was an RA initiative and Wainstein promised it was not a once off.
“This brings excitement to the grooms and is good for
the sport. James Maree and the sponsors must be thanked
for their role.”
The Jockey Challenge and Work Riders race were very
well received amongst the PE trainers ranks.
These are some of their reactions during Friday the
13th:
Tara Laing: “It is fantastic for PE.”
Jacques Strydom: “I hope the Challenge is an annual
PE event.”
Grant Paddock: “A special day with an excellent vibe.”
Choppies McLachlan: “Lovely that the Challenge is
hosted here.”
Dorrie Sham: “Fantastic day.”
PHILANTHROPIST (USA)
A STANDOUT ON APEX RATINGS
Bill Oppenheim
1st SA crop to
race 2016
EQUO PRODESSE
www.drakensteinstud.com
ROSS FULLER M: +27 (0)82 826 2127 | E: ross@drakensteinstud.co.za
KEVIN SOMMERVILLE T: +27 (0)21 874 9038 | E: kevin@drakensteinstud.co.za
Enquiries & Bookings to: JOHN FREEMAN
T: +27 (0)21 418 0566 | www.freemanstallions.co.za
Sean Cormack and Dennis Drier.
These days one seldom thinks of
one without the other. They make
a formidable team and as these
things go, it all started with a
phone call. Words by liesl king
sean cormack
master of his fate
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RACING sean cormack
Y
PHOTo by: nkosi hlophe
et it wasn’t a phone call from Drier to Cormack,
it was a phone call from Drier to Steve Sturlese, as
Cormack was the powerful owner’s retained jockey. Glyn Schofield, Drier’s stable jockey was leaving and
he was looking for a replacement, would Sturlese release
him, Drier asked. Fortunately Steve, who also had horses
with Drier, was happy to oblige and Cormack jumped at
the chance.
Yet their first partnership was brief as a year and a half
later the wanderlust came calling and Cormack was on
his way to ride in Brisbane, Australia. Then came a fall
that tore all the ligaments and muscles in his hand. Cormack headed home for Christmas and to recuperate. His
recovery period almost over Cormack decided to try his
hand on a few horses at morning track work before returning to Australia. Cormack explains.
“I asked Mr Drier if I could ride one or two just to see
how my hand was. That day I rode two strings! We were
sitting at breakfast afterwards and he asked me about my
plans and whether I would ride a horse for him in the
Flamboyant. Of course I said yes. I had a winner for him
on the day and Mr Drier asked me to stay and ride for
him.”
Again the relationship did not last long, as two years
later, Basil Marcus and Dennis and Gael Evans came
calling, offering the young rider a job in lucrative Singapore. Cormack talks fondly of his time in Singapore. “I
rode with Joao Moreira and a number of international
jockeys. The style of riding is very different and you need
to adapt quickly. I learned a lot in the year and a half that
I was there.” This time Cormack was lured home by the
offer of the ride on Princess Victoria for Glen Kotzen. A
season in Durban followed and it wasn’t long before the
inevitable happened.
“Dennis approached me to come and ride for him
again. It was like going home. My fist ride was on Beach
Beauty in the 1900 and the rest is history.” Cormack’s
story is fairly well known, but it was his relationship with
the horses he rides that intrigued me most. “I love animals
and I guess my love of horses has grown with the job. I
do get very attached to my horses.” He has ridden some
superstars in his career and I ask which ones stand out the
most for him. His face softens as he reminisces.
Sean Cormack and Beach Beauty.
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RACING sean cormack
“Beach Beauty. The first time
I ever rode her, she had this
reputation of being aggressive,
strong, a puller and yet she was
tiny. You go to work her and you
think like all this reputation about
this little thing!”
“Val de Ra. From day one I said she was going to be
a champion. Not just good, but a champion. I won four
races on her, her first four starts in fact. It was the only
thing stopping me from going to Singapore. I have always
stayed and not taken up commitments because of horses
and it always seems not to have worked out for me. And
yet the day I decided to go was the day I should have
stayed. I should have stayed for her.
Beach Beauty
“Beach Beauty. The first time I ever rode her, she had
this reputation of being aggressive, strong, a puller and
yet she was tiny. You go to work her and you think like
all this reputation about this little thing! I remember the
first time I rode her; I walked in to the parade ring and
I said to Mr Drier, ‘I don’t want to know about her history. I have seen and I have watched, but I am going to
ride her like a normal horse that settles and does every
thing right.’ She never gave me a hard time, not for one
moment.
“She is the most enthusiastic horse I have ever ridden.
She is one of a handful of horses, where I knew she was
having a bad day; an off day and she would still run an unbelievable race. The day she came second to Variety Club.
That day was probably the worst day I have ever had with
her. She was shaking behind the stalls; she was sweating;
Whiteline Fever kicked her at the start; nothing was going right for us. And she still ran second to Variety Club.
Not only did she run second, she gave him a lot of cheek
for a long time up the straight!
“That’s Beach Beauty in a nutshell. She knew she was
good, but she didn’t change, not for one minute. She was
full of life, enthusiasm and fight. She was so good. I like
to believe that I had a real connection with her. My wife
says that Beach Beauty was different with me. She always
did whatever I asked of her. When I asked her to drop in
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and be quiet, she did. If I asked her to bounce and place,
she did. She did everything I asked of her and more. The
way she use to win some days, horses just don’t do that.
She was very, very special.
Saying goodbye
“It was very hard to say goodbye to her. When you ride
a horse that good, with that whole story behind her, it’s
just a fairytale. But when you go along for that ride and it
comes to an end, you just don’t want to accept it. I am glad
she had the perfect send-off. She ended in the best possible way, winning a Grade 1. As much as you don’t want it
to end, it could not have ended any better. She has gone to
a great stud and she will live out the rest of her days there.
Master Of My Fate
“Master Of My Fate is as special to me as she was. I
still say he was the best horse I have ever ridden. In fact
without a doubt he is the best horse I have ever ridden.
Although he started late in his career he got to Gr 1 level
so quickly. When he ran in the Met it was like riding a 3yr
old. Mentally he was still a big baby, he didn’t know how
to race, the penny hadn’t quite dropped yet. What breaks
my heart is that people never got to see how good he was.
He should have won that race. I think if he had won the
Met, then hurt himself and retired I could have accepted
it more. I don’t think we ever saw quite what he was capable off. There was something so special about that horse.
He had everything. He had fire; he had character; he was
a show-off.”
What better way to end off than Cormack’s public
tribute to the best horse he has ever ridden, Master Of
My Fate.
“Today was not a good day, as my big boy’s career
came to an end.
You made me feel invincible and I will miss every
headache you gave me.
Everyone saw you as an ill-tempered animal,
but you were a gentle giant with a naughty nature.
It breaks my heart to know that they will never know
how brilliant you really were, but I know your progeny
will fly your flag high.
I will miss you every day Master Of My Fate. Thanks
for the memories.”
Querari
(Ger)
Cape Champion Freshman Sire 2015
FreemanStallions
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T: +27 (0)21 418 0566
TIM BOOTSMA
T: +27 (0)23 626 2342
W: www.mainechance.co.za
RACING 2015: A vintage year
The grey ghost Solow.
a vintage year
In any given year there tends to
be a standout horse. Some put
in solid performances with many
victories, while others are
exceptional, commanding
attention worldwide.
Words by liesl king
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PARADE MAGAZINE
PHOTo by: Michele MacDonald
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
H
orses, who are indelibly etched into our
memories. Who can forget the great Zenyatta.
For three long years, the large imposing jet-black
mare, danced her way around each and every parade ring
with her Spanish Walk, dominating the American tracks.
We celebrated each of her victories, holding our breath
as the tally crept up and up. Then came that catastrophic
last gasp defeat in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic and
we cried with Mike Smith as her record will forever read,
twenty starts, nineteen victories.
Sea The Stars took up the baton for the boys in 2009.
In the space of a mere five months he recorded six Group
1 victories winning the 2000 Guineas, the Investec Derby,
the Coral Eclipse, the Juddmonte International, the Irish
Champion Stakes and the cherry on top of an extraordinary career, the Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Sea The
Stars retired to stud with a replica of Zenyatta’s record,
nine starts, eight victories.
Then there was the filly that met The Queen, Black
Caviar. For four glorious years Black Caviar became a
household name as she became that impossible thing, a
dead-cert. With a perfect record of 21victories the unbeaten Black Caviar set forth to conquer the bastion of
racing, Royal Ascot. It almost ended in heartbreak, but
Black Caviar literally threw herself into the lead and over
the line. She retired to the paddocks with a perfect 25
victories from 25 starts.
Finally there was the legendary Frankel. A bay colt
with invisible wings, he did not just win races, he demolished his opposition, breaking their hearts as he put
many lengths between himself and the unlucky ones who
dared oppose him. From April 2011 to October 2012
we watched spellbound, as he casually notched up nine
Group 1 victories, with Tom Queally simply along for
the ride. Frankel like Black Caviar retired unbeaten with
fourteen victories.
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27
Yet 2015 is an extraordinary year, a year that delivered
not one star but three. Three countries, three champions
and three stars who will forever live on as the best of the
best. For 2015 firmly belonged to American Pharoah
(USA), Golden Horn (GB) and Solow (GB).
American Pharoah started his career with a moderate 5th place finish in a Maiden at Del Mar, beaten 9.25
lengths. Yet barely a month later, the laidback bay colt
cantered home in the Group 1 Del Mar Futurity, winning
by 4.75 lengths. It was the start of the Kentucky Derby
Trail and American Pharoah, while not yet a household
name was firmly on it. Next came victory in the Rebel
Stakes by six lengths and in the Arkansas Derby by eight.
The run for the roses, the Kentucky Derby is the first
leg of the Triple Crown and a gutsy finish saw American
Pharoah proudly wearing the traditional blanket of roses.
Two weeks later, on a wet muddy track, the Preakness was
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his. Once again there was a chance of a Triple Crown
winner. Since Affirmed’s victory in 1978, 13 had won the
first two legs only to fail in the last. The Belmont is brutal;
2400m two weeks after the Preakness, it is a hard ask for
a young three-year-olds.
Yet American Pharoah is no ordinary three-year-old.
Trainer Bob Baffert believed he was something special,
something out of the ordinary. A horse with incredible
speed, incredible stamina and an incredible temperament.
And on the 6th of June 2015, American Pharoah entered
history as he crossed the line five lengths clear, becoming
only the 12th horse to win the US Triple Crown. A victory in the Haskell Invitational followed, before an earth
shattering loss in the Travers Stakes, proving he is after
all mere flesh and blood. American Pharoah ended the
year in the Gr.1 Breeders Cup Classic, where he blew the
star-studded field away. He retired to stud with 9 victories
Golden Horn in Dettori’s
words, “put it to bed like a
superstar”.
from 11 starts and is in the running for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
Over the pond, another three-year-old colt had racegoers thronging to the tracks. Golden Horn started his
career in a quiet fashion, winning a maiden stakes race
in Nottingham. Stepping through the ranks, Golden
Horn added the Listed Feilden Stakes and the Gr.2 Dante Stakes to his repertoire, before owner Anthony Oppenheimer famously forked out £75,000 to supplement
Golden Horn for the Derby. It was to be a momentous
decision. Golden Horn, with Dettori on board romped
home, winning by 3.5 lengths from stablemate Jack
Hobbs. A trip across the water saw Golden Horn return
victorious in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes.
Then it was time for the big one, the Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc
de Triomphe, where Arc heroine Treve was on course for
an extraoridnary hat-trick. Drawn way out in stall 14,
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PHOTo: Breeders Cup
A horse with
incredible speed,
incredible stamina
and an incredible
temperament.
Breeders’ Cup champion American Pharoah.
Dettori was in a race of his own as he steered Golden
Horn wide round the field, before slotting in up front.
In the home straight it was race over a long way out, as
Golden Horn in Dettori’s words, “put it to bed like a superstar”. Golden Horn’s phenomenal year ended with a
close second in his final start, to old foe Found, in the
Breeders’ Cup Turf. He retires to stud with seven victories
from nine starts.
Last but certainly not least is Solow. The beautiful grey
is neither a three-year-old, nor a colt, and with his best
distance being a mile, he isn’t a Classic contender either.
Trained in France by Freddie Head, Solow ran in conditions races in his first nine starts, with moderate success.
His first graded victory came in a Gr.3 at Deauville, but
it was not remarkable and the name Solow was barely
recognised in France.
Then in 2015, Solow appeared at Meydan. Again little
notice was taken of the grey gelding, except to admire
his dapples, for he was entered in the Gr.1 Dubai Turf
over 1800m, against the likes of Cladocera and The Grey
Gatsby. Come race night however, that was all to change,
as Solow stormed to a dominating 4.25 length victory.
Another Gr.1 victory, this time on home turf in the Prix
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d’Ispahan at Longchamp followed. But it was his defeat
of the world’s highest rated racehorse, Able Friend, in the
Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot that catapulted Solow
into the ranks of the greats. And Head was far from done.
Globe trotting Solow’s next mission was the Gr.1 Sussex
Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. It was to be his fifth start
of 2015 and many wondered whether it wasn’t a step to
far. Not for Solow, the gelding looked magnificent and
another victory followed. Unlike Frankel and Golden
Horn, Solow is firmly of the opinion that one does not
have to be a showoff. After all, it is not the winning margin that counts, but the victory and Solow is a master at
doing just enough.
His year ended as it had begun, with a magnificent
victory in the British Champions Mile, the Gr.1 Queen
Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. It was his ninth victory in
a row. An extraordinary year for an extraordinary horse.
Solow may not be destined for stud duties like Golden
Horn, or have rewritten history like American Pharoah,
but his rise from moderate conditions races to Group 1
stardom is no less inspiring and he is a worthy member
of the trio of extraordinary horses that made 2015 a truly
vintage year!
TRIPPI (USA)
LEADING SIRE OF 3 YEAR OLDS
More 3 year olds rated above 100
than any other sire in 2014/15
EQUO PRODESSE
RACING carry on alice
Carry On Alice winning the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville.
a girl called
alice
All pretty straight forward, as these things go. You buy a horse, if you
are lucky it’s a good one and then you win some decent races. Except
the story of Carry On Alice is anything but straightforward.
Words by liesl king
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PARADE MAGAZINE
Carry On Alice with owners John and Jill Warner.
T
he Sean Tarry-trained, Carry On Alice, shed
her bridesmaid tag with a well deserved fifth victory and second Grade 1 victory in the R600,000
Gr.1 City of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint over 1200m
earlier this year. A daughter of Klawervlei Stud’s resident
stallion, Captain Al, the filly out of the Western Winter mare, Carry On Katie was offered at the 2013 Cape
Premier Yearling Sale, where she was purchased by Prof
John Warner and well known owner, Chris van Niekerk,
for R475,000, with Klawervlei Stud retaining an interest
as well. Having been narrowly beaten in the Gr.1 Gold
Medallion a year ago by Guiness, before a last gasp defeat
in the Gr.1 Thekwini Stakes and the Gr.1 Computaform
Sprint, Carry On Alice was chasing a long overdue second Grade 1 victory.
It all started with a completely random event. Somewhere in racing’s officialdom a decision was made to
change the date of the 2013 J&B Met from its usual spot
on the last Saturday in January to the first Saturday in
February. Pretty unremarkable one would have thought,
but it was to have far reaching consequences.
For unbeknownst to the decision maker, a racing tour
operator called Racing Abroad had organised a tour to
South Africa to coincide with the 2013 J&B Met, assuming that it would be in its usual spot on the last Saturday
in January. Twenty couples were booked to come and the
tour included a day at the Met as well as visits to some
stud farms.
Love at first sight
The date change however, put a complete spanner in
the works and with the J&B Met no longer included in
the itinerary, all but two couples pulled out. The small
party of four had a great time in South Africa and with
PARADE MAGAZINE
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RACING carry on alice
no J&B Met to attend, a visit to Klawervlei Stud was
arranged, where they met the legendary Captain Al,
up close and personal. One of the visitors, Jill Warner, from the UK, fell completely in love with the
handsome, gentle stallion.
Seeing as the group was small, John Koster decided to treat them to a lovely lunch at the Van Loveren Wine Estate and with the majority of the group
being men the conversation around the table soon
turned from horses to golf. Not a golfing enthusiast,
Jill was bored. Koster, ever the gracious host, handed
her the 2013 Cape Premier Yearling Sale catalogue
to keep her occupied. Jill takes up the story.
“It is hard to create a fairytale more remarkable than the one of how we acquired
Carry On Alice! John gave me that catalogue
and as I paged through it, one filly leapt off the
page at me - I said to John Koster, ‘ if we were
going to buy a horse at the Sale it would have to be
Carry On Alice.' While we have had the odd horse
in the UK, our intention was never to have a horse
here, so it was a moot point. Even when John Koster
suggested we buy a share in her, I didn’t take him too
seriously.
However, once we had seen her at the Cape Town
International Convention Centre there was no question in our minds that we had to have her.”
John, Jill’s husband did the bidding and when the
hammer came down at R475000, Carry On Alice
was theirs. Having recently lost Carry On Alice’s
dam, John Koster was keen to keep a share in the
filly and the third partner in Carry On Alice was to
be Chris van Niekerk. Sean Tarry thought Carry On
Alice was a beautiful, extremely athletic filly and he
persuaded Van Niekerk to take up a majority interest.
The Carry On Alice team was complete.
“Watching her progress from a yearling to a Double
Grade 1 winning filly has been sensational”, says Jill.
“We try to get out to SA whenever she is running and
although not always possible the times we have been
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PHOToS by: liesl king
There can be no more
exhilarating experience than
cheering your own horse home
to such an impressive win!”
there have been indescribably exciting! Of course her win
in the SA Fillies Sprint has to be one of the most thrilling
experiences - as she burst through the rest of the field
300m out we couldn't contain our excitement and joy at
her incredible turn of foot! There can be no more exhilarating experience than cheering your own horse home to
such an impressive win!”
The Warners have enjoyed their visits to South Africa
so much that they have bought a house at the Val de Vie
Estate. “It is a beautiful place to live and now we can be
here for her Cape Summer Season campaign. Carry On
Alice has given us a whole new aspect to our lives - an
amazing horse, very special and dear new friends and an
opportunity to spend so much more time in our beloved
SA!”
Next came shares in some Tractors. No the Warners
haven’t taken up farming. Jill cleverly persuaded John to
buy her a share in a filly called Pink Tractor for her birthday. John obliged and in return Jill surprised him with a
share in Black Tractor for his birthday! The most difficult
part was keeping the secret till his birthday, Jill explains.
Recently, the Carry On Alice partnership also acquired
Lot 99, a beautiful Trippi (USA) filly out of the Storm
Cat mare Dive (USA), at the 2015 Cape Premier Yearling
Sale.
Not only do the Warners now have shares in four horses, but on a recent visit to Cape Town, John and Jill were
invited to joined Brett Crawford’s string, including their
very own Black Tractor, on Strandfontein Beach. Both
Warners ride and have started polo lessons at Val de Vie,
but Jill had the ride of her life when she was allowed to
ride Speedy Chestnut on the beach. “An experience of
a lifetime”, Jill enthuses. I never dreamt that one day I
would be riding a racehorse in full training on a South
African beach!” It started with a simple date change on a
racing program and ended with a grade 1 winning horse
and a house in Cape Town. For the Warners life certainly
is an adventure and they sure are enjoying every minute
of the ride!
“I never dreamt that one day
I would be riding a racehorse
in full training on a South
African beach!”
PARADE MAGAZINE
35
feature john slade
a new start
In the best storytelling tradition, I’m picking up a story half way
through. In it, a young John Slade approaches Chris Smith (of Chris
Smith Bloodstock fame) at his Durban office to look through some of
the magazines in Chris’s office.
Words by robyn louw
J
ohn duly announces himself with “Hello I’m
John Slade.” Chris looks up and asks “And who are
you?” Somewhat nonplussed John repeats, “I’m John
Slade.” One can almost imagine Chris sighing before
saying in the best establishment tradition, ‘Yes, yes, but
WHO ARE YOU?’ I think most of John’s response was
fairly concise, but it was rounded off with ‘And I didn’t go
to Michaelhouse either’ before he swept out.
It’s a little story, but it says a lot. Firstly, that John is
not from the horsey or racing ‘establishment’. He is not
part of the ‘boys’ club’ and he did not go to Michaelhouse.
However, if attending Michaelhouse stamps your ticket
into the industry, then I for one, am glad John attended
Estcourt instead, because the problem with a cookie-cutter process is that everyone comes out looking like the
same cookie. Happily, John did not, which is probably
what makes him so good at what he does.
We chat over coffee and freshly baked muffins in the
gracious Maine Chance office, overlooked by portraits of
Silvano and Lomitas. In the entrance hangs a magnificent framed collection of the silks and saddle cloths of
Maine Chance’s incredible 1-2-3 July result. “There isn’t
a trophy for the breeder, so Gold Circle kindly had this
made up for us,” says John. Not only did Silvano sire the
first three past the post, but all three horses were born at
Maine Chance and all three were delivered by John (“I
don’t let anyone else open my Christmas presents!”) He’d
never remind people of that though - it is enough that the
frame is there.
About John
It would be quite impossible to stuff John into a few
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PARADE MAGAZINE
paragraphs on a printed page, but his story starts in
Tweefontein outside Witbank. After the war, John’s
father did engineering work for the mines and John is
the second of the family’s four sons, whom he describes
as different as north, south, east and west. At age 5, a
well-intentioned attempt by John to decorate the local
railway line resulted in derailing the steam engine and a
few coal trucks, so the Slade family hastily relocated to
Natal.
Kindness of strangers
The vagaries of life often hinge on the kindness
of strangers and it is thanks to the generosity of a
local Arabian breeder, Betty Chapman, that John was
first introduced to horses. Horsey ladies don’t always like
sharing their precious darlings and either Mrs Chapman
was an exceptional human being, or perhaps she saw, even
then, a spark of something special in the young boy.
Independent minded
John learnt to ride, although he is pretty dismissive of
his level of prowess, and went on to become an Arabian
show judge. Showing his trademark independent-mindedness, he judged the Championship at the Royal show
and had the temerity to award first prize to a new, unknown horse, rather than the established, expected pair.
He was promptly fired (although his decision was subsequently vindicated when ‘his’ champion went on to become the South African champion).
John did some of his national service before being
deemed unsuitable for refusing to carry a rifle (“I’ve always been a bit of a hippy reactionary”, he shrugs), and he
PHOTo by: hamishNIVEN-Photography
John Slade.
then became an art teacher. John is at his very best when
nurturing people and unsurprisingly, his students’ work
was so good that it became part of a travelling exhibition.
Unfortunately, his methods were considered unorthodox
and he was fired partly over his teaching methods, but
mainly over an application for leave to go and judge the
Royal show mentioned above.
International experience
John then decided to head abroad, to see what the
world had to offer and more importantly what it had to
teach. He headed to the UK and got a season’s stud work
at Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket by walking up the
driveway and knocking on the door. He then travelled
to America, first breaking in ready to run horses for the
Hialeah Sales and then yearling sales prep work for the
Saratoga Sales for Lee Eaton. Plans to head to Australia
and New Zealand were curtailed by a bad fall, which injured his neck and he came back home.
Scott Bros.
Back in South Africa, John prepped some sales year-
lings for a small breeder by the name of Mr Jackson and
did such a nice job that his draft caught the eye of George
Rowles. George made mention of it to Robin Scott, who
promptly offered John the job of stud manager. “Robin is
exceptional that way. He has helped quite a few people by
giving them chances like that,” says John.
John was at Scott Bros for 8 years – “After Jungle Cove,
but before Foveros” – during which time Scott Bros were
second on the breeders, as well as the owners’, logs. John
picked Jungle Rock as one of the best of his crop and
recommended him to Ricky Maingard. Ricky refused,
reportedly protesting “I can’t buy him – people will say it’s
just because of the colour!” John also helped plan and lay
out the magnificent lanes of trees at Highdown. It was at
Scott Bros that he met Liz, who originally came to visit
the farm to look at the stallions and later worked there
breaking in the young horses. Despite not even knowing her name at the time, John commented to a colleague
that he was going to marry that girl and have beautiful
children. He did just that and he and Liz have a daughter, Catherine and a son, David and as predicted, they are
gorgeous.
PARADE MAGAZINE
37
feature john slade
“I have no pretences that I know
what I’m doing, but I want to have
some fun. I want to be hands on
again and I want to raise horses the
old fashioned way.”
Summerhill
When Mick Goss took over sole ownership of Summerhill, he offered John the job as manager and again
John was there for 8 years. “Eight years seems to be my
standard,” says John. He was there during the Northern
Guest era and famously had an altercation with Liloy,
but John feels his biggest legacy was the landscaping at
Summerhill and it is something he is justifiably proud of
- “Grand places have open spaces.”
Maine Chance
From Summerhill, John and his family went abroad.
First to the UK and then to New Zealand’s South Island,
where they farmed deer and practiced general farming
for several years. John is a master story-teller and it well
worth getting him to tell the story of the dog that didn’t
like swearing. John was offered a position at Waikato
Stud on the North Island and happened to be standing a mare belonging to the Becks. When he contacted
Anthony to explain that he was leaving and ask what he
should do with the mare, Anthony offered him the job
at Maine Chance. That was back in 2000. John worked
for the Becks until Andreas Jacobs bought the farm lock,
stock and barrel – including the stud manager – in 2003.
Fascinating company
Over lunch of ‘Spaghetti 1’ we chat about everything
from art to epigenetics and it’s hard to stay on track and
jot notes on the main reason I’m here. John has broken
his 8 year rule with Maine Chance, but will be retiring
in December 2015 to strike out on his own. About 5
years ago he and Liz purchased a 2,000ha farm just outside Steynsburg. “I’ve always wanted to go to the Karoo
as I believe that’s the place to raise horses. I tried to find
the location of the old studs and the really good horse
country and I think we’re near enough. A lot of the places we looked at were really boring and flat and then we
found this one. It’s high up on a plateau and there are
38
PARADE MAGAZINE
lots of rocks, but right away it enchanted us. Liz moved
out there just after we bought it and has been putting
in infrastructure and building up a herd of Nguni cattle with the help of Schalkie van der Walt. We haven’t
got many paddocks, but they’re big – around 200ha each.
And there’s an ordinary little box house,” he adds, almost
as an afterthought.
Hands On
“I’m allowed to keep my three mares at Maine Chance
for another year, so I’ve got two more years of commercial foals and then it will taper to pets and experiments.
I have no pretences that I know what I’m doing, but I
want to have some fun. I want to be hands on again and
I want to raise horses the old fashioned way.” John explains, “I’ve made people money by producing horses that
sold well and we got lucky and had some that ran well
too, but I feel I’ve got better at prepping a horse for the
sales without compromising its racing ability. I believe a
horse should be exercised, not fed into condition. In the
Karoo I want to experiment and rear my horses as naturally as possible. My main aim is to keep the gut in good
working order – no antibiotics, wormers, etc. although I
will use science to ensure the horses don’t suffer any hardships. I want to feed more naturally – only once a day
and no carbs. I’m going to feed oils and Vitaline lifetime
balancer custom mixed to the climate. It gets very cold
there and the horses are out in all weathers, so I’ll add
bergafat in winter. And they’ll have plenty of space to
move around.”
John has been testing the farm by running Boerperd
mares on it as well as a few Thoroughbreds and the results have been promising. Despite the lack of traditional
pasture, the horses are well-grown and healthy and John
says none of them – including the Thoroughbreds – have
needed a farrier.
While we chat, we wander around the farm, inspecting
mares and foals, we look at the stallions and John’s old
friend Silvano in particular and we watch the mares being
rectal’d and scanned. John performs a number of Caslicks
while the mares are in in the crush and I ‘ooh and aah’
over Princess Victoria and her gorgeous foal. It’s a far
cry from the remote Karoo. “Aren’t you going to miss all
this?” I ask. “Probably,” he acknowledges, but Tim’s got
it pretty much under control, I’m just a fire engine these
days. I want to sit and watch my horses – the valuable
stuff.”
M a i n e C h a n c e Fa r m s
Breeder of the first 3 past the post
in the 2015 Vodacom Durban July G1
Top 10 Breeder
for over 20 years
HOME OF:
BLACK MINNALOUSHE (USA)
LATERAL (GB)
QUERARI (GER)
SILVANO (GER)
VERCINGETORIX (SAF)
Stud Manager: Tim Bootsma
tim@mainechance.co.za
+27 (0)72 446 6269
PO Box 259 Robertson 6705
Tel: 023 626 2342 • Fax: 023 626 2585
Farm Mobile: 073 140 1921
E-mail: info@mainechance.co.za
Web: www.mainechance.co.za
feature double clutch
Double Clutch
Double Take
Double Clutch on his way to the start after a miraculous recovery.
Double Clutch could very well
have been named Double Take,
after his brush with death and
West Nile Virus.
It once again raises the increasing
occurrence of this disease in South
Africa.
Words by michele wing
40
PARADE MAGAZINE
S
ummerveld based trainer, Paul Lafferty,
trained a Northern Guest filly called Incremental,
for Derek Martin from 2005 to 2007. Incremental
was a moderate performer on the track, but being by a
champion broodmare sire, it made sense to take her to
stud once her racing days were over. She produced a colt
by Sronghold who Derek sold to a trucking friend of his
from Johannesburg, Ashley Williams. Being involved in
the motor trade and a true ‘motor-head’, Ashley requested that the horse be called Double Clutch. “I can’t point
fingers when it comes to naming horses, as I have thrown
a few wicked ones out there”, laughs Lafferty. One has to
agree, with names such as Goat, Chicken, Rat, Mule and
Turkey, amongst others.
Double Clutch came through his early training well
and ran his first race over 1200 meters in the wet, to finish
just 1.3 lengths behind the winner. The stable was happy with his debut, but before he could take up his place
for his second run, Double Clutch fell ill. “The weight
just fell off him and his legs swelled up . He was not in
discomfort, but the virus clearly had him “, said Lafferty.
Within a short space of time, the horse lost 120 kilograms
and spent most of his time unable to get up off his stable
bed.
Double Clutch showed the typical signs of a viral infection, with a high temperature and lack of appetite. Dr
Bronwyn Keys, a vet from Dr Ralph Katzwinkel’s Summerveld Equine Hospital, performed the majority of the
veterinary work on Double Clutch. Viruses can only be
treated symptomatically as they don’t respond to anti-biotics. “As we see the signs we try and control the temperature and heart rate, and keep them as comfortable as
possible”, explained Keys.
Tara Oatley, work rider to the Lafferty stable at the
time, undertook to nurse Double Clutch. “She sat with
him, hour in and hour out, really trying to keep him alive”,
explained Lafferty. The horse was at death’s door and as
the weeks wore on, euthanasia was discussed. However,
“Tara didn’t want to know about giving up on him”, said
Lafferty. “She showed true dedication and love towards
Double Clutch”, he went on.
It was when Double Clutch developed a transitioning
lameness in his hind limbs and then his forelimbs, that
“further concerns were raised”, said Katzwinkel.
At this time, Tara fell seriously ill herself and was admitted to hospital. Initial tests revealed nothing, but on
request from Keys, she was tested for West Nile Virus.
The story does have a happy
ending, as quite amazingly, both
Double Clutch and his faithful nurse
aide, Tara, made a full recovery.
“Her bloods came back positive and it was then that we
all knew what illness Double Clutch was desperately trying to fight”, explained Keys. The virus had jumped from
Double Clutch to Tara.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus. Various species of mosquitoes are the main vector, with birds
being the most commonly infected animal and serving
as the prime reservoir host. It circulates between birds
as the replication host and mosquitoes without causing
disease. The virus was originally identified and named
by Smithburn and colleagues in 1937 (Smithburn, et al
1940), from a woman with a fever, while they were working in the West Nile district of Uganda. As a disease, it
infects an astonishingly wide variety of animals, including
humans.
In horses, only 20-30% of infections develop symptoms, with as many as 90% of these developing severe
neurological diseases and 30 to 40% being fatal or euthanized for humane reasons. “We know how bad West Nile
Virus is, having seen Jet Master die of it”, Lafferty said
soberly. In humans, 20% of infections develop West Nile
fever with symptoms including a rash, joint and muscle
pain, fever, nausea and a headache, while less than 1% of
cases will develop West Nile Virus neurological disease
including meningitis, encephalitis, polio-like paralysis in
rare cases, and death.
The story does have a happy ending, as quite
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41
feature double clutch
“I never believed he would be this
good and I don’t think we have
got to the bottom of him yet. He is
still repaying us and I think he has
another one or two years of good
racing left in him.”
amazingly, both Double Clutch and his faithful nurse
aide, Tara, made a full recovery. Even better though, is
that this big, beautiful horse, with a laid back character,
has shown no long term effects of his illness and gone on
to even excel on the track.
“He’s turned out to be a top horse”, smiled Lafferty.
“He’s won 5 races and beaten some good horses in the
process. He has also won comfortably, with lengths in
hand. He runs on any surface and doesn’t have any particular running style, winning from the front or from the
back of the field. He is also a very genuine, hard hitting
horse. As Ashley rightly said, maybe one day he will repay
Double Clutch - Faith pays off.
42
PARADE MAGAZINE
us and that is just what he’s doing”, said an emotional
Lafferty.
Come Friday the 10th of April this year, there was
hardly a dry eye in the house, when Double Clutch won
the Listed Easter Handicap at Greyville over 2000 meters. This was his first stakes victory and a hat-trick of
wins to put the cherry on the top for a death defying recovery for Double Clutch.
“I never believed he would be this good and I don’t
think we have got to the bottom of him yet. He is still
repaying us and I think he has another one or two years
of good racing left in him”, said Lafferty .
Double Clutch was Ashley Williams’ first venture into
the game and what a memorable one it is proving to be.
As for West Nile Virus, it unfortunately here to stay.
Since its discovery in 1937, it has spread globally, with
the first case in the Western Hemisphere being identified
in New York City in 1999. Cases are frequently reported
in the USA today, where horses are vaccinated annually. Vaccines are now available in South Africa and “we
recommend horses be vaccinated due to the increasing
prevalence of the disease”, concluded Keys.
Twice Over
UK & EU Champion Racehorse
(GB)
gs
n
i
l
r
a
e
y
1
6
1
0
2
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l
a
s
on
st
“As good a 2yo as
I’ve ever ridden”
- Richard Hughes
“Twice Over - proof of the
lasting values of loyalty,
patience and class”
- Brough Scott
FreemanStallions
EQUO PRODESSE
T: +27 (0)21 418 0566
Klawervlei Stud
JOHN KÖSTER
T: +27 (0)23 616 2980
W: www.klawervlei.co.za
feature women jockeys
ladies first
Suffragette Emily Davison infamously used the 1913 English Derby as
a platform to draw attention to the inequalities faced by women when
she fatally threw herself into the path of the oncoming horses. These
days however, women don’t have to be quite so dramatic in order to get
attention on a racecourse.
Words by robbyn ramsay
PHOTo by: deon botha
D
Haley Turner.
44
PARADE MAGAZINE
avison and her ilk would no doubt have
cheered loudly when female jockey, Michelle
Payne, rode the winner of Australia’s famous
Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November and
defiantly spoke out against sexism in racing. In a postrace interview, Payne took a mighty swipe at racing’s
male chauvinists bluntly telling them that they could ‘get
stuffed’ for not having faith in her ability!
The evidence in the form book however, suggests that
Payne’s Melbourne Cup victory on a long shot will be
another false dawn, rather than a harbinger of imminent
gender equality in horse racing!
Just recently we had top British female jockey, Hayley
Turner, riding a winner at Turffontein, showing her mettle pitted against male counterparts in an International
series. Having done much to advance the cause of female
jockeys in Britain and with little left to prove after having held her own in a very competitive male-dominated
environment for many years, Turner has now hung up her
boots.
Michelle Payne and Hayley Turner are the latest of
many jockeys to prove that women can compete on equal
terms with men in the saddle.
Prior to Hayley Turner’s winning exploits, which included two Group One contests, Britain's most successful
female jockey was Alex Greaves, who retired having ridden around 300 winners.
Greaves, who like Turner, also once participated in a
International Jockey’s series in South Africa, made history as the first woman to ride a Group One winner in
PHOTo by: ken wilkens
Linda Jones at Scottsville.
Britain when Ya Malak dead-heated for first in the 1997
Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
Incidentally, the first known woman jockey in Britain,
like Greaves, also made her mark at York. She was Alicia
Meynell, who in 1804 was the first woman to compete in
a public 4-mile race.
Some 187 years later Alex Greaves landed her first big
success aboard Amenable in the 1991 Lincoln and was
also the first woman to ride in the 1,000 Guineas and the
Epsom Derby. It is however sobering to reflect that in the
236-year history of the Epsom Derby, just two runners
have ever been partnered by women and both were rank
outsiders unable to beat a single rival.
There remains something exotic about a woman taking
part in a big race, which is surely a strange state of affairs,
given that female jockeys have been making headlines at
intervals for decades? It is 22 years since Julie Krone rode
the winner of the final leg of the 1993 American Triple
Crown aboard Colonial Affair in the Belmont Stakes
while, over jumps, Gee Armytage rode a double at the
Cheltenham Festival way back in 1987.
Three years before that, Ann Ferris won the Irish Grand
National, but the lack of progress since then meant it was
still a big deal when Katie Walsh became the third woman to win that same race in April this year. Walsh has also
finished third in the Grand National itself.
Female riders are so much a part of New Zealand and
Australia’s racing scene today that it’s hard to imagine
racing without them and difficult to believe that they
only won the right to hold professional jockey licences
36 years ago.
During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Australia permitted female jockeys to be registered for professional
“ladies only”, non-betting events bearing patronising
names like Powder Puff Derby, and the (male) racing administrators of the time proved reluctant to go any further than that.
Linda Jones of Cambridge was the first Kiwi woman
to apply for an apprentice jockey's licence, in September
1976. She was refused, on the grounds that she was "too
old, married and not strong enough." This was despite
the fact that she had won the inaugural Qantas
PARADE MAGAZINE
45
feature women jockeys
International Women’s Handicap at Rotorua and was
considered by many people to be the best female rider
in New Zealand. Finally however, in July 1977, the New
Zealand Racing Conference finally approved the licensing of women as jockeys.
In 1979, Australian Pam O’Neill and New Zealand-born Linda Jones were the first women jockeys licensed to compete in registered races against men and in
May of that same year Jones became the first professional
female jockey to win a race in Australia.
Linda Jones subsequently visited and rode in South Africa some years later and had the local jockeys mesmerised not only by her riding ability but by her petite blonde
bombshell looks!
The first professional woman jockey to ever win a race
in South Africa however, was American Kathryn “Kathy”
Kusner who in fact also holds the distinction of fighting
male prejudice and petty bureaucracy to become the first
ever licensed professional female jockey in the USA.
Kusner was first and foremost a highly accomplished
equestrian and an Olympic medallist to boot. She rode
for the United States Equestrian Team in the Summer
Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and again in Mexico City
in 1968. At her third consecutive Olympic appearance
in Munich in 1972 she won a show jumping team silver
medal, becoming the first US woman to win an Olympic
medal in that event. She thereafter set her mind to becoming a professional race rider.
The petite brunette Kusner went on to win races all
over the world including in South Africa and Rhodesia
and years later she described her public appearances as
“a bit like being paraded as an oddity at a travelling freak
show.”
In 1968 Kathy Kusner added another first to her CV
when she became the first professional female jockey ever
to win a race in South Africa. She scored a double at Turf46
PARADE MAGAZINE
fontein aboard Full Go and Ten All and the following
weekend rode the Hennie Coetzee-trained colt, Paddiwax, to victory at Greyville. Legend has it that Paddiwax
refused to board a float so was walked all the way from
the Coetzee yard at Clairwood to Greyville to keep his
appointment with the American lass!
Nearly 30 years later Genevieve Michel became the
first female to be accepted into the South African Jockey’s
Academy. Her promising career was however prematurely
ended by a serious neck injury sustained in an accident
while riding work at Milnerton in 2001.
Whilst Michel has the distinction of being the first female jockey to ride in a Group 1 race in South Africa, the
first female jockey ever to win not one, but two, Group 1
races in this country was Lisa Prestwood who had served
her apprenticeship in faraway New Zealand.
In 2003 Prestwood struck up a highly successful partnership with the Buddy Maroun-trained sprinter, Al Nitak, and won the Golden Horse Sprint (Gr1) and The
Merchants (Gr1).
Today however winning female jockeys have become
something of a rarity in South Africa. Will we ever see a
female jockey winning a race like the Vodacom Durban
July, the Summer Cup or the J&B Met? Let’s never say
never.
Genevieve Michel.
PHOTo by: ken wilkens
The petite brunette Kusner went
on to win races all over the world
including in South Africa and
Rhodesia and years later she
described her public appearances
as “a bit like being paraded as an
oddity at a travelling freak show.”
WHAT A WINTER
THE FAST ONE
Triple Equus Champion
1st Yearlings
on sale 2016
EQUO PRODESSE
www.FreemanStallions.co.za
The 2014/2015 racing season signified the fiercest battle for stallion supremacy
South Africa has seen in many years – FreemanStallions are proud to have
been involved. We thank all of the breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys
who contributed to the success of Equus Champion Sire Captain Al, Equus
Outstanding Sire Dynasty, Equus award-winning sire Trippi and Cape Champion
Freshman Sire Querari. The future is bright for these great sires and for the
other up-and-coming stars in our carefully selected portfolio.
Captain Al
Al Mufti - Off To War (Complete Warrior) - Bay 1996 - 16hh
Dynasty
Fort Wood - Blake’s Affair (Commodore Blake) - Bay 1999 - 16.1hh
SA Champion Sire 2014/15
Equus Outstanding Sire 3x
7x Champion Sire of 2yo’s
15 Equus Awards incl 3 Horses of the
Year: Futura, Irish Flame & Legislate
as well as dual KZN Horse of the Year
Beach Beauty
Twice Equus Outstanding Sire
Sire of 3 Equus Champions
Sire of 33 Gr1 horses
Sire of 14 Gr1 horses
Sire of 11 Gr1 winners: Albert Mooney,
All Is Secret, Captain America, Captain Of
All, Captain’s Gal, Captain’s Lover, Carry
On Alice, Emerald Cove, Exhilaration, Hill
Fifty Four & Pine Princess
Futura
Dynasty - Scribblin’ The Cat (Badger’s Drift) - Bay 2010 - 16.1hh
Along with his sire Fort Wood he is one
of only 3 sires in the history of South
Africa to get 3 Horses of the Year.
Gimmethegreenlight (AUS)
More Than Ready - Yes She Can Cancan (Canny Lad) - Bay 2008 - 16.1hh
1st 3yo in 40 yrs to win the
Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate
Equus Horse of the Year 2015
Equus Champion Older Male 2015
Equus Champ Middle Distance 2015
Highest rated 3yo in SA 2012
Highest rated 3yo to place in Gr1 J&B Met
Gr1 J&B Met
Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate
Gr1 Champions Cup twice incl
new track record
Only horse to beat dual Horse of the
Year Variety Club - TWICE!!
16 starts, 9 wins, 7 places, R4.3m
(at Nov 2015)
Son of dual Champion Sire More Than
Ready - dam produced two Gr1 winners
New Freshman Sire sale record: R1.7m
Jackson
Dynasty - Moonlit Prairie (Cozzene) - Bay 2008 - 16.2hh
Jay Peg
Camden Park - Laptop Lady (Al Mufti) - Bay 2003 - 16.1½ hh
Breathtaking class & movie
star looks
Leading third crop sire
The best Classic Horse in SA 2011/2012
Equus International Horse of the Year
& Equus Champion 3yo colt - TFR 126
Gr1 Champions Cup, Gr1 Cape Derby,
Gr1 Daily News 2000 & 2nd Gr1 Queen’s
Plate (twice)
Immediate damline of sires: Smart
Strike (Champion), Strike Smartly,
Sky Classic, Sail From Seattle etc
2016 tackling the log leaders
Highest stakes earner in SA history
- R40 million
Beat 8 international Gr1 winners when
breaking the Gr1 Dubai Duty Free record
1st yearlings on sale 2017
Legislate
Dynasty - Champers (Restructure) - Bay 2010 - 16.1 ¼ hh
Equus Horse of the Year 2014
Equus Champion 3yo (2014), Middle
Distance (2014) & Miler (2015)
Gr1 Durban July
Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge
Gr1 Daily News 2000
Gr1 Investec Cape Derby
1600m track record Gr2 Green Point St
16 starts, 7 wins, 6 places, R5.55m
(at Nov 2015)
Master Of My Fate
Jet Master - Promisefrommyheart (Elliodor) - Bay 2009 - 16.2hh
The product of a series of
Champions
8 starts - 6 wins in a row in 8 months
Four Equus Champions in the first
three generations of his dam line
Champion Sire Jet Master
Champion dam Promisefrommyheart
Champion Broodmare Sire Elliodor
Pathfork (USA)
Distorted Humor - Visions of Clarity (Sadler’s Wells) - Bay 2008 - 16.1hh
Philanthropist (USA)
Kris S. - Hidden Reserve (Mr Prospector) - Chestnut 2001 - 16.3hh
1st crop to race 2016
1st SA crop to race 2016
A APEX - amongst the Top 20
sires in the world
Irish Champion 2yo
Undefeated at 2 yrs including Gr1 & Gr2
Sire of 2 Champions from his 1st crop:
Pender Harbour & Phil’s Dream
Highest rated 2yo in Ireland 2010
Family of Northern Guest, El Gran
Senor, etc
18 A APEX runners to October 2015
2nd leading sire of 2yo’s and 3rd leading
active sire 2014
Son of sensational dual Champion Sire
Distorted Humor, 17 Gr1 winners, 125
SW, 52 GSW and over $106m
Potala Palace
Top SA sale price in 2015: R1.4m
Querari (GER)
Singspiel - Alignment (Alzao) - Bay 2008 - 16hh
Oasis Dream - Quentena (Acatenango) - Bay 2006 - 16hh
Outstandingly bred
Gr1 winner
2015 Cape Champion
Freshman Sire
Defeated Gr1 winners Gimmethegreenlight,
Fighting Warrior, Wagner, Pierre Jourdan,
Link Man, Royal Bencher, Love Struck etc
Champion & Gr1 winner
beat 4 champions
Linebred to one of the best sire
producing families in the world - the
Simon’s Shoes family of Sadler’s Wells,
Nureyev, Thatch, etc
Son of leading UK sire Oasis Dream
Top rated in Germany 2010 - TFR 121
3x winning dam, daughter
of Champion 2yo & 3yo
filly Quebrada
Trippi (USA)
End Sweep - Jealous Appeal (Valid Appeal) - Bay 1997 - 16.1hh
Twice Over (GB)
Observatory - Double Crossed (Caerleon) - Dark Bay 2005 - 16.2hh
Leading Sire of 3yo’s 2015
Dual Champion Racehorse
Champion 1st Season Sire 2012
Won 4 Gr1 races & over $4m
UK & Joint European Champion 2009
13 of the first 14 sires in his pedigree are
Champions
Undefeated in 2 starts at 2yrs incl
Zetland Stakes
Won 4 Gr1 races
Placed in a further 10 Gr1 races
Champion Sire Florida
Sire of Equus Champion Older Female
Hammie’s Hooker
Sire of 3 Gr1 winners from first 3 crops in SA
Damsire of Liam’s Map - dual Gr1 winner
in USA (2015)
What A Winter
1st crop on sale 2016
Wylie Hall (AUS)
Western Winter - Waseela (Ahonoora) - Bay 2007 - 16hh
Redoute’s Choice - Beauty Belle (Ideal Planet) - Bay 2009 - 16hh
Equus Champion Older Male 2012
1st Gr1 Champions Challenge - beat Majmu
1st Gr1 SA Derby
1st past post Gr1 Durban July
Joint 3rd highest rated sprinter in
the world 2013
6 wins, 9 places, 1400-2450m, R3.65m
Won 12 races and placed 5 times in 22
starts - 15 of his starts in Graded races
Won or placed in 8 Gr1 races
1st crop on sale 2016
Half-brother to ABSOLUTE CHAMPION Champion Sprinter - 1200m track record
15 sire sons of Redoute’s Choice
have already produced stakes
winners - eight of them have Gr1
winners
...the progeny of the stallions we manage celebrated a record year in 2014/2015!
Act Of War - Gr1 winner
Captain America - Gr1 winner
Captain Of All - Champion
Carry On Alice - Champion
Futura - Horse of the Year
Hammie’s Hooker - Champion
Inara - Champion
Legislate - Horse of the Year
Stallion Syndicates managed by: FreemanStallions
PO Box 26, Sea Point, 8060
Tel: +27 (0)21 418 0566 • Fax: +27 (0)21 418 0254 • Cell: +27 (0)82 777 8117
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Melliflora - Gr1 2nd
Pender Harbour - Champion
Phil’s Dream - Champion
Pine Princess - Gr1 winner
EQUO PRODESSE
feature felix coetzee
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PARADE MAGAZINE
new passions
Legendary jockey Felix Coetzee
tells Michael Clower about the two
new passions in his racing life.
Words by michael clower
“It got to the point where I couldn’t take the pain
anymore.” The morning’s work is finished. Felix Coetzee,
in faded jeans, flip-flops and an orange t-shirt that has
seen better days, is sitting on the plush white sofa of his
Camps Bay home sipping a cup of tea and reflecting on
how he was forced to hang up his boots. “I don’t think we
jockeys ever prepare ourselves for that day - personally I
thought I was going to go on for ever.”
His appearance suggests he could have done. At 56 the
close-cropped grey hair may be showing signs of going
white, with the bronzed complexion weathered by a lifetime of the wind going past at 60kph, but he hasn’t put
on an ounce.
Hoped-for salvation, in the form of the August 2013
hip operation, proved to be the end of the road although
Coetzee held out for a further six months before giving in
to the inevitable. “People spoke so highly of hip replacement that I thought I could make a comeback with the
artificial hip. But,” he pauses as he sips his tea, “it hasn’t
been that successful for me and I’m still struggling with it.
I go through phases of having to take anti-inflammatories
and painkillers - and bending down to pick things up can
be a real problem.”
He admits that his new way of life doesn’t help. Walking in sand puts a strain on both the replacement and
the ligaments holding it in place. But the seeds of his
career-change were sown many years ago and the three
time-champion, hero of over 3,500 winners (the walls
of the entrance hall are paved with the highlights), is
damned if he is going to let physical inconvenience stop
him a second time.
When he was riding in Hong Kong he and Dougie
Whyte contacted Monty Roberts, went to California to
visit the horse-breaking legend and became hooked. Coetzee was putting the Roberts’ methods into practice well
before the operation. Brett Crawford helped him build a
round pen at Philippi and gave him the subsequent Cape
Guineas winner Elusive Gold to break. Legislate was
among those he broke for the Snaiths.
Coetzee planned to build up his own team of specialist riders, teach them the Roberts’ philosophies and take
them from one yard to the next. Realisation hit hard.
“Aagh,” he shakes his head despairingly. “There was just
no reliability. I don’t think I was being unreasonable, and
I had one rider who could settle anything, but things just
didn’t work out.”
Now he uses the grooms that come with the horses.
“They don’t have to be Wild Bill Hickok. I will be putting
them on horses that are pretty quiet and pretty safe, and if
I get the work right everything will go smoothly.”
Not being able to ride the horses himself is a source of
some regret. “I should do so because the riders have got to
have confidence in me but I can’t with my hip. If I came
off I would be in all sorts of trouble.”
Adopting Monty Roberts
The Roberts method, as adopted by Coetzee in the specially-constructed paddocks he has at Eric Sands’ yard at
Milnerton and at the Snaiths across the road from the
Phillipi training centre, consists of getting the unbroken
horse to want to do what the tutor wants – as opposed to
the traditional breaking method which, as its name suggests, involves teaching the animal who is boss.
“I’ve been back to Monty three times and I will be
going again next year. When I’m working I can hear his
words all the time. His method is forming a partnership
between man and horse. It’s based on trust and the body
language is everything. Because the horses trust you they
will stand quietly and then they will accept the rider.”
Coetzee handles only six horses at a time. “How far I
take them depends on the trainer. Some want them back
when they are just going, others when they can canter. Either way they go back tractable, rideable and steerable and
the rider can take them wherever he wants them to go.”
PARADE MAGAZINE
51
feature felix coetzee
Justin Snaith, for one, is impressed. “Horses coming
from him have amazing temperaments,” he says. “But
then Felix is a real horseman and a one-off.”
Breaking in horses ranks on racing’s glamour/excitement log not much higher than mucking out stables yet
Coetzee, by his own admission, is totally hooked. “You
remember the days when you had that childhood enthusiasm for things? Well, that’s what I’ve got now.”
He is in action by 7.00am six days a week and goes back
again in the afternoon. “I struggle not to go on Sundays
too. I have to tell myself ‘No, you’ve got to spend today
with the family.’ This is now my hobby and indeed my
life, and I’m absolutely passionate about it.”
Maybe he shouldn’t worry too much about Sundays.
Daughter Katherine,25, who has her own flat on the
property, is as obsessive as her father but about her rock
band, not racing. Son Daniel,15, is the right build to follow in his father’s footsteps but he is not interested and
intends to make his career in IT.
With their father the only thing that comes near his
passion for giving horses their initial lessons is coaching jockeys. His tuition of Craig du Plooy has fascinated journalists, pleased the Snaiths (who brought him in)
and inspired the pupil. “Felix is a hard taskmaster but
he is so encouraging that he makes you want to do it to
please him,” says Du Plooy, revealing there is a touch of
the Monty Roberts about this too.
“I don’t get the best of rides but I’m speaking to him
every day and he leaves me so full of confidence that I feel
I am on a string of favourites. I’ve never been so well prepared before a racemeeting, and I’ve never been so light
or so fit either.”
Coetzee gets up to help himself to a piece of wife Janine’s ginger cake, saying that he was working on Du
Plooy at 6.30am that morning before starting on the
horses.
Upping the intensity
“I had Craig on the equicizer (mechanical horse) but
it wasn’t happening when he transferred it to a race. A
fortnight ago I told him that we had to up the intensity.
I wanted the workouts to take him beyond his limits and
he now gives me everything he’s got until fatigue takes
over.” Coetzee has another bite of his cake, seemingly not
in the least abashed by the slave-driver image he conveys.
But can you really take a jockey and turn him from
good to great - or even average to good - when so much
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of the difference boils down to intuition, instinct and a
nothing-else-matters will to win? Coetzee doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a question of how much you want it,” he leans
forward on the sofa, seemingly to get his point home.
“Obviously it’s a great help if you do have that instinct
but focus and determination come into it too. I don’t believe I was enormously talented but I wanted it badly. I
wanted to be the best I could possibly be. Also I know
how to make it happen and this is probably why I struggle
when I feel I’m not getting full commitment.”
Hard work
He has had to work hard to make sure that he gets
that from the two apprentices he tutors under contract
with the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He flies out for a week
three times a year, phones the pair continuously and goes
through the videos of all their races with them.
“I keep impressing on them that they have got to be on
top of their game in every single race because they are riding against the toughest people in the world. I’ve ridden
in England and the jockeys there can make it awkward
for you but generally if you are on the best horse you are
going to win.
“But Hong Kong is another level. You have got to be
so tactically aware and, wow man, is it tough,” he grips
the arm of the sofa as he shakes his head, seemingly in
wonder. “There are a lot of Australians and they ride tight.
You’ve also got Douglas Whyte who has been 13 times
champion and doesn’t give an inch while Joao Moreira is
as tough as nails.”
Coetzee has also been doing some work on S’Manga
Khumalo and would like to extend the tuition to more
jockeys. “I believe there is a place for it and I’ve been
through the mill. I’ve been hired and fired by lots of people.” He laughs at the memory before continuing more
seriously: “I’ve also had financial problems so I can advise
people how to circumvent that sort of thing.”
But the one thing he is not going to do is train, despite the kick he got out of helping Sean Tarry with his
Cape Town-based runners last season. “No way.” He is
adamant. “My dad (Hennie Coetzee) was a trainer. He
worked tirelessly but financially he struggled. And there
is so much that can go wrong – injuries, viruses etc. I say
to trainers ‘I can’t believe you actually have the resilience
to stick all this out.’ It’s definitely not for me.”
feature veterinary
Plugging into
the airways
“Work in progress” best describes a special breathing device
developed to alleviate specific breathing problems in racehorses by
Dr Ralph Katzwinkel of the Summerveld Equine Hospital.
PHOTos: supplied
Dr Ralph Katzwinkel
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I
n what is believed to be a world first, the Australian-bred colt Aces United was the first to be fitted
with the device and was recently trialled in two races on the Highveld. However, although not making any
significant improvement in his racing performance, Aces
United pulled up considerably better than he had done
before the fitting of the device, showing no signs of distress.
Dr Katzwinkel emphasised that the device is not
performance enhancing but it rather allows the horse
to receive sufficient oxygen while galloping and thereby
perform to its natural ability.
Aces United started his career finishing second in two
starts over 1000m at Kenilworth and won a workriders
maiden over 1200m. He was then well beaten over the
same course and distance next time out but trainer Justin
Snaith had noted that the colt was starting to become
anxious at both the races and in training and sweating
up in the ring until in his last race he finished extremely
distressed.
After undergoing tests it was discovered that the colt
had a rare breathing condition, not usually detectable
when a horse is at rest, called “a fourth branchial arch
defect” so not surprisingly scoped normal at the sales. A
fourth branchial arch defect, or “four bad”, is a congenital condition that occurs in about 0.02% of racehorses
resulting in a horse not receiving sufficient oxygen while
galloping.
It is a malfunction in the upper airways whereby the
nerve endings and muscles do not develop properly. This
leads to multiple defects in the upper airways. Horses that
have had surgery in an attempt to solve the condition do
not do well. The most significant malfunction is pharyngeal wall collapse. This is where the soft palate, roof and
walls of the pharynx are sucked in on inspiration closing off the air flow. It’s like blocking off the nostrils and
then trying to race. The colt was extremely distressed and
wanting to collapse from the lack of oxygen when worked
or raced.
Dr Katzwinkel was able to pick up the problem through
the use of an Overground Exercise Laryngoscope, a device that records a live video of a horse’s throat while at
full gallop.
In an innovative attempt to alleviate this condition
Dr Katzwinkel first performed a tracheotomy creating
a permanent opening high up on the neck just behind
and between the lower jaw mandibles. The surgery was
World first - The removal plug invented by Dr Ralph Katzwinkel.
performed under general anaesthetic at Blue Cross veterinary hospital with the support of Dr Francois Triegaart
and his team. Aces went home two days later and recovered uneventfully. However, when the colt was put back
into work it was discovered that the opening was collapsing as the horse was sucking it closed.
Dr Katzwinkel said “When I went to visit him at Justin
Snaith’s yard on the June 19, 2015 I realised that due to
the collapse in the upper airway the suction with inspiration at the tracheostomy opening was so great that the
tracheal rings and loose skin was closing with each breath.
It was just like puckering you lips and making a vibrating
sound as you breathe in and out. This was a disaster and
I realised that Aces had no chance to continue his racing
career.
“I was devastated as Aces United is the most beautiful
looking equine athlete. For this reason and because he was
such a rare case I requested permission from Justin and
the owners to continue experimenting with him at my
expense by bringing him to my hospital at Summerveld.
“I was confident that by removing some loose skin and
by making a device that keeps the tracheostomy open
Aces will be able to breathe normally and hopefully race
successfully.
“Using PVC tubing, special glues and a dremil drill I
started to manufacture different designs. The early version was tricky to get in and out and there was significant noise with each breath. Eventually I came up with
a design that consisted of two arms with an open channel running lengthways allowing air flow with less turbulence. The result was amazing - virtually no abnormal
sound and a happy horse and trainer. It was during the
July season that Ashleigh Hughs joined the Snaith team
PARADE MAGAZINE
55
feature veterinary
Consequently Dr Katzwinkel
invented a removable plug to keep
the opening clear. The plug was
then covered with gauze to prevent
dirt from entering the opening. The
plug worked very well and the colt
did not make any noises in training
and showed no signs of distress.
and fortunately she fell in love with Aces. Ashleigh made
sure my treatment protocol for Aces was followed meticulously. This consisted of cleaning the tracheostomy daily. Using the specially designed hood during the day and
applying the breathing device before work correctly. Aces
training progressed uneventfully. Even Justin was happy
with the progress.
“On August 6 Aces left for the Snaith yard at Turffontien under the care of Ashleigh. From the final successful
version of the breathing device I had a mould made. This
mould was used to cast the racing version from a special
EVA material that was flexible enough to insert easily and
not irritate the mucosa. Once in full work it was time to
get the final approval from the NHRA for the device and
the permission to race. I was present for this gallop and
Aces passed with flying colours. Dr Dale Wheeler the
NHRA vet was very helpful and supportive.”
Consequently Dr Katzwinkel invented a removable
plug to keep the opening clear. The plug was then covered
with gauze to prevent dirt from entering the opening. The
plug worked very well and the colt did not make any noises in training and showed no signs of distress.
Dr Katzwinkel went on, “When Aces was carded to
race on October 6 at the Vaal over 1000m I flew up specially to watch to see if the device would work. It was a
very hot Highveld afternoon. From the jump Aces took
off, the apprentice could not hold him and after 800m he
tired. The good news was that he was not distressed. He
came back to the ring with his ears pricked blowing the
same as the other runners. It was a good enough race to
continue training. The NHRA vets were happy!
“On November 3 Aces was entered to race at Turffontien over 1000m at a night race meeting. Again I made a
point of being there. This time it was very cold, first time
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PARADE MAGAZINE
under lights and quite late in the evening. Aces looked
promising in the early stages and then faded ending last.
This despite the brilliant work he had been showing.
With Linnaker having won the weekend before the expectations were high. The good news was that he pulled
up with no distress after the race. Subsequent to this race
Aces has been sent to Hassen Adams farm in Hermanus
where he will be gelded and a decision will be made about
his future.”
For obvious reasons the opportunity to continue to
work with Aces in racing would give us all the opportunity to see if his true potential can be unlocked but there
are questions that need to be answered.
Questions
Was it too cold that night and the oxygen exchange
affected?
Was it the first time under lights that affected him?
Was the Jockey concerned with the way he breathes?
Is the inguinal testicle worrying him when extended
in a gallop?
Does he remember the discomfort he used to have and
not follow through in a race?
Does he get enough oxygen through the device?
Despite Aces not winning a race this has been an opportunity to be the first horse to be allowed to race with
a unique device. Veterinary history has been made. Could
this be the beginning for the many horses that need more
due to other conditions affecting the upper airway?
Because a fourth branchial arch defect is a rare condition there is not a regular opportunity to develop the
technique but Dr Katzwinkel was not discouraged.
“We don’t know how good the horse really was,” he
said. “It had only won a workriders maiden.”
“But the owners, trainer and the National Horseracing Authority gave it the thumbs-up so it has passed that
test. We have achieved something,” he surmised, “but we
haven’t concluded.”
“Case selection is important. This well-bred expensive
colt was the perfect case to perform this procedure on.
The Snaith racing team and owners were keen to explore
the opportunity and be part of a world first despite this
being a on the edge. A special thank you to Justin and
Ashleigh for all their support and understanding.”
feature robin scott
PHOTo by: candiese marnewick
five decades
of luck!
Robin Scott - KZN Breeders’ Lifetime Achievement Award 2015.
Robin Scott of the Scott Bros has achieved what many breeders can
only hope to do in a lifetime, putting a great deal of it down to “luck”,
after starting in 1967. Only five years into it at Highdown Stud in
Nottingham Road saw the great Politician put the Scott Bros on the
map, and the momentum has continued with Durban July winners, a
Royal Ascot winner and up until as recently as August, when Wild One
took home the Gr1 Gold Cup, nearly 50 years later.
Words by candiese marnewick
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PARADE MAGAZINE
R
ecognised for a lifetime of breeding success, Robin Scott recently received the accolade of
Lifetime Achievement Award and a standing ovation, presented at the KZN Breeders Awards to himself
and his brother Des Scott who is still very much involved.
“We have been fortunate to have had a bit of luck and
we have consistently had a decent horse around over the
years, it has just gone on like that and kept us in the limelight, we have always been lucky in both sides of the sport
– breeding and racing,” Robin Scott says with his humble
demeanour.
“We have bred July winners, the Met, the Summer Cup
and had the first across the line in the Arlington Million
– it’s hard for me to say which has been the best but we
have had our fair share of Gr1 winners. We have done
alright.”
Robin's love of horses started when he was a boy of 9
year’s old, living at Isipingo Beach. “George Rowles was a
very good friend of mine and his dad had about 20 racehorses that he raced and trained in Isipingo. So before
school I would go down and ride in the morning, after
school I would go back and ride again and help with the
feeding and grooming.”
Robin progresses to tell how Highdown Stud came to
be: “My brother Des and I, had a business called Scotts
Shoe Stores and our brother Neville was a farmer. Our
shoe business was going very well and we kept our mares
at the farm next door to us [Ivanhoe Stud] - with John
Rowles – George Rowles' brother. The dairy farm next
door had come on the market, so we bought it and continued the dairy for a bit and the mares moved across the
road to Highdown. After two years, we decided to go into
breeding in more depth and got rid of the cows.
“We made a policy of only breeding from either feature race winners or top division mares, and/or imported
horses.”
Over the years the Scott Bros imported the likes of
Devon Air who became one of six July winners for Terrence Millard. Of those six July winners, three were bred
or owned by Scott Bros.
“We also imported the dams of Politician, La Fabulous,
Teal and Ipi Tombe.” states Robin. Devon Air's influence
continues with her descendants Gr2 winner, She's On
Fire and Gr1 winner August Rush, flying the flag.
The dam of Teal was the only daughter of Northern
Dancer to ever come to South Africa. She was a broodmare prospect Robin didn't think he would get at the
“We have bred July winners, the
Met, the Summer Cup and had the
first across the line in the Arlington Million – it’s hard for me to say
which has been the best but we
have had our fair share of Gr1
winners. We have done alright.”
Keeneland sale because of her famous sire. Walking past
Northern Banner's stable at Keeneland, Robin didn't see
a horse inside, thinking she was out for a walk – only to
be told she was in fact in there, just too small to be seen
past the door.
“We went over to the sales in Kentucky and we purchased Ofa - we had only been going five or six years. We
had a great friend called Eppie Nelson who used to help
with our matings and pedigrees. At that stage we only
had about 10 mares; she was a daughter of Ribot out of
an Oaks winner and the most expensive broodmare to be
imported here at the time.
“On this particular day, I met with Eppie and Neville
to sit and discuss the matings for the season in our stud
office. Eppie sat with Ofa's pedigree and said to us: ’I am
going to tell you guys something you are not going to like.
This mare Ofa has to go to Oligarchy’. ”
“Neville and I both looked at each other and said, ‘well,
Oligarchy is defunct as a sire’. Eppie said he didn't care
how many mares the horse was getting, emphasising that
Ofa had to go.”
Oligarchy was a good racehorse by the Alibhai line of
Hyperion – the best cross in America was the Alibhai/
Ribot cross and he was the only sire in South Africa with
that blood, perfect for Ofa.
Robin made the call that would make history. “We
phoned Des.’We have Eppie here' – Des replied, 'well
send him my regards!' I answered, ‘well, you won’t be doing that when you hear what Eppie has to say. We have
to send Ofa to Oligarchy’.” Des answered in a confused
tone: 'but isn’t Oligarchy dead’?”
Eppie took the phone and promised Des he wouldn't
regret it, defending the decision by explaining that His
Majesty was also produced on that cross, as well as Graustark. Politician went to sales and only sold for R5 250.
Robin continues with the epic story of arguably South
PARADE MAGAZINE
59
feature robin scott
“I said at the time of Politician
racing, that we probably would
never breed another one like him,
and 48 years down the line we
haven’t because horses like that
don’t come often.”
Africa's best racehorse: “Every year in this country we get
a good horse, but nothing yet like Politician. His Met win
was probably the best of his life and he won 11 Gr1 races.
I said at the time of Politician racing, that we probably
would never breed another one like him, and 48 years
down the line we haven't because horses like that don't
come often.”
Before Pocket Power came around, Politician had won
the Queen's Plate, the Met, the July and repeated the
Queens Plate and the Met once again, all with top weight.
Robin says philosophically, “Politician is proof for anyone that buys a cheap horse, that he has a chance as good
as anyone else.”
The Apache is the epitome of Scott Bros success in
breeding, with a pedigree going back five generations of
Highdown bloodstock. His third dam, Bold West, was
the maternal grand-daughter of sire Kimberley Kid, the
first stallion to stand at Scotts' and a gift from the Oppenheimer's, mated to Scott's foundation mare, Lenore.
“In those days I used to take George Azzie around to
the stud farms as he was a judge at the sales. The biggest horses came from the Karoo area and I watched him
pick Hawaii there. At that point we weren't breeding - we
were racing, and that was when we bought Lenore from
Archie Dell.”
The Apache famously sold for R80 000, and went on to
win a number of Group races and stakes of over R17million in South Africa, Dubai, England and America.
“I believe the Arlington Million was the best race that
The Apache ever ran, he beat a group of some of the
world’s best horses – all good American and European
Gr1 winners. His sire, Mogok, has been a great stallion
for us and he has been with us for 12 years, giving us a
big horse every two years or so. It started with Rathmor's
Gypsy's Warning, then Orbison, Meadow Magic, The
Apache and now Wild One.”
Robin smiles as he recounts an usual story, a rare feat of
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PARADE MAGAZINE
breeding a Group winner at Royal Ascot.
“I bought a mare from overseas named Lady Of Renown (USA), foaled her down - put the mare back in foal
and sent her back on the boat to Coolmore, who kept my
mares.”
“A young chap from Coolmore phoned me while I was
in Durban, and said 'You have just had a Royal Ascot
winner!' I asked him what he was talking about; I didn’t
even have a horse in training in England at that time. He
said, 'the horse that we bred for you - that you left here
– just won the Gr3 Coventry Stakes at Ascot for Lester Piggot as a trainer'. The horse was Cutting Blade by
Sharpo who went on to become a sire. It was really quite
a unique achievement.”
Robin recounts the numerous stallions that have graced
Highdown Stud, and states that, “We were lucky to have
two Champion Sires – first Jungle Cove and the second
Foveros.”
“Jungle Cove was not a pretty horse – he was nearly 17hh with a terrible head. He produced tough horses; they all had mousy muzzles and we couldn't sell the
first crop because they were not attractive horses – people would look at them and run away!” says Robin with
a laugh.
Jungle Cove was a proven sire in America and a son of
Bold Ruler, he had produced 37 winners from 49 runners
and two stakes winners at the time of his purchase.
Jungle Cove went on to become national Champion
sire five times for the Scott Bros. Another stallion immediately picked up and followed suit after Jungle Cove, the
handsome Foveros. The son of Averof went on to win the
J&B Met and trainer Herman Brown stated that Foveros
was one of the best horses he had ever had.
Robin describes Foveros as “not very big, but he had
lovely balance.” He became Champion sire six times and
remains in the pedigrees of Warm White Night and Rebel King, and the broodmare sire of Gr1 winners Orbison
and Ash Cloud, to name but a few.
Robin and Des Scott's foresight and passion have certainly influenced the Thoroughbred breed in South Africa, both locally and internationally, and their successful
influence on the stud book will continue for many years
to come.
Robin watches the first yearlings of Crusade and
Eightfold Path cavorting around their paddocks. “I love
horses that are hot, they have to know that they are alive.”
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Cape Thorougbred Sales
T
he lively South African horse racing scene continues through Summer, with a succession of big feature races
complemented by a range of quality auctions for buyers
trying to secure next seasons’ champions. Cape Thoroughbred
Sales (CTS) are a dominant force in showcasing potent bloodlines
from the countries pre-eminent breeders – in the 2014/2015 period which concluded end July, CTS graduates amassed ten Grade 1
wins, 11 Grade 2 successes and 16 Grade 3’s, with 25 Listed wins
adding to the trophy haul from the past season.
Amongst those equine luminaries were Power King, who accelerated sharply to win the 2015 Vodacom Durban July, Captain of
All clinched valuable Graded sprints with Carry On Alice garnering notable awards as a high class speedball. Other star quality performers were dual Grade 1 hero French Navy, forceful miler Captain America and juvenile standout, Rabada. Equus champion two
year-old Seventh Plain and fine filly Siren’s Call, who was narrowly
denied in the final leg of the Triple Tiara are other graduates on
the seasonal roll of honour that have rewarded proud connections.
A number of auctions have since been held around the country,
as a new crop of youngsters are brought to market. Stylish Inanda
Club in Sandton hosted the CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run
Sale during October with renowned breeders Summerhill Stud
prominently represented, and internationally acclaimed bloodlines
proving very popular. In November, the CTS Ready To Run Sale
presented by Lanzerac Hotel & Spa was also a great success. After
the final lot was sold, an impressive aggregate of R38 930 000 was
recorded, up nearly 20% from last year. Measured by average, the
stats were equally buoyant - the figure of R229 00 outstripped the
2014 mark of R195 843 by 17%.
Many supporters of these sales are purists eager to purchase the
best bred, most athletically- conformed thoroughbreds. In addition, speculative buyers lured by the dream of a quick return are
attracted to the incentive races linked to these sales, with big money on offer. One such success story is 160K buy, the three year old
gelding, Budapest (owned by flamboyant wildlife breeder Brian
Burnard) who was trucked down from KZN to Kenilworth, before
winning the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes presented by Cape Thoroughbred Sales.
Despite all the pedigree analysis and scrutiny, racing is still full
of randomness and mystery. Few pundits expected the son of unfashionable sire, Lithuanian to strut off with the rich prize. Yet,
62 PARADE MAGAZINE
the robust
galloper jumped smartly from a favourable draw, raced
upfront throughout, drawing further ahead for a convincing score.
While Burnard celebrated his surprise windfall, guests were
being treated to sumptuous hospitality as the luxurious Lanzerac
Hotel & Spa experience was recreated trackside. Delicious food
and fine estate wines were served in a stylish setting, adding a
touch of refinement on a wonderful day’s racing.
The exciting tempo of the Summer Of Champions season will
continue into January 2016 with enthusiasts from all around the
thoroughbred racing world congregating in Cape Town. They will
be treated to a traditional feast of high grade Stakes racing coupled
with an elite bloodstock sale. The CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale
will again be held at the Cape Town International Convention
Centre – confirmed dates for the two day extravaganza are the 21st
and 22nd January.
Graduates from this sale will stand in line for huge stake money
under an exceptional incentive pioneered by CTS that promises
to be one of the standout events of the Summer Of Champions.
The CTS Million Dollar race will be held on the same day as the
Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby and the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes. Appropriately named the Investec Day Of Dreams,
Saturday 23rd January promises to be a sophisticated and vibrant
festival for lovers of horse racing.
2016 will herald the start of a three year partnership between a
proud South African institution, Investec, who have risen to become a powerhouse bank and asset manager with global reach, and
Cape Thoroughbred Sales. Investec also stage the world’s most historic flat race, the Epsom Derby in England - the Investec Day of
Dreams at Kenilworth will be a similarly refined and bubbly event.
This is all grand news for SA horseracing, and connections with
eligible candidates for the inaugural running of the richest race in
Africa will be anxiously tracking their entries progress via the Million Dollar Log on the Investec Day of Dreams website, hoping to
make it into the final field for a crack at the massive stake.
Sales serving different market segments continue throughout
the summer, with slower- maturing yearlings only being offered
a few months down the line. The following round of CTS auctions include the March Yearling Sales (19th and 20th March) at
Durbanville, whilst swanky Emperors Palace hosts the CTS Select Yearling Sale (April 2016) in Johannesburg. Between all the
engrossing action at the track, and high-stakes speculating in the
sales ring, participants in the South African thoroughbred racing
industry are in for a stimulating buzz over the next few months.
Cape Premier
Yearling Sale
South Africa’s Leading Yearling Sale
21 - 22 January 2016
S
ince 2011, the Cape Premier
The 2016 sale will take place on the
Yearling Sale has attracted
21 & 22 January and boasts South
buyers from all corners of
Africa’s best ever draft of yearlings.
the globe and has provided owners
256 outstanding individuals have
with the Gr1 winners SOFT FALLING
been carefully selected by South
RAIN (Champion), IN THE FAST LANE
Africa’s best judges and include
(Champion), YORKER (Champion), THE
HANGMAN, CONTADOR, ATHINA, FOR
sons and daughters of South Africa’s
Featuring the inaugural
running of the
THE LADS, FOREST INDIGO, NORMANZ,
sires from around the World. For
ACT OF WAR, AFRIKABURN, CARRY ON
ALICE, PINE PRINCESS, etc.
leading sires as well as leading
THE CTS MILLION DOLLAR
$1 000 000
23 January 2016
Kenilworth Racecourse,
Cape Town
travel assistance and accommodation
bookings, please contact Amanda
Carey (amanda@cthbs.com).
It’s A Lifestyle
POWER KING
(CPYS Graduate)
Winner of the 2015
Vodacom Durban July G1
Contact Adrian Todd (MD) E: adrian@cthbs.com or Amanda Carey (Sales Manager) E: amanda@cthbs.com
T: +27 (0) 21 873 0734 M: +27 (0) 82 465 4020 W: www.capethoroughbredsales.com
European Representatives: Hermione Fitzgerald E: hermionefitzgerald@gmail.com M: +44 (0) 78 3349 8373
Mick Flanagan E: mick@townleyhallbloodstock.com M: +353 86 609 8119
sales cape premier yearling sale
classy catalogue
The catalogue is out for the 2016 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, and if
the contents are anything to go by, sales company Cape Thoroughbred
Sales (CTS) can look forward to a strong buying bench converging on
the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 21 January.
Words by ada van der bent
C
TS has put together a collection of 256 outstanding youngsters for its iconic sale, which will
be conducted on the back of a stellar year which
saw a number of its graduates succeed at the highest level.
Classic winners Act Of War (Cape Guineas), Pine Princess (SA Oaks), and Alexis (KRA Fillies Guineas) were
all sourced at the 2013 sale, as was top level winner Carry
On Alice (SA Fillies Sprint).
The South African top price for a yearling was obliterated at the 2015 sale, when a son of former Horse of
the Year Dynasty out of a half-sister to Silvano set a new
benchmark of R5.2-million. That was but one of a number of records to fall by the wayside during two spectacular day’s trading which saw the sale post its best set of
figures since its inception in 2011.
This year’s renewal has attracted another fine catalogue
which features full- or half-siblings to a host of Gr1 and
classic winners, notably champion Soft Falling Rain,
SA Derby winners Seal and Legal Eagle, Russian Sage
(Cape Derby), Capetown Noir (Cape Guineas/Derby),
Divine Jury (SA Classic), Tellina (Gauteng Guineas),
Maybe Yes (KRA Filies Guineas), All Is Secret (Mercury
Sprint), Contador (Golden Horse Casino Sprint), Wavin’ Flag (Gold Cup), Potala Palace (Premier’s Champion
Stakes), Afrikaburn (Golden Horseshoe) and Viva Maria
(Woolavington 2000).
Outstanding Gr1 or Classic-winning mares with yearlings catalogued include champion Dancer’s Daughter,
Roxanne, Urabamba and Ebony Flyer, who has her first
foal on offer.
The sale showcases the country’s top active sires with
Silvano (25 catalogued) leading the way numerically,
followed by Captain Al (23), Var (23), Dynasty (15) and
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PARADE MAGAZINE
Trippi (10).
While proven newcomer Oratorio (31 catalogued)
needs to introduction, a collection of talented young sires
will make their debut at this sale. Twice Over, the first
winner of the prestigious Gr.1 Champion Stakes to take
up stud duties in South Africa, has 18 catalogued, while
his conqueror in the Gr.1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Mauritzfontein-based Byword, has 7 catalogued. Homegrown
talent What A Winter, a champion sprint son of the late
Western Winter, has impressed with his first crop foals,
11 of which will be up for sale.
Internationally sourced sires which are likely to complement the star local breed include proven stallions Bernardini (sire of the R1.5-million sales topper at the recent
Cape Ready To Run Sale); dual French Classic winner
and champion first -season sire Lope De Vega; Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown; English Gr.1 winner Poet’s
Voice; and up-and-coming young American stallion Uncle Mo, sire of recent Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist. Australian-based sires represented include Wanted,
a Gr.1-winning son of Fastnet Rock; Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf hero Pluck, whose dam is the South African
Gr2 winner Secret Heart; and first-season stallion Delago Deluxe, a dual Gr.1-winning sprinter in South Africa.
The sale serves as a prelude to the Investec Day of
Dreams on 23 January when Kenilworth will play host
to some superb racing and world class South African
hospitality. In addition to the Gr.1 Investec Cape Derby
and Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, it will also stage the
continent’s first million dollar race restricted to eligible
graduates of the 2014 CTS yearling sales.
“Our best adverts
aren’t written...
they’re running!!”
STALLION BARN 2016
ANTONIUS PIUS (USA)
Danzig - Catchascatchcan (Pursuit of Love)
DYNASTY
MAIN AIM (GB) (Stands at Southford Stud)
Oasis Dream - Orford Ness (Selkirk)
PATHFORK (USA)
Fort Wood - Blakes Affair (Commodore Blake)
Distorted Humor - Visions Of Clarity (Sadler’s Wells)
GREAT BRITAIN (GB)
POTALA PALACE
Green Desert - Park Appeal (Ahonoora)
JACKSON
Dynasty - Moonlit Prairie (Cozzene)
PO Box 88 Robertson 6705, South Africa
kim@highlandsstud.co.za www.highlandsfarmstud.co.za
Singspiel - Alignment (Alzao)
WINDRUSH (USA)
Seeking The Gold - Tempest Dancer (Storm Cat)
Tel: 023-626 2331 Fax: 023-626 3442
Mike Sharkey Cell: 082 372 2682
sales CTS Ready to run sale
rocketing
turnovers
An expanded catalogue was
always going to impact on the
final returns at the second Ready
To Run Sale held under the Cape
Thoroughbred Sales banner, and
so it proved.
H
aving absorbed the now defunct
Bloodstock SA Ready to Run Sale, the Wellington-based sales company offered 53 lots
more than the 146 twelve months ago, and not surprisingly, there were double-digit increases across the
board. Turnover skyrocketed by 46% from R24,680,000
to R36,065,000, the average price was up 26%, from
R178,841 to R225,406, while the ever-important median
price jumped from R90,000 to R110,000.
Australian-breeds have topped this sale in an unbroken streak since 2007, and their domination continued
unabated, with no less than four of the five top-priced
youngsters carrying the (AUS) affix behind their names.
Two lots, a colt and a filly, shared the top price after
making R2-million each. The first through the ring was
a dark brown son of Lonnrot consigned by Summerhill
Stud, which was snapped up by Mayfair Speculators and
is bound for the stable of trainer, Dennis Drier.
KwaZulu-Natal owner Brian Burnard matched that
price when signing for Balmoral Stud’s almost black filly
by French Gr.1 winner Myboycharlie from the family of
South African champion and proven Gr.1 sire Grey’s Inn.
Burnard is no stranger to paying top dollar for quality
breeze-ups - he spent R1.2-million on talented Redcarpet Captain at last year’s BSA sale - and will be looking
66
PARADE MAGAZINE
to recoup some of his outlay in the 2016 Emperor’s Palace
Ready To Run Cup worth R2.5-million.
A robust son of Captain emerged as the most expensive
lot sired by a local stallion when knocked down to emerging young trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren at R1.4-million. The first foal of an Australian-bred daughter of Fantastic Light, the colt boasts a truly cosmopolitan pedigree
page which reflects the stellar names of champion New
Zealand sprinter Bounding and American dual Gr.1 winner November Snow
Pin hooking is very much a feature of this sale and
amongst the profit taking deals none could match Balmoral Stud, who hit the jackpot when selling a very
smart daughter of promising young stallion Biarritz for
R550,000, a massive return on a R70,000 investment at
the Cape March Sale!
Summerhill boss Mick Goss, whose sizeable draft
made up the bulk of the catalogue, reflected on the sale:
“The bare numbers from this year’s Ready To Run Sale
were a mirror image of the state of the local economy,
with a strong upper end, a muddled middle, and a tough
lower end. One thing this sale has demonstrated though,
is the virtue of mating your mares properly, not always
for the height of fashion, but with a view to getting a
good-looking horse that can run.”
A Proven Sire
7
SIRE OF G1 WINNERS incl
MOURINHO (AUS) - winner of the
UNDERWOOD STAKES G1 in 2015
75 STAKES PERFORMERS
SIRE OF 20 GROUP WINNERS
SIRE OF
Oratorio
First South African Yearlings 2016
Cape Premier yearling Sale
. SOUTH
S T E21L- L
E
N
B
O
S
C
H
22 January 2016
LOT SEX NAME
SIRE
DAM
STABLE
7
f Love Theme
Oratorio
Lewinsky’s Lover
C29
25
f Seraphic
Oratorio
Menorah
C32
29
f Hot Chocolate
Oratorio
Mochachino
C31
33
f Rumbavar
Var
Muamba (ARG)
C34
71
f Un-named
Oratorio
Royal Aspen
C28
98
c Talk of the Town
Var
Street Wise (NZ)
D6
121 c Graduate
Oratorio
Varsity Queen
D3
134 c Ancestry
Oratorio
A Daughters Legacy D1
132 c Valedectorian
Var
Academia
D4
153 c Bayeto
Oratorio
Aretha
D5
155 f Ice Queen
Var
Baltic Beauty
212 c Music Master
Oratorio
Fine Wood
D2
240 f Selfie
Var
In Camera
C30
C33
AVONTUUR STUD • General Manager: Pippa Mickleburgh
Tel: (021) 855 1442 • Mobile: 083 658 4404 • Email: stud@avontuurestate.co.za • Web: www.avontuurestate.co.za
STELLENBOSCH . SOUTH AFRICA
breeding KZN breeders awards
PHOTos by: candiese marnewick
kzn breeders
awards 2015
Special Lifetime Achievement Award - Scott Bros.
The KZN Breeders Awards took place at Bellwood Stud, and saw the
brilliant four-time Gr1 winner Futura crowned KZN Breeders Horse
Of The Year after taking home Champion Older Male and Outstanding
Middle Distance Male.
Words by candiese marnewick
70
PARADE MAGAZINE
T
he son of Dynasty, the second by Dynasty to be
crowned KZN Breeders Horse Of The Year behind
Beach Beauty last year, was born at Koos and Lorraine de Klerk's Yellow Star Stud, bred by Guy Murdoch
and Mike Jolly in partnership. Mike Jolly was on hand to
receive the awards and he was pleased to announce that
the mare Scribblin' The Cat by Badger's Drift has produced a full-brother to Futura this season.
It was a particularly special occasion as Peter and Jenny
Blyth of Clifton Stud received the Breeders Achievement
KZN BREEDERS AWARDS 2015 WINNERS
OUTSTANDING 2YO COLT
Rabada
Summerhill Stud
OUTSTANDING 2YO FILLY
Royal Pleasure
Team Valor International
OUTSTANDING 3YO FILLY
Patchit Up Baby
Anton and Judy Procter
OUTSTANDING OLDER MALE
Breeders Achievement Award - Clifton Stud.
Award for producing the likes of Bezanova and Whatalady over the past season, as well as winning two million
rand races a week apart, as well as taking into account
their Zimbabwean successes with Print The Pounds.
Summerhill Stud once again earned the Leading Breeder
Award for the season, with their outstanding mare Cousin Linda – the dam of Rebel King, Rebel Queen and
Uncle Tommy – awarded with Broodmare Of The Year.
Robin Scott received a standing ovation after it was
announced that both Robin and Des Scott were being
honoured with the KZN Breeders Lifetime Achievement
Award for long standing breeding excellence – what began with the brilliant multiple Gr1 winner Politician
almost 50 years ago saw another from Scott Bros three
months ago, in the form of the recently deceased Wild
One taking the Gr1 eLan Gold Cup on 1 August, and not
forgetting the international victories by globetrotting The
Apache not so long ago. Wild One fittingly took home
the award for Outstanding Stayer, with owners Sean and
Jackie Philips making the trip to share the stage with the
Scott Bros and pay tribute to their great son of Mogok.
Summerhill's National Champion Freshman Sire Visionaire, was officially crowned Stallion Prospect Of The
Year. His daughters dominated the category for Champion 2YO Filly, with Gr3 winner Royal Pleasure taking the
spoils and her part owners' 3A Racing Syndicate, headed
by Wesley Bowman, on hand to collect the prize on behalf of her breeder and part owner Team Valor.
Vice-Chairman and former Chair of the KZN Breeders Club, Koos de Klerk, was deservedly recognised with
the Anita Akal Industry Award for his hard work and vision in putting the KZN Breeders Club on the map over
the past few years in particular with “his baby,” the KZN
Breeders Race Day which is one of the bigger events on
Gold Circle's racing calendar.
Futura
Guy Murdoch
OUTSTANDING OLDER FEMALE
Whatalady
Clifton Stud
OUTSTANDING SPRINTER MALE
Uncle Tommy
Summerhill Stud
OUTSTANDING SPRINTER FEMALE
Virgo’s Babe
Midlands Thoroughbreds
OUTSTANDING MIDDLE DISTANCE
MALE
Futura
Guy Murdoch
OUTSTANDING MIDDLE DISTANCE
FEMALE
Whatalady
Clifton Stud
OUTSTANDING STAYER MALE &
FEMALE
Wild One
Scott Bros
BROODMARE OF THE YEAR
Cousin Linda
Summerhill Stud
STALLION PROSPECT OF THE YEAR
Visionaire
STALLION OF THE YEAR
Kahal
BREEDERS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Clifton Stud
LEADING BREEDER OF THE YEAR
Summerhill Stud
SPECIAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Des and Robin Scott
ANITA AKAL INDUSTRY AWARD
Koos de Klerk
KZN BREEDERS HORSE OF THE
YEAR
Futura
PARADE MAGAZINE
71
breeding racemares and broodmares
LUCK OF THE
DRAW
With the progeny of Frankel due to hit the tracks soon, and Black
Caviar’s first filly foal coming up for sale in 2016, the debate has been
ignited as to whether mares who were great racehorses on the track go
on to make great producers at stud. Thankfully most great mares do,
and their progeny help enhance their legacy through the ages.
Words by lisa barrett
Frankel.
72
PARADE MAGAZINE
won any Group or feature races of any value. Here is
a glaring example of a mare that couldn’t reproduce her
winning genes, successfully.
Two decades before Makybe Diva flashed onto the
scene, a striking grey filly from America named Princess
Rooney was capturing the public’s imagination. Champion filly of the 80s, she was a daughter of the Grade One
winning stallion, Verbatim, a precocious winner of several
Grade One races by the age of 2, Princess Rooney won
the inaugural Breeders Cup Distaff in 1984, and became
first Breeders Cup winner to be installed in the American
Hall Of Fame. Finishing only once out of the money, she
was put into foal by Danzig and sold for a record $5.5
million, the third highest price ever paid for a broodmare.
Despite this, she was unable to produce anything of value and was eventually sold for $130 000 to the Gentry
Brothers in Lexington, Kentucky in 1985 Pensioned off
in 2004 after her last foal, she was euthanaised in 2008.
Recently, Dr.Natasha Hamilton from the Faculty of
Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, conducted a study on a group of horses in Australia to illustrate
Kl aw e rvlei
Cape
Premier
Yearling
Sale 2016
52 of South
Africa’s best
CARRY ON ALICE
(bred by Klawervlei Stud)
Cape Champion 2-y-o Filly,
Cape Champion 3-y-o Filly,
G1 winner.
LOT
1
3
17
22
41
44
56
58
59
64
68
70
74
81
86
96
107
108
110
111
112
127
128
131
140
144
filly
filly
colt
colt
filly
colt
filly
filly
filly
colt
colt
filly
filly
filly
filly
colt
colt
filly
colt
colt
filly
colt
colt
filly
colt
colt
SIRE
Var (USA)
Twice Over (GB)
Captain Al
Twice Over (GB)
Big Brown (USA)
Silvano (GER)
Var (USA)
Twice Over (GB)
Bernardini (USA)
Captain Al
Captain Al
Captain Al
Dynasty
Captain Al
Twice Over (GB)
Querari (GER)
Var (USA)
Seventh Rock (AUS)
Big Brown (USA)
Captain Al
Trippi (USA)
Pluck (USA)
Twice Over (GB)
Philanthropist (USA)
Captain Al
Twice Over (GB)
DAM
Lady Bequick
Late Summer (USA)
Main Emblem
Mars Star (AUS)
Nufoos (AUS)
Pagan Princess
Possible Dream
Pure Perfection (IRE)
Quality Time (AUS)
Reserved Emblem
Roman Eagle
Roxanne
Rubicat (USA)
Secret of Victoria
Sidera (AUS)
Stop the Music
Tallula
The Black Pearl
They Say (USA)
Thin Red Line (AUS)
Tigress
Wild Orchid (IRE)
Wind Jammer
Young Sensation
All for U
Angelita
LOT
150
158
161
162
163
164
165
166
168
169
170
171
176
179
184
191
195
202
204
205
213
215
225
247
248
252
filly
colt
colt
colt
colt
filly
filly
colt
colt
filly
filly
filly
colt
filly
colt
colt
colt
colt
colt
colt
filly
colt
colt
colt
colt
colt
St ud
SIRE
Trippi (USA)
Delago Deluxe (AUS)
Seventh Rock (AUS)
Captain Al
Wanted (AUS)
Delago Deluxe (AUS)
Seventh Rock (AUS)
Uncle Mo (USA)
Twice Over (GB)
Captain Al
Count Dubois (GB)
Captain Al
Twice Over (GB)
Elusive Fort
Twice Over (GB)
Captain Al
Seventh Rock (AUS)
Seventh Rock (AUS)
Captain Al
Silvano (GER)
Captain Al
Warm White Night
Trippi (USA)
Captain Al
Big Brown (USA)
Captain Al
DAM
Aquilonia (GB)
Beam (AUS)
Beyond
Blythe Spirit
Bobine (USA)
Bounding Along (AUS)
Burning Gold
Calvello (AUS)
Captain’s Call
Captivating Party
Carolain (ARG)
Cause to Believe
Charmed
Corn Dodger
Cupid
Della Scala
Dragon Lily
Encircle
Entrenched Emblem
Es la Vida
First Power
Floriana
Gone Wild
Jet Danza
Joie (AUS)
Juvenescent (USA)
Klawervlei Stud | John Koster | PO Box 266, Bonnievale 6730 | Tel: (023) 616 2980 | Fax: (023) 616 2548 | Cell: 082 880 7943
E-mail: john@klawervlei.co.za | or Grant Knowles | Cell: 082 882 9774 | E-mail: grant@klawervlei.co.za
Champion SA
Breeders 2015
H
owever, there are a few cases where
great racehorses did not go on to become great
broodmares, and their tales are cautionary ones
for breeders.
One of the most well-known of recent times is that
the legendary Australian mare Makybe Diva. The British bred daughter of Desert King stamped her authority
on Australian racing in the mid 2000s, when she became
the first horse to win the fabled Melbourne Cup in three
consecutive years (2003, 2004 & 2005) as well as the Cox
Plate (2005). When Makybe Diva was retired to stud in
2006, she was sent to the great Galileo and bloodstockers
licked their lips in anticipation of the resultant mating.
She produced a colt named Rockstardom who was later
sold for $1.5 million, he went onto win two races out of
twelve starts for a mere $26 115. Later gelded, he died
in a freak accident in 2013. Makybe Diva continued to
be sent to some of the world’s best stallions including
Encosta Da Lago, Fusaichi Pegasus, Lonhro and High
Chaparral, yet despite this, her resultant foals have been
disappointments at the track, and nothing to date has
breeding racemares and broodmares
Black Caviar.
the link between horses that were winners and their likelihood of producing winning progeny. According to her
research, which covered not only the racing performance
of horses, but certain traits like career length and susceptibility to disease, the study showed that genetics account
for one third of a horse’s performance.
Dr. Hamilton believes it’s tricky to give definitive
predictions on how a horse’s career could progress, she
believed however, that taking into consideration the
durability of a horses genes, in other words, how sound
it is and how it runs, is a good indicator of how it will
perform at the track and possibly later in the breeding
shed. Breeders, she believed, should take these factors
into greater consideration when it came time to selecting
mates and breeding their horses, as she believed it would
reduce the incidences of fatal breakdowns and limit the
perpetuating of unsoundness in certain stallion lines.
The area of breakdowns has always been a controversial
one, with plenty of spectacular and fatal breakdowns on
tracks over the years. Who could forget Eight Belles in
the 2009 Kentucky Derby, running on two broken legs
and still managing a second place in the great race, the
images of her trying to get up and continue running even
after she broke down are heart-breaking. Then there is the
Irish bred son of High Chaparral, the Group One winner
Wigmore Hall, who broke his leg in a race at Doncaster
in September 2014. Images of the horse being shot after
breaking his leg were flashed around the world, and are
used along with Eight Belles by critics as a rallying point
against over inbreeding in the horse world. Certainly
some stallion lines do seem to show inclinations towards
74
PARADE MAGAZINE
producing horses with leg issues, but it’s rash to make
a general and sweeping generalisations about particular
stallions and their progeny based on a few individuals
who’ve suffered dramatic breakdowns.
The one thing though, that Dr. Hamilton might have
a bit of trouble explaining, is how unheralded mares with
little to speak of in terms of winning performance or pedigree have gone on to produce great horses. In the South
African context, the best example of this is Louis The
King, whose dam Pasmushna was a twice raced maiden, who was in foal to Black Minnaloushe when she was
bought by The Alchemy at the 2010 Vintage Broodmare
Sale. The result was a colt named Louis The King who
set the South African racing scene alive by winning the
tough SA Triple crown series, something which only the
late, great, Horse Chestnut was able to do. Confounding
the critics repeatedly, Louis The King went on win the
Summer Cup (Group One) and placed in several other major Group races, dispelling the myth that you need
a good pedigree to be a good racehorse. Unfortunately
Pasmushna was so unremarkable that she was not mated again and fell off the radar, dying a few years ago in
obscurity.
In the end, there are so many factors besides genetics
which need to be considered when it’s time to mate a
horse with a view to its future offspring. As history has
demonstrated, great racehorses don’t always make good
breeders. Factors such as durability and racing ability
are important considerations and need to be factored in
alongside genetics when it comes time for breeders to find
a suitable stallion for their mare.
REAL DREAMS – REAL RESULTS – REAL CHAMPIONS
HARRY’S SON (HARADASUN-DASH ON RUBY) 2013-14 Champion 2YO Colt, Sold January 2013 for A$60,000
GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (MORE THAN READY-YES SHE CAN CANCAN) Gr.1 Winner & Multiple Stakes Placegetter at 3, Sold in 2009 for A$155,000
DELAGO DELUXE (ENCOSTA DE LAGO-SUCCEEDING) 2010-11 Champion 2YO Colt, Sold in January 2010 for A$550,000
WYLIE HALL (REDOUTE’S CHOICE-BEAUTY BELLE) Multiple Gr.1 Winner and Stakes Placegetter, Sold in January 2011 for A$205,000
2016 GOLD COAST YEARLING SALE – 6-12 JANUARY | 2016 TASMANIAN YEARLING SALE – 18 FEBRUARY
2016 PERTH YEARLING SALE – 15-16 FEBRUARY | 2016 ADELAIDE YEARLING SALE – 14-16 MARCH
2016 GOLD COAST MARCH YEARLING SALE – 21-22 MARCH
Paul Lafferty (083) 779 1311
Barry Bowditch +61402 280 538 | barry@magicmillions.com.au
Rowena Smith +61438 431 132 | rowena@magicmillions.com.au
www.magicmillions.com.au
breeding gondolette
GONDOLETTE’S
GOLDEN LEGACY
All G1 performers in recent years, have at least one factor in common.
They all trace back directly to one of the greatest mares in the stud book
– Gondolette.
Words by sarah whitelaw
K
ing George runner up,
Eagle Top (Pivotal), G1 Betfred Sprint winner, Twilight Son
(Kyllachy), Ayr Gold Cup winner, Don’t
Touch (Dutch Art), champion South
African sprinter, What A Winter (Western Winter), former dual Oaks winner
Sariska (Pivotal), G1 Golden Shaheen
runner-up, Balmont Mast (Balmont),
triple group winner, Gregorian (Clodovil), French 1000 Guineas heroine, Beauty Parlour (Deep Impact) and G1 Sun
Chariot Stakes victress, Integral (Dalakhani), all G1 performers in recent years,
have at least one factor in common. They
all trace back directly to one of the greatest mares in the stud book – Gondolette.
Bred by Henry Waring, Gondolette
overcame an unfashionable pedigree and mediocre race
record to establish a dynasty which continues to thrive
–more than 100 years after her birth (1902).
A daughter of Wokingham Stakes winner, Loved One,
Gondolette was out of Dongola, who was unplaced on
her only racecourse appearance. Gondolette was far and
away the most important produce of her dam.
Gondolette won three times for owner George
Edwards, but was later sold to Col Hall-Walker and retired to what is now the Irish National Stud. She was
later sold, in 1912, to the 17th Lord Derby, for whom
Gondolette’s descendants won a string of classics.
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Hyperion.
Her first foal, Dolly Strong (born in 1908), never raced,
but is the ancestress of July Handicap winner, Left Wing
(Fairthorn) and Queen’s Plate hero, Fair Mountain (Herculaneum), through her daughter Poacher’s Pet, who was
exported to South Africa.
Gondolette’s second foal was Park Hill Stakes runner
up Lolette, while her third was the high class colt, Great
Sport (both Lolette and Great Sport being sired by dual
champion sire Gallinule). Great Sport, who ran third in
the controversial 1913 Epsom Derby, was a poor sire but
did leave behind an important broodmare daughter in
Sword Play, whose four stakes winners included subsequent US Champion Sire, Challenger II.
Her subsequent foal was the one time winning
Dolabella, who proved to be an outstanding producer.
Her daughter Myrobella (by 2000 Guineas winner
Tetratema) was an exceptionally fast filly, who was champion at two and won the July Cup (widely regarded as
Britain’s top sprint).
second dam of Afghan (Mahmoud), twice champion sire
in Chile.
While Hyperion and Pharamond went on to sire a
number of top class sire sons, it is the Sickle male line
which is the strongest today of Selene’s great sons. Sickle
is the male line ancestor of Raise A Native, whose son,
Mr Prospector, is the head of a mighty dynasty whose sciBig Game
At stud, Myrobella produced the 2000 Guineas win- ons include the likes of Gone West (sire of Elusive Qualner, Big Game, who went on to become a classic sire ity, Grand Slam, Speightstown, Western Winter et al),
and outstanding broodmare sire. Among the numerous Machiavellian (sire of Kahal, Medicean and Street Cry),
high class broodmare daughters of Big Game was Queen Seeking The Gold (grandsire of Dubawi), Fappiano (anMary Stakes winner, Bride Elect, dam of St Leger winner, cestor of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah), etc.
The Sickle male line is also responsible for Kentucky
Hethersett and champion South African sire, Royal Prerogative. Myrobella is also ancestress of St Leger winner, Derby winner and red hot US sire, Super Saver, whose
Chamossaire (broodmare sire of French Guineas winner first crop of runners include six graded winners, three of
which are G1 winners.
and hugely influential sire Caro).
Serenissima also produced 1000 Guineas/St Leger
Next of the notable progeny produced by Gondolette
winner Tranquil (Swynwas Let’s Fly, who was
ford) and Gold Cup
sired by high class 2yo
Bred
by
Henry
Waring,
winner Bosworth. AnWhite Eagle. Let’s
other daughter, ComFly was a top class 2yo
Gondolette overcame an
posure, is the dam of
whose wins included
unfashionable
pedigree
and
Fair Copy (Fairway)
the New Stakes (now
– who led the French
the G2 Norfolk Stakes)
mediocre race record to establish
Sires List in 1952.
and the now G1 Dea dynasty which continues to thrive
Gondolette produced
whurst Stakes. Let’s Fly
–more than 100 years after her
her first classic winner
trained on well to win
in 1915. Ferry, a filly
the Champion Stakes
birth (1902).
by St Leger winner and
at three and went on
champion sire Swynto prove a useful sire in
ford, won the 1000
Argentina.
Gondolette’s most important foal was born in 1913. A Guineas in 1918 and was second in the Oaks that year.
daughter of Epsom Derby winner Manna, Serenissima won While Ferry was not an outstanding success at stud, her
just two races before retiring to a hugely successful stud ca- full brother Sansovino (born in 1921), did make a mark
reer. Her foals included the great racemare and broodmare at stud. Winner of the 1924 Epsom Derby by six lengths,
Selene (Chaucer), who won 16 races, including the Chev- the son of Swynford sired US Champion Jacopo, St Leger
eley Park Stakes and Nassau Stakes (both now G1 races) winner Sandwich, and the great producer Sansonnet. The
latter produced 2000 Guineas winner and successful sire
and ran second in the now G1 Coronation Cup.
Tudor Minstrel and 1000 Guineas runner up Neolight.
The latter is the ancestress of a host of top class performSelene
Selene went on to produce the leading sires, Hunter’s ers including 1000 Guineas Sayyedati (Shadeed) and her
Moon, Pharamond, Sickle and six times British Champi- four time G1 winning half brother Golden Snake (Danon sire, Hyperion, while her descendants include cham- zig). Sayyedati, in turn, is the granddam of recent G3
pion sire Mossborough and legendary New Zealand Cumberland Lodge winner Star Storm (Sea The Stars).
stallion, Sir Tristram. Selene is also ancestress of South
African champion, What A Winter, G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner, Wassl, and leading sire, Star Way. Selene is the
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industry pink drive
Greyville was transformed in pink on Friday night, October 23.
The PinkDrive Polytrack Racemeeting in support of Breast Cancer
Awareness raised R300 000 for a great cause, with most folk warming
to the occasion and donning a colour that may not have been
everybody’s cup of tea.
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L
eading the charge were the on-course presenters Warren Lenferna and former top jockey
Kevin Shea, relishing the opportunity of getting
into the spirit of things and showing off their party
colours.
The meeting was well supported by sponsors
Klawervlei Stud, Sean Tarry Racing, Investec,
Drakenstein Stud, Jonsson Workwear, Varsfontein Stud,
PHOTos by: nkosi hlophe
greyville goes
pink
Cape Thoroughbred Sales and Gold Circle. Additional
money was raised through an auction and donations.
In a possible world first, all the jockeys in the fifth
race wore pink silks with only the caps distinguishing the
runners on the track and commentator Craig “Eagle Eye”
Peters never missed a beat.
“It was challenging under lights,” said the veteran
race-caller. “The red looked pink and the orange looked
red.”
But like all professionals he did his homework. “I asked
trainers Jeff Freeman and Kom Naidoo to change the
blinkers on their horses, they were both going to race in
white, and Mgokity was a grey. For the rest I had to make
do.”
The main race, the Listed Jonsson Workwear Michaelmas Handicap was a triumph for the leading sire Dynasty as his son, the Mike de Kock-trained colt Alghadeer,
beat home his daughter, the four-year-old Frank Robinson-trained Olma with the Weiho Marwing-trained The
Royal Rhumba filling third position.
His call was appreciated by the sizeable crowd, who
mostly came to the party by wearing at least something
in pink.
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industry RACING. IT’S A RUSH INTERNATIONAL JOCKEYS CHALLENGE
The International Invitational team (back row) and the South African team (front row) ready for battle.
INTERNATIONAL
JOCKEYS CHALLENGE
The 2015 Racing. It’s a Rush International Jockey’s Challenge proved,
once again, to be a hit with sports lovers. There was a vibe reminiscent
of “the good old days” at Fairview on Friday 13th as well at
Turffontein on Saturday 14th November.
Words by merle parker
PHOTos by: jc photographics
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S
outh Africans are traditionally a sports
loving nation and this international invitational
challenge did our country proud not only in terms
of our jockeys abilities but also the warm hospitality
showed to our visitors.
Although the South Africans finished at the top of the
log on Friday, it was the French rider, Aurelien Lemaitre
who was victor ludorum at Fairview. Anthony Delpech
was the leading rider on Saturday as well as the overall
victor ludorum for the series. The South African team
walked off as outright winners much to the delight of
the fans.
One of the many highlights of the tournament was the
victory by Hayley Turner on board Dream Galaxy. In a
gallant finish between the captain of the visitor’s team,
Hayley Turner and Greg Cheyne, it went the way of the
fairer sex by a really narrow margin. That ride was made
more memorable as it was Hayley’s final victory as she is
hanging up her riding boots.
Larry Wainstein, CEO of the Racing Association,
acknowledged the support of the sponsors, owners and
trainers and the racing public. He also paid tribute to the
athletes, the jockeys and the horses who are an integral
part of our sport.
Battle between Hayley Turner and Greg Cheyne.
GROOMS RACE A HUGE
SUCCESS AT FAIRVIEW
In keeping with featuring the rider, one of the races
on the card at Fairview on Friday 13 November was a
grooms race. The name of Vusi (Zuzile Matwa) will go
down in history as being the first groom to win a grooms
race in The Friendly City on board Momentus, owned by
South Africa’s leading owners Ingrid and Markus Jooste.
The Racing Trust has for a number of years been involved in an upliftment initiative for grooms and recently, James Maree has been visiting Port Elizabeth to carry
out training programmes for grooms. Larry Wainstein
arranged for a grooms race on the card and it proved to
be a tremendous success. Family and friends of these
riders arrived at the course in their droves to support
their riders. Tara Laing was overcome with emotion at
the post race presentation. She commented that this was
a special victory as recognition of the grooms contribution to the sport of racing was important as they were a
crucial part of the industry.
Team captains: Hayley Turner representing the International Invitational
team and captain of the South African team Gavin Lerena.
Zuzile Matwa (Vusi) winning the first ever grooms race in Port Elizabeth.
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statistics graded races
Graded race
results
WORLD SPORTS BETTING AUGUST STAKES
(GRADE 3)
R250,000 - 1200m - Vaal (Sand)
1st R156,250, 2nd R50,000, 3rd R25,000 - August 29
1. ROMAN CARNIVAL
4yo b.g. by Windrush - Special Series (Special Preview)
2nd dam Drama Series (Complete Warrior)
3rd dam Swift Step (Dancing Champ)
Owner: B E Miskin and M E Miskin
Breeder: Normandy Stud
Trainer: S Moffatt
Jockey: C Maujean
2. Isphan
4yo b.g. by Tiger Ridge - Queen Of Persia (Fort Wood)
Owner: S M Leahy
Breeder: Mauritzfontein Stud
3. Doing It For Dan
6yo b.g. by Windrush - Wrapped In Clover (Mt Livermore)
Owner: A Maroun
Breeder: Highlands Farms Stud (Pty) Ltd
Then came: Jade Vine, Mootahadee (Aus), Captain Haddock, Kiss
Me Hardy, Green Rock, Stavinsky, Across The Ice, Bouclette Top
(Arg), Velvet Verona, Olympic Bolt (Brz)
Non-runner: Duty Dance, Salute The Sun
Won by: 4.25 - 2.75 - 0.75
Time: 72.21
Making his stakes debut, Roman Carnival easily handled the leap
from handicap company to graded class with an ultra-impressive
victory.
Confidently ridden, the blinkered four-year-old stalked the leading
pair of Velvet Verona and Isphan, who set a blistering pace up front.
Isphan pounced at the quarter mark but his lead was short lived, as
Roman Carnival quickly made up the deficit and loomed large on
his outside. Driven out entering the final furlong, the Miskin-owned
bay picked up strongly and bounded clear to score by a generous
margin.
Unplaced in both starts on turf, the winner proved a revelation
when switched to the dirt, breaking his maiden by a jaw-dropping
ten lengths up the straight and has tasted defeat just once in three
subsequent outings over the surface. Although he was dropping back
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in trip from a mile here, the manner in which he put his rivals away
suggests he will be a prime contender for next month’s Gr.2 Emerald
Cup over 1450m.
SUPREME CUP (GRADE 2)
R1,000,000 - 1450m - Vaal (Sand)
1st R625,000, 2nd R200,000, 3rd R100,000 - September 26
1. DEPUTY JUD
4yo ch.g. by Judpot - Star Deputy (Deputy Governor)
2nd dam: Centrepoint (Gleam Machine)
3rd dam: Victorian Lady (Sabaean)
Owner: Mr A and Mrs F J van Vuuren
Breeder: Mr and Mrs J Erasmus
Trainer: M G Azzie
Jockey: J P van der Merwe
2. Uncle Tommy
8yo ch.g. by Kahal - Cousin Linda (Badger Land)
Owner: H Adams
Breeder: Summerhill Stud (Pty) Ltd
3. Ultimate Dollar
4yo b.g. by Jet Master - Mkushi Gold (Western Winter)
Owner: Evanstan Investments (Pty) Ltd and Mr N Jonsson
Breeder: Daytona Stud (Pty) Ltd
Then came: Toro Rosso (Brz), Solar Triptych, Precursor, Willow
Magic (Aus), Jade Vine, All The Bids, Roman Carnival, Isphan, Taptap Makhatini, Mootahadee (Aus), Lavender Landscape
Non-runners: Raise The Red, Kiss Me Hardy, Across The Ice
Won by: 2.25 - 3 - 1.75
Time: 1-28.37
With the Vaal sand track due to be decommissioned at the end of
October, this was the eleventh and final running of the country’s
most lucrative sand race. Fittingly, victory went to the classy Deputy
Jud, who opened his stakes account in fine style.
In his first run after gelding, the Mike Azzie-trained four-year-old
raced within striking distance of pacesetter Lavender Landscape
and when jockey Jean Paul van der Merwe popped the question approaching the final quarter, the response was instantaneous. Flashing
an electrifying turn of foot, the chestnut surged past Ultimate Dollar and strode home unchallenged to score with authority, much to
the delight of his elated rider. Last year’s runner-up Uncle Tommy
gave chase, but the evergreen veteran again had to settle for second,
while Ultimate Dollar, making his debut on the Highveld and also
on sand, was next best.
JOBURG SPRING FILLIES & MARES CHALLENGE
(GRADE 2)
R400,000 - 1450m - Turffontein
1st R250,000, 2nd R80,000, 3rd R40,000 - October 3
1. LAZER STAR
4yo b.f. by Toreador - Empress Of Oz (Sri Pekan)
2nd dam: Beats Crying (Clay Hero)
3rd dam: Honest And Legal (Sharpen Up)
Owner: Mrs A Marwing
Breeder: Tawny Syndicate
Trainer: O A Ferraris
Jockey: W Marwing
2. Sarve
4yo b.f. by Sarge - First Wave (Waldoboro)
Owner: Favour Stud
Breeder: Favour Stud
3. Madame Dubois
3yo ch.f. by Count Dubois - Miss Jet Set ( Jet Master)
Owner: C Bird
Breeder: A J McNabb and E Miliotis
Then came: Love To Sail, Featherfoot, Alice Springs (Aus), Fire
Dancing, Sabaha, For The Lads
Won by: 1.25 - 0.50 - 2.25
Time: 1-28.90
Lazer Star continued her progress through the stakes ranks with a
finely-timed victory, her third on the trot and first beyond a sprint
distance.
Content to track pacesetter Sarve, the Ormond Ferraris-trained
four-year-old threw out a determined challenge at the furlong mark
and once in the clear, was not for the catching, drawing away to score
by a handy margin. Short-course performer Sarve only ran out of
steam late and finished second, well clear of Madame Dubois.
This was very much a family affair as jockey Weichong Marwing
partnered the winner for his wife Annelie. In fact, he has been
aboard the filly in her last six wins, stretching back to the Gr.3 Magnolia and Listed Swallow Stakes.
JOBURG SPRING CHALLENGE (GRADE 2)
1. TRIP TO HEAVEN
4yo b.c. by Trippi - Helleborus Blue (Cee’s Tizzy)
2nd dam: Hepatica (Slewpy)
3rd dam: Summer Dress (Summer Time Guy)
Owner: C H J van Niekerk and M J Jooste
Trainer: S G Tarry
Jockey: S Khumalo
2. Bouclette Top (ARG)
5yo br.g. by Giant’s Causeway - Bouclette Glory (Honour And Glory)
Owner: Wilgerbosdrift (Pty) Ltd
Breeder: Haras Firmamento
3. Whiteline Fever
7yo b.g. by Right Approach - Hockey Corner (Sportsworld)
Owner: M J Jooste, N M Shirtliff and C J H van Niekerk
Then came: Ice Machine, Halve The Deficit, Anjaal (Aus), Moofeed
(Aus), Bezanova, Light The Way, Easy Lover, Forest Fox
Won by: 2.50 - 2.50- neck
Time: 1-26.62
Tip top sprinter Trip To Heaven added a new dimension to his
career when he recorded an eye-catching victory, his first over the
extended distance.
Enjoying an uncontested lead throughout, the Van Niekerk colour
bearer hit another gear in mid-stretch and came home unharassed
to add a second Gr.2 score to his tally, having accounted for the
Merchants almost a year ago. Bouclette Top finished a well-beaten
second to deprive the Sean Tarry stable of the exacta by finishing
clear of the winner’s stable mate Whiteline Fever.
The winning trainer remarked: “He relaxed beautifully in front and
settled well. I hope there is no knee-jerk reaction from the handicappers!”
Tarry would not be drawn into whether the Gr.2 November Handicap would be a likely target for the winner. “Maybe a handicap over a
mile is not ideal, even for a million Rand. I was toying with the idea
of Cape Town, but we’ll see.”
KUDU MATCHEM STAKES (GRADE 3)
R250,000 - 1400m - Durbanville
1. ACT OF WAR
4yo b.c. by Dynasty - Si Senorita (Cordoba)
2nd dam: Vadostar (Calvados)
3rd dam: Transtar II (GB) (Sahib)
Owner: Mrs I Jooste and Mr M J Jooste
Breeder: Arc-En-Ciel Stud
Trainer: J Ramsden
Jockey: A Marcus
2. Heartland
4yo b.c. by Dynasty - Moonlit Prairie (Cozzene)
Owner: Miss N Mitchell and Mr W J C Mitchell
3. Charles Lytton
4yo b.g. by Thomas Crown - Love Of Grace (Shaamit)
Owner: Fieldspring Racing and Wilgerbosdrift (Pty) Ltd
Breeder: Wilgerbosdrift
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Then came: Line Break, Sail For Gold, Alpha Pegasi, Sheer Trouble,
Arniston, Master’s Eye, Tomba La Bomba
Won by: 1.50 - 0.75 - 0.50
Time: 1-23.11 (NTR)
Crack colt Act Of War showed he is on track for a big summer
campaign with a barnstorming stakes win which saw him better the
Durbanville 1400m track record by over half a second.
Making his seasonal bow off a five-month holiday, the four-year-old
overcame a wide draw to race mid-field early on. Once the whips
came out, he accelerated smartly to overhaul market rival Heartland and was punched out by pilot Anton Marcus for an impressive
length and a half victory.
This was the eighth win from nine starts for Joey Ramsden’s Cape
Guineas winner, whose only defeat came in the Gr.1 Cape Derby,
where he proved no match for Ertijaal.
A dual Listed winner as a juvenile, the bay proved himself the Western Cape’s leading sophomore with additional victories in the Gr.2
Selangor Cup, Gr.3 Langerman, Gr.3 Cape Classic and Gr.3 Winter
Guineas.
DIANA STAKES (GRADE 3)
R250,000 - 1400m - Durbanville
1. INARA
4yo b.f. by Trippi - Mountains Of Mist (Shirley Heights)
2nd dam: Magic Of Life (Seattle Slew)
3rd dam: Larida (Northern Dancer)
Owner: Drakenstein Stud
Breeder: Drakenstein Stud
Trainer: M W Bass
Jockey: G van Niekerk
2. Come Fly With Me
4yo b.f. by Jet Master - Fly The Wind (Model Man)
Owner: Mr H C and Mrs P J Devine
Breeder: Patricia Devine Investments (Pty) Ltd
3. Fear Not
4yo b.f. by Ideal World - Koffiefontein (Diesis)
Owner: Mr E G and Mrs L C Bouwer, A E Mandelstam,
J Rabinowitz and B Marcus
Then came: Harvard Crimson, Just Felicity, Eros’s Girl, Sensible
Lover (Aus), Jeweller’s Joy
Won by: 1 - head - head
Time: 1-25.34
Inara proved there’s no substitute for class with a clinical victory in
the Diana, her third at graded stakes level.
As the sole Gr.1 winner in the eight-strong line-up, the Gr.3 event
looked to be at the mercy of the Drakenstein homebred, who easily
topped the betting boards. After tracking stable companion Come
Fly With Me into the straight, she glided into the lead inside the
final furlong and barely raised a sweat to lead home a Mike Bass ex-
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acta, with Come Fly With Me shading Fear Not for the runner-up
spot.
The result mirrored that of an allowance plate over the course and
distance on 19 September, where Inara defeated Come Fly With
Me by two lengths. Notwithstanding a six kg turnaround at the
weights this time round, she once again proved different class.
A dual Gr.1 winner of the Paddock and Majorca Stakes at three,
Inara looks set for a fine four-year-old campaign and will no doubt
make a bold bid for a repeat of the coveted double this summer.
MAGNUM CAPE CLASSIC (GRADE 3)
R250,000 - 1400m - Kenilworth
1. EIGHTH WONDER
3yo b.g. by Captain Al - Great Wall (Fort Wood)
2nd dam: West Wall (Plugged Nickle)
3rd dam: London Wall (Col Pickering)
Owner: O Schoeman and A J van Huyssteen
Breeder: Moutonshoek
Trainer: G W Ennion
Jockey: M Byleveld
2. Rodney
3yo gr.g. by Tapit - Granny Leah (Orientate)
Owner: Gainesway Stable
3. Hard Day’s Night
3yo b.c. by Warm White Night - My Lady Bluff (Indigo)
Breeder: Monarch Bloodstock
Then came: Purple Mountain, Brilliant Crimson, Aspara, Forward
Drive, Ernie, Baritone, The Stone Thrower, Roman Discent, Captain
Chaos, Seymour
Won by: 2.25 - 0.50 -1.25
Time: 1-24,83
Outsider Eighth Wonder overcame the widest draw to post an upset
win in this Gr.3 event.
Contrary to his usual front running style, Greg Ennion’s charge was
restrained by jockey M J Byleveld in third behind pacesetter Forward Drive and favourite Hard Day’s Night. The latter took the lead
in mid straight, but had no answer when Eighth Wonder came at
him hard approaching the final furlong. The gelding quickly took
command and drew clear to score by just over two lengths from a
flying Rodney, who made up many lengths in the straight to deprive
the favourite of the runner-up spot.
This was the second and most lucrative success yet for the winner,
who had made all to crack his maiden second time out up the Kenilworth straight. Gelded following a well-beaten fifth behind Captain Chaos in the Gr.3 Cape of Good Hope Nursery in June, he
returned to action three months later and ran out of steam twice
when trying to make all over 1300 and 1400m respectively. Different
tactics appear to have done the trick.
BETTING WORLD ALGOA CUP (GRADE 3)
R350,000 - 2000m - Fairview
1. STONEHENGE
4yo b.c. by Seventh Rock - Pacific Sunrise (Twig Moss)
2nd dam: La Caissiere (Luskin Star)
3rd dam: Cashing Lady (Kashmir)
Owner: Seventh Rock Syndicate
Trainer: S G Tarry
Jockey: J Mariba
2. Orchestrated
5yo ch.g. by Jay Peg - Symphony Of Joy (Argosy)
Breeder: Klawervlei Stud
3. Masterly
5yo b.g. by Jet Master - Alexandra Bi (Darshaan)
Owner: M de Broglio
Breeder: Varsfontein Stud
Then came: Krambambuli, Current Event, Symbolik, Mountain
Master, Gothic, Political Playboy (Aus), Silent Partner, Zestful, Kalamain, Taarish (Aus)
Non-runner: Gogetthesheriff, Gone Baby Gone
Won by: head - 0.50 - head
Time: 2:05.53
Having captured nine of the last ten renewals, the stranglehold by
Western Cape visitors on Port Elizabeth’s richest event came to an
end when Gauteng-based champion trainer Sean Tarry saddled the
first two past the post, victory going to lightly-weighted Stonehenge.
Given an enterprising ride by young Joe Mariba, the four-year-old
was sent past early pacesetter Gothic at the 1400m mark and went
on to dictate a steady tempo. The race began in earnest in the straight
where he stubbornly repelled all challengers, bar stable companion
Orchestrated, who unleashed a barnstorming run up the inside rail.
To his credit, the colt showed a determined attitude when headed
and rallied splendidly to regain the lead in the shadow of the post
to record a head victory. Justin Snaith-trained Masterly came with a
late flourish to finish a close-up third.
It was the third career success for the newly-minted stakes winner,
who had chased home Legal Eagle in last season’s Listed Derby Trial but bypassed the Derby proper.
PEERMONT EMPERORS PALACE CHARITY MILE
(GRADE 2)
R1,000,000 - 1600m - Turffontein
1. BOUCLETTE TOP (ARG)
5yo br.g. by Giant’s Causeway - Bouclette Glory (Honour And Glory)
2nd dam: Bouclette Fitz (Fitzcarraldo)
3rd dam: Cambriole (Ringaro)
Owner: Breeder: Trainer: Jockey: Wilgerbosdrift (Pty) Ltd
Haras Firmamento
A G Laird
G Lerena
2. M L Jet
4yo b.g. by Jet Master - Subyan Dreams (Spectrum)
Owner: M E Leaf
3. Mitraad (AUS)
4yo br.g. by Northern Meteor - Fondle (O’Reilly)
Owner: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Breeder: Copabella Pty Ltd
Then came: Mac De Lago (Aus), Bezanova, French Navy, The Captain’s Tune, Halve The Deficit, Whiteline Fever, Ultimate Dollar,
Toro Rosso (Brz), Flying The Flag (Ire), Rampant Ice, Dynamic,
Bold Inspiration, Deputy Jud
Non-runners: Saratoga Dancer, Heavy Metal, Killua Castle (Aus)
Won by: 2.25 - 0.50 - head
Time: 1-37.07
Successful with Bezanova twelve months ago, trainer Alec Laird
found himself back in the winner’s enclosure following Bouclette
Top’s storming victory in this Gr.2 mile.
Long-time leader MLJet looked a beaten horse approaching the final furlong as Bold Inspiration loomed large on his inside, only to
rally strongly and regain the advantage. However, swooping late on
the outside, blinkered Bouclette Top came to spoil his party. Having
cornered a good couple of lengths off the leaders, the Wilgerbosdrift
colour bearer was given an inspired ride by reigning champion jockey Gavin Lerena and hit the front close home to win going away.
Laird was all smiles and said: “He’s an honest and super little horse.
We were going to go handy - it didn’t exactly work out like that, but
things panned out well.”
YELLOWWOOD HANDICAP (GRADE 3)
1. THE CENTENARY (NZ)
4yo b/br.f. by Mastercraftsman - Diamantaire (Montjeu)
2nd dam: La Brillante (Sir Tristram)
3rd dam: Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight)
Owner: W Chow
Breeder: Windsor Park Stud Ltd
Trainer: M F de Kock
Jockey: R Simons
2. Marmalady (AUS)
5yo b.m. by Duke Of Marmalade - Heaven Instead (Carnegie)
Owner: Mr B P Finch, Mrs K Finch and Ridgemont Stud
Breeder: Strawberry Hill Stud
3. Bilateral
4yo b.f. by Lateral - Buccellati (Secret Prospector)
Owner: Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd
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Breeder: Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd
Time: 1-26.18
Then came: Pennington Sands, Dream Galaxy, Love To Sail, Epsom
Downs, Persian Rug, Shiraz Cabernet, Gallilee, Peep Show, Wild
Ash (AUS)
Won by: 1.50 - 1.25 - shorthead
Time: 1-24,83
Madame Dubois registered the first stakes of her career in a humdinger finish to the Starling Stakes, where two short-heads were all
that separated the top three finishers.
Together with Mella Maria and Joan Ranger, Robbie Sage’s talented charge staged an epic duel inside the final furlong and in a
head-bobbing finish, gained the upper hand on the line to score by
the narrowest of margins, while Mella Maria finished a similar whisker ahead of Joan Ranger.
This was only the second success for the newly minted stakes winner,
who had yet to finish out of the first three in six starts.
New Zealand-bred The Centenary came from off the pace to register a facile first stakes victory in the Gr.3 Yellowwood Handicap at
Turffontein.
The race changed complexion a number of times in the straight, as
a number of runners laid claim to the lead, including the winner’s
more fancied stable companion Persian Rug. However, none could
cope with the finishing burst of The Centenary, who had been idling
lengths off the chase. She gained a head of steam in the straight,
scythed through the field to take the lead inside the final furlong and
drew clear to score by a length and a half from favourite Marmalady,
while third place went to Bilateral who came from last.
Winning jockey Randall Simons remarked: “My instructions were
to give her a chance and when I came for home and saw everyone
under pressure, I knew I just had to find a gap to have a serious
chance.”
Maturity has seen the winner come into her own this season, which
has yielded two wins and a second from as many starts.
Owned by Hong Kong-based Winston Chow, she is the latest stakes
winner by Coolmore shuttler Mastercraftsman, a classic winning
miler by Danehill Dancer.
Gr.3 HRS PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO
STARLING STAKES (GRADE 3)
1. MADAME DUBOIS
3yo ch.f. by Count Dubois - Miss Jet Set ( Jet Master)
2nd dam: Miss Volcante (Mr Eats)
3rd dam: Volcante (Practicante)
Owner: C Bird
Breeder: A J McNab and E Miliotis
Trainer: R R Sage
Jockey: P Strydom
2. Mella Maria (Aus)
3yo b.f. by Star Witness - Sayahailmary (Keep The Faith)
Owner: Azzie-Gericke Family Syndicate
Breeder: Widden Stud, NSW
3. Joan Ranger
3yo b.f. by Horse Chestnut - Fashion Edition (Rambo Dancer)
Owner: P U van Schoor
Breeder: P U van Schoor
Then came: Melliflora, Negroamaro, Swift Sarah, Kilauea, Finding
Alice, Shaama (Aus), Beautiful Shay, Casey Can, Allegorical, Sweet
Painted Lady, Leila’s Charger (Aus), Miracle Rising
Non-runner: Tide Is Turning
Won by: shorthead - shorthead - 3.50
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GRAHAM BECK STAKES (GRADE 3)
1. MUWAARY (AUS)
3yo b.c. by O’Reilly - Silently (Anabaa)
2nd dam: Mica’s Pride (Bite The Bullet)
3rd dam: Gainesville (Afleet)
Owner: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Breeder: J E Abrahams Pty) Ltd
Jockey: A Delpech
2. Liege
3yo b.c. Dynasty - Lyrical Linda ( Jallad)
Owner: C J H van Niekerk and M J Jooste
Breeder: Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd
3. Malak El Moolook
3yo ch.c. by King’s Chapel - Lee Danzig (Qui Danzig)
Owner: B Riley and R Hanna
Breeder: R Hanna
Then came: Unbelievable Chad, Lunar Approach, Romany Prince,
African Ruler, Angel’s Power, Trading Profit, Buckland, El Maestro,
Just As I Said, Rosslyn Chapel
Non-runner: Chosen Dash, Bull Valley
Won by: 2.25 - 1.25 - head
Time: 1-24.80
The formidable combination of trainer Mike de Kock and jockey
Anthony Delpech teamed up to take this classic pointer with a colt
who has class written all over him.
Sheikh Hamdan’s Muwaary showed he is on track for a big summer
with a comprehensive first stakes victory in his seasonal debut.
Settled about five lengths off the pace early on, the colt made a dash
for the inside at the top of the straight and soon drew alongside
long-time leader Unbelievable Chad. Flashing a fine turn of foot,
he skipped at least two lengths clear of his field and powered home
unchallenged to take the honours from the Tarry duo of Liege and
Malak El Moolook.
The winner was returning from a four-month rest, having closed out
his juvenile campaign in the Golden Horseshoe on July day, where
he finished off the board for the first time in four starts, although just
a length and a half behind champion Seventh Plain.
Silver Mountain winning the Gr 2 Choice Carriers Championship at Kenilworth.
CHOICE CARRIERS CHAMPIONSHIP (GRADE 2)
1st R250,000, 2nd R80,000, 3rd R40,000 - November 7
1. SILVER MOUNTAIN
3yo b.f. by Silvano - Our Table Mountain (Fusaichi Pegasus)
2nd dam: Hidden Light (Majestic Light)
3rd dam: Tallahto (Nantallah)
Owner: Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd
Trainer: M W Bass
Jockey: A Domeyer
2. Entisaar (AUS)
3yo b.f. by More Than Ready - Purrpurrlena (Catbird)
Owner: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum
Breeder: Echo Beach Bloodstock, Vic
3. Taffety Tart
3yo b.f. by Trippi - Rock Candy (Candy Stripes))
Owner: Gary Player Stud Farm, M S Jolly and I W Longmore
Breeder: Mike Jolly Breeding
Then came: Flying Ice, Well In Flight, Icy Fire, Night In Tahiti,
Victoria Lavelle, Anglet, Princess Royal, My Emblem, Petala, Just
Felicity, La Rebel, Entrechat
Non-runners: Star Express, Miss Marker
Won by: 1.50 - 1.25 - head
Time: 1-26.32
Trainer Mike Bass looks to have a genuine Fillies Guineas candidate
in the shape of diminutive Silver Mountain, who ran down champion and favourite Entisaar to open her stakes account in style.
As Victoria Lavelle carved out the early fractions from Entrechat,
Entisaar settled in mid-field, while the Silver Mountain, having
jumped from the widest of draws, found herself well off the pace.
The race began in earnest after turning into the home straight, where
Entisaar was asked to quicken and she took the lead at the 200m
mark. Silver Mountain meanwhile was weaving her way through the
field and she became the main danger. Having made up the deficit,
she surged past the Australian-bred before drawing clear to win with
plenty in hand. Her stable companion Taffety Tart flew late to finish
third.
The runner-up lost nothing in defeat, considering she had not raced
since her win in the Allan Robertson nearly six months ago and she
will no doubt be razor sharp when next they meet, hopefully in the
Fillies Guineas.
Take nothing away from the winner though, she has now reeled off
three successive wins since her debut second back in June. Being by
Silvano, she should be even better over the mile trip.
Assistant trainer Candice Robinson, deputising for her father who is
still recuperating from a serious illness, remarked: “The draw was a
huge concern. But this filly has impressed us from day one. She has
a great action and does everything right. And Aldo rode a fantastic
race.”
To which the jockey added: “It’s a privilege to ride a filly like this.
She did it all, she was relaxed and has a great temperament. In the
run for home it was unbelievable how she took the bit. Those good
horses seemed to be standing still around me!”
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Triptique winning the Gr 2 Cape Merchants at Kenilworth.
VICTORY MOON STAKES (GRADE 2)
1. DEO JUVENTE
4yo b.g. by Trippi - Circle Of Life (Complete Warrior)
2nd dam: Teclafields (Northfields)
3rd dam: Tecla Bluff (Snow Bluff )
Breeder: Northfields Stud (Pty) Ltd
Trainer: G V Woodruff
Jockey: C Murray
2. Easy Lover
4yo ch.c. by Right Approach - Miss Gold Digger (Rich Man’s Gold)
Owner: I F M van Schalkwyk and G P Stoltz
Breeder: Arc-EnCiel Stud
3. Platinum Jet
5yo b.g. by Jet Master - Veiled Mistress (National Assembly)
Owner: M E Leaf
Breeder: W J Engelbrecht ( Jnr)
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Then came: Ahlaam (Arg), Earl Of Derby, Prince Of Orange, Fulcrum, Yer-Maan, Rampant Ice, Killua Castle (Aus), Stonehenge,
Double Clutch, Rushmore River, Whiteline Fever, Kingston Mines
(Gb), Heavy Metal, As You Like, Judicial
Non-runners: Hot Ticket, Disco Al
Won by: 2 - 1.25 - 2
Time: 1-49.90
Contrary to his name, Deo Juvente needed no divine intervention
to succeed in his quest for black type. Geoff Woodruff ’s charge outgamed his rivals in impressive fashion and in doing so, put himself
in line for a place the Gr.1 Sansui Summer Cup.
Settled just off the pace by young Callan Murray, the four-year-old
moved up strongly at the quarter mark and quickly skipped some
two lengths clear of pacemaker Ahlaam. Reserve runner Platinum
Jet mounted an eye-catching challenge, as did Easy Lover, who came
storming up the standside, however the Jooste colour bearer already
had the race in safe keeping and powered home to score by two
lengths. Easy Lover took second, while Platinum Jet picked up the
third cheque.
CAPE MERCHANTS (GRADE 2)
1. TRIPTIQUE
4yo b.g. by Trippi - Pearl River ( Jallad)
2nd dam: Perfect Order (Elliodor)
3rd dam: First Lisa (Double First)
Owner: A J van Huyssteen, W Henderson and J W Rauch
Trainer: D R Drier
Jockey: S Veale
2. Tevez
6yo b.g. by Caesour - Minelli (Elliodor)
Owner: N M Shirtliff, M J Jooste, B Ressell and Mrs I Jooste
Breeder: Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm
3. Zambezi River
4yo b.g. by Trippi - Margaret River (Seeking The Gold)
Owner: C J H van Niekerk and M J Jooste
Breeder: Drakenstein Stud
Then came: Generalissimo, Gulf Storm, Line Break, Talktothestars,
Same Jurisdiction, King Of Pain, Kingvoldt, Daring Dave, Exelero, Tomba La Bomba, Sail South, Asstar, Mister Matchett, Double
Whammy
Non-runners: Happy Forever, Charles Lytton
Won by: 0.40 - 1.75 - neck
Time: 1-11.81
Defending champion Tevez narrowly failed in his bid to capture the
Merchants for a third consecutive year when he had to bow to the
lightly weighted KZN visitor Triptique.
Under jockey Sean Veale, the winner made his forward move on the
standside to take the lead from stable companion Generalissimo a
furlong from home and capitalizing on a six kilogram pull at the
weights, flashed home from a resurgent Tevez, who went down with
all guns blazing. The first two finished clear of third-placed Zambezi
River.
This proved a first stakes success for Dennis Drier’s talented charge,
who undoubtedly blooms in the Western Cape.
LANZERAC ALMA MATER GREEN POINT STAKES
(GRADE 2)
1. CAPTAIN AMERICA
5yo b.g. by Captain Al - Requista (Fort Wood)
2nd dam: Riding Light (Top Ville)
3rd dam: Flash On (Sea Hawk II)
Owner: Mesdames Adam Gurney, Diane Nagle and D J Sherrell
Trainer: B Crawford
Jockey: C Orffer
2. Futura
5yo b.h. by Dynasty - Scribblin The Cat (Badger’s Drift)
Owner: J T Freeman, I W Longmore and W J C Mitchell
Breeder: G Murdoch
3. Paterfamilias
6yo b.g. by Trippi - La Patoneur (Badger Land)
Owner: M J Jooste, B Ressell and N M Shirtliff
Breeder: Klawervlei Stud
Then came: Act Of War, Night Trip, Helderberg Blue, Punta Arenas, Ashton Park, Sail For Gold, The Conglomerate (Aus)
Time: 1-37,65
Captain America announced himself a serious contender for the
L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate with a start-to-finish victory under birthday boy Corné Orffer.
Allowed to dictated matters from the jump, the handsome bay
found another gear in the straight and looked set for an easy victory.
Horse of the Year Futura unleashed a tremendous rally from just
off the pace and although he was catching the leader hand over fist
in the closing stages, the line came in time for Captain America,
who scored by a diminishing half length, with Paterfamilias a similar margin back in third. Favourite Act Of War never travelled like
a winner and although he was running on steadily in the straight,
finished a well-beaten fourth.
Captain America has matured into a miler of note.
SELANGOR CUP (GRADE 2)
1. HARD DAY’S NIGHT
3yo b.c. by Warm White Night - My Lady Bluff (Indigo Magic)
2nd dam: Bluffit (Dancing Champ)
3rd dam: Luz Tel (Telefonico)
Breeder: Monarch Bloodstock
Trainer: J Ramsden
Jockey: P Strydom
2. Victorious Jay
3yo b.c. by Jay Peg - Rub A Dub Dub ( Jallad)
Owner: V Ragoonath and Ms J Ng
Breeder: Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud
3. Nassa
3yo b.c. by Dynasty - Cosima Liszt (Rich Man’s Gold)
Owner: E Siu
Then came: Illuminator, Purple Mountains, Lord Marshal, Rodney,
Eighth Wonder, Brilliant Crimson, Muwaary (Aus), Aspara, Sylvester The Cat
Non-runner: Fifty Cents
Won by: longhead - neck - longhead
Time: 1-38,03
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Hard Day’s Night won a war of attrition to capture the Selangor in
a pulsating finish, his first at stakes level.
Under a masterful ride from Anton Marcus, the Jooste colour bearer
overcame a deep draw to take the lead midway around the turn and
that’s where he stayed. Victorious Jay emerged as his biggest rival in
the straight, and at the end of a gripping seesaw battle inside the final furlong, Marcus conjured up one last surge from his gutsy mount
to take the honours by a longhead, with Nassa finishing best of all
to run a close-up third.
Disappointment of the race was undoubtedly Gauteng visitor and
favourite Muwaary, who after showing prominently, faded tamely in
the straight to finish near last.
Marcus remarked of the winner: “It’s testament to this horse’s courage, because the second horse went past him and he had the opportunity to spit out the dummy. He just dug down deep. He has heart
and certainly isn’t short of ability.”
Winning trainer Joey Ramsden, who claimed this classic prep for the
fourth time since 2011, added: “He’s just a smashing, hard-knocking
horse.”
SANSUI SUMMER CUP (GRADE 1)
R2,000,000 - 2000m - Turffontein
1st R1,200,000, 2nd R400,000, 3rd R200,000 - November 28
1. MASTER SABINA
4yo b.g. by Jet Master - Sabina Park (Sportsworld)
2nd dam: Batimamselle (Model Man)
3rd dam: Kendal Green (New South Wales)
Owner: M de Broglio
Breeder: M de Broglio
Trainer: G V Woodruff
Jockey: A Marcus
2. Deo Juvente
4yo b.g. by Trippi - Circle Of Life (Complete Warrior)
Breeder: Northfields Stud (Pty) Ltd
3. French Navy
4yo b.g. Count Dubois – Redoubtable (Elliodor)
Owner: C J H van Niekerk
Breeder: G J Armitage
Then came: Judicial, Mac De Lago (Aus), Power King, Ultimate
Dollar, M L Jet, Flying The Flag (Ire), Platinum Jet, Yer-Maan,
The Centenary (Nz), St Tropez, Disco Al, Easy Lover, Diesel Jet,
Ahlaam (Arg), Dynamic, Halve The Deficit, The Captain’s Tune
Won by: longhead - 0.50 - 0.50
Time: 2-02.55
For the third year running, the Gr.1 Summer Cup belonged to the
Geoff Woodruff stable, with Master Sabina putting up a career-best
effort to defeat stable companion Deo Juvente in a nail-biting finish
reminiscent of last year’s Woodruff one-two, when Louis The King
edged out Killua Castle in similar fashion.
Patiently ridden by champion jockey Gavin Lerena, Master Sabina
settled in midfield early on as The Captain’s Tune set the fractions
up front. The race began in earnest in the straight and when asked
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to quicken, Master Sabina put himself into contention approaching
the final furlong where he inched into the lead. Deo Juvente loomed
up to become his biggest danger and although hard-pressed in the
closing stages, where the pair came close on a number of occasions,
the six-year-old grimly stuck to his task and showed true grit to
outbattle a game Deo Juvente. Favourite French Navy, under top
weight, finished next best.
Backers of Master Sabina had an anxious wait when Deo Juvente’s
jockey Sean Cormack lodged an objection for “intimidation and interference in the closing stages”. The stewards deliberated for the
best part of 15 minutes before allowing the result to stand.
Woodruff, who has now won the Johannesburg showpiece five times,
remarked: “He’s always had a really big race in him and I’m absolutely thrilled.”
Owned and bred by Michael de Broglio, Master Sabina is the second
foal of Sabina Park, who carried his silks to victory in the SA Oaks.
INVESTEC DINGAANS (GRADE 2)
1. NOAH FROM GOA
3yo ch.g. by Tiger Ridge - Limerick (Fort Wood)
2nd dam Kenmare Belle (Kenmare)
3rd dam Taj Eclipse (Taj Rossi)
Owner: Wilgerbosdrift (Pty) Ltd, M F de Kock, G M Grant,
C S Hayens, G J Westwater et al
Jockey: A Delpech
2. New Predator (AUS)
3yo b.c. by New Approach - Head Over Heels (Fastnet Rock)
Owner: J F and L M F Wernars
Breeder: D Austin, Qld
3. Abashiri
3yo b.g. by Go Deputy - Donya (Elliodor)
Owner: Mr A and Mrs F J van Vuuren
Breeder: Lammerskraal Stud
Then came: Lineker (Aus), Jubilee Line, Trading Profit, El Maestro,
King Of Chaos, Malak El Moolook, Bull Valley, Rikitikitana
Non-runner: Unbelievable Chad
Won by: shorthead - 3 - 1.25
Time: 1-37.32
The Turffontein faithful were treated to a crackerjack spectacle here,
with Noah From Goa edging out a brave New Predator by the proverbial whisker.
Veteran jockey Waichong Marwing dictated the pace on the Australian-bred New Predator and turned for home with plenty in the
tank. Antony Delpech, who had Noah From Goa settled in third,
pressed the button at the quarter mark, where he drew level with the
pacesetter. The three-year-olds went on to stage an epic duel over the
last quarter mile of the race. Although New Approach bravely clung
to his slender advantage, Noah From Goa gradually wore him down,
and put his head down on the line to claim victory by a shorthead.
Abashiri, returning from a 17-week break, caught the eye with a
strong third.
“Every time I got to New Predator, he seemed to find more, but
mine is a fit horse and just kept finding more and more.” Delpech
remarked of the winner. “He’s a simple horse to ride and we had a
good draw which all helps.
De Kock, who most recently won this race with Silver Flyer in 2011,
was complimentary about the runner-up (and also of both riders):
“Great to see two fine jockeys going at it hammer and tongs. At the
end of the day, it was probably experience which made the difference,
the second is a very nice horse which we wouldn’t want to meet again
soon,” he quipped.
A debut maiden winner at the Vaal in mid-September, Noah From
Goa has tasted defeat just once in five starts, and has capped this
hat-trick with a first stakes success, which certainly should not be
his last. A R325,000 purchase at the National 2YO, he has fully
recouped that with earnings of R490,625 to his name.
MERCHANTS (GRADE 2)
R450,000 - 1160m – Turffontein
1. BRUTAL FORCE
4yo ch.g. by Western Winter - Nacarat (Pas De Quoi)
2nd dam: Tawny Red (Northfields)
3rd dam: Port Wine (Plum Bold)
Trainer: J Ramsden
Jockey: A Marcus
2. Dollar Dazzler
5yo b.g. by Var - Isla Bonita ( Joshua Dancer)
Owner: M C Gerber and J F and L M F Wernars
Breeder: Klipdrif Stud
3. Copper Parade
8yo b.g. by Lecture - Copper Horizon (Al Mufti)
Owner: Ms Y Bremner and Optima Trust
Breeder: Ascot Stud (Pty) Ltd
Then came: Aurum Pot, Al Don Cumarco, Mod Barley, One Man’s
Dream, Trip To Heaven, Greasepaint, Toro Rosso (Brz), Amazing
Strike, Whiteline Fever, Arabian Beat, Sheik’s Brashee, Isphan, Tiger Territory, Roman Carnival
Non-runner: Doing It For Dan, Captured Wind
Won by 0.50 - 0.50 - 0.7
Time: 66.25
Brutal Force lived up to his name with a powerful first stakes victory
in the Merchants.
Jockey Anton Marcus allowed the imposing chestnut to stride along
while, tracking the leader Mod Barley up the centre of the track.
Dollar Dazzler, racing up the standside, gained the lead approaching
the final furlong, but he soon had a match on his hands, as Marcus
gave Brutal Force his head. The gelding soon picked up the lead
and always had the measure of his adversary to score by a cosy half
length. Veteran Copper Parade showed there’s life in the old legs
yet when he came surging through the pack to take third, another
half-length back.
Based in Cape Town, Brutal Force is trained by Joey Ramsden, who
previously won this race in 2008 with Something Else.
The four-year-old is no stranger to hogging the spotlight. A superb
physical specimen, he set the tone for the 2013 Cape Premier Yearling Sale when selling for R1.5-million as the first lot through the
ring. Re-offered ten months later, the then colt made history when
he was hammered down for R4.5-million, a new South African
record for a horse sold at auction. Although he is unlikely to ever
recoup that outlay, he made a considerable dent when successful in a
rich sales race at three, while this first stakes success has now upped
his earnings to almost R1,5-million.
IPI TOMBE CHALLENGE (GRADE 2)
1. SMART CALL
4yo b.f. by Ideal World - Good Judgement (Horse Chestnut)
2nd dam: Great Verdict (Christmas Tree)
3rd dam: Summoned (Crowned Prince)
Owner: Mauritzfontein (Pty) Ltd
Trainer: A G Laird
Jockey: W Marwing
2. Bichette
4yo b.f. by Western Winter - Bardot (Badger Land)
Owner: M L P Rattray
3. London
4yo b.f. by Rebel King - Winter Kill (Western Winter)
Owner: H Adams, G K and M M Nassif
and Hyperpaint Syndicate
Breeder: Zandvliet Stud
Then came: Trophy Wife, Pennington Sands, Celtic Legend, Love
To Sail
Non-runner: Featherfoot
Won by 3/4L - 1 1/2L - 1/2L
Time: 1-38.31
The cream rose to the top in the Ipi Tombe, when Smart Call, the
sole Gr.1 winner in the line-up, accounted for a small field in clinical
manner.
Beaten by Bichette in her seasonal debut earlier this month, she
turned the tables on her adversary, who had slowed it right down
before turning up the pace at the top of the straight. When popped
the question by Waichong Marwing, Smart Call responded smartly
and she quickly made up the deficit before drawing off to score by
the best part of a length from Bichette, who finished well clear of
third-placed London.
“She’s probably my best horse right now,” remarked trainer Alec
Laird: “She rates herself and the plan is for her to go to Cape Town
for the Paddock Stakes.”
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FILLIES MILE (GRADE 3)
1. NEGROAMARO
3yo gr.f. by Fort Wood - Touch Of Tuscan (Al Mufti)
2nd dam: Doradella (Elliodor)
3rd dam: Seradella (Selenio)
Owner: J F and L M F Wernars and J F van Streepen
Trainer: J A Janse van Vuuren
Jockey: W Marwing
2. Heaps Of Fun
3yo ch.f. by Visionaire - Dream Starling (Northern Guest)
Owner: Mr N D Moloi
Breeder: Summerhill Stud (Pty) Ltd
3. Juxtapose
3yo b.f. by Judpot - Sunsational (Windrush)
Owner: Mrs L C A Bouwer
Then came: Persian Rug, Ntoma, Sapsan, Joan Ranger, Intergalactic,
Beautiful Shay, Tripadvisor, Witchcraft, Melliflora, Alessia
Non-runners: Madame Dubois, Shaama (Aus)
Won by: 4.25 - 3 - neck
Time: 1-38.37
The dogs had barked before this race and the object of this talk,
Negroamaro, did not disappoint. Never headed, the grey filly put her
rivals to the sword with a commanding first stakes win.
Ridden by Waichong Marwing, she took the race by the scruff of the
neck from the word go and extended her advantage in mid-straight
to came home unharassed, the four-length winning margin flattering runner-up Heaps Of Fun, who in turn finished well clear of the
third, Juxtapose.
The race had been thrown wide open with the withdrawal of recent
Starling Stakes winner Madame Dubois. Ironically, Negroamaro
had defeated the Count Dubois filly when winning her maiden, but
proved no match in the subsequent Starling, finishing five lengths
behind Robbie Sage’s filly.
Marwing, who went on to complete a graded double in the Ipi
Tombe, remarked: “When I asked her, she quickened well. I can tell
you, there is still plenty to come and she will stay even further.”
Added winning trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren: “She is just one of
those fillies who has shown us a lot from day one. (Part-owner) Joe
van Streepen picked her out at the sale. She was a bit small at the
time and was sent to a spelling farm. When I saw her six months
later, she had grown into a beautiful big filly.”
MAGNOLIA HANDICAP (GRADE 3)
1. KWINTA
4yo b.f. by Kahal - Salaam (Northern Guest)
2nd dam: Salaadim’s Pride (Salaadim)
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3rd dam: Sweet Revenue (Hobnob)
Owner: Mrs L C A Bouwer
Breeder: Kjell Foundation
Trainer: S M Ferreira
Jockey: M van Rensburg
2. Silver Class
4yo b.f. by Silvano - Aylesbury (Rakeen)
Owner: Vendel Civils (Pty) Ltd and Messrs J F
and L M F Wernars
Breeder: Danika Stud
3. Eros’s Girl
4yo b.f. by Captain Al - Cupid ( Jet Master)
Owner: G L Blank, G Bortz, S Cardillo, M A Currie,
J Gerber, M C Gerber et al
Then came: Lumya, Easy Street, Winter Star, Perfumed Lady, Mella
Maria (Aus), For The Lads, Maria Theresa, Jo Malone, Shepard One,
Sarve, Close Relative
Non-runners: Drifting Dusk, Swift Sarah
Won by: shorthead - 1 - head
Time: 66.54
Stanley Ferreira-trained Kwinta opened the day’s stakes action when
she prevailed in a tight, head-bobbing finish.
Always in the firing line, the blinkered four-year-old mounted a serious challenge up the stand side under Marco van Rensburg and in
a driving finish, got her nose in front to pip Silver Class on the line.
This was a career-best for the lightly-raced bay, who has now won
four and placed as many times from nine starts. Owner Lyn Bouwer
also raced the filly’s stakes-performed full sisters Eastern Greeting
and Kalaam. The pair fought out the finish to the 2013 Gr.2 Camellia Stakes, a race which will no doubt be on the agenda for their
younger sibling!
GAUTENG RACING ASSOCIATION HANDICAP
(GRADE 3)
1. SUPERTUBE (AUS)
5yo ch.g. by Where’s That Tiger - Ultimate Inca (Fusaichi Pegasus)
2nd dam: Magaling (Grosvenor)
3rd dam: Maganyos (Pioneer)
Owner: L M Nestadt, A W Bott and B Kantor
Breeder: E Thoroughbred Pty Ltd, L M Nestadt and B Kantor
Trainer: S G Tarry
Jockey: S Khumalo
2. Cool Chardonnay
4yo g. by Antonius Pius - Wine Dark Sea (Touch Gold)
Owner: Mrs Q Chen
3. Storm Warning
6yo b.g. Jet Master - Olympic Storm (Fort Wood)
Owner: Mr K and Mrs L R A Zackey, J Nassif, Z L Nassif,
G J Nassif, G, K & M M Nassif
Breeder: T L Bailes, C T Elphick & S J Saunders
Then came: Enaad (Aus), Arch Rival, Fortune Fella, J’s Outsider,
Noble Star, Savage Wind, Shimmering Gem, Afterburner, Wild
Ash (Aus), Pontedera, Fulcrum
Non-runner: Golden High
Won by: 2.25 - 1.25 - 4.75
Time: 3-25.55
Rank outsider Supertube sparked something of a surprise when he
broke a six-race losing streak to open his stakes account in this staying event.
Sean Tarry’s charge hooked up with Cool Chardonnay and Storm
Warning in midstretch and the trio momentarily raced three abreast
going through the furlong mark. In the end, an eight kilogram pull
in the weights proved the deciding factor with Supertube surging
clear to comfortably register a first stakes success over Cool Chardonnay, with Storm Warning next best.
It proved a timely return to the number one box for Supertube,
whose 25-1 starting price reflected his uninspiring form coming
into this event.
The four-time winner was bred in Australia by part-owners Larry
Nestadt and Bernard Kantor and is by their stallion Where’s That
Tiger. Relocated to The Alchemy in 2014, the son of Storm Cat is
also sire of ill-fated Gardenia winner Tiger Quest, who raced for the
same partnership as her paternal half-brother.
Stable companions Master Sabina and Deo Juvente battle out the finish of the Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup.
PARADE MAGAZINE
93
statistics racing calendar
Fixtures January 2015
Fixtures February 2015
Fixtures March 2015
1 Greyville (T/P) (N)
Fairview (T)
1 Flamingo Park
1 Durbanville
2 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (S)
Turffontein (S) (N)
2 Vaal (TI)
2 Greyville (TP) (D)
3 Scottsville
3 Durbanville
3 Vaal (TO)
4 Flamingo Park
4 Vaal (TO)
4 Greyville (P) (N)
Fairview (T)
5 Vaal (TO)
5 Greyville (P) (N)
Fairview (T)
5 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (S)
6 Kenilworth (S)
6 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
6 Scottsville
7 Vaal (TI)
7 Scottsville
Fairview (P)
8 Fairview (P)
9 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
9 Kenilworth (S)
7 Flamingo Park
8 Turffontein (I)
Turffontein (S) (N)
10 Scottsville
10 Greyville (P) (D)
10 Vaal (TO)
11 Fairview (T)
11 Vaal (TI)
11 Greyville (P) (N)
Fairview (T)
12 Vaal (TO)
Fairview (T)
12 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
13 Kenilworth (S)
13 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
13 Scottsville
14 Vaal (TI)
14 Scottsville
14 Flamingo Park
Fairview (P)
15 Flamingo Park
15 Vaal (TI)
16 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (S)
16 Vaal (TI)
17 Scottsville
17 Kenilworth (S)
17 Turffontein (S)
18 Flamingo Park
18 Vaal (TO)
Fairview (T)
19 Turffontein (I)
Fairview (T)
19 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
20 Kenilworth (S)
20 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
20 Scottsville
21 Vaal (TO)
21 Scottsville
21 Fairview (P)
Fairview (T)
22 Fairview (P)
22 Turffontein (I)
23 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (S)
23 Vaal (TO)
24 Scottsville
24 Durbanville
24 Vaal (TI)
25 Flamingo Park
25 Turffontein (I)
Fairview (T)
Turffontein (S) (DN)
26 Turffontein (S) (N)
Fairview (P)
27 Greyville (P)
28 Vaal (TI)
Fairview (T)
30 Kenilworth (S)
Turffontein (I)
31 Scottsville
94
PARADE MAGAZINE
Fairview (T)
26 Kenilworth (S)
27 Durbanville
Turffontein (S)
27 Scottsville
28 Fairview (P)
29 Flamingo Park
29 Vaal (TI)
31 Turffontein (I)
Getting it all Wrong …
A great deal can be extrapolated from facts and figures,
from statistics. However, if their accuracy has been compromised by dubious parameters, the wrong picture can
emerge.
In the April issue of the British Racing publication,
Thoroughbred Owner and Breeder, the outspoken Tony
Morris drew attention to a strange anomaly in English
Racing - one which often sees a rider with lesser winners
in a season being declared the champion. The reason for
this is that the only winners that count are those between
the start and end of Racing on the Turf. Last year, Richard Hughes, now a trainer, with a tally of 161 winners,
was declared top rider, ahead of Luke Morris, Joe Fanning and “the legitimate winner”, Adam Kirby, assigned
to fourth position despite a total of 192 wins.
As is the case with the Trainers’ Log in South Africa,
Tony Morris made mention of stake money earned being used as the criterion for deciding the top rider in the
United States. Mmm, for obvious reasons, I have serious
misgivings about that system. Then, almost tongue-incheek, Tony invited readers to consider whether a percentage of winners to rides should be the way to decide on
the leading jockey for the season. Such an arrangement
would have seen Anton Marcus as the South African
champion jockey for the 2014/2015 season.
In booting home 135 winners from 444 rides, Anton
notched up a superb winning ride average of thirty percent, way ahead of the winning percentages of the six
riders who finished ahead of him on the Log. Top rider for the season was Gavin Lerena, a young man who
had worked tirelessly to clinch the title - 1 106 rides, 220
winners with a not-too-shabby winning strike rate of
nineteen percent. On the face of it then, determining the
winning rider based on who secures the highest winning
ride percentage, is not a bad idea.
However, it certainly is a method fraught with difficulties and one which would be eschewed by those riders
disadvantaged by too many lousy rides. It would seem
that the popular way of deciding on the best jockey of the
season, by total number of winners in the racing year, is
the best one.
God’s Hairy Cheek …
Equus, the award-winning play by Peter Schaffer,
deals with a young man’s “pathological religious fascination with horses”. Interestingly, pivotal to the story is an
horrific,
real-life incident. In 1962, a deeply-troubled seventeen-year old blinded six-horses with a metal
spike, in a livery yard in Suffolk, a county in England.
I haven’t seen a stage production, but the film version
starring Peter Firth as the troubled young man, Alan
Strang, with Richard Burton as the probing psychiatrist,
Dr Martin Dysart, is “an elegant and provocative tale of
myth and madness”, as is rightly claimed in the hype on
the dvd cover. Get to watch it sometime, if you haven’t
already done so.
To close, a wonderful insight for the Festive Season
(and beyond) shared by a like-minded cynic, former
American Football Player and Coach, Lou Holtz : “Don’t
tell your troubles to anyone, twenty percent don’t really
care and the other eighty percent are glad that you have
them.”
A Peaceful and Happy Christmas to you all.
PARADE MAGAZINE
95
feature horsing with hennessey
Puffin’ a Gunston
at a Gallop …
In the early Nineties, knowing less about riding equipment and
business management than I thought I did, I opened a tack shop in
Hillcrest, an appealingly quiet little village back then, but now a place
of rush, shopping malls and expensive housing estates.
P
oorly-positioned, short on stock and
embarrassingly homely, my only year running the
place was a frustrating and depressing one. I had
very few customers - frequently not even one a day - and I
was not in any way prepared for the financial and psychological hardships that came my way. I knew nothing of
“sweat equity”, a term that’s sometimes used to describe
loads of hard work, with little, if any, immediate return.
Hugely despondent after a year of trading, I moved
on to paid employment, leaving an intrepid retiree from
Zimbabwe, a matronly non-horsey type, to take care of
affairs.
Through her capacity to learn, personal sacrifice and
outstanding customer care she turned things around. She
made the wee shop a profitable venture and, within a couple of years, a successful retailer of all things equine and
equestrian.
Still to this day, despite two or three ownership changes
(and a re-location to the other end of Hillcrest), it continues to be a popular haunt for riders and horse-lovers in
Kwazulu-Natal.
The passing of time - almost twenty-five years now has softened my recollection of my dark, dreary days in
my saddlery outlet. I now choose to dwell solely on those
amusing encounters that I had with some of my first customers.
Probably my most memorable client was Edna. Unsophisticated and a trifle rough, she was a stocky middle-aged spinster with a humble position at the local
hospital. Initially intimidating, she motored around the
village on a sturdy, older-type scooter. Usually dressed
in jeans, t-shirt and a grubby leather jacket, with a hel-
96
PARADE MAGAZINE
met that she never removed, she always had a handgun strapped to her thigh. (When I got to know her, I
expressed concern that her exposed gun would one day be
wrestled from her. She winked and told me not to worry.
Despite its authentic appearance, it was a toy one to scare
off would-be attackers.)
A regular at the shop, Edna was eager to find a good
second-hand saddle that would suit her, her Percheron
and her pocket. On more than one occasion, after I’d
asked her to straddle “the wooden horse” to try out a saddle that someone had brought in to be sold, Edna would
rock to and fro, and then exclaim, rather loudly and unashamedly, that it pinched her fanny and was therefore
unsuitable.
One particular Monday morning, an out-of-sorts Edna
popped in to tell me of an altercation that she’d had with
her friend, also a large woman who kept a Percheron, a
breed of draft horse, as a hack.
Apparently, on the Sunday, soon after entering the sugarcane for an outride, Edna lit up a cigarette. Outraged by
her lack of riding etiquette, Edna’s friend berated her for
choosing to smoke, particularly in a tinder-dry canefield.
Edna’s response to her friend, and the imagery it contains,
will forever bring a smile to my face, “Don’t tell me what
to do, Daph. I’ll have you know that I’ve smoked a Gunston at a Gallop!”
Wherever she is now - perhaps she’s puffing away in
the happy hacking fields in the sky - I do hope Edna’s
doing okay; and has found a decent saddle that doesn’t
pinch her “you-know-what”.
P.T.O

PDF - PARADE MAGAZINE

Transcription

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