SP 7 July 2023

BREAD ‘N BUTTER

WINDING DOWN…OR WINDING UP?

08 World Pool Power! Countdown to season finale

12 Championship Chase Dickens leads final chapter

19 Gr1 Flyer For Winterbach Son of Rafeef to stud

40 Is Racing On Track?

CP’s thoughts about how to win them back

59 Paddington Bares All

O’Brien’s seventh Coral Eclipse

On the cover

After the high of the Hollywoodbets Durban July weekend, the jockeys commendably persevered in testing conditions at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday. Winning Form rider Cole Dicken scored a personal big victory on 2yo Captain’s Christy, who got the better of the pacy Stingray (Richard Fourie) in the penultimate race of a long afternoon.

Issue: 29/2023

ME, MY SELFIE, I

Jockey Sean Veale won the last race of the day at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday on Vaughan Marshall’s Voldemort, for his 71st winner of the current term. Here he is caught while capturing a magic moment by our Equus winning photographer, Candiese Lenferna.

STALLIONS 2023

CANFORD CLIFFS R20,000 (LIVE FOAL)

MALMOOS R25,000 (LIVE FOAL)

NEW PREDATOR R12,500 (LIVE FOAL)

PATHFORK R5,000 (LIVE FOAL)

POTALA PALACE R5,000 (LIVE FOAL)

RAFEEF R70,000 (R20,000 UP FRONT + R50,000 LIVE FOAL)

REAL GONE KID

FEE ON APPLICATION

TRADITION OF CHAMPIONS

CHAMPION RETURNS TO RIDE ON BIG DAY

Nebraas (Lyle Hewitson) beats Silver Host (Richard Fourie) in the 2021 Gold Cup |

Credit: Candiese Lenferna

One of South African racing’s favourite sons will return to our shores to ride at the season climax World Pool Gold Cup racemeeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday 30 July.

Multiple South African champion Lyle Hewitson told the Sporting Post on Tuesday that he was looking forward to returning to the land of his birth for three weeks, and was keen to ride a few winners at one of the biggest racemeetings of the season.

“Our Hong Kong season ends at Sha Tin on Sunday 16 July and I felt it appropriate that I participate in a racemeeting sponsored by the Hong Kong World Pool. It will be great to rekindle relationships and catch up with familiar faces and people that were there when I started out. I’m very excited and looking forward to it,” added the man who is currently on 48 wins with two meetings left of the current Hong Kong term.

Crowned South African Champion Jockey in the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons, the 25 year old was also South African Champion Apprentice in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.

The records show that Lyle’s last ride on African soil was at Turffontein on 30 October 2021, when finishing second on Nebraas in an MR 103 Handicap. Three months earlier he had won the Gold Cup on the Tarry galloper, beating Richard Fourie on Silver Host.

Nebraas, now a 6yo, recently ran midfield in the Gr3 SplashOut 2200 on Hollywoodbets Durban July day, and the son of Vercingetorix will strip fit when Lyle renews his association with him on World Pool Gold Cup day as they attempt to land our premier staying race in partnership for a second time.

Nebraas looks to be the Tarry stable second choice this year in the 3200m marathon behind Future Pearl, a three-year-old Futura gelding who will be ridden once again by Richard Fourie.

Gold Circle report that Future Pearl will be out to land the unofficial Stayers Triple Crown.

He was a 3,25 length winner of the Gr 3 WSB Gold Bowl over 3200m at Turffontein Standside and an easy 2,80 length winner of the Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase over 2400m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.

If he lands the third ‘Gold’ stayers race he would have equalled the 2017 feat of the Weiho Marwing-trained Hermoso Mundo. Sean Tarry deliberately avoided the Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby in favour of the Gold Vase because the latter race has a condition that the winner cannot be raised more than six points.

Future Pearl, a big staying type who relished soft ground in both of his Gr 3 wins, thus comes in nicely weighted carrying 55kg, which is just 1kg above the bottom weight for the race of 54kg.

Future Pearl was raised from a 106 to a 112 for his Gold Vase win and would have got more than six points considering he was being eased up a long way from the line.

That can be contrasted with the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Runaway Song, who copped a 24 point raise for winning the Track & Ball Derby to go to 116. Runaway Song, a four-year-old Legislate gelding, had to carry topweight in the Gold Vase and was beaten 10,90 lengths. He will only be 1kg better off with Future Pearl in the Gold Cup.

The bottom weight for the big race was raised from 52kg to 54kg last year.

Future Pearl has drawn well in four out of the 22 entries and Nebraas’s nine draw will also see him jumping from a fair barrier position in the 3200m marathon event.

Tarry told Gold Circle about Future Pearl, “He is a big horse, big action, I always knew he wanted the ground. The races just didn’t line up for him early on, but at the same time I just kept

“It will be great to rekindle relationships and catch up with familiar faces and people that were there when I started out. I’m very excited and looking forward to it”

him a little bit back just to let him strengthen up. He’s furnished and he’s doing well at the moment.”

Future Pearl ran in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m in between his wins in the Gold Bowl and Gold Vase and finished an unlucky 6th .

Tarry said, “He couldn’t get a run, they went slow and he was baulked and got boxed in. He ran on a bit at the end of the race but it was a slow run race and wasn’t run to suit him.” Tarry said about Nebraas, who was unplaced in the Gr 2 Splashout 2200: “To be fair that July consolation race was quite a slow run race, it was hard for the horses to quicken up.”

Nebraas carries 59kg in the Gold Cup meaning he gets 1kg from last year’s winner Shangani and he only has to give 4kg to Future Pearl. “I think he’s got a reasonable weight. He’s had a decent prep, so I definitely wouldn’t write him off,” concluded Tarry.

Lyle Hewitson – returns to SA for three weeks | Credit: HKJC

HIGH-QUALITY ENTRY FOR 30 JULY

With Equus championship hopes at stake at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday 30 July, the first HKJC World Pool-sponsored race day worldwide promises a top-class climax to the 2022/23 season after a bumper entry was received on Monday.

The Gold Cup race meeting is one of the highest-quality race days on the local calendar and the ten-feature card includes South Africa’s premier race for stayers as the title event along with four Grade 1 races, three Grade 2 races, and two listed races.

The stakes on HKJC World Pool Gold Cup Day have been increased by more than 25% and features the R1m World Pool Gold Cup and the R1,25m HKJC Champions Cup.

Former South African Jockey, Douglas Whyte, who went on to secure 13 consecutive Hong Kong Jockey Titles and is now a successful trainer, will be recognised by having the Gr1 Douglas Whyte Stakes (formerly the Thekwini Stakes) named in his honour.

Twenty six entries were received for the 1600m juvenile feature.

With R6 million in stakes on offer it is often a significant opportunity for to secure their final plunges as Equus Champions of the year.

The R1 million World Pool Gold Cup is South Africa’s richest Grade 3 contest and the 22 entries includes past winner Nebraas, who as reported, will be ridden by Lyle Hewitson. The R700 000 Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes could see the much anticipated showdown between undefeated 2yo’s Lucky Lad (Sean Tarry) and Main Defender (Tony Peter).

Both will be stepping up to a mile for the first time, but the Peter star’s 7 gate looks a lot happier than Tarry’s 17.

Chief speed protagonists Gimme A Prince and Isivunguvungu drew 16 and 12 respectively for the Gr1 Mercury Sprint, but both are very likely to line up in the 1200m feature. Supplementary entries close at 11h00 on Tuesday 18 July.

Declarations are due by 11h00 on Thursday 20 July.

SPRINT

INTERACTIVE

A WORLD FIRST

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the new title sponsor of the Gold Cup race meeting which becomes first HKJC World Pool-sponsored race day worldwide.

The 10-feature race card (the last 9 races being part of World Pool) boasts the premier race for stayers as the title event along with four Grade 1 races, three Grade 2 races, and two listed races. Added to this, the racemeeting falls on the last weekend of the South African racing calendar, and with R6 million in stakes on offer it is often a significant opportunity for Horses, Trainers and Owners to secure their respective status as Equus Champions of the year.

The meeting will be run on Sunday 30 July and will be part of a doubleheader World Pool weekend, with racing from Ascot on Saturday.

“There has always been a strong connection between the Hong Kong and South African racing industries, particularly when it comes to participants, so it is exciting to collaborate with them. Gold Circle have been wonderful supporters of World Pool and they recognise the benefits of having a robust pari-mutuel offering. And Hong Kong customers are quite fond of the product as well. In fact, the 2022 Gold Cup meeting produced record turnover in Hong Kong for a simulcast meeting of HKD 394.7M,” said Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products of the HKJC.

The stakes on HKJC World Pool Gold Cup Day have been increased by more than 25% and

features the R1m World Pool Gold Cup and the R1,25m HKJC Champions Cup. Former South African Jockey, Douglas Whyte, who went on to secure 13 consecutive Hong Kong Jockey Titles and is now a successful trainer, will be recognised by having the Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes (formerly the Thekwini Stakes) named in his honour.

Douglas Whyte said: “I feel privileged to have this race named in my honour and want to thank Gold Circle and the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the recognition. It is a great race meeting and Durban has always held a special place in my heart. World Pool has been a great initiative and a much-needed boost for the South African industry.”

The race programme is listed below:

• Tabgold Darley Arabian (Listed)

• World Pool with Gold Circle Stakes (Gr2) formerly Debutante Stakes

• @WorldPool Twitter Stakes (Gr2) formerly Umkhomazi Stakes

• Douglas Whyte Stakes (Gr1) formerly Thekwini Stakes

• World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes (Gr1) formerly Premiers Champion Stakes

• Mercury Sprint (Gr1)

• World Pool Gold Cup (Gr3)

• The HKJC Champions Cup (Gr1)

• iding High Together Gold Bracelet (Gr2)

• HKIR in December Handicap (Listed) formerly Umgeni Handicap

CAN CALLA CATCH CHARLES?

Charles Dickens leads the Equus Horse of The Year table into the final month of the season. His win in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge saw him climb above stablemate Trip Of Fortune and open a large lead on his rivals.

It is reported that he will not race again this season and his current points tally is therefore likely to be what he carries through to the end of season.

Princess Calla (126) climbed to second place after her two wins in the Grade 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes on Saturday and the Grade 1 South African Fillies Sprint in early June, adding to her previous three Graded race wins this season. Should she contest and win the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint at season end, she would add 40 points to her tally which would then surpass Charles Dickens.

May’s log leader Trip Of Fortune (117) only added 6 more points to his tally after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, while Puerto Manzano (108) added 10 points to his tally with a victory in the Grade 3 Jubilee Stakes, his fourth win at Turffontein racecourse this season. Both these geldings have the Grade 1 Champions Cup as a possible season ending target and a win in that race could likely catapult them to the top of the table.

While See It Again (92 points) narrowly missed out on winning the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July he only occupies seventh spot on

Princess Calla – top class and could challenge in Gr1 Mercury Sprint |

Credit: Chase Liebenberg

the table and cannot surpass the points tally of fellow sophomore Charles Dickens for Horse of The Year honours even if he wins the Grade 1 Champions Cup at month end. The two other movers on the table were Gimme A Prince (110) after his easy win in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint and, Desert Miracle (110) who bagged two second places in two Grade 1’s in the period under review.

Champion Three-Year-Old Colt

Charles Dickens has this category sewn up for the season after his Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge win. A win for See It Again in the season ending Grade 1 Champions Cup will see him four points shy of Charles Dickens. No other three-year-old male made any progress on the log in the review period. Charles Dickens (144 points) leads from See It Again (92), Anfields Rocket (52), Cousin Casey (40), Billy Bowlegs (38), and Son of Raj (32).

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

With no dominant performances from any three-year-old filly since January, Make It Snappy remains firmly in the lead in this

category, despite having not raced since then. She now however has three potential challengers for season end honours after the third place of Bless My Stars in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets July Handicap. A win in the season ending Grade 2 Gold Bracelet would lift either of Feather Boa or Bless My Stars above Make It Snappy on the table.

None Other added to her points tally after winning the Grade 2 Track and Ball Oaks in June. She could also add to her points tally by winning the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet and thereby equal the points tally of Make It Snappy. Make It Snappy leads the table on 64 points, followed by Bless My Stars and Feather Boa (both 52), None Other (48), and retired Ciao Bella (32).

Champion Older Male and Female

There are no new entrants into the Champion Older Male category this month. Trip Of Fortune (117 points) has a slender lead over Gimme A Prince (110) and Puerto Manzano (108). Al Muthana (78) and Jet Dark (70) make up the table. The outcome of the final two Grade 1

Charles Dickens – 3yo star chases Horse Of Year title |

Credit: Chase Liebenberg

races, The Mercury Sprint and Champions Cup, will likely have an influence on the final points tally in this category.

Princess Calla (126) and Desert Miracle (110) have drawn well clear of their rivals in the Champion Older Female category. Rain In Holland (64), new-entrant Humdinger (45), and Under Your Spell (38) make up the table.

Distance Categories

Gimme A Prince (98) maintained his slender lead in the Champion Sprinter category over Princess Calla (94). Both have an opportunity to ensure they top the table at season end by competing in and winning the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint at month end. Isivunguvungu (50), Rio Querari (28), and new-entrant Thunderstruck (26) make up the table.

Whilst Charles Dickens won Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, he remains in fourth spot in the Champion Miler category and will need the voting public and expert panel to intervene on his behalf in their two-thirds share of final votes in order to be crowned Equus Champion Miler. Trip of Fortune (112) retains his large lead from Desert Miracle (88), Al Muthana (78), Charles Dickens (72), Humdinger (45), and Under Your Spell (38)

Puerto Manzano (100) maintains his clear lead on the Champion Middle Distance table. Rain In Holland (64) remains in second position while Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner, Winchester Mansion (58), is a new entrant.

Retired Jet Dark (48) and dormant Make It

Snappy (32) make up the table. A win in the month-end Grade 1 Champion Cup for either of the top-three could seal the top of the table in this category for the winner.

Future Pearl (20) was the main mover on the Champion Stayer table after his easy victory in the Grade 3 DSTV Gold Vase on Saturday and he joins Nebraas and Arumugam (both on 20) in joint second spot. Despite having not added any points to his tally in the KZN Winter Season, Salvator Mundi (23), still tops the table,

while None Other (16) enters the table for the first time. The outcome of the month-end Grade 3 Durban Gold Cup will likely decide the tabletopper of this category.

Champion Two-Year-Old Colt

Unbeaten Lucky Lad (56 points) has secured top position in this category and cannot be displaced by his closest rivals after his win the Grade 1 Gold Medallion. Outlaw King (18), Sandringham Summit (16), Guy Gibson (12), and Gimmeanotherchance (10) make up the table.

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly

Winter Cloud (32 points) has a theoretical chance of sharing honours at the top of the table in this category should she contest and win the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes at month end. Current leader Mrs Geriatrix (64) would need to skip that race or be unplaced for that occur. Distant Winter (12), Elegant Ice (12), and Golden Tatjana (10) make up the table.

The final Equus Points Tables for season 2022/23 will be published in the first week in August. Voting for the top-two to top-four candidates in each category – the exact number of candidates, in order of points, for voting to be confirmed by the Equus panel - will then be open to the public for a week whilst the expert panel deliberate on their final agreement of award.

The final equally weighted tally for each voting component will then determine the winner of each category and these will be announced at an awards ceremony on 23 August 2023, hosted by 4Racing.

EQUUS AWARDS 2023 POINTS

TABLES TO 1 JULY 2023

RACING REGULATOR’S PROACTIVE POLICING

While it may have passed relatively unnoticed, over 80 horses were subjected to out-of-competition and pre-race testing by the National Horseracing Authority at the Summerveld Training Centre on Friday 30 June and at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.

NHA CEO Vee Moodley told the Sporting Post that the tests were random and done to ensure compliance and stamp out the use of banned substances.

It was recently announced that the NHA laboratory recently achieved a 100% external test result.

The Association of Official Racing Chemists (AORC) supply blind plasma and urine specimens, on an annual basis, to racing laboratories in order for them to confirm their international analysis compliance.

Prohibited substances and metabolites from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities racing

screening and confirmation requirement list are prepared within these specimens at concentrations which are required to be detected and correctly identified. For many prohibited substances, the concentrations are at low levels. The screening requirement is often more demanding for the forbidden substances (such as anabolic entities, drugs, and prodrugs).

The NHA Laboratory was recently notified that it achieved a 100% result during this 2023 international racing laboratories proficiency test.

The NHA also reported that during the past 24 months they were informed of full (100%) compliance when a range of their racing negative specimens from different racing centres tested negative at overseas racing laboratories which ‘tested’ them during this time period.

Seven prominent international racing laboratories were involved in this external testing process of NHA specimens, inclusive of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Laboratory.

NHA CEO Vee Moodley | Credit: Supplied

A COMIC BOOK HERO WHO COULD FLY!

In a country where a premium is placed on speed and precocity, the addition of Gr1 winning sprinter Master Archie to the stallion ranks offers breeders access to a horse whose progeny should satisfy the market’s demand of instant success.

There’s no doubt that here is a prospect with the right physical stature and pedigree profile, which gives him a licence to be any kind of stallion.

The striking grey, who stands exactly 16hh,

was being prepared for a defence of his Gr1 Computaform Sprint title, when he suffered a badly bruised foot and the announcement of his retirement followed soon thereafter.

Master Archie served his connections well, winning seven races from two to four for earnings of over R1.1-million.

A true speedball, he won from 1000 to 1100m, the highlight of which when he blew away a star-studded field in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint at three. That career-defining victory came after a hard-fought win in the Gr3 Man O’War Stakes.

Master Archie – low flying son of Rafeef is an interesting addition to stallion ranks |

Credit: JC Photos

The highest-rated sprinter at the peak of his career, he is the first son of successful young sire Rafeef to enter stud. Remarkably, he has the rare distinction of being a third-generation winner of the Computaform Sprint. His sire claimed the honours in 2017 and is out of National Colour, who had cruised to a fourlength victory in 2006. Her grandson inherited not just her grey coat, but also her turn of foot!

Master Archie was bred to fly. His dam, the Var mare La Volta, was also a mean sprinter and counted the Listed Bauhinia Handicap amongst her eight career wins, all over the minimum trip.

Bred by Avontuur Stud, La Volta is out of Gr1 Majorca Stakes victress Sarabande, a daughter of the top-flight sprinter/miler Goldmark, who found only the mighty Senor Santa too good when second in the 1991 Computaform Sprint.

Clearly then, the coveted Turffontein dash runs like a golden thread through Master Archie’s immediate pedigree.

By the way, Sarabande also packed a punch in the Avontuur broodmare paddocks, for her ten foals numbered three stakes winners. Besides La Volta, she also produced Gr2 Senor Santa and Gr2 Merchants winner Mardi Gras and Chesalon, who won the Gr2 Premier Trophy and ran third behind Pomodoro in the Gr1 Durban July.

Her first foal, La Volta’s own sister Valeta, also garnered Gr1 black type by finishing third in the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship and she returned to Avontuur where she bred the Gr3 winner and Gr1 Garden Province Stakes runner-up, She’s A Giver.

Whereas the modern day stallion’s pedigree is saturated with international names, Sarabande hails from a dyed-in-the-wool South African dam line, which traces to the mare Spits, a two-time winner sired by the French-bred horse Felix II. Best known as the dam of the King’s Cup and Michaelmas Handicap winner Gideon, and Natal Derby hero Hittite, Master Archie descends from her daughter Judith.

Judith was by that fine sprinter Royal Affair, who incidentally also sired Goldmark’s third dam, the stakes winner First Affair. Very much her sire’s daughter, Judith possessed plenty of toe to score seven times over the minimum trip and did even better as a broodmare by producing the Gr1 Natal Fillies Sprint and Germiston Cup winner Paschal, as well as Strelitzia Stakes victress Mustique, the fifth dam of Master Archie.

In fact, speed runs deep in this branch of the Spits family from which have come not just Master Archie, but also his stable companion Cold Fact, who captured this season’s Gr2 Camellia Stakes, and Gr3 Tommy Hotspur winner Sharp Design.

Master Archie will stand his debut season at Winterbach Stud, just a stone’s throw from Avontuur Estate, whose stud manageress

Pippa Mickleburgh remarked: “He’s a nice type of horse.

Granddam - Gr1 Majorca Stakes victress Sarabande | Credit: Supplied

Master Archie is currently being syndicated at R60 000 plus VAT per share, and as an added incentive, each of the 55 shareholders will be entitled to two services each season for the first four years.

His service fee is R15 000, split into a R5000 nomination, with the balance payable on live foal.

• Hendrik Winterbach can be contacted at winterbach.stud@gmail.com.

From that female line, I think he has a good chance of making it as a stallion. I wish him well.”

Champion Mrs Geriatrix’ Mom Velvet Glove was caught in action last week by Candiese Lenferna on a visit to Clifton Stud | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

IT WORKED

- BUT BREEDER NOT REPEATING FEAT

Breeding champion racehorses is not a case of pressing numbers, even in the event one has access to big money. And then when they are diminutive and top-class, it’s more of an enigma.

When Sean Tarry’s Mrs Geriatrix won the R400 000 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Gr2 Golden Slipper on Hollywoodbets Durban July day, she maintained her impeccable record, which includes a Gr1 strike, and took her earnings as a 2yo to over R1 million.

A R200 000 2022 National Yearling Sale graduate, the Clifton-bred Mrs Geriatrix is out of the Kahal mare Velvet Glove, whose breeder Peter Blythe described once described as ‘not too good’.

But despite producing a likely Equus champion, Peter Blyth is not going back to the well.

He told Turf Talk recently that the cover fee of R220 000 in total (a R50 000 nomination fee and R170 000 live foal) was too high for him to consider sending Velvet Glove back to Vercingetorix next season.

She is currently in foal to Master Of My Fate. Her Act Of War filly was sold at this year’s BSA National Yearling Sale for R280 000.

Mrs Geriatrix did not reach her reserve at the BSA National Yearling Sale last year and was later bought for R200 000 after Tarry had been approached.

Jenny Blyth said after Mrs Geriatrix’ recent victory: “We were glad when she was sold, but now we regret it!”

However, she went on to say how thrilled they were that she was doing so much for racing.

The enthusiastic syndicate who own her, the Magical Lady Syndicate, are doing a lot to attract women to the game.

Peter Blyth admitted he was continually ‘gobsmacked’ by how good Mrs Geriatrix – her dam Velvet Glove by Kahal was unplaced in six starts. He spoke of the great blood behind her which he believed emanated from his Model Man mare Vogue.

Velvet Glove, who is by Kahal out of Vogue, is a full sister to Gr 2 winner Prince Of Kahal, a halfsister to Gr 2 winner Fort Vogue (Fort Wood) and a half-sister to Gr 3 winner Whatalady (Jet Master).

Vogue, who is out of Foveros mare Thousand Nights and who was a five times-winning Gr1 runner up, was a half-sister to twice Gr1 Gold Cup winner Highland Night (Badger Land) and to Gr1 winning speedster Warm White Night (Western Winter), to Gr2 winner Prince Asad and to Listed winner and Gr1 Gold Challenge third-placed Night Watch.

DOUBLE FOR KLAWERVLEI SIRE

Klawervlei Stud’s homebred Cape Guineas winner William Longsword has had a wonderful season in 2022-2023 and the handsome bay struck yet again when he came up with two more winners at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday.

William Longsword’s first success came when his Michael Roberts trained daughter Saturn Moon won the fifth race at Greyville. Under Rachel Venniker, the three-year-old, third last time out, bounded clear to score by nearly

three parts of a length. Bred by Klawervlei Stud, Saturn Moon has now won twice.

William Longsword’s second triumph came when his flashy son Voldemort powered home down the inside of the track to capture the eighth and final race.

Trained, like William Longsword and Captain Al, by Vaughan Marshall, Voldemort, bred by the BBP Syndicate, has now won three times with the promise of more to come.

Velvet Glove is loving life | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

THE REAL SLIM TRENT

Trent Mayhew – muddied after a wet day at the office on Sunday |

Credit: Candiese Lenferna

A son of a trainer, and brother-in-law to one of our exported jockey talents, established family connections to horseracing, coupled with the fact that he has already competed in Workrider races, has meant that 18 year old Trent Mayhew has adjusted seamlessly to the rigours of life at the SA Jockey Academy.

The Sporting Post bumped into the polite Vereeniging-born horseman on a visit to Summerveld recently, and we couldn’t help but be impressed with his maturity and confident disposition.

Just as the likes of Lyle Hewitson and Calvin Habib graduated through the Workrider ranks, Trent Mayhew presents a living example of the ‘for’ debate – that of the alternative school of thinking that suggests rather allowing prospective jockeys to make career choices when they are mature and older to do so.

Arriving at the academy in January 2023, Trent

says that getting up at sparrow and mucking out stables was not new to him. After all, his Dad Craig has been training racehorses for many years, sister Kelsey Mayhew-Munger has beaten the males in the Workrider ranks, and his brother-in-law Ryan is setting Woodbine racecourse alight since moving to Canada earlier this year.

“I have been fortunate to have learnt to ride and grew up in a horsey family. I started riding in Workrider races in June 2021. And even though I am subject to all of the first year routines, it’s probably easier handling things as a more mature individual who

understands horses and racing a bit more than my younger counterparts.”

Trainer Garth Puller has been a source of support and guidance to a host of apprentices over the years and besides a bit of professional ribbing and leg-pulling, tells us that the young Mayhew ‘shows promise’.

It’s early days – Trent is still in the qualifying phase and has only had four professional rides under rules, his first on Canford Ice for Robbie Hill at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on 17 June.

We asked the HDS Sasolburg High graduate to give us an insight into the difference between the Workriders and the handful of professional races that he has ridden in.

“I’d say the tempo is markedly different. One can just feel that the intensity is greater. That’s not to say that there aren’t

some top-class riders in the amateur ranks,” he adds thoughtfully.

Trent’s girlfriend lives in Johannesburg, but he says he personally enjoys the vibe and friendliness in Durban.

“I chase the work in the mornings at Summerveld. The trainers are really friendly and kind. It’s a good vibe and atmosphere. I have been given some good advice and guidance by Mr Garth Puller, Mr Robbie Hill and Mr Michael Roberts – coincidentally all gentlemen who ran from ring to ring in their own time as young apprentices! And then I must mention Mr and Mrs Fortune at the Vaal – they did so much to encourage and motivate me.”

Trent tells us that he is friends with ‘everybody’ at the academy, but has leaned on brotherin-law Ryan Munger, Calvin Habib and Kyle Strydom for riding advice and critical feedback.

Trent in the parade ring |

Credit: Candiese Lenferna

He is quite tall, although he points out none more so than Rachel Venniker, for example.

“I weigh 53,5kgs and am claiming 4kgs. I have been fortunate to get some nice rides at the top of the scale. My first goal now is to break the ice and ride my first winner . Then in the new season it will be to ride out my claim and achieve a top 5 finish on the apprentice log.”

We asked about reigning champion apprentice Rachel Venniker.

“Rachel is made of steel and doesn’t have to stand down for any of the guys. She’s tough and top-class. I have such admiration for her breaking through in what is a male dominated hard-knocking profession.”

When taxed about his personal lifestyle and eating habits, Trent says that he is on a lowcarb diet and ‘can’t go mad on burgers and beers’!

“I have never been a big eater, so it’s no major stress really. I enjoy a bit of soccer and gym to keep in shape and stay active.”

And what does he do to for fun?

“I’m not a party animal – the academy is strict and you can’t party and then expect to wake up at 4am to work! I enjoy a bit of hip hop and rap music. The likes of Eminem, for example,” he smiles.

And a nickname? “No nothing yet!” We suggested Eminem or the Slim Shady. He laughs!

Asked about his career ambitions, Trent says he is determined to keep his feet on the ground and build the blocks of his career properly.

“Championship titles and international racing opportunities are on most of our professional bucket-lists. But that’s for the future. Right now I have plenty to learn and absorb from so many experienced folk around me. I’m so fortunate to have this opportunity!”

JOCKEY FINDS NEW CALLING

Dual Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Nick Hall will be back at the races next seasonworking as a barrier attendant.

The 36-year-old spent three years living in obscurity in India and Costa Rica but has worked on the racing fringes the past 18 months, with forays into breeding, industry skills training and most recently working as a track rider for Anthony and Sam Freedman.

The nine-time Group 1 winner, who retired in 2018 with weight and hip issues, has worked three jump-out mornings behind the barriers as part of the traineeship.

“I’ve had a few people (trainers and jockeys)

have a second look when they see me leading horses around, it’s good, it’s nice,” Hall told Racenet.

“I really have enjoyed the barriers, I think that’s the right spot for me actually, let’s hope so. It’s always hard to try and find what you’re going to do after, I guess, but it’s been good.”

Hall, son of champion jockey and 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Greg Hall, rode 742 winners.His biggest wins included the Caulfield Cup twice, Fawkner (2013) and Jameka (2016), and the Blue Diamond Stakes (Star Witness) and Australian Cup (Zipping) in 2010.

100 UP FOR KABELO

The Winning Form-sponsored jockey hit the magical mark when Crimson King won the SplashOut 2200 at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 1 July. Kabelo famously followed up on the same massive afternoon with winner 101 on Winchester Mansion, who beat See It Again to win the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

The talented rider has emerged from a tough upbringing and is a rising star on the SA racing scene.

The middle child in a family of five, Kabelo moved to the Vaal at the age of 13 with his parents, and older sister and younger brother. Mom and Dad kept the wolf from the door and traded in clothing, but never enjoyed the comfort blanket of formal employment.

Kabelo proudly tells that he supports his family

today as a nominal token of appreciation to model rock-solid parents, who never had much, but gave him and his siblings the very best that they could.

“I could never repay my debt to my family. They and my girlfriend are my biggest supporters. They have embraced me during my lows, and cheered for me at my best,” he added emotionally in an interview with the Sporting Post after his Hollywoodbets Durban July win.

In just his second season as a fully-fledged jockey, he told us that the big win in Africa’s Greatest race was only the beginning and the man who loves his family, and has a penchant for sneakers, is enjoying his best season to date and hopes to crown it with a flourish on the World Pool Gold Cup day at the Theatre Of Champions on Sunday 30 June.

Soweto-born Kabelo Matsunyane was hosted at Winning Form HQ in Umhlanga Rocks on Monday to mark the occasion of his century of winners this season.

Kabelo enjoys some fun with the team on Monday | Credit: Supplied

A superb Gr1-winning season nationally saw another highlight for Winning Form-sponsored Richard Fourie when he registered the 2000th winner of his career at Fairview last Friday.

Richard Fourie guides Path Of Choice to victory at Fairview last Friday |

Credit: Pauline Herman

Fourie won the fourth race on the former Vaughan Marshall charge Path Of Choice, for the stable of trainer Alan Greeff.

At the start of the season Fourie replaced UK-bound Greg Cheyne as the first choice rider for the Greeff stable. He took a break at the start of the season, but is now just six winners shy of another milestone of a century of winners for the Fairview season.

He will also be crowned East Cape Champion jockey for the second time after winning the title in 2012, when his 47 winners were enough to clinch the championship. He is currently on 94 winners in the region this term.

Alan Greeff and Hollywoodbets trainer Gavin Smith are slugging it out for the champion trainer title.

A delighted Richard Fourie after his milestone win | Credit: Pauline Herman

WORK RIDER OPPORTUNITY

Ridgemont seeks a competent work rider to join their team. Work will vary from riding breakers, pre-trainers, ready to run sale horses as well as older racehorses.

The opportunity is based in Wellington, where a full-time position is available to the right applicant.

Please email us your CV including two contactable references. For more info during business hours only:

+27 (0) 63 667 5383

A RANDLORD AT ROYAL ASCOT…

‘LET’S EMBRACE THE RISING ELITE’

I returned recently from a short trip to the United Kingdom, taking in the Friday meeting at the 2023 Royal Ascot Festival and a Saturday meeting at Newmarket.

I have thoughts to share. In drawing comparisons between the UK and South African racing industries, I have discussed my observations with industry players here and abroad, emphasising the future of our local racing industry. I have drawn conclusions which may be, or may not be, on the mark. But they are worth noting.

Royal Ascot is best described as a Right Royal Rave. It surpassed my expectations in all respects – a lavish blend of luxury and tradition grounded on, dare I say, a decadent celebration of elitist high society. Moët & Chandon, that symbol of flamboyant opulence, was poured and spritzed around the manicured lawns and at champagne counters as if it was water; there were more cigars lit than on a good day in downtown Havana; the

cuisine came from culinary craftsmen and the atmosphere was electric.

Fashion fans from around the globe arrived in their finest formal attire – the ladies spectacularly sexy in colourful outfits and hats adorned with feathers, flowers and ornaments. If you’re in the main and royal enclosures, top hats, tail-coats and dress pants are mandatory. Strictly collar-and-ties elsewhere. Entry tickets cost between £50 and £150 (R1,175 to R3,525 per person), depending on your chosen day membership and enclosures visited. And that’s without food and beverages. Sold out for five days, solid.

Having arrived in London on the morning of the race day, but without a pair of smart black pants and a waistcoat, I had to urgently go

gear-hunting in the Ascot-adjacent town of Slough - or ‘ISloughmabad’ as some of the locals call it now. But shops on the Farmham Road were closed for Friday prayers with an hour to go to the first race.

Fearing embarrassment at the Royal Ascot turnstiles I pressed on, and away, to another destination. I followed a time-consuming trail of one-way streets and cul-de-sacs, prompted by the rented MG’s GPS System, itself confused and delayed by my impulsive U-turns and strings of expletives. Eventually, I came across upper ISloughmabad’s Observatory Mall, a shopping complex reportedly battling with business due to the cheaper family shops trading in Farnham Road.

All the same, waistcoats and dress pants shouldn’t be purchased in Rands in the UK, even at clearance sales. The pants, a select brand in the £100 (R2,300) range, later simply refused to hug my waist. Made for fashionistas with six-packs, sales to endomorphs should

But what if we were to look four, or five, or eight years down the line? Where does racing find itself?

not be legally concluded without the addition of super-stretch trouser braces.

I made the third race in the nick of time, shuffling duck-like through the security checkpoint in narrow, pointy shoes. It was on to the parade ring and the statue of Frankel enroute to the Royal Enclosure, shirt-tucking and pants-pulling without pause, but I was glad I’d gone for a kit-out. Royal Ascot’s security detail looked like body guards from a John Wick movie and, as far as dress code goes, not a carpenter’s inch was given.

All the pomp and sparkle aside, I was struck by the lack of people of colour on the Royal Ascot premises. The affable ITV sports presenter, Rishie Persad, was there, perhaps also my good acquaintance Brian Finch, the Chairman of Epsom Downs. Brian, the polished manabout-town that he is, would have been rubbing shoulders up on the grandstand near the King’s suite. But other than that, I could literally count faces of colour on the hand that wasn’t holding a glass of bubbly.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), via a programme called ‘Industry Commitment’, in May 2021 announced that they were putting in place foundations for a longer‐term sustainable recovery for the sport through engaging new and diverse audiences in all aspects of the racing industry. I’m not sure how far they’ve come with all that. The British Government has been frenetic in pursuing Boris Johnson for having a couple of whiskeys with some close friends during Covid time, with

telling gamblers how much they can spend and with off-loading illegal immigrants to Rwanda. Perhaps they haven’t had the time to assist or put pressure on the Diversity Commitment Group, but I suspect their all-round progress has been limited.

At Newmarket the following day – a meeting considered ‘low-key’, but so packed with spectators I failed to find my car among at least a thousand others halfway through the day when I went looking for a pack of smokes – the same was observed. There were people of colour in the car park and at the entry gates, but inside, at a gate fee of £33 (about R770) per person, the delightful Eritrean waitress who served my Chocolate Mousse Tower was the only of a darker shade in a 5000-plus crowd.

We in South Africa can be very proud of what we have achieved in respect of diverse participation. The UK faces different challenges, and its ultimate objectives may be centred more around inclusivity for the LBGTQ+ community. Racing there, and elsewhere except the Far East, remains primarily a white elitist sport.

This is not an apple-withapple comparison, but when racing became a burden for the government in Singapore, they promptly said, ‘no more’.

Have we been barking up the wrong tree throwing marketing money and efforts behind the idea of attracting ‘young people’ to the racetrack? Let’s take our heads out of the sand. In our land, no amount of instagraming, tik-toking, free booze or trendy bands will get a mass of young people to come racing as a habit. They do not give a damn.

Here is the upside: When today’s young reach their late 30’s, 40s and 50s – when they come into money – we should strike with a really hot iron. Racing only becomes a status symbol and

an investment opportunity or perhaps a limited tax escape when the young start coming into grey matter – later in life. We’ve been missing the targets. Instead of marketing to the Young and the Restless, we should be laser-focusing all our efforts on the established, and emerging, black and coloured elite!

You won’t need Socio-Economics 1A to realise that thoroughbred racing in its current format, in South Africa, can only be sustained by an elite handful of benefactors who continue to throw huge and generous amounts of money at the game to sustain their passion and hobbies. But what if we were to look four, or five, or eight years down the line? Where does racing find itself?

Actually, let’s look just a year down the line at the 2024 South African General Elections. Rumours are rife that the Honourable Paul Mashitile is being groomed for State

Presidency. To hold on to its diminishing power, a coalition deal between the ANC and the EFF is in the offing, with Julius Sello Malema to be offered Deputy Presidency as a reward. We’ve all heard the speculation, and I have confirmed such with three high-ranking racing industry members close to reliable ANC sources. The rumours are true indeed. This is an option being strongly considered by the ruling party.

The supported rise of Malema, in the capacity of Deputy President, and hence a likely future President, will create a scenario I do not need to discuss here. The point is, it has become a real possibility, and if it does happen the already badly cracked wall of South Africa’s Dam Of Money will burst explosively and its contents will flow right away. Racing will be back on its knees, overnight.

In this turbulent place with its zany, unconventional politics, one cannot blame

those with pessimistic and even defeatists attitudes. There are racing fans who say, ‘I don’t care who rules the country, as long as we can race on, and have a bet!’ I am sorry to be the harbinger of disturbing news, but, in a worst-case scenario, those are privileges we may have to live without.

Besides voting the ANC so far out of power that not even a coalition would help them (an unlikely event), we have to embrace transformation and change more than ever. We must dedicate all our efforts to drawing in dozens, if not hundreds of influential, affluent people of colour into the fray. Alongside that we have to develop more opportunities for people of colour to participate, perhaps via more series for Work Riders or even a dedicated Work Riders racing circuit. To start. A future Gambling Board will have a more forthcoming attitude if they see more black trainers in the fray. The Team Racing concept is something else that should not be dismissed without thorough and open-minded consideration.

When a new government comes knocking for favours and a slice of the money pie just over a year from now, we must be ready to show that we have made rapid and tangible progress, that we can continue racing with good, inclusive leadership and the backing of new, wealthy investors of colour.

This is not an apple-with-apple comparison, but when racing became a burden for the government in Singapore, they promptly said, ‘no more’. They are in the process of shutting the industry down. The generous support we are privileged to be receiving in South Africa to keep the ship afloat cannot possibly last forever.

We have to foster active participation by the rising elite. Or face the end of thoroughbred racing as we know it.

Ed – the opinions and views expressed are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Sporting Post, or any of our affiliates.

HOLMES ‘UPTURN CONTINUES’

There is plenty to be excited and positive about as South African horseracing fights its way off the canvas after a few tough years, capped by the covid-19 pandemic.

BSA CEO Michael Holmes told the Sporting Post this week that sales results were a strategic barometer of the industry’s health and that the three sales hosted in three different provinces by South Africa’s longest standing equine auction house this year so far, were evidence that things were on an upward trajectory.

“We have used emotive words like resilience and passion previously, but the truth is in the statistics. The foundation for growth has never been stronger, and after the Cape sale and Nationals earlier this year, the recent KZN Yearling Sale really underscored the upward momentum.”

The KZN Yearling Sale’s aggregate rose by a staggering 50%, with the aggregate of R27.1 million way up on the aggregate of R18.1 million achieved at the previous year’s auction. A strong and resilient middle market ensured that both the average and median prices rose, with the average reaching R184 354, up from R123 129, and the median soaring from R75 000 to R145 000.

Three months earlier, the National Yearling Sale saw gains in aggregate, and average and median prices, while the clearance rate at the sale improved off results seen in 2022. The sale’s aggregate rose by more than R16 million, with the gross aggregate reaching R153.8 million. The average and median rose to R443 228 and R300 000 respectively.

Two months prior, the Cape Yearling sale’s aggregate rose from R22.57 million to R25.965 million, with the average and median prices increased from R155 655 and R110 000 respectively to R171 954 and R130 000.

“Every sale has a unique appeal and character of its own, but what 2023 has shown so far is that irrespective of the geographics and perceptions, there is a horse for every taste and pocket, and a desire from the market to get involved and race. There are a lot of positive vibes about the future of racing in South Africa, and the changes are starting to reflect in the sale arena. The racing eco system relies on a host of factors and we are looking forward to greater things in 2024,” concluded Holmes.

Bloodstock SA will host the August 2yo Sale in Johannesburg on 26 and 27 August.

The average rose from R357 454 a year ago, while the median price increased from R250 000 from 2022.

BSA CEO Mike Holmes – ‘the momentum is there’ | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

GO GLOBAL!

Ascot Stud’s well-performed sire Global View continues to churn out eye-catching winners and the son of Galileo did it again when Global View’s two-year-old daughter Wings Within Me made a winning debut at Turffontein on Saturday.

Trained by Fabian Habib, Wings Within Me was always up with the pace in Saturday’s 4Racing Welcomes You Maiden Plate (1000m), and she kicked away smartly in the closing stages, under Anthandiwe Mgudlwa, to win convincingly by over three parts of a length.

Bred by Ben Botha T/A Benmarne Stud, Wings Within Me is out of the Mambo In Seattle mare Fly Rebecca Fly.

She is the eighth two-year-old winner this season for Global View, whose other juveniles this season include Listed East Cape Nursery runner-up Fairy Knight.

South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2019-2020, Global View is also the sire of this season’s high-class three-year-old Dave The King, runner-up in the Gr1 Daily News 2000 and earner of more than R1,5 million in stakes

Wings Within Me (Athandiwe Mgudlwa) is an eyecatching debut winner at Turffontein on Saturday | Credit: JC Photos

Heavenly Blue’s daughter Three Rocks registers her third win on the trot at Fairview on Friday | Credit: Pauline Herman

TRUE BLUE!

Ascot Stud’s well-performed young stallion Heavenly Blue looks to have come up with a smart performer in his first crop in the form of Three Rocks. The latter made it three wins in a row when she stormed home to win at Fairview on Friday, with Three Rocks having now won three of just four starts.

Runner-up on debut, the Alan Greeff-trained Three Rocks had won her two previous starts by an aggregate of nearly six lengths coming into Friday’s 1000m contest and she duly made it three in a row with a smart performance.

Under Richard Fourie, the two-year-old came with a strong late run which saw Three Rocks fly up late to win cosily by a neck, while conceding weight to some hard-knocking older rivals.

The filly was a R100 000 purchase from the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale.

Three Rocks is one of seven horses, from ten runners, to have won or been placed in Heavenly Blue’s first crop of two-year-olds this season.

Winner of the Gr1 SA Classic, equine millionaire Heavenly Blue is a son of four times Australian Champion Sire Snitzel, whose more than 130 stakes winners also include this year’s Gr1 Longines Golden Slipper winner, Shinzo.

Bred by Ascot Stud, Three Rocks is out of the Rock Of Gibraltar mare Rockie Bright.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN STITCHED UP?

Amateur jockey and racing journalist Rod Hutchinson is the victim of a sting – he gets beaten on an odds-on favourite, is convicted of not trying and of accepting a bribe. His amateur licence is withdrawn and he loses his job.

His fight to prove his innocence is continually thwarted by violent attacks – including one where he comes close to being burned alive –and by villains who fear they will be exposed if he resumes writing.

The action moves at as fast a pace as the racehorses Hutchinson so desperately wants to return to riding.

This is Michael Clower’s second racing thriller following Riding For a Fall, ‘a fast-moving action-packed book well up to the standard of his racing biographies’ (Sporting Post). Clower, in the words of the Racing Post ‘a legendary racing writer,’ is also the author of the widely acclaimed:

• Mick Kinane, Big Race King (The Sporting Life’s Racing book of the Year)

• Champion Charlie

• The Legend of Istabraq

• Kings of the Turf

Clower, despite qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (and being placed first in the UK finals), has been a racing journalist for over 50 years. He started in Kenya where he also rode as an amateur against the professionals, winning on three of his first six rides.

He moved to Ireland in 1973 to become a full time racing journalist, starting with The Irish Field. He became Irish correspondent of The Sporting Life and, when that paper closed, he joined the Racing Post and also wrote for The Sunday Times and the Sunday Mirror.

He ‘retired’ to South Africa in 2006 and for ten years wrote for the Cape Times. He was South Africa’s Racing Journalist of the Year in 2016.

Stitched Up, by Michael Clower. Christel Foord Publications. Available on amazon.co.uk in paperback and kindle £8.50

SHOEMARK JUST UP FOR THE RIDE

Kieran Shoemark is to take his highestprofile ride for John and Thady Gosden on Oaks winner Soul Sister in the Gr1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp on Friday, but John Gosden has dampened rumours about Shoemark taking on the role of retained rider for the Clarehaven team in 2024.

Group 1-winning rider Shoemark rode out the Classic heroine on Warren Hill in Newmarket on Tuesday morning and gets the call-up for Paris in the absence of the suspended Frankie Dettori and with similar bans ruling out top Frenchbased jockeys Christophe Soumillon and Mickael Barzalona.

Speculation has arisen in recent weeks about the riding arrangements for the yard in 2024 with Dettori set to retire at the end of the year.

GRIN… AND BEAR IT!

broken smartly, he found himself in front on leaving the stalls.

The field then raced in single file, with West Wind Blows and Jamie Spencer leading Paddington, Emily Upjohn and Dubai Honour.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old began the season in handicap company, but he had already successfully stepped up to win both the Irish Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes subsequently.

Upped in trip to 10 furlongs for the first time, Ryan Moore rode him as if there were no doubts about his stamina and so it proved.

His solid temperament allowed Moore to put him where he wanted in the race and, having

Spencer tried to steal a march turning into the straight and took two lengths out of the others.

However, Moore breezed up on Paddington and went into the lead, although Emily Upjohn would not leave him alone.

With half a furlong to run it briefly appeared that the greater stamina of Emily Upjohn may prevail, but she could not quite get on terms with her younger rival who was in receipt of 7lb from the four-year-old filly.

Paddington saw off the tenacious challenge of Emily Upjohn in a thrilling Coral-Eclipse as the highly anticipated match-up and this season’s opening clash of the generations very much delivered in a memorable Group One highlight at Sandown Park.

Paddington saw off the tenacious challenge of Emily Upjohn in a thrilling Coral-Eclipse as the highly anticipated match-up and this season’s opening clash of the generations very much delivered in a memorable Group One highlight at Sandown Park.

Ryan Moore has Paddington in control | Credit: Racing TV

Paddington’s half-length verdict was O’Brien’s seventh Coral-Eclipse triumph, making him the most successful trainer in the history of the race.

Moore says Paddington wasn’t seen to best advantage either.

“It went to plan but I don’t think we saw the best of my horse either,” the rider told ITV Racing.

“He brought me there very comfortably and then I felt a bit vulnerable in the middle of the track and exposed. It was like I was there waiting and a very good filly came running at him – she is seriously top-class.

“He has got an awful lot of pace and gears –he’s all class really. He has done nothing wrong and for Aidan to freshen him up

and bring him here shows he is a tough horse.

“We had very little doubt about the trip and he could get further because he is a very good horse. Class always exposes anything else.

“As a three year old, he has a very profile to Sir Mark’s Basilica as he has come here from a Guineas. This is a top-class colt and we’ll enjoy him.”

Aidan O’Brien said: “It went perfect and exactly like Ryan said. He said he would break early as Jamie’s horse (West Wind Blows) can be slow, and he said if he is he will probably take it off him after a little bit, but if he doesn’t, he would be happy to make his own running.

“One thing Ryan said was he was surprised how easy he went through the race and how easy he was doing it. When he gets there, he

waits a little bit but Ryan is very excited about him. He is a good bit heavier today than he was at Ascot which was a little bit of a surprise to us, but he didn’t look it (heavier). Everyone was delighted with him since Ascot and that is why we came here.

“He is getting quicker when he is getting heavier like that. Ryan gave him an absolute peach. There were three others in the race but he was very confident going out as he knew what he was going to do, whether he was going to be in front or behind or whatever.

“I’m absolutely over the moon really. She (Emily Upjohn) is a very good filly and we saw in Epsom what she did. We know an older filly like that wasn’t going to lie down and we knew she was going to be following us. Ryan probably got there earlier than he wanted but he didn’t

want to break his rhythm or disappoint him. It was the 100 percent perfect thing to do.

“He has progressed with every single run. He is a serious horse.”

As to the future, an outing back over a mile in the Group One Qatar Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on August 2nd could be next.

The master of Ballydoyle continued: “The lads will decide (where he goes) and we will have a chat after a week. The lads will chat amongst themselves then they will talk to Ryan. I’d say there is a good chance he could be back there (Sussex Stakes). The plan after Ascot was to go for the Sussex Stakes but because he came out of the race so well that is why he was here.

“We don’t look at that ever (trainers’ championship). It is always about the horses and to do the right things by them. Whatever will be will be and that is how we approach every year. We make plans per horse.

“I never believe any horse wins until they are past the post, but Ryan was very confident.

“Ryan is getting better every year. Since he come to us every year has he got better and that progress is still there. He is an incredible rider as you can see. His focus, judgement, confidence and strength, everything about him, his determination, his drive, his commitment, all those things are getting stronger, and stronger, and stronger. He is an unbelievable fellow.

“Who knows where he will end up. We are just so lucky to have him riding for us.

“I’m in a great position looking in on teams of people working around these horses every day. I like to listen and observe them all but it is the lads that put all these teams together.

“We thought he was very good when he went to Ascot first time. He really was a baby, and we gave him a lot of time to recover. Then we went to the Curragh, and he won very impressively in a maiden. Seamus (Heffernan) said he was very good that time, so we decided to leave him alone. We had other horses in those other brackets so we decided to leave him alone and let him winter and start him in as lower grade as we could start him and that is what we did. I suppose the surprising thing about him is the progress he is making from race to race.

“He is getting more confident. He is getting stronger and bigger physically. Mentally, he is getting more professional. It is amazing what he is doing. He was a lot heavier today than when running at Ascot two weeks ago, which is unusual in a good way. It is very surprising what he is doing.

“The big thing is the lads love their racing and that is rising above everything else now. They

love going racing and thinking about those horses. It is becoming more of a love and a passion than it has ever been before. I can’t tell you how passionate they are about the racing.

“He is quicker than Giant’s Causeway, but his constitution is amazing too. Giant always ran at the same weight, but this horse is getting heavier. Physically he is doing very well.

“He has surprised us so much with every run. Seamus (Heffernan) rides him work every day and the last day he rode him he got off him and couldn’t talk. When those fellows that have ridden that many horses are getting that way it takes you back a little bit.”

“A superb performance from both horses,” John Gosden tells Lydia Hislop

www.racingtv.com

O’NEILL INJURED IN FALL

Dane O’Neill is expected to make a full recovery despite requiring surgery after sustaining fractured ribs and vertebrae in a fall at Wolverhampton on Tuesday.

O’Neill, 47, was stretchered off the course after unseating from his mount Eagle Eyed Tom as the stalls opened in the 1m1½f handicap, the first race on Wolverhampton’s afternoon card.

The race was swiftly halted and declared void while medical assistance was provided to O’Neill, who remained conscious throughout the initial treatment and journey to hospital.

“Following his fall at Wolverhampton Dane was treated on the track before being transported by the racecourse ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham,” O’Neill’s wife Laura wrote on social media on Wednesday morning.

CORAL-ECLIPSE WINNER’S SA CONNECTIONS

Star three-year-old Paddington, an impressive winner of Saturday’s Gr1 CoralEclipse, is the second son of star sire Siyouni in the past three years to win the Eclipse - a race whose past winners include subsequent South African stallions Mystery IX, Daylami, Twice Over and Oratorio. Siyouni, France’s Champion Sire of 2020 and 2021, is also the sire of 2021 Eclipse winner St Mark’s Basilica.

TThe last great hope for the Nureyev male line, Siyouni is currently the sire of this season’s Gr1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas/Gr1 Coronation Stakes winner Tahiyra.

His outstanding son Paddington, winner of his last six races in a row including this year’s Gr1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas and Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes, hails from a

classic family, and one which has been well represented in South Africa.

Paddington’s second dam Millionaia (Peintre Celebre) finished second in the Gr1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks), and her dam Moonlight Dance, winner of the Gr1 Prix Saint-Alary, produced Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes runner-up Fencing Master (Oratorio). The latter, who stood at the Hemel ‘N Aarde, left behind a few

Siyouni: Pivotal - Sichilla | Credit: Aga Khan Stud

smart performers, from limited opportunities, including Mauritian star Walls Of Dubrovnik and Zimbabwe Derby winner Solinski.

Moonlight Dance, a daughter of disappointing sire Alysheba, was a daughter of an even better race mare in the form of Madelia (Caro). Never beaten, Madelia won both the French 1000 Guineas and Oaks of her year in just a four-race career. At stud, Madelia’s offspring included the once-beaten Gr2 Mecca Dante Stakes winner Claude Monet (Affirmed), who retired to a forgettable stud career in South Africa.

Madelia was produced by the Tom Fool mare Moonmadness, whose Gr1 Prix Du Moulin de Longchamp winning son Mount Hagen was exported to South Africa. A son of the notoriously bad-tempered Bold Bidder, Mount Hagen, whose progeny overseas included Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas/Gr1 Eclipse winner Dickens Hill, failed to live up to expectations in South Africa but did sire the stakes winners Glowing Praise, Misty Peak and Nilgiri and he is also broodmare sire of champion and multiple

Gr1 winner Nhlavini (National Emblem).

Other members of this family to end up in South Africa include Peacetime (Nijinsky II), sire of champion Evening Mist and fellow Gr1 winners Golden Peak, Saintly Lady, Sweet Secret and Proud Pilgrim, and Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner Byword. The latter, like Millionaia sired by Peintre Celebre, made his mark as the sire of Gr1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes winner Camphoratus.

Paddington is out of French Listed winner Modern Eagle, whose outstanding sire Montjeu has also made quite an impression in South Africa.

Montjeu’s star son Camelot is sire of the game front running Crown Towers (winner of the 2021 Gr3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial), while Montjeu was responsible for South African graded stakes winners Wise Son and Gorongosa - dam of Gr3 Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup winner Shangani and dual Listed Aquanaut Handicap queen Chitengo, among others.

William Buick is looking to hold on to his slender lead | Credit: Doncaster Racecourse

BRITISH TITLES TIGHT AT HALFWAY

The 2023 racing season in Britain is nearing the half-way mark with the jockey and trainer titles very much up for grabs.

The Flat Jockeys Championship is decided on winners of both Flat and All-Weather races taking place from the Guineas Festival on 6th May to British Champions Day at Ascot on 21st October.

William Buick, the defending champion, has been churning out the winners over the past fortnight. His hot streak totals 16 wins from his last 55 rides and he is now in pole position to lift his second jockey’s title.

Two weeks ago, after a quiet Royal Ascot for Buick, veteran Joe Fanning was the unlikely leader in the jockeys’ title race, with Oisin Murphy second after a strong start to the season in his quest to regain his crown he lost while serving his lengthy 14-month suspension.

However, Buick has hit back in great style with wins for nine different trainers in the last fortnight, the majority for Appleby despite the season’s major prizes

so far eluding the Godolphin powerhouse.

Buick now holds the advantage from Murphy although it seems certain to swing back and forth over the next few months.

We could be in for a repeat of the 2021 battle between the pair, when the title went to the wire, and they could both continue to dominate for some time to come.

Officially, after Monday’s racing William Buick leads Oisin Murphy 47 to 42 with Joe Fanning now dropping into joint-third on 38 victories with Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand.

The Trainers Championship in Britain is judged on total prize money won from New Year’s Day to 31 December.

Reigning champion Charlie Appleby has had a poor start to the season by his lofty standards and is currently in sixth position,

just over £2 million behind father and son combination of John and Thady Gosden who lead with £3,484,242 courtesy of 64 wins and 136 placings.

Irish champion trainer Aidan O’Brien trails by £312,000, an incredible stat considering his stakes have been achieved from only 55 runners. Successful raids to marquee events at the top British tracks have yielded 12 victories

and 26 placings including star three-year-old Paddington following up on his victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes at the royal meeting with success in the Coral Eclipse at Sandown over the weekend.

Aidan O’Brien is £900,000 clear of third placed Andrew Balding who has had 76 wins from 433 runners. Newmarket conditioners Roger Varian and William Haggas complete the top five.

Zac Purton will continue his pursuit of Douglas Whyte’s towering Hong Kong career record for the most wins by a jockey after surpassing Joao Moreira’s mark for the most victories in a single season at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Further cementing his status among Hong Kong horseracing’s galaxy of stars, Purton eclipsed Moreira’s 2016/17 record of 170 wins from 710 rides with a quartet.

Purton drew level on 170 with his 689th ride with success on David Hall-trained Ka Ying Victory and then secured the outright record with his 171st win at his 693rd ride with Manfred Man-trained Magic Supreme’s victory in the Class 4 Arculli Trophy Handicap.

Purton crowned a landmark meeting in style by adding two more wins, striking with Hall’s Flying Mojito in the Class 4 Chow Silver Plate Handicap (1600m) and John Size’s Helios Express in the Class 3 Philip Chen Trophy Handicap (1200m) to boost his tally to 173.

Revealing he had ignored advice from a doctor regarding a foot issue at the start of the season, Purton finished the meeting with a total of 1 604 wins – a tally bettered only by 13-time champion jockey Whyte’s 1 813.

At 40, Purton plans to continue his Hong Kong career indefinitely, fitness permitting.

“My body will tell me how far I can go. Obviously, I will come back next season and strive to ride as many winners as I can and as long as I continue to get the support, then obviously my position will remain here for as long as that takes,” he said.

“If we have another good season next season, I won’t be too far off that (Whyte mark.) It’s a little

bit realistic (to break Whyte’s record) but at the end of the day, I’m getting a little bit older. It’s not as easy to get out of bed every day and I have listen to what my body tells me.”

Paying tribute to the owners, trainers and stable staff, Purton said: “It feels very satisfying. It’s been a long season. At the start of the season, I got told by a specialist I needed to put my foot in a moon boot for three months and I wasn’t allowed to put any weight on it – here I am, I didn’t follow that advice, obviously.

“I’ve worked hard and it hasn’t been smooth sailing all of the way. I sort of lost my focus through the mid-stage of the season with plenty of things that were going on. Once I cleared the fog and got my mind back onto the job, I was behind in the run chase there, I needed something to happen and fortunately for me, the ball started bouncing my way and it’s just continued to roll since.

“I appreciate all the support I get. The Club giving me the opportunity to come here, the owners and trainers who support me and also the people behind the scene – the mafoos, the track riders who prepare the horses and the people who give me the chance.

“It’s a team effort from everyone. I can stand up here and collect the accolades but I can’t do it without everyone else who plays their part… without their patience and support, I wouldn’t have been able to get to these numbers.”

In an incredible display of sustained dominance, Purton’s colossal season reached a peak with a seven-timer at Sha Tin on 9 October and has also included two quintets, eight four-timers and 18 trebles.

Hong Kong racing continues today with the final Happy Valley meeting of the season.

WATCH AKHTAR AT KRANJI ON SATURDAY

Trainer Jason Ong hopes that the King Power Stable-owned Akhtar can win on his Singapore debut in the SG$50,000 Class 4 race over 1100m on Saturday after Cavalry won in the same colours four days ago.

On Saturday, the much-touted Cavalry made his Kranji debut for trainer Michael Clements and won comfortably by one-

and-three-quarter lengths at Class 3 level over 1400m. The Taupo Cup (2000m) winner (when known as Tutukaka) and half-brother to Kiwi champion mare

Melody Belle has since been aimed at a second-up run in the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) on July 23.

Akhtar, on the other hand, arrived with less fanfare than Cavalry.

DECLARATIONOFPEACE (USA)

War Front - Serena’s Cat (Storm Cat)

Stands at MacRath Stud in Nottingham Road

• The son of brilliant American sire War Front has enjoyed two full books of mares in his first two years at stud, His mare book includes Gr1 producing mares such as Mystery Dame (Lady In Black and Nexus) and Bloomhill mare, Wysiwyg – the dam of Bohica and Bartholdi.

• A $2,6-million weanling who is a half-brother to Gr1 winner Honor Code and Gr2 winner Noble Tune, Declarationofpeace has also enjoyed significant support from breeders outside of the KZN province, with Cape mares travelling for cover.

• Declarationofpeace is throwing quality and size into his foals and his first yearlings will be on offer in the sales rings in 2024.

Service Fee: R 20 000 Live foal Enquiries and Booking: Mike McHardy (083 447 5315)

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DUBAI AUTHORITY TWEAKS SEASON

Horses from all over the world will be welcomed to Dubai for the entirety of the 2023-24 racing season, it has been confirmed.

Briefing global media and horse connections at a virtual press conference held last week, Major General Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Executive Director of Dubai Racing Club, explained more about the new format for the forthcoming season.

“The DRC management and board have decided to reshape racing in Dubai, to improve sustainability in line with what is happening in the region,” he said. “Today, many countries are going along with Dubai and the UAE by using racing to showcase their development, a journey which Dubai started much earlier.

“The Dubai Racing Carnival has now become

the whole season,” he added. “Horses can now come to Dubai from the start of the season until the Dubai World Cup.”

Al Adhab reiterated the minimum purse of AED165,000 for non-Stakes races, rising to more than AED1million for Group 1 races, while the Dubai World Cup meeting retains its overall purse of $30.5million. The new prize money levels represent a rise of 27 per cent on the 2022-23 season.

Stephanie Cooley, International Manager for DRC, explained more: “From an international perspective, we still have our quarantine facilities, plus trainers also have the option of

Credit: Dubai Racing Club

shifting over to a local stable,” she said. “It’s a more condensed season but we have retained all of the feature races and aligned them more with some of the bigger races in the region.”

Responding to queries from the assembled media and trainers, Erwan Charpy, Advisor to Dubai Racing Club, outlined the quarantine restrictions for the season regarding horses travelling from Europe.

“Horses trained in the UK have the option of 90 days temporary import, with the option of going in and out. They can also come on a permanent import and go back with a 30-day quarantine or go back as temporary import. There are discussions to get England to line up with the regulations in the European Union, as since BREXIT there is almost no problem with horses going back to the EU

without quarantine on a permanent import.

“The import certificate was previously just for the Dubai Racing Club, but now it is for the Middle East, which allows for more freedom of movement.”

The Executive Director was also keen to highlight the added entertainment element to the new-look season with two new feature race nights, Festive Friday, on December 22nd, and Fashion Friday, on January 26th, added to the programme. ‘Super Saturday’ retains its usual spot and will be held on March 2nd, 2024.

The 2023-24 racing season at Meydan Racecourse gets underway on Friday 10 November.

· Media release by Dubai Racing Club

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