SP Spring - Wednesday 23 November 2023 by Sporting Post

Wednesday 22 November 2023

THE COUNTDOWN… 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | 1

CONTENTS

THE COUNTDOWN 12 Return To HQ!

We are back at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth

30 Who Will Reign?

The Betway Summer Cup is upon us

69 The Big Sale On Sunday Are you buying?

105 Snaith’s Old Boy Strikes Back-to-best for son of Silvano

135 A Size-able Achievement

On the cover

A peep into our new-look Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the countdown to Sunday 26 November. Image kind courtesy of Troy Finch.

John Size seizes his 1500th win

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Issue: 51/2023

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IT’S BACK TO HQ

ON SUNDAY!

Cousin Casey wins the Gr2 Punters Cup in 2022 – on Saturday he bids for Betway Summer Cup glory | Credit: Chase Liebenberg

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A high-quality nine-race programme, headlined by the R500 000 Gr2 Cape Punters Cup, heralds the launch of the Cape Summer Festival Of Racing and marks Cape Racing’s highly anticipated return to a new-look Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday 26 November. 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | 7

With South Africa’s premier classic, the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, just over three weeks away, the Gr2 Cape Punters Cup hosts a field of ten promising sophomores, all with aspirations of a starting berth in the big one on 16 December.

The son of Rafeef bids to match strides with the likes of the Azzies’ Gr2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge third-placer Ready To Charge, and Candice Bass-Robinson’s powerful quartet, headed by Jerusalema Rain, a one-time conqueror of top 3yo Sandringham Summit!

The clash between Sean Tarry’s exciting Tail Of The Comet and Vaughan Marshall’s Gr3 Cape Classic winner Questioning, could provide an early insight on Sunday into the likely roll of the honours dice, as the summer unfolds.

Besides the blue-blooded horseflesh in action on the track, visitors can expect to experience an electrifying transformation at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, as Cape Racing takes Sportstainment to a whole new level!

There are five high class feature events on the 26 November programme, with the day starting at 12h20 as the gates fly open in the R200 000 The Futurity Plate, the opening 800m scurry of the Cape season.

The Cape’s most celebrated and historic racing playground is a work in progress, but already boasts upgraded facilities and a whole new racing experience, as stakeholders enjoy another chapter in the Racing Renaissance Cape Summer Season of Champions.

In the R225 000 City Of Cape Town Listed Sophomore Sprint, Dean Kannemeyer’s Gr2 winner Outlaw King carries top weight as he makes his season debut.

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Find all the news closer to raceday on www.sportingpost.co.za.

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COME AND EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF! 12 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

Every pic tells a story! | Credit: Troy Finch

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Every pic tells a story! | Credit: Troy Finch

The Cape Racing renaissance has unfolded at a frenetic pace in the fourteen months since South African horseracing’s largest corporate financial transaction first saw the light of day.

hosted by Cape Racing Chairman Greg Bortz last week, and while the photographs and a personal visit will inevitably always best tell the story, all we can say is that we had our literal collective breath taken away.

It was announced recently that the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board approved the acquisition of Kenilworth Racing (Pty) Ltd by Hollywood Sportsbook Holdings (Pty) Limited on 31 October 2023.

The alterations and changes are probably only 60% complete.

Cape Racing is now a proudly wholly-owned subsidiary of South Africa’s leading sportsbook operator Hollywoodbets, and innovation and changes in personnel, philosophy, policy and bricks and mortar, are well advanced following the approval of the underlying transaction by the Competition Commission in April of this year. The Sporting Post was treated to a site visit

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Veteran racing administrator Graeme Hawkins, who joined us on the tour, along with journalist Gary Lemke, called his first race at the Southern Suburbs track back in 1977, kept taking wrong turns – such is the enormity of the changes inflicted by the Bortz Bomb that has rocked local racing. From the biggest outside broadcast infield screen in Africa, to a new look public and owner experience and pure convenience, Flemington-style wrought iron arches, and a 1st,2nd,3rd pride of place at the front-of-house

winner’s enclosure, the electrifying visual impact of thoroughbreds on the turf are now a part of the show, with substantial architectural changes opening the building up to light and senses. The new entrance is starting to look more like a five-star hotel foyer, with television screens everywhere, and a stunning mural at the rear of the main grandstand lift shaft, changing the old feel of a home affairs waiting-room, to a genuinely hospitable entertainment – with a stylish vibe to match. There are the new grandstand chairs, substantial changes to the private suite area, new kitchens everywhere, including apparently Chef Ruben, and even the new running rails are on the water. One needs a team of short-hand scribes on a tour with the Renaissance Man that is Mr Bortz.

The entrepreneur greets all of the 400 plus odd construction guys on site, sorts out minor plumbing issues, and rattles at the rate of knots as he answers our questions about the new saddling area, high-tech security, parking, and plans for a leading family steak-house chain, restaurants, paddle courts, retailers and ICC style arenas to host thoroughbred sales, and maybe the likes of Coldplay and Bryan Adams. We haven’t mentioned the rest of the changes as it’s near impossible to take it all in. While there are bound to be teething issues – it’s a work in progress and features like the new state of the art sound equipment can only be truly tested in real time – why not pop in to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday and see it for yourself. The first is off at 12h20.

Every pic tells a story! | Credit: Troy Finch

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Every pic tells a story! | Credit: Troy Finch

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HOLLYWOODBETS v

KENILWORTH – A SPLENDID HISTORY

A familiar sight to many of us – the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth grandstand | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

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In 1874, the members of the South African Turf Club chose a site on the farm Kenilworth for the construction of a new racecourse – which means that next year in 2024, the foundation of the oldest racetrack in South Africa will celebrate 150 years. Robin Bruss writes that choosing a site on flat ground some 16 km from the existing Green Point track in Cape Town was a brave and inspired move because it was a fairly long journey for the public from the city centre. However, it was encouraged by the establishment of local municipalities and the development of the railway line from the city to Muizenberg which had begun in 1859. The South African Turf Club comprised around 40 members and already had a substantial history since it began in 1802 as the organizers of racing on Cape Town’s Green Point Common.

Remembering our history, the first Dutch colonists arrived in 1652 and found no indigenous horses at all and needing working horses for transport and pack animals, so they began importing horses on their shipping trade routes. Initially horses came from Java (now Indonesia) and others of Arabian strain from Persia (now Iraq), then in the 1700s the main supplier to South Africa was South America, whose origins were Spanish Andalusians. The first English horses only arrived in 1792. South Africa was a hardy country to breed remounts for the military and during the 1800s, horse breeding flourished. According to the British Bloodstock Breeders Review, thousands of Cape breds, were exported by boat in service of the British Empire. In the Crimean Wars (1853 to 1856) the allies British, Turkey and France on one side and Russia on the other battled for control of Crimea, later to become part of Ukraine, until wrestled back by Russia in more recent times.

Magical days of racing at Kenilworth in the 1930s | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

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Stanley Amos, Cookie Amos, Champion Trainer Syd Garret and Freddie Hayman pictured with Moonlit, who Stanley rode to victory at Kenilworth in the Met of 1938 carrying 145 lbs | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

The bulk of the horses used by the allies were known as Cape horses – and at least 450 were killed in the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade, made famous by Tennyson’s epic poem : “Theirs not to reason why/ Theirs but to do and die/, Into the valley of Death Rode the Six Hundred.” Cape horses reaching Basutoland (now Lesotho) and developed into the breed known as Basuto ponies, famed for their toughness and endurance and thousands were sent from Durban to India, plus the British discovered they were better than they own breeds and purchased 30,000 for use in the Boer Wars. It was therefore not surprising that the Governors of the Cape would enact laws to encourage the breeding and farming of horses and as the racing of thoroughbreds became the main social sport, the Government also provided £3,000 funding for the building of Kenilworth racecourse. The British had occupied the Cape Colony in 1795 and within two years, the first ‘African Turf

Club’ was raised by the British garrison with 29 members using military horses to race against each other. The race meetings were twice a year on Green Point Common and filled with social events culminating in a grand ball at the Turf Club House in Adderly Street. The Green Point common was stony and unfenced and also used for grazing cattle and a flag would be raised before the start to indicate the course for the race was clear to run. In 1814, it was decided something more formal was required and the Governor of the Cape Colony, Lord Charles Somerset, passed laws to protect the Green Point track and replaced the soldier’s Turf Club with a new one, The South African Turf Club with 40 members of higher social standing. Somerset imported thoroughbreds from England, started his own stud and became very successful on the turf as the leading owner. His name is commemorated in the Somerset Plate still run today.

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The great Horse Chestnut (Weichong Mawing up) won the 1999 Met by 8 lengths in front of 55,000 people, the all-time record attendance at Kenilworth| Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss v

In 1828, the first South African Derby was run in Cape Town, later to move to Johannesburg, and in 1861, Queen Victoria donated a silver plate for the inaugural Queens Plate, which in January will be run at for the 153rd time, now the L’Ormarins Kings Plate.

Construction of the oval shaped Kenilworth racecourse was completed by the end of 1881, and the first grandstand built. The first racemeeting was held in April 1882. The President of the South African Turf Club by then was Sir Hercules Robinson, who was also Governor of the Cape Colony, and the British High Commissioner – but also he was an ardent and active participant in racing as owner of the leading stable. It’s probably no surprise to record that the following year, 1883, saw the first running of The Metropolitan at Kenilworth as Cape Town’s 22 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

premier race and it was won by a four year old named Sir Hercules ! As towns sprang up throughout South Africa, horseracing spread to many country districts and new social Turf Clubs emerged – in Paarl, Uitenhage, Stellenbosch, Graaff-Reinet Grahamstown , Somerset West, Swellendam, George, Cradock, Port Elizabeth, Kimberly, Bloemfontein, and Natal, where the first meeting was held in 1844 in Pietermaritzburg. With the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, racing began in Johannesburg in the 1880s. The Johannesburg Turf Club was formed in 1887 and the flagship Turffontein Racecourse established in 1899. This means that in 2024, Turffontein will celebrate its 125th anniversary. By 1900, there were more than 100 Racetracks and Turf Clubs spread all over South Africa. By early 2000, corporatization and amalgamation were the buzzwords and the Turf Clubs ceaed to exist. The Jockey Club of South Africa had been founded in 1882. The Racing Calendar

recorded the results and the first General Stud Book was published in 1894. Kenilworth Racecourse and the South African Turf Club remained important because of its concentration of horse breeding in the Cape, but gold endowed Johannesburg hosted the richest racing for the next 125 years. It’s ironic that in 1996, some 109 years after its founding, the Johannesburg Turf Club was collapsed in favour of corporatization in the form of public company Phumelela which was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 2001. This caused the closure of all the Turf Clubs country wide on the grounds of being anachronistic and not needed in the modern era. The experiment of 20 years of corporatization of the sport failed as it focused on extracting shareholder dividends from gambling at the expense of the ethos of the Sport, and the collapse of the Clubs diminished the sport’s

support base. The newly formed Cape Turf Club and the restoration of Kenilworth racecourse as a multi purposed venue now sits at the heart of racing’s re-emergence, thank goodness. Whilst History is defined as the study of past events over time, it embraces so much more colour when we remember the great personalities that influenced and shaped events, and the great horses that graced the hallowed turf that is Kenilworth racecourse. In the past 140 years, how many starters have raced at Kenilworth ? Over a million ? And how many participants and fans have come through the turnstiles, to enjoy a day out and marvel at the spectacle and have a flutter on the outcomes. It’s stories might fill an overdue book with exciting tales of glorious victories, crushing losses, absolute triumph as well as despair,

Kenilworth in 1961 | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

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Eight of his 12 wins were at Kenilworth and apart from two Mets, he also won Top division up the Kenilworth 6 furlong straight conceding 46 lb (21 kg) to the best sprinters of the day. Travelling out of town, he won the Durban Syd Garret, uncle of future Champion Trainer Syd Laird, was known as the Wizard of ‘Roamer Merchants over 6 furlongs and the South African Derby at Turffontein over 12 furlongs. Lodge’ became a legendary trainer whose feats are a long way from being equaled. He won the Met at Kenilworth 11 times as well as “I rode many of the great horses for more than training four July winners, his apprentices were 50 years” said Stanley, “none of them would have lived with Moonlit, the greatest the Amos Brothers, Cookie, later to become a champion trainer himself, and Stanley, another of them all”. legend who started race riding at 14 and I recall in 1983 standing in the parade ring with continued until 65 years old, and finally retired owner Sydney Press and Stanley Amos, then after 72 years in racing. 64 years old and Sydney asked famed trainer Terrance Millard: “What qualifies this old man In 1938, Cookie rode Syd’s greatest horse Moonlit to win the 1938 Met in a canter carrying to ride my horse Gallantry?”. “His experience !” shot back Millard. And then the horse came 145 lbs (66kg), his second win in the race. out and won ! In between he was 2nd in the Met by a head to his stablemate, French bred Asbestos II Apart from Moonlit in the 1930s, the Syd (FR), ridden by Stanley carrying 32 bs less! Laird trained Sea Cottage, who won the 1966 Asbestos II later became 5 times Champion Queens Plate and Cape of Good Hope Derby Sire in South Africa. Cookie proclaimed in an interview with Charles Faull in 1987 that Moonlit at Kenilworth amongst his 20 wins, is regarded by most as the best horse to was a better horse than Sea Cottage or Hawaii have raced on the Kenilworth Turf. or any champions of the previous 50 years. glamour and fame, heartbreak and redemption in this amazing sport we all love. I choose to remember just a few:

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I never saw him run, but I was on hand when Politician, who won 11 Grade 1 races, won the Met for the second time back in 1979. The grandstand was so packed, I took an old wooden chair and put it at the back just under the rafters so I could stand on top and watch over the heads of the thousands who came to see Politician make history. Trainer Syd Laird was so excited he jumped astride the horse in the winner’s box! Foveros (1982), Wolf Power (1984), the great mares Olympic Duel (1991) and Empress Club (ARG) (1993), London News (1997) and the great Pocket Power’s unique treble for the Mike Bass stable (2007, 2008 and 2009) all remain deeply etched in the memory. Horse Chestnut’s majestic win in the 1999 J&B Met as a 3 year old by 8 lengths is the most memorable Met most of us ever saw – and I remember as part of the SABC commentary team noting that the 55,000 strong crowd was the largest ever and the gates of Kenilworth had to be shut early

as the House Full signs went up. This was Kenilworth’s heyday, and racing’s finest moment in Cape Town. The J&B Met Sponsorship which lasted over 30 years was not only the whisky brand’s biggest global event, it also yielded Cape Town’s biggest social and sporting event every year with the students of UCT enjoying the biggest open air party of the year and many becoming hooked on the racing game thereafter. Those of us who have been around a long time, miss those glory days of racing, packed stands and public adulation of the horses. But in witnessing the tour de force that is Greg Bortz and his team at Cape Racing, with the incredible support of Hollywoodbets, and L’Ormarins Kings Plate and other sponsors, it is a sense of excitement and pride that ripples through all of us as we head into the 150th anniversary of its founding, in the sure knowledge that Kenilworth’s best days are on their way back.

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R10 MILLION PICK 6 PROJECTED!

WHO WILL REIGN IN SUMMER?

Puerto Manzano wins the Summer Cup in 2022 under Keagan de Melo | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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With a projected R10 million Pick pool and ten high quality races on the afternoon, Turffontein will be the spotlight destination on Saturday as the stake boosted R5 million Betway Gr1 Summer Cup takes pride of place on a card that gives racing fans plenty to think about. While top 3yo Sandringham Summit looks the obvious Pick 6 banker bet when he steps out in the Jonsson Workwear Gr2 Dingaans, the rest of the exotic bet looks decidedly tricky, and no less than the headline feature where 20 runners bid for a career-defining R2 875 000 first cheque. Geoff Woodruff’s Master Sabina is the last horse to register a double when winning the big one under Gavin Lerena in 2015 and 2016. Johan Janse van Vuuren’s Argentinian-bred trojan bids to emulate that feat and it is Gavin Lerena, in the absence of Hong Kong-based Keagan de Melo, who will do the honours. Mike de Kock, who bids for a magical tenth Summer Cup, and Sean Tarry have trained five Summer Cup winners each this century, with Tarry holding the current form power, having saddled four of the last six winners.

The duo again hold the aces with seven of the 20 runners between them. Tarry’s trio is headed by former Cape star Cousin Casey, who found his form with a nice second placed effort behind Puerto Manzano in the Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile at his first start for his new yard. Richard Fourie rides Bless My Stars, one of two fairer sex gallopers in the 2023 renewal, alongside the Azzie’s Lady Of Power. Summer Pudding was the last filly to raise the Summer Cup trophy, when she scored in 2020. Mike de Kock has waited a possibly ‘lucky’ thirteen years since Flirtation powered home in 2010 for his last Cup winner. The veteran saddled his five 21st Summer Cup winners over nine renewals, in the halcyon days, that commenced in 2001.

Winchester Mansion – bids for the Hollywoodbets Durban July | Credit: Chase Liebenberg

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His quartet is headed by Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner Safe Passage, who ran second behind Puerto Manzano last year. He could be the dark horse under Louis Mxothwa. Another interesting runner is Brett Crawford’s 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Winchester Mansion, who like Safe Passage, competes in the Drakenstein blue. The son of Trippi stayed on well for fourth in the Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile in his prep start, and will be the first horse this century to achieve the Durban July-Summer Cup double were he to win. The only visiting trainers in the line-up are Brett Crawford, who saddles Winchester Mansion and local runner Billy Bowlegs, and Nathan Kotzen, who brings the dark horse Royal Victory up from KZN. The Hollywood Syndicate will be hoping that 2022 Gr 1 WSB SA Classic winner Anfields Rocket can find his very best form.

The son of Coup de Grace has had a gallop since his 9,90 length fifth in the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m Maroun told Turf Talk that he was happy with the draw at 10. “The horse is pretty fit, he’s very well, he’s very sound and I am very confident he will run a big race. He’s won the Classic over 1800m on Turffontein Standside and he’s run his best races there.” Anfields Rocket also won the Gr 3 Allied Steelrode Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m on Turffontein Standside and finished a staying on third in the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m there. He stayed on resolutely from midfield in the SA Classic after being left alone from draw two. The Betway Summer Cup is scheduled for a 15h35 start.

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ATTICUS FINCH

– GO CLOSE IF HE STAYS! Atticus Finch wins the Betway Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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is famous Dad Syd always told him to ‘keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut’ during an apprenticeship at the Alberton stables that has produced a generation of champions. It’s been seventeen long summers since Randjesfontein-based Alec Laird saddled the Rakeen colt Malteme to beat Likeithot under Guilermo Figueroa and seal the honours in the then Steinhoff-sponsored Summer Cup under the now retired Brett ‘Bart’ Smith. A man who hails from one of South Africa’s most respected racing families, Laird’s 2023 Betway Summer Cup aspirations on Saturday lie with the Varsfontein-bred Master Of My Fate gelding Atticus Finch. A 4yo who has won his last four races on the trot, culminating in the Betway Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes, it’s his biggest test to date!

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A revelation since gelding, the big question mark against Atticus Finch, currently at around 6-1 with Hollywoodbets, is whether he will stay the 2000m, which he tries for the first time. As previously noted, Atticus’ sire Master Of My Fate (Jet Master) injects sufficient stamina to get the trip. His damsire is Caesour who sired the likes of Irridescence, winner of the Gr1 QE II Cup in Hong Kong over 2000m, as well as Regal Ransom, winner of the Gr1 Champions Challenge over the Summer Cup course and distance. Atticus Finch’s dam Alexia was an unplaced maiden, but she is very well related, being the dam of Saturday’s Merchants fancy Main Defender’s dam Alessia (Judpot), as well as being a full sister to two stakes winners and a half-sister to two others.

Drawn perfectly at 6 on Saturday, Atticus Finch will be ridden by Calvin Habib, who won this race in 2021 on Flying Carpet. And, while Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry, with 14 trophies between them, are the Summer Cup big-hitters, the veteran Alec Laird is overdue to win it again. Let’s face it, Malteme in 2006 feels like a lifetime away! It’s been a long road in the Sport Of Kings and fascinating to reflect that Alec was close to turning 1 when his legendary Dad saddled 40-1 outsider Kerason who just got his nose in front under jockey G Walker to deny the Oppenheimer-owned Hengist, for the first of 7 Syd Laird winners in the Durban July.

“He insisted on going to Cape Town on his own – he had no assistant and was doing it all himself. He had a heart attack and dropped dead in Barn 6 on 8 February. I had to go down and sort everything out. Mill Hill was scheduled to run in the Rex Trueform at Kenilworth – it’s an 1800m race that isn’t on the programme anymore. She ran and she won and that was the first winner in my name. That was on 20 February. The owners were wonderful – they simply made out the cheques to me and that was it.” Mill Hill started it 35 years ago. Atticus Finch could continue the legacy on Saturday.

Alec saddled London News on that welldocumented groundbreaking international conquest to win the Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in Hong Kong in 1997 – an event on a par with the Springboks’ 1995 World Cup victory, for SA racing at the time.

Alec just smiles at the suggestion that he’s so often been referred to as ‘Syd’s son’ or ‘London News’ trainer’. Looking back, Alec told the Sporting Post that his best times in the early years were when Dad was away raiding Cape Town or Durban, because that’s when he got to try out his own ideas and that’s when he learnt the most. “The first time he went away, I overworked the horses. We discussed it when he got back and I realised he was right. The second time, I underworked them. Eventually I got it right. There were no cell phones in those days, so while he was away, I had to wait till the end of the day to phone and say how things went. I loved phoning him when we’d had a winner.” Syd was in Cape Town for the 1988 Guineas with a filly called Mill Hill, when he died of a heart attack.

Alec Laird – old school horseman with a grounding of gold Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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GIRLS LOVE THE SUMMER! 42 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

‘Silvano’s impact on the Summer Cup has been profound and there is every chance that he may extend his influence on the race in the sphere of broodmare sire. He is after all the damsire of Bless My Stars, who will bid to become the fifth female winner this coming weekend’ Champion Summer Pudding wins the big one | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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It’s a bit of an early Christmas this weekend at venerable Turffontein, which plays host to a sumptuous feast of stakes events topped by the main event, the R5-million Gr1 Betway Summer Cup. This year’s renewal raises a number of intriguing questions. Can Puerto Manzano make it back-to-back victories from a wide draw? On recent form, the Argentinian-bred appears to set the standard for his 19 rivals at this, his favourite racetrack, where he warmed up for the 2000m race with a defeat of fellow Cup contender Cousin Casey in the Gr2 Allied Steelrode-Onamission Charity Mile. Third place went to Gimmethegreenlight filly Bless My Stars, who also rates amongst the fancied runners for Saturday’s showpiece race. Members of the fairer sex have been no strangers to Summer Cup success

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since the start of the new millennium. In 2005, Mary Slack’s champion grey Ilha Da Vittoria claimed the honours with a sublime performance which saw her hack up by an imperious five lengths. It was a sweet victory for the Mike de Kock-trained mare, as she had finished third to Tyson the previous year. She went on to defeat the champion Beckowned mare Overarching in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut before handing champion Jamaica an almost three-length drubbing in the Gr2 Gommagomma Challenge. Runner-up in both the Gr1 J&B Met and the Gr1 Paddock Stakes, she ended her five-yearold season as the country’s Joint Horse of the

Year, sharing honours with another grey, the lightning-fast filly National Colour. De Kock reinforced his standing as the undisputed Cup King when he won the 2010 renewal for the eighth time with the filly Flirtation. In an all female finish, the daughter of Silvano ran down stable companion Mother Russia to score going away in what was by far the biggest pay day of her career. St John Gray’s champion Dancewiththedevil continued the female stranglehold when she stormed to victory twelve months later under Gavin Lerena. A champion miler, her form over

1600m was beyond reproach and there were many who doubted her ability over the extra quarter mile. Needless to say, she comprehensively silenced her critics and made light work of the 2000m trip with a breathtaking last-to-first victory. Nine years went by before another distaffer stepped into the winner’s box, and it could not have been a more worthy winner. Champion Three-year-old Filly and Horse of the Year Summer Pudding backed up against the boys with an unblemished eight-race streak in tow, which included the Triple Tiara and the Gr1 Woolavington Stakes.

Summer Puddings | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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Dancewiththedevil | Credit: Supplied

Trained by Paul Peter, this fourth-generation Mauritzfontein homebred proved invincible and made it nine wins on the trot with a resounding 2.50 length victory. The result proved yet another triumph for members of the fairer sex, for she was followed home by the year-older filly Running Brave. It was also a back-to-back success for Silvano, who had sired the previous year’s winner Zillzaal. In fact, it was the former Maine Chance powerhouse’s second Summer Cup double, as Flirtation’s victory came twelve months after Sean Tarry’s future champion Aslan had prevailed under Felix Coetzee. Although Summer Pudding subsequently lost her unbeaten record in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes, she redeemed herself in the Gr2 Colorado King and Gr1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes. That was her second top level success of the season and fourth overall, which earned her an Equus award as Champion Older Filly/Mare. Summer Pudding is now roaming the hallowed Mauritzfontein paddocks 46 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

with her first foal, a Rafeef filly at her side. As the sire of a quartet of winners, Silvano’s impact on the Summer Cup has been profound and there is every chance that he may extend his influence on the race in the sphere of broodmare sire. He is after all the damsire of Bless My Stars, who will bid to become the fifth female winner this coming weekend. A strong case can be made for last season’s champion three-year-old filly, as she brings into the race an enviable form line. A Gr1 winner of the SA Fillies Classic, she made heads turn with an excellent third in the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, before winning the Gr2 Gold Bracelet. Her Charity Mile third when beaten a shade under a length, was an excellent pipe opener, considering it came off a 90 day break and over a distance patently short of her best. Knowing Sean Tarry, he will have her razor sharp come Saturday and besides, she jumps from near the rail and will again have the services of ace jockey Richard Fourie.

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Billy Bowlegs – classy son of Gailileo’s son of The United States | Credit: JC Photos

GALILEO AND THE SUMMER

One of the most striking aspects of the field for the 2023 Gr1 Betway Summer Cup is the role played by the legendary stallion Galileo. Galileo is either paternal grandsire or maternal grandsire of five of the 20 runners in Saturday’s renewal. His son The United States is responsible for the Summer Cup hopefuls Billy Bowlegs and East Coast, with another Galileo horse, Flying The Flag, sire of Summer Cup starter Electric Gold.

The 2022 Gr1 WSB SA Derby winner Aragosta was produced by the Galileo mare Miss Galidora, a half-sister to French classic winner and sire Clodovil (Danehill) and Gr3 Gordon Richards Stakes winner Colombian (Azamour), while last season’s Gr1 WSB Classic winner Anfields Rocket is out of Galileo’s daughter Milla’s Rocket.

Galileo, the leading Broodmare Sire in Britain for 2023, is also broodmare sire of a pair of Summer Cup runners in the form of Aragosta (Rafeef) and Anfields Rocket (Coup De Grace) respectively.

The latter, also dam of Listed Winter Juvenile Stakes winner Counts Rocket, hails from the same family as now retired star Westover, whose sire Frankel, like Milla’s Rocket, was sired by Galileo.

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Galileo’s own sire Sadler’s Wells plays an even more notable role in the pedigrees of runners in this year’s Summer Cup. Sadler’s Wells is broodmare sire of the inform Pathfork, who is represented in the 2023 Summer Cup by his dual Gr2 Allied Steelrode Onamissionmile winning son Bingwa, as well as by last out Listed PinkDrive Michaelmas Handicap winner Royal Victory. Sadler’s Wells’ Gr1 Grand Prix de Paris winning son Fort Wood is broodmare sire of 2023 Summer Cup runners Lady Of Power and Second Base. Fort Wood mare Rippling Star ranks as the

granddam of Summer Cup entrant Son Of Raj (Duke Of Marmalade), with another Sadler’s Wells son, Casey Tibbs, damsire of former Equus Champion and Summer Cup hope Cousin Casey. Yet another son of Sadler’s Wells, Doowaley, is broodmare sire of former Gr3 Victress Stakes winner Star Express, the dam of champion and Summer Cup runner, Bless My Stars. Summer Cup hope East Coast is inbred to the all-conquering Sadler’s Wells, with his sire The United States a grandson of the mighty stallion and his dam Wisdom Stone (Dalakhani) a daughter of the Sadler’s Wells mare Watership Crystal.

Legendary stallion Galileo | Credit: JC Photos

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South African bred Hawaii (b.c. Utrillo II - Ethane), Champion 3 year old of 1969 pictured at Summerveld with Raymond Rhodes up | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

‘With 21 wins in 26 starts, Hawaii was thoroughly tested for speed, stamina, character, toughness, soundness and durability in two hemispheres and two continents’

HAWAII (SAF) AND THE SEARCH FOR GREATNESS 52 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

ustify, unbeaten Triple Crown winner and the 2023 Champion Sire of 2 Year Olds in USA has South African bred Hawaii on both sides of his pedigree.

winners in Hard to Justify and Just FYI.

Robin Bruss writes that it’s more than 50 years since Hawaii became one of the legends of the turf winning 15 of his 18 starts in South Africa before going to race in America and winning 6 of his 10 starts to become Champion Grass Horse of 1970 and retiring to stud to make his mark in history by siring, amongst others, the English Derby winner, Henbit.

But have you ever wondered how he came to be bred, and what lesson we can learn in the hope that we may breed his like again?

Hawaii (1964 by Utrillo-Ethane) made an indelible mark in our history, a pantheon of greatness whose influence has stretched globally.

Hawaii now figures on both sides of the pedigree of another great horse, the unbeaten 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify, whose global success has yielded 4 Group 1 winning two year olds this year: In Europe, Justify sired the unbeaten Champion City of Troy as well as France’s Champion 2 Year Old filly, Opera Singer. In America, this month, he sired two 2023 Breeders Cup Juvenile

Let’s start the story at the beginning: Ethyl (1936) by Clustine out of Armond (GB) was bred in Colesberg by Allan Robertson, Chairman of both the TBA and the Jockey Club and was raced by owner/trainer, Joe Azzie, older brother of legendary trainer George. Records show that George started training in 1922, so the Azzie dynasty has been continuously in horseracing for more than 100 years. Ethyl was spectacularly fast and precocious, a speedball juvenile who won her debut in October over 4 furlongs. Five weeks later she

The only unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify | Credit: Coolmore

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won again over 4 furlongs, this time against 30 runners. It was apparent that she was the fastest juvenile on the Rand and she aimed for the SA Nursery Plate against the colts. It was run on Boxing day, December 26, and not in April as it is now.

from 13 runners, produced 11 prolific, sound, tough, durable winners who won a staggering 96 races between them. Amongst them were two Champion Colts, Hawaii and his halfbrother William Penn (16 wins, from 5f to 10f, including the Merchants H. and Chairmans S. at 6f, the SA Guineas at a mile., and the Champion Stakes and the Cape Met at 10f – “He is the best looking, and raced until he was 11 smartest, best dispositioned, years old).

Ethyl gave the colts a galloping lesson, skating home by 3.5 lengths to complete her hat trick. As there were no feature events for fillies, her next and best actioned horse I start as a 2 year old was There were also two in a top division handicap have ever had” said Hall of Stakes Winning full sisters against older horses – and to William Penn named Fame American trainer Mack she remained there racing Ethylwood (who won 9 against colts, winning 10 Miller later on. “There was no races) and Entrance (who Top division handicaps. won 8), both brilliantly fast way to fault him” She was brilliantly fast, juvenile stakes winners eminently sound, durable, who extended their speed and consistent and the best sprinting filly of her to middle distances as older horses. time – admirable qualities to take forward as a broodmare. What made Ethane such a phenomenon at stud when she managed only one win herself? Robertson mated Ethyl to the new sire Mehrali (GB) (1939) an English sprinter, which Generally, the breed advances on the basis Timeform’s Phil Bull described as “one of the of racing class, but it has become a common fastest sprinters in Great Britain and should factor that a daughter of two champion parents, have won the 5f Nunthorpe Stakes but for often transmits their genes. The class jumps facing the wrong way when the starting tapes a generation - and in Ethane’s case, the pure went up!”. Mehrali (GB) was bred by The Aga speed proved the lightning rod which enabled Khan, by English Derby winner Mahmoud out her progeny to have success. of Una and therefore half-brother to British 2000 Guineas winner Palestine. Of all the many Stakes Winners that descend from her, only Hawaii managed to win Graded It was expected that the Mehrali - Ethyl Stakes beyond 2000m. combination would be a flyer. Named Ethane (1947), she was sold at the Rand Easter Sales In 1963, Archie Dell imported a new stallion 1949 to JA Carney to race in Cape Town. She named Utrillo II, who had been bred by the was precocious, winning her second start over famous Federico Tesio, breeder of the peerless 1000m as a 2 year old in December, but her champions Nearco and Ribot, at his Dormello racing career fizzled and after 14 starts, she Farm in Italy. passed into the hands of Archie Dell’s Platberg Stud in Colesberg. Utrillo was an above average racehorse, but quite far removed from top class. Unraced at Ethane was destined to become one of 2 years, he won 6 of his 9 starts as a three year the great mares of South Africa breeding, old in Italy and England and was 3rd in the becoming Broodmare of the Year 1968 and Italian Guineas. His sire Toulouse Lautrec had 54 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

won Italy’s older horse championship race, the Gran Premio de Milano (over 15 f.) whilst his dam was by the Ascot Gold Cup (20 f.) winner Alycidon. Utrillo was bred to be a supreme stayer, but he only won below a mile.

Hawaii was a very beautiful yearling and 1966, the yearling sales were held at Milner Park in the Agricultural Showgrounds in central Johannesburg. Today, it’s the location of Wits University.

Mating the proven speed mare Ethane to the young stallion Utrillo was an effort to help the stallion get started at stud. The resulting foal, Ethane’s 11th produce was born when she was 17 years old and became her very best champion Hawaii.

Yearlings were judged by a panel on conformation back then and a rosette awarded to the “Champion Show Yearling”. The award went to Hawaii, and one of the three judges was George Azzie, who backed his judgement by buying Hawaii for his biggest patron, the American magnate Charles Engelhardt for 4,300 Guineas, the third highest price.

For Utrillo, Hawaii was an exception, proving that any stallion can get one champion in a lucky break. He covered an average of just 10 mares per year through 12 crops to produce 128 foals – just under half, 56 managed a win. Hawaii was his only Gr 1 winner.

Perhaps predictably for a grandson of speedball sprinters Mehrali and Ethyl, Hawaii was in the first juvenile race of the season over 4 furlongs in October. He won by 7 lengths. 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | 55

Then he won SA Nursery on Boxing Day by 8 lengths, the East Rand Juvenile S. over 5 furlongs at odds of 1/10 by 8 lengths in new track record time 57,5 sec. and the African Breeders Plate over 6 furlongs in Durban. “Here is a 2 year old” wrote columnist Allan Breck “who in time will equal the feats of the Giants of the South African turf”. And then, in his next start, he got beat. It was the Champion Nursery at Greyville over 7 furlongs and he was only 3rd. Did he not stay? Was he all about speed inheritance? When would the Tesio stamina breeding of his sire kick in? Azzie silenced doubters of Hawaii’s class when he ran him 17 days later over 6 furlongs in a B Division handicap at Clairwood. The handicapper set him an impossible task. He was a 2 year old and had to concede 20 lbs to Young David, a 5 year old winner of 6 races. Hawaii was 38 lbs worse off than WFA. He still won by 6 lengths. This is equivalent to an 18 length beating of older horses.

What had just happened? Horses don’t do this. It was the emergence of a superstar. Over the next 9 months he won his next 8 starts in a row, many of them by 6 lengths and 8 lengths margins. He was the first and only horse to win the three Guineas: The Royal Reserve Guineas in Johannesburg, the Cape Guineas in Cape Town and SA Guineas in Durban. Hot favourite for the 1968 Durban July handicap over 2100m, he had a big weight and it even with the 3000m stamina influence of his grandsire Toulouse Lautrec in his pedigree, he finished only fourth two lengths off the winner and his jockey proclaiming he didn’t get the trip. But the handicap weights also told a story. The 33/1 winner Chimboraa was a 5 year old carrying 98 lbs. Hawaii met him on 23 lbs (10 lengths) worse terms than WFA and therefore he ran an 8 lengths better race than the winner. William Penn came in second.

Flashback to 1968 - Hawaii in the winners box with trainer George Azzie and jockey Raymond Rhodes, assisted by apprentice Marty Schoeman. George Azzie is grandfather to current trainer Michael Azzie and great grandfather to Adam Azzie, four generations of horse trainers spanning over 100 years | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

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Hawaii’s top-class brother William Penn | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

George Azzie backed Hawaii up 21 days later in the Clairwood Winter Handicap over 1800m., and Hawaii slaughtered the best older horses in the country by 3 lengths. Three weeks later, the Champion Stakes was his 10th start in 11 months, and memorably, he and his brother William Penn fought out the finish, with William Penn prevailing in a photo, Hawaii weakening in the last few strides at 2000m.

a world class Timeform 131 rating, the title of Champion Turf Horse in America and a $1,2 million stud syndication, Hawaii established a global reputation in USA for himself and for South Africa. With a total of 21 wins in 26 starts, he was thoroughly tested for speed, stamina, character, toughness, soundness and durability in two hemispheres and two continents.

Engelhard decided to take Hawaii to America and prove him against the best in the world. His farewell race in South Africa was the Transvaal Champion Stakes over 6 furlongs. At 1/5 favourite, he coasted home by 4 lengths to rousing cheers and then it was on to America.

More importantly, as he got older and matured, he relaxed more in his races, holding his speed in reserve for the finishing burst, and was able to stretch out further and win the United Nations S. (Gr 1) at 9,5 furlongs, and in winning the Man O War S. (Gr 1) at Belmont Park in New York over 12 furlongs, he laid the stamina ghost to rest.

“He is the best looking, smartest, best dispositioned, and best actioned horse I have ever had” said Hall of Fame American trainer Mack Miller later on. “There was no way to fault him” With Six wins in 10 races, two Group 1 wins,

Now fully loaded with Speed AND Stamina on his CV, he was recognized for greatness: the complete horse. Standing at Kentucky’s famous Claiborne Farm, 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | 57

Hawaii wins the Gr1 Clairwood Winter Handicap in 1968 as a 3yo defeating the Met and Queens Plate winner Peter Beware Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

who in the 1970s stood 18 stallions from 9 different countries, sourced from around the world in the belief that mixing international bloodlines created a type of ‘hybrid vigour.’ Hawaii’s stud record produced some admirable statistics. However, he always covered small books of mares, never had more than 25 foals in a crop, and his record and legacy speak volumes for his modest level of support at stud. He sired 73% winners to runners, and an impressive 13% of his runners won Stakes Races, where the breed average is 3%. He sired 34 Stakes Winners who won 56 stakes races and they excelled on turf. For all the speed Hawaii showed, his three best turf runners produced a first, a second and a third place in the English Derby at 12 furlongs. His son Henbit won the 1980 Derby, a landmark achievement for a South African 58 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

bred sire. His daughter Sun and Snow won the Kentucky Oaks and he was earmarked as a Classic stallion. Relationship to JUSTIFY: On the SIRE half of Justify’s pedigree is Island Kitty (1976), a Gr 1 placed daughter of Hawaii who produced the Gr 1 Saratoga Hopeful Stakes winner Hennessy, who later became the sire of Breeders Cup Champion 2 Year old Johannesburg, the grandsire of JUSTIFY. On the DAM half of Justify’s pedigree is Sailaway (1976), who achieved fame by becoming the grandam of 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Lil E Tee, and 3rd dam of Ghostzapper, the world’s best racehorse 2004, winner of 5 Gr 1 races, $3,4 million and sire of 98 SW who earned $120 million. It was a Ghostzapper mare that foaled Justify,

whose 6 starts yielded 6 wins including the American Triple Crown and who stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in America. This month, a Ghostzapper filly, Goodnight Olive, winner of two Breeders Cup Sprints Gr.1, sold for $6 million at the Fasig Tipton Sale, to be the highest selling mare in the world in 2023.

cheekily reflect for just a moment: If it wasn’t for Hawaii and South African breeding, this year’s juvenile champions of Europe, France and the USA and the $6 million mare, would not exist! The question for us at home in South Africa to answer now is, how do we repeat it? The Author

The exceptionally big powerful Justify is rapidly attaining the status one of the world’s elite stallions – he is the first American sire to produce four Gr.1 winning juveniles in a single crop since legendary Mr Prospector almost 40 years ago.

The Sporting Post recently welcomed Robin Bruss as a guest columnist.

The double line of Hawaii in Justify’s pedigree is far back and the influence might be marginal depending on your view of distant linebreeding. But, it still gives every South African pause to

He has been involved with the sport all of his life, as a Gr1 winning owner and breeder, agent, auctioneer, journalist, television presenter, researcher, administrator and consultant.

Robin is a widely respected industry expert and a man with an encyclopaedic knowledge of horseracing and breeding.

Hawaii on parade before winning the South African Guineas | Credit: Courtesy of Robin Bruss

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EXPERT EYE

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EXPERT EYE (GB) | 2015 | 16 hh v

Try My Best

Waajib Coryana

Royal Applause Auction Ring

Flying Melody Whispering Star

ACCLAMATION

Lorenzaccio

Ahonoora Helen Nichols

Princess Athena Floribunda

Shopping Wise Sea Melody Danzig

Danehill Razyana

Dansili Kahyasi

Hasili Kerali

EXEMPLIFY

Mr Prospector

Distant View Seven Springs

Quest To Peak Nureyev

Viviana Nijinsky Star

Northern Dancer Sex Appeal Sassafras Rosolini Bold Bidder Hooplah Sound Track Peggy West Klairon Phoenissa Martial Quaker Girl Princely Gift Astrentia Tudor Minstrel Cowes Northern Dancer Pas De Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Ile De Bourbon Kadissya High Line Sookera Raise A Native Gold Digger Irish River La Trinite Northern Dancer Special Nijinsky II Chris Evert

the G1 Middle Park Stakes (1200m), G1 Haydock Sprint Cup (1200m), G2 Gimcrack Stakes (1200m) and G3 Coventry Stakes (1200m). Royal Applause is also the broodmare sire of multiple G1 winner Blue Point. Acclamation won the G2 Diadem Stakes and was placed in the G2 Temple Stakes, G2 King’s Stand Stakes (behind Choisir, beating Oasis Dream), and the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes (behind Oasis Dream). Acclamation has sired some of the best sprinter/milers of recent times - Battaash, Harry Angel, Real World, Mecca’s Angel, Romantic Warrior, Equiano, Marsha (sold for a record 6 million guineas as a filly in training), Harbour Watch, Aclaim, Dark Angel, Mehmas, etc. Acclamation has founded his own ‘sire-line’, and is the sire of current leading sires Dark Angel, Mehmas and Harry Angel - Dark Angel’s 2023 stud fee is €60,000, and Mehmas’ stud fee is also €60,000.

SIRE: ACCLAMATION

ACCLAMATION went on to prove himself a leading sprinter before becoming Champion First Season Sire. He subsequently achieved great success at stud and went on to sire G1 producing sons and daughters, which heaps enormous credit on this son of Royal Applause. Acclamation was bred to be precocious - his dam Princess Athena won the G3 Queen Mary Stakes (1000m), and his sire Royal Applause won 62 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

BROODMARE SIRE: DANSILI

DANSILI was Champion Sire in France in 2006 and has become an exceptional broodmare sire producing group winners Nezwaah, Cliffs Of Moher, Chicquita, Time Test, Snow Sky, Agent Murphy, Astaire, Dream Of Dreams, Naval Crown, Danon The Kid, Uni, etc. His successful sire sons include Bated Breath, Zoffany, Harbinger, etc. Dansili (stud fee £65,000), was pensioned in 2018, and his influence will be felt for many years to come through his sons and daughters.

FEMALE LINE 1st Dam EXEMPLIFY (Dansili) - winner at 2. Dam of 6 winners incl: EXPERT EYE (Acclamation), won 5 races, £1,369,751 in GB and USA at 2 and 3 years, Breeders’ Cup Mile G1, Vintage S G2, Jersey S G3, City of York S G3; 2nd Sussex S G1, Greenham S G3; 3rd Prix du Moulin G1, from 10 starts. TFR 124. Sire. Duty Of Care (Kingman), 4 wins in GB. Invigilate (Acclamation), 2 wins in Germany. 2nd Dam QUEST TO PEAK (Distant View) - raced once. Dam of 6 winners: SPECIAL DUTY (Hennessy), Champion 2yo Filly in Europe. Champion 2yo Filly in France & GB. 4 wins 2 at 2 from 11001600m, £323,589, €434,240, Poule d’Essai des Pouliches G1, Cheveley Park S G1, The One Thousand Guineas G1, Prix Robert Papin G2; 2nd Prix Morny G1, Prix Yacowlef L; 3rd Prix Imprudence G3. Dam of: TASK FORCE (Frankel), 2 wins at 2 in 2023, Champion 2yo Trophy L. ELEGANT VERSE (Galileo), 2 wins including Prix Dirickx L. Structure, dam of: Snow House (Twirling Candy), 2 wins; 3rd Dwyer S G3, Carle Place S L. South Bank (Tapit), 2nd Prix Yacowlef L. Presidency (Oasis Dream), Champion Male Sprinter in Spain. 7 wins to 1400m, €170,650; 3rd Prix Servanne L; 4th Prix de RisOrangis G3. Ventoux (Galileo), winner at 2400m in France. Dam of: Colombier (Kingman), 2 wins at 1600m, 2000m in 2023; 3rd Prix Daphnis G3.

3rd Dam VIVIANA (Nureyev) - 3 wins at 2000m, incl Prix des Tuileries L, Prix Mélisande L; 2nd Prix de Psyché G3. Sister to Willstar (dam of ETOILE MONTANTE, UNO DUO), three-quarter-sister to DANCE DREAMER, half-sister to REVASSER, HOMETOWN QUEEN (dam of BOWMAN’S BAND). Dam of 5 winners: SIGHTSEEK (Distant View), Joint second top filly on The 2003 International 4YO+ Classification. 12 wins from 1200m to 1800m, $2,445,216, Beldame S G1 (twice), Ruffian H G1, Ogden Phipps H G1 (twice), Go For Wand H G1, Humana Distaff H G1, Rampart H G2, Top Flight H G2, Raven Run S G3; 2nd Santa Margarita H G1, Santa Monica H G1, Go for Wand H G1, La Canada S G2. Dam of: Raison d’Etat (AP Indy), 2 wins; 3rd Discovery Handicap G3. Sire. TATES CREEK (Rahy), 11 wins from 1100m to 2000m, $1,471,674, Yellow Ribbon S G1, Gamely H G1, Diana H G2, Las Palmas H G2, San Gorgonio H G2, Noble Damsel H G3, Jenny Wiley S G3, Finlandia Cup H L; 2nd John C Mabee H G1, Just A Game H G3. Dam of: SPIRIT RIDGE (Nathaniel), 7 wins, Summer Cup G3, Premier’s Cup G3; 2nd Sky High S G3, Premier’s Cup G3, Tattersall’s Cup G3; 3rd Hobart Cup G3, Launceston Cup G3. Routine (Empire Maker), dam of: TIDE OF THE SEA (English Channel), 5 wins, $543,237, WL McKnight S G3, Japan Turf Cup L; 2nd Fort Marcy S G2, Mac Diarmida S G2, Grand Couturier S L; 3rd John’s Call S L. Flourish (Distorted Humor), 2 wins at 1700m, 1900m. Dam of: FULSOME (Into Mischief), 8 wins, $1,244,553, Matt Winn S G3, Smarty Jones S G3, Governor’s S G3, Oaklawn Mile S G3; 2nd Fayette S G2; 3rd Clark S G1, Indiana Derby G3.

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THE G1 BREEDERS’ CUP MILE WINNER WITH 2YO BRILLIANCE - TIMEFORM 124 v

SOUTH AFRICAN COMPARISONS CHAMPION SIRES BY TIMEFORM RATING

ABADAN II WILWYN DRUM BEAT HIGH VELDT SILVANO EXPERT EYE VERCINGETORIX VAR FAIRTHORN FOVEROS TRIPPI PERSIAN WONDER ROYAL PREROGATIVE GOLDEN THATCH FORT WOOD NEW SOUTH WALES PREAMBLE II AL MUFTI PENT HOUSE II NOBLE CHIEFTAIN 64 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

1947 1948 1953 1953 1996 2015 2009 1999 1942 1976 1997 1959 1969 1976 1990 1961 1952 1985 1952 1952

Front cover and page 2 photos © Melanie Sauer

131 131 131 126 126 124 124 123 122 121 121 119 119 118 117 116 115 112 109 107

EXPERT EYE v

(GB) 2015 by Acclamation - Exemplify (Dansili)

• Sire of Royal Ascot stakes-winning 2yo SNELLEN and G3 winning 2yo JUNIPER BERRIES. His stakes placed horses include Witness Stand, Isabel Alexandra, Beautifulnavigator and Violet Gibson. • Sire of 38 2yo winners. • G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner by Acclamation, a sire of top class 2yo’s and sire of top class two-year-old sires - Dark Angel and Mehmas. • The only son of Acclamation to win a G1 over a mile - with a higher Timeform rating (124) than Dark Angel (113), Mehmas (115) and Acclamation himself (118). • Won the G3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot by the biggest winning margin this century. • Winner of the G2 Vintage Stakes as a 2yo in a performance described by Timeform as “arguably the most striking performance by a 2yo in a Pattern race all year”. • A fourth generation Juddmonte homebred from the family of Champion 2yo Filly in Europe and dual Classic winner, SPECIAL DUTY. • “He’s naturally precocious, very well-balanced, well developed and mature. You would have to say that he’s the best two-year-old that I have had for quite a while. He’s been pretty natural from the beginning. Before we ran him we knew that he was pretty smart, as he has always shown speed and been very athletic”. - Sir Michael Stoute

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EXPERT EYE (GB) - RACE RECORD v

AGE

STARTS

WINS

PLACED

EARNED

2yo: 3yo:

3 7

2 3

117,463 1,252,288

TOTAL

£1,369,751

TWO YEAR OLD Joint 4th top rated 2yo colt in Europe in 2017. © Dan Abraham

Won Insurance Novice Stakes, Newbury, (1300m. beating Mutakatif and Barraquero). Vintage Stakes G2, Goodwood.

Won Vintage Stakes G2, Goodwood, by 4,5 lengths (1400m. beating Zaman and Mildenberger). THREE YEAR OLD Won Breeders’ Cup Mile G1, Churchill Downs (1600m beating Catapult and Analyze It).

Photo: Juddmonte Farms

Won Jersey Stakes G3, Royal Ascot, by 4,5 lengths (1400m beating Society Power and Could It Be Love). Won Sky Bet City of York Stakes G3, York (1400m. beating Gordon Lord Byron and Arbalet). 2nd

Qatar Sussex Stakes G1, Goodwood (1600m to Lightning Spear).

2nd

Al Basti Equiworld Supporting Greatwood Greenham Stakes G3, Newbury (1400m to James Garfield),

3rd

Prix du Moulin de Longchamp G1, Lonchamps (1600m to Recoletos).

Credit: Reuters

Breeders’ Cup Mile G1, Churchill Downs.

Sky Bet City of York Stakes G3, York. 66 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

Jersey Stakes G3, Royal Ascot.

EXPERT EYE (GB) - PROGENY

SNELLEN (2yo filly) winner of the Chesham Stakes L (colts and fillies) at Royal Ascot over 1400m.

JUNIPER BERRIES (2yo filly) wins the Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes G3 at Salisbury over 1200m.

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EXPERT EYE v

Now Syndicating (Limited Shares Available)

Leading GB/IRE based Sires in Europe by Stakes (TDN). 1st Crop Sires 2022 1 Havana Grey (GB) 2 Sioux Nation (USA) 3 Saxon Warrior (JPN) 4 Harry Angel (IRE) 5 Zoustar (AUS) 6 Kessaar (IRE) 7 Expert Eye (GB) 8 U S Navy Flag (USA) 9 Cracksman (GB) 10 Tasleet (GB) 2nd Crop Sires 2023 1 Cracksman (GB) 2 Havana Grey (GB) 3 Sioux Nation (USA) 4 Saxon Warrior (JPN) 5 Harry Angel (IRE) 6 Zoustar (AUS) 7 Tasleet (GB) 8 Expert Eye (GB) 9 U S Navy Flag (USA) 10 Kessaar (IRE)

(*to 1 November 2023)

Paardeberg Stud Vryguns Road

Contact: Sally Bruss

Agter Paarl

+27 (0)66 220 1587

Western Cape South Africa, 7630 68 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

sally@paardebergstud.com paardebergstud.com

ARE YOU A BUYER?

An exceptional catalogue for the 2023 November 2yo Sale is offered as 152 lots go through the ring at the TBA Sales Complex in Johannesburg from 11h00 on Sunday. Many of South Africa’s top farms are represented at this year’s sale, while topclass and exciting stallions with progeny offered include Danon Platina, Fire Away, Flower Alley, Gimmethegreenlight, Lancaster Bomber, Legislate, Master Of My

Fate, Querari, Rafeef, The United States, Vercingetorix and What A Winter. Sires represented by members of their first crop at this sale include Gr1 Sun Met runnerup Last Winter, the fast growing in popularity One World, and triple Gr1 winner Soqrat.

THE SPRINT IS INTERACTIVE PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR OUR LOT-BY-LOT SNAPSHOT OF EACH OF THE 2YO’S OFFERED ON SUNDAY.

Eyes on the prize | Credit: BSA

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CAMARGUE – FIVE OF THE BEST

Brett Van Laun is over the moon with Camargue Stud’s draft for the 2023 November Two Year Old Sale. Camargue will be offering buyers the chance to buy two-year-olds sired by the likes of Act Of War, Captain Of All, Erupt and Querari, to name but four. Brett is particularly keen on Captain’s Dynasty (Lot 84), a colt by Captain Of All out of the twice winning Dynasty mare Desroches. The 2yo, who is from the immediate family of Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner MK’s Pride, is ‘a smart colt who walks like a cat’. The Querari filly (Lot 102) out of the smart racemare Felicity Flyer is certainly bred to be precocious. A daughter of a twice leading sire of two-year-olds, this “is a precocious filly whose mother won the first baby race of the season and she could follow in her steps!” Camargue will also be offering a choicely bred colt (Lot 137) by Cape Guineas winner Act Of War out of former Equus Champion, and Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship winner Legally Blonde, with this colt a three-parts brother to the smart Act Of War sired gelding Blonde Act. Buyers can find Camargue’s draft for this year’s November Sale in Block E at the TBA Complex in Germiston. Brett van Laun – looking forward to Sunday | Credit: Supplied

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SANDOWN OUTLAWS SET FOR SUNDAY Top-class Outlaw King – his half brother on sale on Sunday | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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The classy Outlaw King, who runs in the Listed Sophomore Sprint at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday, showed tremendous ability at two.

Lot 150: Light Of Liberty c Duke of Marmalade – Noor Dubai

His breeder, Sandown Stud, will be bringing a top-class draft to the upcoming November Two Year Old Sale, with Sandown’s draft including a half-brother to none other than Outlaw King!

Lot 9: f Captain Of All – Rebel Queen

There are three lines of the great Miesque in The son of Rafeef won his first two starts, this pedigree make up. He is in much the same including the 2023 Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (C mould as his Equus Champion brother Nebraas And G), before going on to down a high-class – not the biggest but racey with a good walk. field to win the Gr2 Tabgold Umkhomazi Stakes in the style of a top-class horse. Fillies

James Armitage is confident his draft will meet with plenty of approval and has the following comments to make about some of the picks in his draft for the 2023 November Sale. Colts Lot 52: Secret Passage c Futura – Way Of Escape A half-brother to Outlaw King, this is a very good looking colt. Big and strong with a good shape to him and good bone.

A high quality filly with a very good walk Lot 22: Three Cheers f Soqrat – Secret Seven A big strong athletic filly with everything in the right places. Lot 58: f Soqrat – Al Haawra High quality filly with the strength and power that Soqrat is producing. Lot 118: Gorgeous Bomb f Lancaster Bomber – Gorgeous Guest She is a lovely filly with quality and strength.

Lot 64: Position Of Power c Vercingetorix – Awe Inspiring

Lot 135: Lady Royale f Vercingetorix – Lady Al

A good walking, deep Vercingetorix colt with a nice hind quarter to him.

She has taken time to fill out hence only being put on the November sale. She has a lovely short cannon and low hocks good angles and the strength to go with it.

Lot 68: Brave Bomber c Lancaster Bomber – Brave Move A high quality good walking colt out of a good race mare who won 6 in a row.

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Sandown’s November Sale draft can be viewed in Blocks E and F at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

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Clifton boss Peter Blythe – nice draft for Sunday | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

CLIFTON – SET FOR GREATER THINGS

The 2022-2023 racing season was a memorable one for Clifton Stud. The KZN farm ended the South African season with 29 winners of 44 races last season, with Clifton’s flagbearers of 2022-2023 headed by Gr3 Godolphin Barb Stakes winner Cliff Hanger, and the brilliant Mrs Geriatrix. The latter, Equus Champion 2YO Filly of 20222023, went unbeaten in five starts at two, when she captured all of the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship, Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper, Gr2 World Sports Betting SA Fillies Nursery and Listed Ruffian Stakes. The daughter of Vercingetorix has since gone 92 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

on to make a winning three-year-old debut when she captured the Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies), but was then beaten into fifth after a luckless passage in the Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship. Clifton Stud will be bringing a smart draft of 12 two-year-olds to the 2023 November Two Year

Old Sale, including lots sired by the likes of Act Of way up, unfortunately he passed away a War, Danon Platina, Fire Away, Master Of My Fate, week before the event. This colt has a New Predator, One World, and What A Winter. smart female line. A racey medium sized colt who will develop into a Understandably, Peter Blyth is confident of a smart horse. good showing at the upcoming BSA auction, and Peter picked out a few potential stars from his Lot 89 Lady Platina f Danon Platina – Duchessofmarmalade draft worth keeping an eye on. Lot 77 Winter Miracle f By What a Winter – Covered In Snow

She is a lovely filly. A good walker, by Danon, say no more!

A really lovely racy, well balanced filly.

Lot 119 c One World – Greendale

Lot 83 Gun Barrel c Fire Away – Daphne Garland

By One World who is a popular sire. This colt is out of a Captain Al mare and he was a nice looking yearling.

By Fire Away, who is really coming to the fore as a sire. He is a late foal but is developing all the while. A half brother to Jaimala, who was an acceptor to last year’s Summer Cup and on his

Clifton’s draft for the November Sale can be found in Block E at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

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A WALK IN THE PARK Heversham Park Farm will be offering a well balanced, seven strong draft at Sunday’s November Two Year Old Sale, which is set to take place on November 26th. This consignment is made up of two-year-olds sired by Canford Cliffs, Master Of My Fate, Moofeed and the now deceased Wings Of Desire. Of particular interest are the Master Of My Fate colt (Lot 70) out of Cashmere ‘n Caviar and the Canford Cliffs colt (Lot 88) out of Double Black. Both are described as “nice colts with scope, by good stallions with depth in female lines.” The Master Of My Fate colt out of the stakes placed Fort Wood mare Cashmere ‘n Caviar hails from the immediate family of the Fort Wood grandson, Horse Of The Year and successful sire Legislate, also hailing from the immediate family of champion Gabor and Gr1 Thekwini Fillies Stakes queen Roxanne. Master Of My Fate, already sire of Gr1 winners Sentbydestiny, Tempting Fate and Zarina, is having a wonderful season in 2023-2024 with his flagbearers including recent Gr3 Betway Victory Moon Stakes winner Atticus Finch. Five time Gr1 winner Canford Cliffs is represented here by a colt (Lot 88), whose three time winning dam is a half-sister to Gr3 Champagne Stakes winner Nastergal, and this is the same family as multiple Gr1 winner Crimson Palace as well as current smart performers American Graffiti, Crimson Princess and We Are The Logans. Canford Cliffs, whose offspring have earned more than $37 million in stakes, has made his mark in South Africa as the sire of such stakes winners as Cliff Hanger, Cliff Top, Dorset Noble, Fish River, Meridius and Secret Identity. This draft can be viewed from Block A at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

Heversham – serenity | Credit: Supplied

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Sachdev (Louis Mxothwa) storms clear of Gareth Wright and Sugar Mountain | Credit: Chase Liebenberg

SON OF SILVANO IS SUPERBLY UNSTOPPABLE! A R1 million Cape Premier Yearling Sale purchase, the 7yo Sachdev bounced back from his 2022 temporary retirement following a knee injury, to score something of a surprise victory in the Saturday top-liner at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. Finishing as though he had been parachuted into the race at the 200m marker, Sachdev took off under Louis Mxothwa to grab the lion’s share of the spoils in the R175 000 Class 2 contest over 1800m. Exploding through late after his more fancied stablemate Rockpool looked the real deal, Sachdev (14-1) won full of running and beat

Sugar Mountain (4-1) under replacement rider, and ‘super sub’ Gareth Wright by half a length in a time of 108,65 secs. The Candice Bass-Robinson yard, now in their third meeting without a winner, would have been banking on the uber consistent Sugar Mountain, but found an old man in a galloping mood! 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | 105

They broke their duck in style in the very next race with the exacta. Dean Kannemeyer will be pleased with the late flourish from Ponte Pietra (9-2), who charged through from last after Craig Zackey opted for a run up the outside, to grab third berth, a further 1,25 lengths back. The highly regarded Rockpool (4-1) tired late and rounded off the quartet. Mxothwa was aboard when Sachdev last won – that was on 11 September 2021 over 1500m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. Trainer Justin Snaith explained that Sachdev had been retired after running downfield in the 2022 Listed Jet Master Stakes. “We retired him with a knee issue. But that kind of injury also means that they are hard to rehome, and we are very careful about where our horses go. So, we chucked him out on

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a farm with the lead ponies. And every few months I received farrier bills. Eventually we had to make a call – and the knee was 100%! These decent old horses are tough to replace – so I spoke to Nic (Jonsson, owner) and he said let’s see what he does,” added Snaith. A runner-up behind Golden Ducat in the 2020 ARF Commemorative Gr1 Cape Derby, and the 2021 Glorious Goodwood Gr2 Premier Trophy, Sachdev was no cheapie and is still without a stakes victory. But that could all change yet – even at the age of 7. A winner of 6 races with 11 places from 32 starts, the Normandy Stud bred son of deceased multiple champion Silvano (Lomitas) is out of the Kabool mare, Quetta, a half-sister to Cape Derby winner and from the family of multiple champions Mother Russia and Winter Solstice. Sachdev took his earnings to R512 701.

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Owner Koos Pieterse and trainer Peter Muscutt | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

‘NO PLACE FOR STEROIDS IN RACING’ - OWNER There is some irony that in the very week that the National Horseracing Authority called on the media for accuracy, they themselves publish a media release in which they provide the bare minimum of information, and which has now opened the door to speculative wildfire. That’s the view of legal professional Koos Pieterse who approached the Sporting Post over the weekend to try and provide some context in the Bevie’s Delight debate. Mr Pieterse is part owner of the 4yo filly, who was recently suspended for a period of 12 months after she was found to be positive for a forbidden substance, Trendione, a steroid. The Trendione has turned out to be a contaminant, rather than a direct application. 108 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

Trainer Peter Muscutt, took responsibility and upon legal advice changed his plea. He was walloped with an R115 000 fine as the trainer responsible. Trainer Muscutt confirms Bevie’s Delight had been given Altrenogest though a routine oral administering. He said that he had handed over the Altrenogest that had been used to the NHA. Muscutt added that the NHA confirmed that that the particular Altrenogest used had been contaminated at manufacture stage i.e. the Trendione was found to be present in it. Subsequent to the two Trendione positives in Australia back in 2017 and 2018, the various racing jurisdictions there had issued warnings for the use of Altrenogest.

All jurisdictions warned against injectable Altrenogest, some of them warned against both injectable and oral administration, and some declared oral Altrenogest may be used up until one clear day before racing. The reason for these warnings was because when it comes to completely forbidden substances, which in this case is steroids, there is not a permissable threshold. “The Regumate used by Peter (on fillies only) was handed over to the stipes who had same tested by the NHA. As reported by you in the article, the result showed that the Regumate was contaminated with the steroid found in the specimen taken from the horse. It must be noted and understood that a minuscule amount was traced in the specimen and that at no time was the steroid administered

intentionally or knowingly,” adds Mr Pieterse. He goes on to explain that exactly the same happened months ago in Australia and in other jurisdictions, as mentioned by one of our Sporting Post readers. “My own research shows that this is well documented and I can provide same on request. At least trainers in those other jurisdictions were warned by the responsible authorities, against possible contamination of Regumate and Allogest. I believe that the NHA only on Saturday 18 November 2023, for the first time, informed all trainers (by email) against this real danger,” continues Mr Pieterse. Mr Pieterse said that the owners of Bevie’s Delight would like to make their position clear and issued the following statement:

The promising Bevie’s Delight – seen winning her maiden under Tristan Godden in October 2022 | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

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There is NO place for steroids in the sport of racing. We do not believe that any trainer will intentionally administer same to any horse in training or at any other stage. In our opinion the penalty for so doing must be an immediate lifelong ban for the trainer. Inter alia, for all the reasons mentioned by Chris Swart in the Sporting Post comment section. We will never trust our horses in the care of any such trainer. A ban of a year or longer for horses trained, and/or raised on steroids, is more than fair and they should only be allowed to partake in races once they are rehabilitated and clean from any steroids. “I hope the aforesaid answers the questions of SP reader Corne Havenga. All the true facts were known to the parties when they had to consider an appropriate sanction and Peter was a first-time offender. Ask yourself – would a trainer who has never been prosecuted for a positive specimen, of any kind, move straight to class 1 steroids that will carry the penalty correctly pointed out by you herein above?” Mr Pieterse adds that as owners, they are naturally unhappy with the 365-day ban. “This is unfair on us and the horse who will now be deprived of her opportunity to get the black type she deserves. We believe that she needs to be re-tested by the NHA, at our costs, as soon as possible and when found to be clean, which she will be, for the ban to be lifted. We are in the process of following the correct channels to make this happen and believe that sanity will prevail.”

Ed – This notice was published on the NHA

website on Friday 17 November 2023:

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NHA analysis of a locally sourced altrenogestcontaining product has revealed trace levels of trendione and trenbolone as impurities within the product. This has been reported previously in international racing jurisdictions. Trendione and trenbolone are anabolic steroids which are forbidden substances and are not allowed to be present in any horse at any time under the NHA Rules of Racing. mUsSignificant penalties may apply for the person responsible and the horse involved, including a 365 day suspension from racing should these forbidden substances be detected in a specimen collected from a horse at any time. There are no altrenogest-containing products registered specifically for use in horses in South Africa. The NHA veterinary department strongly advises trainers against the use of altrenogestcontaining products, including compounded products, or those intended for use in other species. Furthermore, it is recommended that all current altrenogest-containing products be removed from all trainers’ yards. Alternative products such as an injectable, short acting progesterone may be used to suppress oestrus in fillies and mares, which use is provided for in the provisions of the Exempted Substances List (Appendix N of the Rules). Trainers are urged to consult with their private veterinarians.

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DECLARATIONOFPEACE (USA) v

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) advertorial

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Gavin Lerena poses as William Robertson scores a fluent win at cramped odds | Credit: Candiese Lenferna

SPIES DOUBLE SAVES PUNTERS ON TOUGH DAY One of the most successful travelling conditioners from the days when he was behind the wheel on the long road to Borrowdale, Flamingo Park, Fairview and even Hollywoodbets Durbanville from his Vaal home base, Hollywoodbets-sponsored Corne Spies arrived in a sweltering Pietermaritzburg this past Sunday from his Randjesfontein HQ and duly delivered the best double bet of the day for happy punters. 114 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

The former Zimbabwean champion had just two runners at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and went home with a 100% strike – although the two winners were very different, and there was plenty of additional sweating for the second leg! The talented William Robertson looked near unbeatable in the second, a 1400m Pinnacle Stakes, and the son of Rafeef duly arrived

at 6-10 to win unextended and register his second win on the trot.

The second Spies winner was a lot more nerve wracking.

Gavin Lerena earned his easiest commission of the month when they held the one-eyed Bowie at bay to win easily.

Easy to back at 3-1, the cucumber cool Chase Maujean had the daughter of Futura relaxed in midfield from a wide gate.

The Ridgemont-bred William Robertson is by the champion farm’s top-class sire Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice) out of the thrice winning Trippi mare Massachusetts and cost R500 000 on the BSA National 2yo Sale.

Into the straight, she picked them off down the outside but found Rachel Venniker and Givers Grace in a determined mood down the inside.

The 5yo William Robertson, who owners Xander Spies and the Durban-based Govender family were on hand at the lead in, is now a winner of 9 races with 11 places from 30 starts for stakes of R1 724 750. When taxed on a likely next step for William Robertson, Corne said there are some tough choices to make now. A Cape raid is not out of the question.

In the race to the wire Three Strands got the verdict by a short head. This was The Alchemy bred Three Strand’s second career victory. She cost R50 000 off the Cape Yearling Sale. The Lola Crawford yard also enjoyed a double when Happy Wanderer (33-1) and Ndaka (8-1) sealed the part Pick 6 carryover when scoring in the fifth and sixth races respectively, paying a R479 double on the tote.

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The Mrs G Team! Hoping for another award for the trophy cabinet | Credit: JC Photos

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he nominees for the 2023 KZN Breeders Awards to be held on 1 December, have been announced. The awards celebrate the best of KZN-breds and several favourites appear on this year’s nominee list, including Clifton Stud’s Equus champion Mrs Geriatrix, who lost her unbeaten record just weeks ago on her first start in the Cape. She was beaten in the Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship by the hard galloping Rascova, but is expected to bounce back in the WSB Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas on 2 December!

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The Michael Miller-trained Strawberry Bear, who was raised at the Render family’s beautiful Bush Hill Stud, and bred by Gauteng-based Bea Giddy, is another local favourite. The big grey galloper has won 5 of 9 starts, including a giant-killing performance when beating Betway Summer Cup fancy Cousin Casey in the Gr3 Byerley Turk last season. The awards function is being held at the Nottingham Road Hotel on 1 December, starting at 17h30 for 18h00.

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SON OF THE UNITED STATES DOMINATES Racegoers enjoyed a bonus last Friday, with Fairview and a twilight meeting at Turffontein on the menu. Results went largely according to plan in the R175 000 non black-type November Stakes, the headline contest on the eight race East Cape programme, when topweights Khaya’s Hope and Port Louis dominated the 1400m contest. Starting at 8-10 on the strength of his impressive last victory, the classy Khaya’s Hope was given a confident ride from off the action by Louis Mxothwa. Allowed to relax early, Khaya’s Hope turned on the jets after long-time pacemaker Al Qaasim had cried enough and carried too many guns for the former Cape-based Port Louis (16-10). A neck separated the top two, with Khaya’s Hope never looking like getting beaten, as he

showed his class to win in a time of 81,75 secs. Tarantino (50-1) came on best of the rest for third, a further 2,25 lengths back, with Narcos (14-1) a further neck back in fourth. Once described as the best of his generation in Gqeberha by the now Hong Kong-based Keagan de Melo, Khaya’s Hope, who races in the nationally recognized yellow and black of Khaya Stables, is a son of Moutonshoek Galileo stallion The United States out of the UK-placed Danehill Dancer mare, Miss Khaya. A winner of 7 races with 7 places from 15 starts, Khaya’s Hope has banked stakes of R708 125. Winning Form-sponsored jockey Richard Fourie rode a genuine hat-trick on the card earlier in the day and maintained his upward curve on the national jockey log as he extended his lead total (89) to 16 wins over Stone-Stamcor’s Muzi Yeni.

Khaya’s Hope (Louis Mxothwa) is too strong for the obscured Port Louis | Credit: Pauline Herman

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A DAY OF MIXED FORTUNES FOR MPUME Despite riding a winner at Fairview last Friday, the day soured somewhat for jockey Mpumelelo Mjoka, after he used a mobile phone in the winner’s enclosure – and he will probably also need to sort his agent out. One of our bright young talents, Mpumi became one of the few SA jockeys to have ridden a winner in Ireland when he booted Fleetfootsoldier home for trainer Kevin Coleman at Dundalk in April this year. He also rode a winner in Ireland in April. The Durban born rider also represented South Africa in the Prix Longines Future Stars Challenge in France back in 2017. After winning the sixth race at Fairview on Friday, the Stipes noted that he made use of a cellular telephone, which was handed to him by Trainer Zietman Oosthuizen, while being led into the winners’ enclosure on Kabon Kapi. The Stipes questioned both the jockey and trainer and have adjourned to give this matter further consideration. Mpume’s day was to worsen after the eighth when he was charged with a contravention of Rule 26.1.2. It was alleged that he permitted a person to act as his agent when such agreement had not been registered by the Licensing Board. Mpume signed an admission of guilt and was fined R2 500.

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Mpume Mjoka steers 20-1 shot Kabon Kapi home at Fairview on Friday | Credit: Pauline Herman

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He was also charged with a contravention of Rule 21.7 in that he accepted to ride both Clap Of Thunder and We All Chomies in the eighth. He signed an admission of guilt and was fined R1 000. Up at Turffontein on the same afternoon, promising young apprentice Trent Mayhew appears to have gotten his maths muddled and provided a clear-cut text book example of how to exceed the crop use limit. He was charged with a contravention of Rule

58.10.2 (read with Guideline M on the use of the crop) in that as the rider of Fushimi Inari in the fourth race, he misused his crop by striking his mount 14 times (12 is the limit). This use was not warranted when considering the circumstances of the race, in the opinion of the Stipes. Fushimi Inari ran sixth and 4,10 lengths behind. Trent signed an admission of guilt and was fined R6000.

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MAINE CHANCE CELEBRATE WITH SIR ALEX Dr Andreas Jacobs and his family have enjoyed an eventful year internationally! Celebrating a joint national second most stakes winners last term and record stakes earnings, including Maine Chance Farms having bred SA Horse Of The Year Princess Calla, the family also purchased the historic Litchfield Stud in October. And on Thursday they proudly enjoyed a connection to supporting acclaimed Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who co-owns and bred the $1 million Gr2 Bahrain International Trophy winner, Spirit Dancer. A son of champion Frankel, Spirit Dancer, who beat an international quality field, that included

a trio of Gr1 winners under Oisin Orr, is out of Maine Chance champion Querari’s full sister, Queen’s Dream, who was purchased from the Jacobs family’s Gestut Fährhof operation by Sir Alex. Spirit Dancer was the first product of Sir Alex’s Upperwood Farm Stud in Hemel Hempstead The Jacobs team have raced a few horses in partnership in the internationally recognised red and white Ferguson silks that were famously carried by champion Rock of Gibraltar two decades ago. The Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer is certainly on the up, having stepped up through handicap company this term and reached group 3 level in the Strensall Stakes at York.

Spirit Dancer storms home under Oisin Orr | Credit: Bahrain Racing Club

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He now looks likely to take in the Saudi Cup, with prize money for the world’s richest weekend of racing boosted to $37.35m on 23 and 24 February.

done well but the Frankel has been fantastic,” added Sir Alex after Spirit Dancer’s peak victory.

The 81 year old Sir Alex Ferguson earned 38 trophies in his 26-year reign at Man United and remains an icon at Old Trafford. But racing has given him a second lease on life!

If the name is not familiar, Andreas Wohler would be enthusiastically received by SA racing fans as the man who trained our multiple national champion sire, Silvano.

“It was a new adventure for me to get into breeding to be honest. I bought a mare from Andreas Wohler in Germany, she’s at Hemel Hempstead, it’s a good family. The first foal was a Frankel and that’s why we’re down here today. We’ve had other horses who have

The Bahrain success last Thursday at the Sakhir Racecourse was a momentous step up for the Jacobs family from the 2022 renewal won by Dubai Future. In third there was Gr3 winner Riocorvo, who also has an indelible Gestut Fahrof connection. Riocorvo is a son of the multiple Gr1 winning Soldier’s Hollow stallion Pastorius out of the Silvano mare Rio Cobra (Silvano – Royal Dubai), who was sold in utero by Fährhof.

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John Size celebrates his 1,500th Hong Kong win with HKJC Chief Executive Officer Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges and Executive Director, Racing, Mr Andrew Harding | Credit: HKJC

SIZE SEIZES HIS 1500TH! John Size added another remarkable layer to an extraordinary career when the 12-time champion trainer saddled his 1500th Hong Kong winner at Sha Tin on Sunday, becoming only the second person to achieve the feat behind fellow Australian John Moore. Marking his entry into one of Hong Kong racing’s most exclusive clubs with a quartet, Size reached the 1,500 win-mark when Raging Blizzard won the Class 4 BOC Life Handicap under six-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton. One of the most influential figures in Hong Kong racing’s long and decorated history,

Size was humbled to reach the colossal figure to sit behind only Moore before crowning the achievement with the subsequent wins of Beauty Eternal, Helios Express and Ensued. “I’m very satisfied with my career in Hong Kong. It’s been very good from the first season when I started here and it’s given me great satisfaction,” Size, 69, said expressing 22 NOVEMBER 2023 | 135

Raging Blizzard becomes part of Hong Kong racing history | Credit: HKJC

surprise that he had reached such an imposing milestone with his 10,912th starter in Hong Kong. “No, I didn’t imagine that. I thought it was a very tough assignment for me to come here but right from the beginning it seems like I was well suited, and I’ve done much better than I could have imagined.” With 16 Group 1 victories and three BMW Hong Kong Derby triumphs to his credit, Size has been synonymous with some of the jurisdiction’s smartest horses while reaching the landmark with a winning strike rate of 13.7%. First licensed for the 2001/02 season, Size swept to the Hong Kong trainers’ championship and repeated the feat in 2002/03, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2022/23 – to stand alone as the owner of the most training crowns. 136 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

“I’ll leave someone out if I start mentioning names, but Electronic Unicorn started the procession. He was a fantastic horse to come to me in my first season and gave me a great start and a big kick along,” Size reflected. “The three Hong Kong Derby horses, of course – Fay Fay, Luger and Ping Hai Star, and Beat The Clock, who won four Gr1’s in 12 months. It’s been a great ride and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. “I’m very satisfied and I’m very grateful that I was able to come here.” After his customary measured start to the season, Size accelerated his push for a 13th training crown with a quartet today. The master trainer completed a race-to-race double when Helios Express won the Class 2 BOCHK Asset Management Handicap as Brenton Avdulla charged into contention for the LONGINES International Jockeys’

Championship at Happy Valley on 6 December with his first Hong Kong four-timer. “It’s a massive result, obviously I had just knocked over a few singles, I hadn’t even had a double until today,” Avdulla said. “I did think coming here today that this was my strongest book of rides. I had good gates. “I thought with a bit of luck, I could get one or two, it worked out well to get three, now four. It’s a big result.” Shaping as a potential BMW Hong Kong Derby contender, Ensued remained unbeaten with a dogged display in the Class 3 BOC Credit Card Handicap. “It worked out really well, it was a wide draw, but the race panned out well. On the turn, I thought he was the winner. He’s a nice horse,” Avdulla, 32, said.

win from four starts in Hong Kong. Avdulla earlier combined with David Hall to win the Class 4 BOCHK Cross-border Services Handicap on Star Club before triumphing atop Michael Chang’s Lost Child in the Class 4 BOCHK Wealth Management Handicap before the Australian made it four on Size’s impressive young stayer Ensued. Tony Cruz-trained Champion Dragon, a LONGINES HKIR entrant, proved too classy in landing the Class 2 BOCHK SME In One Handicap under Alexis Badel before Pierre Ng consolidated his place at the head of the 2023/24 trainers’ championship with Galaxy Patch’s success in the Class 3 BOCHK BOC Pay Handicap under Karis Teetan. Antoine Hamelin struck aboard Douglas Whyte’s Tamra Blitz in the BOCHK “Banking TrendyToo” Handicap.

A Toronado gelding, Helios Express claimed a Top-Up Bonus of HK$1.5 million with his third

Brenton Avdulla strikes with a four-timer | Credit: HKJC

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FIRST SUCCESS FOR JUSTIFY IN SINGAPORE Windfall became 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify’s first progeny to score in Singapore. This after he opened his account in the SG$75 000 Restricted Maiden race at Kranji on Saturday, 18 November.

Also named the American Horse of the Year in that year, Justify currently has two progenies training at Kranji and the Ricardo Le Grangetrained Windfall was the first to hit the ground running since July this year. His stablemate, Boardroom, is another threeyear-old who has trialled twice so far. Ridden by apprentice jockey Rozlan Nazam, Windfall broke swiftly from the widest gate 12 to land himself in front before Toh Guan Treasure (Koh Teck Huat) took over the leader’s seat at the 1000m. Favourite Pacific Commander (Bruno Queiroz) was bidding his time among runners in the second half of the 12-horse field.

Windfall came off the heels of Toh Guan Treasure at the bend and Rozlan was seen scrubbing up his mount into the straight. Toh Guan Treasure faded while Lim’s Jinba (A’Isisuhairi Kasim), who was first-up after an unplaced run in the Gr3 Singapore Golden Horseshoe in July, began making up ground. But Windfall responded well to win by three parts of a length from Lim’s Jinba. Both Pacific Commander and Super Baby (Shafrizal Saleh) rattled home late to run third and fourth respectively, separated by margins of a nose between them. The winning time was 1 min 11.8secs for the 1200m on the Polytrack.

Windfall (Rozlan Nazam) claims his first win in Race 2 | Credit: STC

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After his first seven runs in Open Maiden races where he was always around the mark, Le Grange’s decision to run the consistent galloper in the Restricted Maiden race has paid off.

“I’m so thrilled because this horse is by Justify and he costed only A$10,000,” said the South African handler, who bought Windfall at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in training Sale. People thought I was crazy to buy a Justify at A$10,000, but his conformation was fine and his breeze-up was good. The vet reports were good too.”

SG$50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race respectively. Rozlan was glad he proceeded to take a sit in second after checking his “rear-view mirror” in the backstraight, which helped Windfall saved some patrol for the final sprint. “I ride him in trackwork every morning. Boss said to jump positive and if the pace is too slow, then we try to take control of the pace,” said the Singaporean hoop, whose previous win came aboard Rocketship on 30 September. We jumped faster than everyone by a length, so I thought to just slot in.” “When jockey Teck Huat Koh overtook us, I turned behind to look and saw no one rushing, so I was happy to take a sit and follow him behind. Windfall was responsive when I gave him a push in the straight, but I was still worried because trainer Jason Ong’s Pacific Commander is the better horse. I’m worried he would come from behind.”

“I told owner Leonardo Javier that I’d put him in a SG$75,000 Restricted Maiden race today, and he asked if Windfall’s good enough, but there’s nothing wrong with the horse, so I said to give it a try. It was also a good ride by Rozlan. He won the race from the start.”

“All I want was to get Windfall over the line first. In the end, nobody could challenge us, so we won easily. He’s a horse that’s not afraid of running in between horses, and he can easily quiet down and relax, so he can get over longer.”

Le Grange also knocked in a treble after Longevity and Taling Pling took out the SG$20,000 Maiden race and the

With that first win and four placings in eight starts, Windfall has taken his earnings to over SG$50,000 for connections.

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STAGE STAR PULLS GOLD OUT THE FIRE! Stage Star survived a bad mistake at the final fence and still won the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham last Saturday, handsomely. Sent off the 4-1 favourite, the Paul Nicholls-trained and Harry Cobdenridden seven-year-old confirmed his Turners Novices’ Chase form with Notlongtillmay in the process. The pair were first and second at the Festival in March and it was Laura Morgan’s charge who once again was chasing in vain. Stage Star made just about all the running and while top weight The Real Whacker gave him company for the first two miles, he dropped away coming down the hill. Cobden was then content to sit for a few strides as the challengers mounted up behind him, with Notlongtillmay, Fugitif, Unexpected Party and Il Ridoto still with chances. Stage Star quickened clear, though, and had the race in safe keeping until he made a horlicks of the last. It was to his great credit that within a matter of strides he was back in top gear and went clear to win by four

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lengths to give Nicholls a third win in the race. “He did well to win, you don’t often make mistakes like that, lose your momentum and gallop on. If he had not done that, then he would have won very well,” said Nicholls. “It’s been a bit of a challenge to get him right, as he’s not one who wants to be taken away for a gallop, he’s not been anywhere, we’ve just got him right at home. He’s good fresh but it’s about getting that balance right between being fresh and good enough to win like today. “This has been a target from when he came and if he hadn’t made that mistake at the last, he would have been really impressive. “He’s got to be a Ryanair horse hasn’t he on that, he’s going to keep improving and his season will be geared back from that. He has to go left-handed and there’s no point going anywhere else with him, Ryanair will be the aim now.

An uneasy moment for Harry Cobden and Stage Star, but all’s well that ends well! | Credit: Racing TV

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“He jumps left, and you have to go that way and Harry said, ‘if I’m in front turning in, I won’t get beat’. He’s given it a brilliant ride. “He’s definitely improved off last year’s form, to win off 155 and win a tad cosily, even with a mistake like that, he has to be right in the mix for the Ryanair. “If we didn’t run before then, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. I won’t run him right-handed, so that limits a little bit where we go, but that’s not a worry.” Winning rider Cobden added: “I was going quite well, and I was sort of in two minds and I wasn’t really committed to either of what we were doing, and he made a bit of a mistake. “The peck on landing was where the real

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problem was after, he has probably gone from 25 miles per hour down to a walk and it’s a big ask to get a horse back going when you have only a furlong to go up a hill. “He’s an incredibly tough horse and he would run until he can’t run anymore, we’re just grateful to have him and I’m grateful to ride him. “It was a massive performance and he’s carried a lot of weight there. I was most impressed with how he settled and jumped from fence to fence. He’s come here without a run and he hasn’t been away for a gallop, so all his fitness is what he has done at home. “He’s such an honest horse they can get him 110 per cent at home and there’s no better man to target a race than Paul Nicholls.”

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JONBON –JUMPING FOR JOY! v

ext year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase could be one of the Festival highlights after Jonbon’s sensational Shloer Chase victory at the November Meeting in Cheltenham.

at the last two fences, for an empathic nineand-a-half-length victory.

Britain’s outstanding two-mile chaser was at his brilliant best at Cheltenham last Sunday, heightening anticipation of a rematch with his only conqueror over chases, El Fabiolo.

“It’s good for him to come around here as hopefully he’ll come around here later in the season,” he said. “I’m going to look forward to it. Let’s hope they do get there on the day and it’ll be one of the headline clashes.”

Three classy rivals with 11 Group race victories between them, including the 2022 Arkle winner Edwardstone, took on JP McManus’s star chaser who was attempting a sixth victory from seven starts. Plenty of talent in a small field, but they proved no match for the well-backed 4-9 favourite. Nico de Boinville, stepping in for the injured Aidan Coleman, had the Henderson trained runner in a stalking second as Editeur Du Gite set a strong pace, but Jonbon’s class and bold jumping edged him closer to the leader by the top of the hill, and with a speedy leap four out he moved ahead. It set off alarm bells for the trailing trio as twotime Shloer victor Nube Negra began to fade, and early pressure told on Editeur Du Gite. Only Edwardstone could keep in touch with a composed De Boinville, but the result was never in doubt.

Interviewed post-race, an excited Henderson was full of praise for his charge and was already looking ahead to a rematch with El Fabiolo.

“They went a good gallop, and it wasn’t a tactical race. It was a sensible, good honest gallop in that ground. It was going to find him out first time if he wasn’t ready, but he was. You have to be very pleased.” El Fabiolo was five and a half lengths superior to Jonbon in last season’s Arkle, but this bloodless performance resulted in the winner’s Champion Chase ante-post odds halving to 5-2. His big rival remains the even-money favourite. Henderson continued: “He looked like a twomiler there and he has got to stay there for now because of the Tingle Creek. There is the conundrum as to how far he will get as I’m convinced, he will get further, but you don’t need to.”

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Brett Crawford and Ian Longmore cooling off after a tough day | Credit: Supplied

ALL “FOUR” A FRIEND! The Lyall Cooper Fundraiser Golf Day held in glorious sunshine at the scenic Atlantic Beach Links Golf Estate in Melkbosstrand on the Cape West Coast on Friday, 17 November, was another fine example of the racing community standing together in support of a colleague in need. Popular 4Racing TV on-course presenter Lyall Cooper was diagnosed with cancer in June and has found, like so many before him, that even with provision and planning, serious illness can be a debilitating financial burden that many do not recover from. The Golf day fundraiser was organised by Joanne Knowles, wife of Cape presenter Grant 150 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

Knowles, and proved a great success, raising over R32 000, with a small quality field of golfers competing for glory in the name of a great cause. Longstanding Cape owner Paul Barrett’s fourball teed their way to the top spot, followed by Grant Knowles’ fourball, Brett Crawford’s fourball, with retired champion jockey

Glen Hatt’s fourball rounding off an illustrious quartet.

The account is at Nedbank. Branch code 580015. EFT acc: 50020803119.

The Golf day fundraiser was organised by Joanne Knowles, wife of Cape presenter Grant Knowles, and proved a great success, raising over R32 000, with a small quality field of golfers competing for glory in the name of a great cause.

If you would like to chip in, Lyall is on BackaBuddy.

Nico Kritsiotis has also facilitated a medical assistance fund with the assistance of Rowan Furman and his team of attorneys.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Paul Barrett (middle) surrounded by his champion fourball | Credit: Supplied

Retired jockey Glen Hatt gives the thumbs up | Credit: Supplied

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s g n i t a M r u o Y g Plannin for this Yd ineSaourth?Africa? v

Interested in sires at stu

DIRECTORY OF SIRES

2023 - SOUTH AFRIC

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Sires st The ONLY Directory of

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152 | 22 NOVEMBER 2023

In Print & Online To order your book contact email: kiki.miedema@gmail.com or visit the website

www.raceform.co.za

results up to: 2023-11-22

TRAINERS Name

Runs

Wins Win%

2nd

3rd

Other Places

Place %

Win Stake (R)

Total Stakes (R)

Mr S J Snaith

319

11.9

133

41.7

2,872,694

4,597,400

Mr A P Peter

144

22.9

47.2

2,576,563

3,405,313

Mrs C L Bass-Robinson

200

13.5

47.5

1,981,563

3,046,488

Mr A C Greeff

261

14.2

103

39.5

2,031,875

3,035,375

Mr B J Crawford

228

11.8

39.0

1,957,569

3,009,144

Name

Runs

Wins Win%

2nd

3rd

Other Places

Place %

Win Stake (R)

Total Stakes (R)

Mr R D Fourie

449

20.5

104

231

51.4

5,470,938

8,133,513

Mr M A Yeni

511

14.3

127

266

52.1

4,500,938

6,997,525

Mr G J Lerena

299

17.4

154

51.5

3,904,875

5,693,825

Mr C J Habib

375

11.2

144

38.4

2,754,375

4,148,825

Mr S Khumalo

281

14.9

131

46.6

2,520,313

3,867,538

JOCKEYS

BREEDERS Name

Runrs Runs

AEPR

B.T. B.T. Total Wnrs/ Wnrs Wins Rnrs% Places Winrs Wins Stakes (R)

Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein

235

662

35,788

31.9

286

8,410,063

Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert)

137

325

41,931

32.8

139

5,744,531

Klawervlei Stud

186

514

26,424

23.7

210

4,914,938

Varsfontein Stud

114

318

32,548

23.7

128

3,710,481

Ridgemont Highlands

102

275

32,126

26.5

114

3,276,844

Name

Runrs Runs

AEPR

B.T. B.T. Total Wnrs/ Wnrs Wins Rnrs% Places Winrs Wins Stakes (R)

Master Of My Fate

147

425

33,723

27.9

189

4,957,350

Querari (GER)

138

394

33,218

27.5

171

4,584,088

Gimmethegreenlight (AUS)

157

386

28,158

19.7

177

4,420,850

Vercingetorix

139

339

29,800

25.2

130

4,142,250

What A Winter

125

335

28,032

26.4

138

3,504,013

SIRES

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