The South African bred former Equus Champion Sprinter Isivunguvungu made a terrific winning debut on US soil for trainer Graham Motion and confirmed his Prevagen $1 million Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint aspirations with a courageous victory in the 17th renewal of the $150 000 1100m Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday.
Returning from an eight month break from race action, and having only his third start in just over a year, the Hollywood Syndicate star speedster was relaxed in third in the early stages, until ghosting down the inside the rail in the eight horse field in the run for home.
What a start for Isivunguvungu – seen here winning the Gr1 Mercury Sprint in July 2023 to seal the SA Champion sprinter title (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
In a finely judged ride by jockey Manny Franco Isivunguvungu held on to beat the fast finishing Nothing Better by a narrow margin, and is bound to come on lengths with this run under the belt.
Manny Franco
Jockey Manny Franco labelled Isivunguvungu a ‘cool horse’ and said that the ‘sky was the limit’ for the 6yo gelding.
Last year’s narrow Da Hoss winner Nobals went on to capture the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita and Isivunguvungu made no mistakes in what was his first outing on a left-handed track.
A dual Gr1 winner in South Africa, Isivunguvungu was a member of the eleven-strong SA shipment that touched down at JFK Airport in New York on 7 March following an arduous flight from Johannesburg
Isivunguvungu, meaning ‘storm’ in isiXhosa, is a son of 2013 Computaform Sprint winner What A Winter (Western Winter) out of the four-time winning Tiger Ridge mare Miss Tweedy.
Bred by Narrow Creek Stud, he was purchased privately by the Hollywood Syndicate in 2020, in the dark days of the covid pandemic.
Trainer Graham Motion
Now a winner of 7 races with 6 places from 16 starts, Isivunguvungu doubled his career earnings with this victory to over R3,5 million.
The 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will take place at Del Mar in Del Mar, California on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November.
All told the 17th renewal of the Da Hoss Stakes will go down as a momentous and memorable contest for the Hollywood Syndicate who celebrated their first winner on 3 March 2002, when Splendid Night won a Maiden Plate at what is now Hollywoodbets Greyville.
The recently crowned KwaZulu-Natal champion owners are fast approaching their 600 winner milestone.
- Full race report to follow
