Pierre Jourdan
Gr2 Emperors Palace Charity Mile at Turffontein last Saturday
Pierre Jourdan thrilled his legion of fans when he defied a hefty 6kgs to run out a convincing winner of the Emperors Palace Charity Mile over 1600m on the Turffontein standside course on Saturday. Curiously perhaps, this marked the first time in his splendid career that the five-year-old has won a race on handicap terms, and Gary Alexander’s much-loved gelding is probably even better now than he has been at any stage of his career, writes Matthew Lips.
The horse fondly known as PJ had won a set weights event over 1450m when making his seasonal debut in September and was the 33/10 second favourite to win the Charity Mile, but it was Welwitschia who headed the market at 2/1 after she’d made light work of winning a Gr 3 against her own sex in her solitary appearance of the season four weeks earlier. Welwitschia was one of five runners saddled by champion trainer Mike de Kock, who was bidding to win this race with a filly for the second year in succession after landing the spoils with Alderry twelve months earlier. Top weight Dancewiththedevil brought outstanding course-and-distance form to the party and went off as the 11/2 third favourite.
The pace was decent from the start as Wittenberg immediately set off to make the running ahead of The Mouseketeer, with D J Detzky coming around from a very wide draw to race in third. Engagement, Two Tone and Knock On Wood were next in line as Pierre Jourdan and Welwitschia raced in around midfield and Dancewiththedevil as always was held up well off the action. The Mouseketeer was the first to strike for home as Wittenberg faded in the straight, but he in turn soon began to weaken and the race was wide open coming to the final 200m. Engagement was running on well and looking distinctly dangerous as Two Tone got into the act as well, but a dream run against the inside rail had opened for Pierre Jourdan and he didn’t need a second invitation.
Making light of the very considerable impost of 61 kgs, Pierre Jourdan wore them all down over the final 100m under Derreck David and ran on heroically to win by one length from 50/1 outsider Engagement, with the rest well beaten off in the end. Two Tone finished a further 1.75 lengths away in third, with Welwitschia making steady headway to be three-quarters of a length behind him in fourth, without ever looking a likely winner. Dancewiththedevil finished sixth, five lengths behind the winner, and may have preferred the going to have been softer than the official good, although she was not really disgraced under 61.5 kgs. Kavanagh was never sighted before he finished more than ten lengths behind the winner in 14th place, and while he has always looked vulnerable over 1600m there was surely more to this disappointing display than the habitual question marks about his ability to truly stay a mile.
Pierre Jourdan may have enjoyed a lovely run down the straight while some of his rivals were trying to pick their way through the bunch wider out, but it was impossible not to be taken with the way in which he won and his performance is by no means demeaned by the fact that a rank outsider paying more than R9 for a place on the Tote finished second. Engagement had every right at the weights to run a big race, for she’d finished 2.5 lengths behind Welwitschia in her previous start and met the latter on 3.5 kgs better terms this time. She also had the beating of stable companion Dancewiththedevil purely on the form of that same 1450m race and to successfully concede her 7 kgs as Pierre Jourdan amounts to a high class effort.
Significantly perhaps, Pierre Jourdan was sporting blinkers for the first time on the recommendation of perennial Hong Kong champion jockey Douglas Whyte, who rode him to finish second behind Igugu in this year’s Vodacom Durban July. Whyte’s judgement proved to be absolutely spot on, even if one could possibly debate whether PJ had to run above his July form to win a race like the Charity Mile. Winning jockey Derreck David was of the opinion that “blinkers have improved him,” and not at all surprisingly described Pierre Jourdan as “my favourite horse” before adding that he’ll probably never ride another one like him. Well, it may not be easy, but Derreck is only at the ripe old age of 23 and there is every probability that he will ride many more top class horses in the future. Incidentally, David’s sponsors Chris and Tim Hurly of Tyres 2000 have recently bought into Pierre Jourdan.
Gary Alexander was as always as calm and collected as any big race winning trainer can ever be, but he was full of praise for his stable star. “He’s got a huge following on Facebook,” he remarked, adding for good measure that, “he’s a great horse.” Certainly, Pierre Jourdan is an extremely popular fellow, being the most recent bearer of the unofficial title of “the Peoples’ Horse”, and the fact that he cost just R60 000 as an unraced two-year-old also makes him a poster boy for every dreamer who has ever owned or thought of owning a racehorse without coughing up the price of a three- or even four- bedroom house for the privilege.
Pierre Jourdan’s victory also earned R100 000 for his designated charity, the Animal Anti Cruelty League, and while all charities do laudable work this one will strike a particular chord with those of us who derive our living and/or our pleasure from our four-legged friends. Every horse participating in the race formerly known as the (Germiston) November Handicap carries the hopes of a particular charitable organisation and this really is a splendid initiative from all concerned.
The Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup on November 26th now beckons for Pierre Jourdan. That too is a handicap and he won’t by any means find it plain sailing, but he must have a realistic chance. The step up to 2000m won’t trouble a July runner-up unduly, and to be completely honest in most years it isn’t exactly the strongest flagship event on the SA racing calendar. A son of Parade Leader out of the Qui Danzig mare Vin Fizz, Pierre Jourdan was bred by Summerhill Stud and was one of the cheapest acquisitions from the 2008 Ready To Run Sale. He has now won nine times from only 16 starts and earned a hugely impressive R4 475 675 in stakes.
Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile (SAf-G2) (11/5)
Turffontein, South Africa, November 5, R600.000, 1600m, turf, good, 1.36.47 (CR 1.35.44).
PIERRE JOURDAN (SAF), 61.0, b g 5, Parade Leader – Vin Fizz (SAF) by Qui Danzig. Owner E Balsero, C G & T R J Hurly, G M Alexander and Ms M Konstantatou; breeder Summerhill Stud (SAF); trainer G M Alexander; jockey D David (R375.000)
Engagement (SAF), 54.0, ch m 5, Announce (SAF) – Be My Gem (SAF) by Model Man (SAF)
Two Tone (SAF), 58.0, b g 5, Strike Smartly (CAN) – Wild Almond (SAF) by Fort Wood
Margins: 1, 1¾, ¾
Also ran: Welwitschia (GB) 56.5, Black Wing (SAF) 58.5, Dancewiththedevil (SAF) 61.5, Rudra (SAF) 59.5, The Mouseketeer (SAF) 56.0, Bulsara (SAF) 59.0, Across The Ice (SAF) 54.0, D J Detzky (SAF) 54.0, Flirtation (SAF) 57.0, Empenoso Henn (ARG) 55.5, Kavanagh (SAF) 58.5, Wittenberg (SAF) 54.0, Knock On Wood (SAF) 55.0
