The year of 2010 will long be remembered for its share of ups and downs. The South African racing year kicked off in January, with Pocket Power scoring his fourth consecutive win in the l’Ormarins Queens Plate. The champion, one of the most popular racehorses seen on the South African racetracks, showed his class to win his 19th career win.
On the same day, Mother Russia scored an impressive win in the TBA Paddock Stakes. The small daughter of Windrush proved too strong for her old rival Sparkling Gem and subsequent Met winner River Jetez in the Kenilworth showpiece race. Mother Russia would later garner Equus honors as top older female in the country.
River Jetez had her revenge later in the month, when beating both Mother Russia and her brother Pocket Power in the J&B Met. It was a first Gr1 success for the game River Jetez, who has lived in the shadow of her brother for most of her career. It was a great feat for Mike Bass, who saddled the 1-3-4 in the Met, but Mother Russia put up the run of the race, when finishing half a length second, despite having a shocking draw and conceding weight to the winner.
Over in Dubai, South African Mike de Kock continued to send out the winners. De Kock went close to winning the world’s richest race in March, when his Lizard’s Desire went down a short head to Gloria de Campeao in the Dubai World Cup.
Lizard’s Desire would later extract revenge on Gloria de Campeao, when beating his old rival in the Gr1 Singapore International Cup. Sadly though, Lizard’s Desire would contract laminitis, which would end his racing career. The gallant son of Lizard Island continues to fight the disease at the time of writing.
Also in March, 2009 US Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, suffered a shock defeat on her 4yo debut. The mighty daughter of Medaglia D’oro could only finish second in the ungraded New Orleans Ladies Stakes. Ironically, she was beaten by Zardana – a rival of the then unbeaten champion racemare Zenyatta.
The Emperor’s Palace National Yearling Sale, held in April, saw a Jet Master colt pass through the ring for R4 million – the highest priced ever given for a yearling in South Africa. The sale was a huge success, despite worries over the economic climate, with both the average and aggregate up on the previous year’s tally.
The English StanJames.com 2000 Guineas saw the unheralded Maki cause a 33-1 upset, when beating Dick Turpin and Canford Cliffs into second and third place, with hot favourite St Nicholas Abbey only sixth. The Guineas form stood up exceptionally well, with winner, Makfi, becoming the sole horse to defeat wonder mare Goldikova in 2010. Dick Turpin and Canford Cliffs would both go onto taste Group One glory, whilst St Nicholas Abbey would not race again in 2010. Makfi’s sire, Dubawi, proves himself one of the most exciting sires in the world, with his first two crops producing over 20 stakes winners, and four Gr1 winners.
There was drama in the 1000 Guineas, when the original winner Jacqueline Quest was disqualified from first , and runner up Special Duty was declared the winner. Special Duty would go to land the French 1000 Guineas in the boardroom next time out, but neither “winner” of the 1000 Guineas would finish first the post in another 2010 outing.
King’s Best colt, Workforce, gave Sir Michael Stoute a fourth English Derby win, when bolting up in the Investec Derby. The colt simply pulverized his opposition to win by seven lengths. Whilst the Derby form overall was ordinary, Workforce confirmed his class with a gutsy win in the Prix de’L Arc de Triomphe later in the year. He was entered in the Breeders Cup Turf, but was scratched after connections felt the ground was too firm for the colt.
The Investec Oaks is won by yearling castoff, Snow Fairy. The unfashionably bred filly goes from strength to strength after her first classic score, winning the Irish Oaks and Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup in Japan, before ending her year on a high with a victory in the Hong Kong Cup. Both Workforce and Snow Fairy stay in training for 2011.
The Vodacom Durban July, as always, promises to be a great race. Most of the attention prior to the race revolves around the strong crop of 3yos. The younger generation duly dominates the race, with 3yos filling the first five places. Champion trainer, Mike de Kock, sends out the first two home, with the handsome Bold Silvano defeating his SA Derby winning stablemate Irish Flame, with Champions Cup winner Orbison back in third. The first three home are later exported to Dubai.
At the end of July, former leading owner and breeder Graham Beck dies. He is 80, and has been battling lung cancer. Beck, whose Highlands Farm is a annual force in the leading breeders list, was a self made millionaire with interests varying from wine and coal, to racehorses. Recent champions owned and raced by Beck include Horse of the Year Free My Heart and ill fated sprint champion National Currency.
At Ascot, Harbinger wins Britain’s premier WFA race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, by . Sadly, this is the colt’s last race. Harbinger, unbeaten at four, is later injured and retires to stud in Japan.
The Breeders Cup meeting is dominated before hand by talk of two mares, Zenyatta and Goldikova. Goldikova becomes the first horse ever to win three Breeders Cup races, when she trots up in the Breeders Cup Mile.
Zenyatta loses her unbeaten record, when beaten a short head in the Breeders Cup Classic by Blame, but wins many admirers by the courage and class she shows in defeat.
Zenyatta, a dual Breeders Cup winner, is later retired to stud with the record of 19 wins in 20 outings, and will be remembered as one of the greatest mares ever raced in the US. Goldikova stays in training for a tilt at next year’s Breeders Cup.
Secret Heart, a daughter of champion sire Fort Wood, becomes the first SA bred to produce a Breeders Cup winner, when her two-year-old son Pluck puts up an astonishing display to win the Gr2 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf. Raced by Team Valor, Pluck maybe aimed at tilt at next year’s Irish 2000 Guineas.
South African fans have plenty to cheer about in Hong Kong in December. J J The Jet Plane, who won both his 2010 starts in South Africa, becomes the first non Australasian horse to win the Hong Kong Sprint, beating a field of world class sprinters. J J’s win is greeted with joy and cheers from all the South African racing fraternity. J J The Jet Plane is now likely to be aimed at the big sprint races in Dubai and Singapore. He is unbeaten in 8 starts under Pierre Strydom, who gives the champion a superb ride to outdo another top SA jockey, Felix Coetzee. Coetzee partners runner up Rocket Man for SA born trainer Pat Shaw.
