Even at the age of 58, Piere Strydom has few equals in the saddle. The evergreen hero travelled to Vereeniging on Thursday for a 100% strike rate from two rides that saw him bring up his recordbreaking 5555th winner milestone.
It’s been just under two years since Striker registered his 5500th winner on Admiralty Arch for Barend Botes at the Vaal in November 2022, and while the strike-rate may have tapered off in recent years, he still makes it look relatively easy.
Dontshootthebarman and Piere Strydom are on their own as the 5555 registers (Pic – JC Photos)
Partnering the Lammerskraal bred Visionaire gelding Dontshootthebarman for Clinton Binda and the Hollywood Syndicate, Piere had relatively little to do to chalk up the consistent galloper’s fourth win from 20 starts when winning the 1000m Betway MR 80 Handicap rather easily.
That was Striker’s 5500th win of an extraordinary career.
His next win took substantially more effort, with the Drakenstein-bred son of Lancaster Bomber, Battleofbartberton, overtaken by his more fancied Azzie stablemate Claw and Smanga Khumalo at the 250m mark of the 2000m Betway MR 80 Handicap, before digging deep under a vintage ride to grab victory on the line.
Smanga Khumalo’s ride on the runner-up is the subject of a possible Stipes enquiry.
“I owed owner Nic Jonsson that after getting beat a few times on See It Again,” smiled the veteran, before grabbing a beer and heading home after a successful day at the office.
With a record unparalleled in SA racing, Piere Strydom reached his 5 000 career winner milestone in November 2014. He is on record stating that the standout was the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Sprint in 2010, which he won on JJ the Jet Plane in 2010.
Piere Strydom is retained by the ASSM Syndicate whose nominee is Arun Chadha and whose other member is Warne Rippon.
