Sands Of Time – February 1995

31 January – 6 February

Hennie de Jager, one of the founders of the highly successful Varsfontein Stud in the Western Cape, died on February 5 after surgery for abdominal cancer. Hennie, who fostered a lifelong association with horses on his family’s farm at Prieska, moved to the Cape to accept a job for Nasionale Pers. His time as a top amateur flat and hurdle race jockey, saw him establish a friendship with fellow amateur horseman Tony Kalmanson and led to the establishment of Varsfontein Stud. De Jager remained at Varsfontein until his retirement in 1989 after which he joined Arc-En-Ciel Stud and was a prominent member of their successful team until his death.

The Transvaal breeding industry lost its flagbearer when the French-bred Hobnob died at Neil and Lyth Orford’s Bosworth Farm Stud. A graded stakes winner of three races, including York’s Group Three Dante Stakes, he was also placed in the Group One St Leger at Doncaster, the Group Two Premio Emanuele Filiberto in Milan and the Group Two Prix Kergorlay at Deauville. He made his mark as a sire of classic horses, siring winners of more than 400 races and about R10 million in stakes, including three Gold Bowl winners in Royal Line, Honey Chunk and Eaton Lad. Other memorable progeny included Kadarko, Topa Inca, Respectable, St Just and Summer Line.

Clairwood Park secures a new sponsor for the Club’s major Gr1 handicap. Formerly the Clairwood Winter Handicap, and then the Mainstay 1800, the race will be run in 1995 as the Sharp Electronics Cup for a stake of R500,000.

7 – 13 February

Natal Oaks winner Summer Line, by recently deceased sire Hobnob, was too good for her opposition in the 7 February Newmarket Turf Club Stakes over 2000m. The favourite was well back early as Tramontane set a slowish pace from Instant Power and Frederiko, with As Ever fourth. The last named was quick to tackle the leaders in the straight and took over with 400m left, but Summer Line soon began to reel her in at a rapid rate. Also in full cry from well back was Natal visitor Sly and over the last 300m this pair had the race to themselves. It seemed as if Sly was traveling the stronger, but he shied away from Summer Line as he drew up alongside and that allowed the filly to stay in front and win by a head. There seems little doubt that Sly would have won had he kept a straight course and in the process credit Bushmanland’s sire Centenary with another notable success, but that’s racing and Summer Line goes into the history books as the winner. Victory has probably also ensured that Summer Line will take her chances in the R1,25 million Premier’s Cup later this autumn, a race trainer Ferraris and Summer Line’s regular pilot Weichong Mawing won a year ago with Sizzling Sun.

The connections of Special Preview were left to reconsider their plans after the colt was touched off close home Turffontein’s 1400m Keith Hepburn Champion Stakes on 11 February. Herman Brown Jnr’s five-year-old Elliodor gelding Eldoriza, who is at his best when able to race from well back in fast run events had everything go in his favour to topple the country’s favourite son of Model Man. Free To Run set off at a good gallop and showed the way to Lacroix and Bluff, with Special Preview and Prince Of War next in line. Prince Of War tried to steal first run on Special Preview and overhauled the favourite on the turn before hitting the front more than half way down the straight. Special Preview looked to have matters fully under control, however, and moved up to Prince Of War a furlong out. He headed his older rival easily enough and looked set to land the odds, but Joe Soma’s colt began to throw out distress signals in the final stages. He veered to his inside as Eldoriza charged through a narrow gap between the favourite and Prince Of War, so much so that there may very well have been an objection had Special Preview stayed in front. Eldoriza solved that problem by snatching the lead away in practically the last stride. Prince Of War ran an excellent race to finish third, with the rest five lengths and more behind.

Those with long memories may recall Harry Hotspur and jockey Bert Abercrombie coming from what seemed an impossible position to snatch victory from Brer Rabbit in the 1976 running of what is now the Natal Mercury Sprint at Clairwood Park. Not all of the late sire’s talent has rubbed off on daughter Hot Favourite, but she has enough to make her one of the better sprinting fillies around and showed off a terrific turn of finishing speed in the 11 February Southern Cross Stakes at Milnerton. The 1000m Southern Cross, run on the fast Minerton track, was considered by many to count against the chances of Abercrombie’s four-year-old, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Trained by the selfsame Bert Abercrombie who rode her sire to his greatest success, Hot Favourite was partnered by jockey Garth Puller in the Southern Cross Stakes. Puller had her well back early on, leaving it to Darby Way and race favourite Sugar Cube Baby to lead past the 400m, but the race soon changed. Sugar Cube Baby went out the back door, and Hot Favourite simply took off coming to the last 200m. She ran away from her field to beat Special Class by five lengths, with Darby Way running the race of her life to fill third spot.

14 – 20 February

Flobayou opts out of Computaform Sprint as no adequate flight arrangement can be made with SAA. Trainer Eric Sands states that Flobayou could only travel to arrive several days before the race, which isn’t suitable for Cape horses competing in Gauteng. SAA’s failure to provide adequate arrangements seems peculiar as several other horses from the Cape did accept for the race and could have travelled with Flobayou. Nevertheless, while disappointing for the Cape connections, it served to throw the field wide open.

Cutting Edge

Fillies took centre stage in Newmarket’s R100 000 Henry Eatwell Memorial Handicap over 1000m on Valentine’s Day. Emerald Scarab looked hard to oppose, but Buddy Maroun’s daughter of Fine Edge, Sharp Ledge, conceding 8.5kgs to the Natal raider, provided the upset. The five-year-old outpaced Emerald Scarab from the start, this pair showing the way clear to the balance. It looked as though Emerald Scarab had only to wait for Sharp Ledge to run out of steam, but this never happened and it was the Natal visitor who had nothing left to come in the last 100m. It was left to Super Sheila to give Sharp Ledge most to do, but the Australian mare found top gear just too late and failed by a head to reel in the front running Sharp Ledge.

The Gr2 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas took place at Gosforth Park on 18 February. With Cape sensation Shepherd’s Moon sitting out the Gauteng season, last year’s ARCSA champion juvenile filly Dancing Danzig made merry, beating 14 rivals. Fortune favoured Dancing Danzig, drawing barrier position one and she was sent out 15/10 favourite. The early pace was not fast in the slightly sticky ground, legacy of a heavy shower earlier in the day. It was My Sweet Love who showed the way, with Dancing Telegraph moving up to race second ahead of Platinum Lady and Dahlia’s Legacy, while Dancing Danzig sat about six lengths aback. My Sweet Love and Dahlia’s Legacy led through the 200m mark as Dancing Telegraph faded, but Dancing Danzig was now making up ground hand over fist. Jockey Rhys van Wyk timed his run to perfection and the favourite burst to the front 100m from home to win by a widening 1.5 lengths. Mufski, a daughter of Al Mufti, having her first start since she changed hands for R90 000 and joined the Millard stable, ran on for second ahead of La Favorite.

Take The Lot

The 18 February Milnerton Cape Summer Handicap was won by Scoop The Kitty, a six-year-old whose trainer Patrick Labuschagne has become something of a bogey man for Fire Arch. He also saddled Hainan Dao to beat the Kiwi import in the Premier’s Gold Vase at Clairwood Park last August. Scoop The Kitty had last won in the C Division and was rising sharply in class, but is a game fellow and was receiving 5.5 kgs from 2/1 favourite Fire Arch. Scoop The Kitty found the 1800m to his liking, proving full of running to beat the market leader by 1.5 lengths.

A B-Division Handicap provided another highlight on the afternoon, when last season’s unbeaten Allan Robertson Fillies Futurity winner Sydney’s Dream bounced back over 1200m. Geoff Woodruff’s Australian-bred daughter of Bletchingly gave a fluent display, leading from soon after the start to beat sole market rival Mishmash by almost two lengths. This was only the winner’s second start of the season. She had lost her perfect record when unplaced at Kenilworth on J&B Met day, but was said not to have acted in the soft going which prevailed on that occasion.

21 – 27 February

National Pride

Despite having suffered his only two career defeats from eight starts over the Guineas distance of 1600m – in the Premier’s Champion Futurity last July and then in the Jensen Electronics Dingaans five months later – Russell Laird’s National Emblem cantered down for Newmarket’s 22 February MEC Guineas an odds-on favourite. This reflected considerable faith on the part of his supporters as National Emblem’s 11 rivals included Travel North and Naiyerah, who had both comfortably beaten him in the Dingaans. Rhys van Wyk rode National Emblem for the first time and sensibly bided his time well back as Man Of Glory and Man Of Peace set much too fast a pace from Naiyerah. The frontrunners simply had to stop, and 400m out they did just that. Van Wyk now had National Emblem in striking distance and the race was over when the favourite took command at the 200m pole. Only Teal was able to throw down much of a challenge, but he was never a serious threat. National Emblem won with a little in hand and the SA Guineas in May looks an obvious target race for him.

Tracy’s Day

Two popular, but repeatedly disproven, theories about racing took a knock in Gosforth Park’s Computaform Sprint on Saturday, 25 February. Fans of the idea that a good colt will always beat a good filly were left to drown their sorrows in the company of those who would rather die than back a horse racing for the second time after a layoff. Tracy’s Element ‘qualified’ on both counts, but that didn’t stop her from winning the country’s richest 1000m race.

With the absence of Flobayou and 1994 Computaform sprint winner Taban, Tracy’s Element was sent out a heavily supported 13/10 favourite. Weichong Mawing had trainer Ormond Ferraris’ four-year-old out in a flash and she led the outside group clear of Lady Lexington and Golden Man, with Golden Taipan predictably a mile back. Meantime, Young Harvest and Hot Seven showed the way to The Business over on the far side of the course. It is never easy to judge relative positions when horses separate into two groups, and backers of Young Harvest had every reason to hope that jockey Piere Strydom was about to receive a wedding present deluxe. In truth, however, Tracy’s Element had his measure pretty much throughout, tending to shift away from the rail slightly in the final stages but still reaching the wire three-parts of a length ahead of Young Harvest. Three-year-old filly Lady Lexington put up an excellent performance to finish the same distance further back in third.

Chairman Dao

On the other end of the racing spectrum that same afternoon, Kenilworth gave the marathon specialists a chance to shine in the Chairman’s Handicap over 3200m. The R100 000 event looked wide open, with seven of the 12 starters having contested the 2500m J&B Reserve Stayers Handicap at the same course last time out. 1994 winner Ginger Cake started favourite, but a slow early pace dashed her hopes. Never out of the first three as first 1994 Chairman’s winner Ginger Cake and then Flower Filled set the pace, Hainan Dao took a narrow lead in the last 200m and just held on to beat a faster finishing Mystic Swan by a short head. Rhode Island ran on well to finish a neck further back third, with Royal Voyager coming from last on the turn to take fourth place. This was only Hainan Dao’s third start since joining trainer Hilton Davie and he credited the former jockey with his most significant success to date. Hainan Dao had previously been trained first by Mark Watters and then by Patrick Labuschagne, who saddled the gelding to win the Premier’s Gold Vase over 2400m at Clairwood Park last August. You may recall that Hainan Dao was an emergency acceptor for that race and left Cape Town little more than 24 hours before post time, when a place in the field was vacated.

28 – 6 March

Amazon Grace

Newmarket’s 28 February Gr3 Morris Lipschitz Memorial over 1000m marked the first major event of the season for two-year-olds, and to nobody’s surprise it went the way of the Millard and Lloyd machine.

Amazon Fighter, a daughter of Complete Warrior, had impressed when making her debut at the Vaal two weeks earlier, going off 7/10 favourite and ambling home with more than four lengths in hand. The filly was up against much sterner opposition at Newmarket, but she polished off 14 rivals easily enough. The early pace was fast, with Cosmic Light showing up from Golden Lime, French Braid and Cape Hunt while Amazon Fighter raced a couple of lengths back. Millard’s filly responded immediately once Lloyd turned her loose and took command racing to the last 200m. Only Cape Hunt, a Bush Telegraph colt who had slammed a competitive maiden field on his debut, could put up any sort of a challenge, but Amazon Fighter always had his measure in winning by almost a length. French Braid, winner of three races already, took third place from Charming Princess in a race where Cape Hunt was the only colt to finish in the first four.

We Are Not A-Mused

Randjesfontein trainer Pat Shaw sent out Son Of Adelaide for the Vaal Bookmakers Handicap over 1800m on 2 March. This was one race which turned into a fiasco for horses bred beyond South Africa’s borders, with Son Of Adelaide finishing no closer than fourth and Gilgamesh never looking remotely dangerous before finishing out with the also-rans. Appropriately perhaps for a race sponsored by the bookmakers, this event produced the biggest shock of the Gauteng season to date when filly French Muse collared frontrunner Wengener Hof in the closing stages to win by a neck. French Muse had finished 15th of 16 starters in a fillies’ Feature handicap at Gosforth Park last time out and not surprisingly returned Tote odds of way over 100/1. Trained at the Vaal by Cliffie Otto, French Muse (by disappointing Riverman horse Melun) was bought for just R5,000 at the National Two-Year-Old Sale in 1992. She is surely living proof of the old adage that without a ticket you cannot win!

Shaw Thing Master!

Surfing Home was a late defector from Turffontein’s 4 March First National 1600, and Race Master took full advantage to post one of the biggest surprises in the history of this Turffontein showpiece. The departure of Surfing Home (due to an abnormal temperature) left this WFA event looking quite open, but there was still plenty of talent left over to suggest that Race Master would be out of his depth. The J&B Met winner may have been missing, but the three placed horses were still in action, namely Waitara, Imperial Despatch, and Rusty Pelican. Also in the First National field were Crimson Waves and Prince Of War, winner and runner-up respectively in the Queen’s Plate. The idea that they could all be upstaged by a horse who had won in the middle division last time out seemed vaguely absurd, but that is exactly what happened.

The early pace was modest, with solitary three-year-old Naiyerah showing the way from Firle Beacon, Yeltsin and Waitara. Rusty Pelican and Crimson Waves were in midfield, with Imperial Despatch were he likes it best – near the back. The pacemakers, Waitara amongst them, were all a spent force coming to the last 300m, and it was then that Race Master took it up after gradually making up ground from the turn. With Rusty Pelican going up and down in the same spot and Imperial Despatch visibly not closing the gap fast enough, it was left to Prince Of War to try and prevent the imminent disaster. The son of Plugged Nickle ran on nicely over the last furlong, but he couldn’t get to grips with Race Master and was one length back at the finish. Imperial Despatch finished a decent third over a distance which is really short of his best.

In The Purple

The Natal off-season has at times been enough to try the endurance and enthusiasm of even the most die-hard racegoers. Memorable performances have been almost as common as Sabre-toothed tigers in the Kruger Park, with IGN’s coverage of the good stuff elsewhere acting as an appetiser for the winter bounty to come. There have been a few notable moments, though, and most of them were provided by Winning Purple.

This five-year-old mare is as honest a racehorse as they make them, and she completed a hattrick of Scottsville Feature races when she won the Model Man Ladies Mile over 1600m on Saturday, 4 March. Having won the Province of KwaZulu-Natal Stakes in December and the Michael Roberts Handicap (against male rivals) in January, Pat Riley’s mare shouldered top weight of 58.5 kgs in this fillies’ and mares’ handicap, but a slowish early pace helped her cause no end. Winning Purple has only borderline reserves of stamina when racing over a mile and beyond, and she was able to take full advantage of what became a sprint home. She headed pacemaker Polar Kiss halfway down the straight, and despite shifting in over the last 100m, she held off Gauteng visitor Rose Imperial by a long head. The trainer of the runner-up objected on the grounds of Winning Purple having taken Rose Imperial off a straight course, but this was overruled.

Executive Exodus

February saw a raft of administrative changes around the country. Mike Tarpey resigned as the chief exec of Eastern Cape Racing, Turffontein marketing and promotions manager Elaine van Gent resigned to join IGN as marketing manager and Gauteng handicapper and assistant judge Byron Kennedy resigned to take up position with Absa Sports Media Consultancy.