Sands Of Time – May 1995

3 – 9 May 1995

 

Buy Best, Buy Birch

Richard Birch held a dispersal sale of Fairthorn Stud stock at the TBA Sales Complex at Gosforth Park on Friday, 5 May, including broodmares and weanlings. The highest price was R50k, paid by Colin Palm for a Northern Guest colt out of Maid In Love.

Flying Fenix

Owner-breeders Peter and Val Fenix achieved a unique trifecta in the Two-Year-Old Futurity at Arlington on Friday, 5 May when a trio of homebred fillies racing in their colours took the first three places. The R40,000 event over 1400m was won by Al Mufti’s daughter Hail To Rule, with Lustra Belle and Persian Flight in the places. All three are trained, surprise surprise, by Stanley Greeff.

In addition, the Fenix’s Villa Felice Stud also bred Winter Trial winner Whistling Prince and the half brothers Prince Of War and Golden Man, placed second and fourth respectively in the Drill Hall Stakes. Not bad for a single weekend!

Size doesn’t count

Diminutive Foveros gelding Teal turned the tables on his old rival National Emblem when taking on a classy field of sophomores in the Gr1 SA Guineas at Greyville on Saturday, 6 May. The line-up, which included Bushmanland, Counter Action and La Mancha, was a fascinating showdown, and one worthy of a much bigger prize than the R150 000 on offer.

With a strong early pace, Johnny Geroudis placed Teal towards the rear of the field, but made up ground and improved their position all the while. Rhys van Wyk decided to bide his time on National Emblem, a decision which perhaps cost him the race. Turning for home, Teal was little more than three lengths off the pace with National Emblem one from last. By the 200m mark, Teal was in front and being strongly challenged by Argus Guineas winner Bushmanland with National Emblem having to negotiate traffic before mounting his challenge down the inside. It was desperately close at the line, but Teal stuck to his guns and kept going to win by a head from National Emblem, with Bushmanland three parts of a length back in third.

Bred by Alan and Vera Sutherland’s Somerset Stud, Teal failed to reach his reserve at the 1993 National Yearling Sales, but has proved a model of consistency on the race track. Known by his trainer Pat Shaw as ‘the pony’ because of his size, the game little chestnut has never finished further back than second in a dozen life-time starts.

Eldoriza Again

The five-year-old Elliodor gelding Eldoriza seems very much a 1400m specialist and holds the Greyville track record for the distance. More’s the pity then that this the only distance between 1000m and 2400m which cannot boast a single Gr1 event. Still, Herman Brown Jnr’s gelding is taking what opportunities there are with open arms. He downed Special Preview in a dramatic finale to the Keith Hepburn Champion Stakes at Turffontein in February, and completed a Feature double when landing Greyville’s Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes by the best part of a length on Saturday, 6 May.

Whistling in the Wind

In the same afternoon down in at Milnerton, Cape Derby hero Western Rocket made his return to the track in the Kwikot Winter Trial. Although eventual winner Whistling Prince had 1.25 lengths in hand at the wire, it’s no secret that Western Rocket is being geared towards the Rothmans July. The Winter Trial was only his first step down that road, and it marked his return to racing after an absence of three months. As a prep run for a race still two months distant this wasn’t half bad, especially as he managed to avoid incurring a last minute penalty 48 hours before the July weights were announced!

From the Note Book

Apprentice Paul Devlin shone at the Annual International Apprentice Challenge in Macao. Devlin won the main event and a cup on the tight local track that resembles Greyville.

Four for Ferraris

The heroes and heroines of the 1995 Highveld Feature Race Season were honoured over breakfast at Turffontein’s Aquanaut Room on Sunday, 7 May. Senior statesman Ormond Ferraris, due to retire at the end of the season, fittingly scooped four awards with charges Summer Line (Gr2 Newmarket Turf Club Stakes) and Tracy’s Element (Gr1 Computaform Sprint) lighting up the 1995 Highveld Feature Race Season. However, it was the feat of saddling the first four past the post in the Grade One Computaform SA Derby Futurity that persuaded the judges to name him champion trainer for the feature season. A back-to-best Travel North, whom stable rider Weichong Mawing deserted at the last minute in favour of stablemate Sparkling Taxi, produced an electrifying run from last place and surged clear to win by three lengths from Alpine Chief. Sparkling Taxi and Pinehurst took third and fourth, the result underlining that Ferraris can have few peers in the world in the art of training stayers. Travel North’s victory was sufficient for him to cinch the champion stayer award for the season, while Tracy’s Element and Summer Line won the champion sprinter and best older filly/mare awards respectively.

The horse of the season award went to star 3yo National Emblem, who also won the three-year-old male award.

Mike Stewart-trained Fire Arch’s success in the rain-delayed R1,25 million Gr1 Premier’s Cup secured him the champion older colt/horse award. Other winners were Gr1 South African Nursery Plate heroine Harry’s Charm (champion juvenile filly), Irish Ranger (two-year-old colt) and Stormy Hill (three-year-old filly). Koster Bros (breeders of National Emblem) won the breeders’ award and Johnny Geroudis was named champion jockey.

The Transvaal Yearling Sale, held on Sunday, 7 May 1995 saw the sale of 219 lots. The highest price paid was R86k, paid by DC de Villiers for Lot 73, a Mistral Dancer colt out of Glider Girl. The average price for a colt was R14k, the average for a filly R10k and the average overall was R12k with a median of R10k.

10 – 16 May

 

Premier Record

Scottsville saw one of the best fields to date for its 1600m Gr2 Premier’s Stakes on 10 May, and Mike de Kock added to his big-race tally, sending out Record Edge to post an easy win under Doug Whyte. Second was another Gauteng runner in National Dance with useful Amberpondo running on well for third.

Roll out the Barrel

Mike was back in the winner’s box at Clairwood three days later when Barrellen put in a determined effort to clinch the Woolavington Cup. Not the soundest of horses, Somerset-bred Barrellen has been astutely campaigned by his Gauteng conditioner, who’s been able to bring his charge back from lengthy breaks to win six races. In the 2400m Woolavingon Cup, the five-year-old Our Casey’s Boy (USA) gelding hit the front shortly before turning into the 600m straight and then had to dig deep as challenges were thrown out. In a gutsy performance, Barrellen lasted just long enough to hold off favourite Elite Fov by a short head with Fantasy Warrior little more than a length away third. Irish-bred filly The Predecessor filled the minor placing, and a wall of horses running on behind her gave an indication that there will be some well-contested staying races during the winter season.

Tribute to Natfed chairman

Natfed Chairman Dudley Basel sadly lost his battle against cancer on May 14 1995.  He served on the Natal Owners and Trainers’ committee from 1978, became vice-chairman in 1980 and was chairman from 1983 until 1987. He became a steward of Clairwood Park Turf Club in 1986, but still continued to serve on the NOTA committee. He was invited to join Natfed at its inception in February 1984, became vice-chairman in 1986 and was elected as chairman in 1988, a post he held at his death. He took his racing duties so seriously that he was still flying to Natfed, TBA and Jockey Club meetings and serving as duty steward at Clairwood Park Turf Club until late April.

The Perfect Host

Jeff Lloyd added another winter-season stakes win to his tally aboard Tony Millard-trained Northern Host in the 1200m Gr2 Gilbeys Trial at Scottsville on 16 May. Stable companions from the Michael Airey yard Peer of the Realm and Slew Per Squadron finished second and third.

17 – 23 May

 

No More Gold

Having recently suffered the loss of Harry Hotspur, Maine Chance Farms’ leading sire Golden Thatch was put down after suffering from laminitis for many years. Golden Thatch, a full brother to leading UK sire Thatching, was a Graded Stakes winner in the UK, and finished third in the Kings Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. He earned a rating of 117, and retired to stud in South Africa in 1980. Golden Thatch leaves a legacy on our tracks and paddocks, including Gr1 winner Goldmark, now a sire in his own right, as well as leaving his mark as a broodmare sire.

Ballroom Blitz

While the withdrawal of Shepherd’s Moon from Scottsville’s 20 May SA Fillies Guineas denied fans the opportunity to see her go head to head with Dancing Danzig, it did leave they way clear for the latter to double up on her success in the Gauteng equivalent at Gosforth Park earlier this year. Diane Stenger’s charge was backed down to 7/10 favourite and landed the odds under another excellent ride from Rhys van Wyk. With the Scottsville track running fast, van Wyk kept his charge handy, working their way into the lead inside the last 200m and having just enough left to hold off a late charging Darby Game.

High Flier

Scottsville’s 20 May Smirnoff Futurity was so widely heralded as a showdown between five unbeaten horses that the other six who couldn’t boast a spotless record were largely overlooked. Big mistake.

Undefeated SA Nursery winner Harry’s Charm was backed as if the race was a formality and started 6/10 favourite, with Weather Bird a 4/1 second choice to make it five wins from five starts. However, it was the Clodagh Shaw-trained Gold Flier, who started at odds of 10/1, that trounced all and sundry, not least the unbeaten contingent, to make a strong bid for the title of champion two-year-old.

Gold Flier patently relished the 200m step up in trip, striding away from the favourite over the last furlong to win easing up by 1.75 lengths.

Tracy’s Swansong

Having won the 1993 Smirnoff Futurity, but failing to place from three subsequent visits to Scottsville, Tracy’s Element laid the ghost of her disappointing Scottsville efforts to rest when winning Scottsvilles’ SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m on 21 May with ease.

Starting a 3/1 favourite to beat a talented field of sprinters which included Sydney’s Dream (beaten once from six career starts), Turffontein Sprint winner Super Sheila, Winning Purple, and Discover Diamonds, the Australian import was kept handy. Jockey Mawing sent Tracy about her business at halfway, and Ormond Ferraris’ four-year-old soon stamped her authority. Only Discover Diamonds could conjure up much of a challenge, but she was never going to beat her fellow Aussie and Tracy’s Element had 1.5 lengths to spare at the post. Lake Gate ran on well to finish third, but an outside draw led to the undoing of both Sydney’s Dream and Hot Favourite as the recent Scottsville bias towards low draws in sprints continued.

This may well have marked the end of Tracy’s Element’s racing career. Owners Moira and Paddy Hinton expressed a reluctance to race their champion again, and thus forego the opportunity to try and deny Taban the honour of becoming the first horse to win a million in stakes without ever scoring over less than a mile. In all, the filly has won 11 of just 18 career starts for purses of R918 770.

Graham Beck Strikes

The attempt to thrust South Africa into international racing received a significant boost when Graham Beck co-owned colt Timber Country (Woodman-Fall Aspen) triumphed in the US$687 000 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 22 in front of a crowd of 87 000 people and millions of television viewers.

Beck’s share in Timber Country is owned in the name of Gainesway Farm, the famous American stud farm which he acquired for a reported $7,5 million in 1987 and his partners in the colt are W.T. Young of Overbrook Farm in Kentucky (who stand champion juvenile sire Storm Cat) and Mr and Mrs Robert Lewis, who own America’s current champion filly Serena’s Song (by Rakeen’s half-brother Rahy out of a Northfields mare).

Champion American juvenile of 1994, Timber Country had been tipped by his trainer D Wayne Lukas as a potential Triple Crown winner but he drew very wide in the Kentucky Derby and encountered traffic problems. He only closed late from the rear of the field to be beaten 0.75 lengths into third behind his longshot stable companion Thunder Gulch.

He exacted revenge in the Preakness, running five wide into the stretch with jockey Pat Day taking advantage of the colt’s long, raking stride to ensure a trouble-free run. He accelerated smartly in the stretch to overtake Thunder Gulch and win going away with 16-1 chance Oliver’s Twist running second and Thunder Gulch third.

He became the first juvenile champion since Spectacular Bid in 1979 to win a Triple Crown classic and he also became the first winner of a $1 million Breeders Cup Juvenile Stakes to win a classic race. Timber Country clocked a very good time, running the 1900m in 1 min 54,4 sec which is the identical time clocked by Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978 and is amongst the fastest times in the 122 year history of the race.

It was the first win in an American classic by any South African owner in history and although Timber Country is an American-bred colt who is not likely to see South African soil, the win is a reflection of South African enterprise. It also reflects favourably on the Oppenheimer-owned stallion Fort Wood (USA), a Sadler’s Wells Group One winning half-brother to Timber Country, who stands his second season at Mauritzfontein Stud this year.

24 – 30 May

 

Never On A Sunday?

Anybody who thought nothing much has changed in the day-to-day life of the new South Africa wasn’t at Greyville on Sunday, 28 May. It seems hard to believe that only a few years ago all you could do on Sunday was study form for Wednesday. No more.

South Africa staged its first ever Sunday meeting on 28 May, simply because it also happened to be hosting rugby’s World Cup and there was a game in Durban on Saturday.

Greyville’s meeting was originally scheduled for Saturday May 27, but the powers that be obtained regional government approval to hold the fixture a day later in order to avoid a clash with four Rugby World Cup matches. And, yes, the bars were open!

The Cape and Gauteng meetings took place on Saturday as scheduled and spreading what are normally three Saturday fixtures over two days proved a success, both in terms of betting turnovers and attendance. The attendance at Greyville was 8 217, more than double the 3 779 at the corresponding fixture in 1994. Tote betting turnovers were even more encouraging.

Many Tattersalls and tote agencies in Gauteng, as well as several tote branches, opened for business on the Sunday in spite of betting on that day still being illegal in the region. The tote, bookmakers and racing media in the region thus found themselves participating in a silly charade in which they had to tell punters that betting would be available without actually saying so.

In spite of the limited publicity given to betting facilities, TAB Transvaal turnover was R2,9 million – some R900 000 more than the tote betting giant would take on a normal Saturday meeting in KwaZulu-Natal.

Greyville chief executive Dave Furness estimated that KwaZulu-Natal tote betting turnover on the three meetings was R2 million more, and Cape turnover R1 million more, than would have been the case on a normal Saturday.

Zealous

Although Australian import Zelator had showed promise a three-year-old, there seemed little to recommend him for the Greyville 1900. However, horses run on grass, not on paper and Mike Stewart’s charge made nonsense of his odds when storming to an easy two length defeat of Festive Forever. The runner up was rather unlucky in that she was repeatedly baulked in the straight. She ran a good race in the circumstances, but she was never dangerous when placed sixth in the Woolavington Cup last time out and her performance doesn’t do much to improve our opinion of Sunday’s race as a Rothmans pointer.

Such realistic July hopefuls as Bold Approach and Sleek Machine finished unplaced and did little to enhance their prospects even if Sleek Machine did race wide for most of the way. Fire Arch ran a good race at the weights to finish third, and his Rothmans preparation at least seems to be very much on the right track.

For the record, this marked Zelator’s fifth win from 18 lifetime starts and took his earnings to R270 525. He was acquired for Aus $55 000 at the 1992 Sydney Easter Yearling Sales and is by the Lyphard horse Alzao, sire also this winter of Easter Fillies Handicap winner The Predecessor.