Dorothy: What kind of a horse is that? I’ve never seen a horse like that before!
Guardian of the Emerald City Gates: And never will again, I fancy. There’s only one of him and he’s it. He’s the Horse of a Different Color, you’ve heard tell about.
The Wizard of Oz may have had the Horse of a Different Colour, but SA hosted a weekend of racing in silks of a different colour. Much like Marmite, you either loved them or hated them, but you could not ignore them and we were treated to a great weekend’s racing.
In the international competition, things were ‘challenging’ from the get go, with jockey changes and substitutions right up to the last minute, testing the organizers’ nerves to the limit. Due to a mishap in the Breeders Cup, Martin Garcia had to withdraw from the International side and William Buick stepped in to replace him at the eleventh hour. Felix Coetzee’s absence was felt by the SA squad, but his shoes were ably filled by our reserve (and last year’s victor ludorum winner), the dashing Gavin Lerena.
The visitors drew first blood in the opening International on Friday evening with Halis Karatas and Kieren Fallon taking first and second places on Mr Black Tom and Jedi Joshua respectively. Piere Strydom had to sit this one out as his carded ride, Paul Matchett’s Rockingandrolling had to scratch, but Andrew Fortune got us on the board with a good 3rd on Juan Belmonte.
In the PGE Handicap, Muzi Yeni and visiting Team Captain Christophe Soumillon drove to the line together with Muzi just clinching it for South Africa by a quarter of a length on Ozymandias (which, by bizarre coincidence featured in this year’s matric literature exam!). The rest of the International team slotted neatly into all the minor placings, putting them just ahead of SA in the overall standings.
There must have been a team talk during the break, because SA came back fighting in race 7, with Anton Marcus having to fight Kieren Fallon to the line and just getting the better of him on Valor. Anthony Delpech and Muzi Yeni made sure they were on hand to take the minor placings to put Team SA in the lead by a narrow margin.
The night finished on a high for the local side in race 8, when a veritable sea of green and gold passed the post with SA taking the first five places to end the day a comfortable margin ahead of our visitors.
While it was a little difficult at times to tell the different SA riders apart, Nick Kritsiotis did a sterling job in the commentary box and may I say what a delight it was to have Lorna Bradburne along to do the presentations.
While the main focus was on the International Challenge, there were more thrills and spills to be had. I was gutted to see Mother Russia pipped to the post (although what a mare to be beaten half a length at those weights), but rather enjoyed the unorthodox and flamboyant win by Perana. Well done to Anthony Delpech for staying on board and congratulations to the connections. A thoroughly entertaining bit of racing !
The Cape weather gods conspired with the organizers and Sunday dawned bright and sunny. The stage was set for the final show down! There was a jumping castle, face-painting and a water slide to keep the kids entertained while the grown-ups enjoyed a truly international day’s racing.
We kicked off with all the national anthems. I do enjoy La Marseillaise, but there is nothing like the opening bars of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika to make an African heart swell with pride.
It was thrilling to see the riders in their team colours in the flesh for the first time and I confess to feeling a bit of a groupie as I picked out each one. With his tall and aristocratic frame, Captain Christophe Soumillon was easy to distinguish, even without le drapeau tricolore of his adopted France. Hayley Turner and William Buick rode in the Red & White of the St George’s cross with Hayley’s red cap and William’s rosy cheeks making them easy to tell apart. Kieren Fallon looked serious in the pale green and striped sleeves of the Emerald Isle, the diminutive Umberto Rispoli’s blue eyes twinkled out of his Italian green, white and red silks and Hallis Karatas cut a dark and exotic figure in the striking red and white of the Ay Yildiz.
Umberto Rispoli - look ma, no hands (photo Hamish Niven)
May I take this opportunity to congratulate Muzi Yeni who has recently become a dad. He was also the busiest of our team members, slotting in a quick visit to Greyville on Saturday between his team engagements. While there were smiles all round, particularly from the impish Andrew Fortune, there was a strong feeling of occasion and unguarded moments caught all the team members looking serious and quietly determined.
The first international clash of the day was an exciting one with the two captains going head to head at the finish. Anton Marcus timed it to perfection and piloted Master across the line inches ahead of Fly American. Hayley Turner finished 3rd on Castle Rock and Umberto Rispoli was 4th on Howdoulikemenow, racking up some valuable points for the visitors.
Kieren Fallon took the 4th race on Posh Boy and was effusive about the Kenilworth course, saying that “It’s a very fair track and the grass is like a cushion. You are not going to get a better surface than this.” High praise indeed from the 6 time British Champion !
Mr Hassan Adams’ Dance With Al was immaculately turned out by the Snaith stable for the 6th and was the very picture of glamour with his elegant handler, Cyprian Mkhondwana. You guys really are a class act! Dance With Al proved that function follows form by taking the race with consummate ease in the expert hands of Anthony Delpech. Mr Adams’ delivered a rousing acceptance speech, which hopefully left everyone with some food for thought.
Back to the International competition and the tables looked to be turning in the 7th with Umberto Rispoli finishing victorious on Pisces Star. The visitors took all top 3 honours with Hayley Turner in second and I particularly enjoyed the determined ride by Christophe Soumillon on Light My Candle for 3rd.
The visitors were eating into their points deficit and things were getting uncomfortably close. Would the Proteas be able to pull something special out of the bag and hang on for victory ? It all hinged on the outcome of the 8th race.
Jean Roi seemed reluctant to accompany Hayley to the starting gates, but eventually decided that was no way to treat a guest and made his way down to the start. It was a thrilling finish, with the front runners tightly bunched within a length of one another and far too many foreign silks for comfort. We all held our breath, but Piere Strydom showed why he has held the SA Champion Jockey title 5 times with a flying finish on the fabulous Life of Pi (I am particularly pleased by the victory for the son of Pivotal after this week’s news that Noordhoek Flyer is retiring to stud).
I was also charmed by one of the younger racegoers who joined me on the parade ring stand to cheer his hero Striker into the winner’s enclosure. Sir, you certainly gained two new fans on Sunday !
Although the visitors put up a spirited fight to grab second and third, the Proteas had done enough to retain their crown for the 3rd consecutive year. Congrats guys – you did us proud !
It would be remiss of me not to thank the sponsors and everyone who worked so hard to make this happen, but my sincerest thanks to our visitors. It was a real privilege to watch you ride and I hope we will see you again soon.
