The tail hangers-on gang are at it again. The whisper on every street corner is that Igugu just cannot win it. They say she isn’t as good as Ipi Tombe and even the galloping goldmine Empress Club flopped in 1993. None of the experts could show me the title deeds to their blocks of flats on the Atlantic Seaboard or their Group 1 winning trainer trophies either. So I think I’ll stick with Mike De Kock for now and take my chances.
We observe this phenomenon on the eve of every big race day. The guys who should actually be training horses for the Sheikh and Markus Jooste. The know-alls with four litres of petrol in their jalopies and who never buy a drink in the tote. Weirdly though, they are an integral fabric of the build –up and atmosphere and the game probably wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without their chirps and verbal doctorates. Whatever happened, by the way, to the old ‘bag lady’ with the beautiful teeth and bright red lipstick that used to traipse around Kenilworth and Milnerton a couple of years back? Intimacy was the last thing on our minds when we saw her, but boy she was the ‘kiss of death’ – even if you were running with the field into the last. With the real characters slowly disappearing, we should be probably holding on to the hangers-on gang.
Findng the winner to the July is pretty straightforward, surely? Only one of seven trainers are likely to win it. Mike De Kock, Mike De Kock, Mike De Kock, Mike De Kock or Mike De Kock. Then there is the wily Mike Bass and a relatively young man from Cape Town by the name of Joey Ramsden who has hit form at the right time and is dearly missing a July trophy on the valuable mantelpiece of his very comfortable Big Bay seaside home. Between them they train fifty percent of this year’s field and boxing the quartet will only cost half a month’s salary, although two other rising stars in Justin ‘Bieber’ Snaith and Gavin ‘I’ll keep this post-race speech down to 20 minutes’ Van Zyl, could throw a spanner into the works.
Focussing on the horses, Igugu is, no matter what Neil Andrews may say, a worthy favourite. Bizarrely distracted as he was in last week’s Betting World Show by Shaheen Shaw’s pending consultation with a Proctologist, he tried to suggest that she wasn’t the correct price and represented no value at all. I don’t agree. Her regular rider, Anthony Delpech, a man given to little theatrics and emotion , calls her ‘the best filly he has ridden.’ Her trainer, Mike De Kock , speaking on James Goodman’s excellent Winning Ways show on Monday night, says he believes she is ‘the right horse.’ She put up a great gallop in an exercise her trainer calls a ‘waste of time.’ Sure, she may lack Ipi Tombe’s natural speed but she is a grinder and galloper and won’t be stopping. Comparing her collateral form with the rest of her not-exactly vintage contemporaries may not be impressive. But that is not her fault. The bottom line is she likes to win and she does it well.
Then comparing Igugu to the galloping goldmine, Empress Club, doesn’t exactly add any substance to any argument either. The race conditions were different nineteen years ago. Igugu is set to carry 55kgs this year as a three year old. Empress Club, also a three year old, was set 55,5 kgs back then and was also priced up as favourite for the 1992 running. She got a virus three days before the race and was withdrawn, leaving punters with worthless ante-post vouchers and bookmakers in the pound seats. As a 4yo she was set to carry 58kg, which was joint top weight with Karl Neisius’ mount, Flaming Rock – trained by Bieber’s Dad, Chris. She opened at 5/2, then drifted to 10/1 as rumours about her well- being kept doing the rounds. Her connections unfortunately did nothing to diffuse the situation. Once she was declared a runner, money poured on her again, reducing her odds to 3/1 joint favourite with stable mate Dancing Duel. She was beaten less than 2 lengths in a bunched finish by Dancing Duel. Igugu is by no stretch of the imagination an Empress Club – yet.
Beyond her it is very tough :
A positive and negative of each of the runners in my book:
Past Master: Brilliant ability but inconsistent.
Big City Life: Former winner but unimpressive lead-up race.
Bravura :Ramsden and Marcus a lethal combo but has had issues.
Pierre Jourdan:Gary Alexander overdue to win July but jockey hasn’t ridden here for a century.
Captain’s Wild:De Kock fractor but drawn in Port Edward.
Lion In Winter: Gr1 winning silks at this venue but drawn in the bay.
Happy Landing: Be nice for a top-class black jockey to win it but drawn in Smith Street.
Vertical Takeoff: No chance at all.
Igugu: Brilliant filly but half the know-alls in SA are hanging on her tail. Which could be a double positive.
Run For It: Too many positives to mention but unlike his trainer arrives late for every party.
The Apache:Brilliant preparation but race may be over when he gets there
Bulsara: These silks know their way around Greyville but lacks class.
English Garden: Mike Bass factor but Camden Park has done little since Jay Peg.
Flirtation: Good gallop but drawn at Clairwood.
Black Wing:Fairytale waiting to happen for new trainer but is racing this easy?
Safwan:Jockey has career changing opportunity but may lack the class
Castlethorpe:Right trainer but good looks alone don’t win Gr1 races.
Emerald Cove:Justin is good with the girls but this filly looks out of her league here.
Galileo’s Destiny:K Shea and De Kock team up but a New Zealand bred? No.
Super Storm: Lammerskraal overdue to win but Dunford only happens once a lifetime
Selection: 1. IGUGU 2. LION IN WINTER . 3. PAST MASTER. 4. FLIRTATION.
..
Heaven Eleven?
In Chinese Feng Shui this is the year of the money. July has five Fridays, five Saturdays and five Sundays. This phenomenon is called ‘Money Bags’ and occurs once every 823 years. Thank goodness for that as I struggle to survive in a normal month with just four each of those days.
The Apache’s 11 saddle-cloth may hold the key this year as that number appears in some unusual dates: 1/1/11 ; 1/11/11 ; 11/1/11 ; 11/11/11 . So if you birthday is on 1 January, 11 January; 1 November or 11 November, then you know which horse to back. And if you are turning eleven years old this year, you probably shouldn’t be reading this newspaper but get Dad to pop into the tote.
.
Quote Of The Week
I am sure Advocate Brett Maselle won’t mind me utilising this little gem from a posting on the Scotfreeracingwebsite: “ One of the best lessons I have learned in horse racing is that misfortune tests friends and detects enemies..” I will second that, Brett.
