2012 is going to be the year of legends. Better still, it’s the year the legends will all be running right here at home. All the ‘mane’ attractions, coming to a track near you. Battles will be fought, history will be made. Where will you be?
Noblesse Oblige
Or, if you’re a Pratchett fan – Nobblyesse Obligay – is a French phrase literally meaning, “nobility obliges”. The Dictionnaire de l’Académie française’s definition says that whoever claims to be noble must conduct himself nobly or, figuratively speaking, that one must act in a fashion that conforms to one’s position, and with the reputation that one has earned.
This Saturday is the 151st running of the Queen’s Plate and there simply is no race on the SA calendar to rival its history and tradition. This race was first held in 1861 in honour of Queen Victoria. It became the King’s Plate during the reigns of Edward VII and George VI, but reverted to its original name in 1953 after Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne. There may be races with bigger stakes cheques, but the mystique and allure of that beautiful silver platter is simply unmatched.
The race has undergone a number of changes of distance and venue before settling for the classic distance of 1600m and being hosted at Rosmead Avenue. 30 December 2006 ushered in a new era in glamour and elegance, when Mrs Rupert added the L’Ormarins brand and her special personalised stamp to the event. It was an auspicious day, coinciding with the King of the Kenilworth mile, Pocket Power, winning the first of his 4 successive Queen’s Plates.
Charles Faull, global expert on thoroughbred pedigrees and director of the Form Organisation, is of the opinion that weight-for-age races are the purest form of racing and define the best horses around and he dubs the Queen’s Plate ‘without a doubt the most prestigious weight-for-age race on the South African calendar’. Unlike handicap races in which lesser horses are given the chance to beat better horses, he says it is always an outstanding horse that wins the Queen’s Plate. A quick glance at the honours roll more than bears out that the Queen’s Plate has always delivered in terms of racing excellence.
A Starter for Ten
(Ok, a hundred!)
This year promises to be no exception and the race card reads like a racing enthusiast’s wish list of horses, jockeys, trainers and racing personalities. L’Ormarins have upped the stakes for our juveniles by offering a R100k stake for the Trippi Juvenile Sprint and I can’t be the only one looking forward to seeing The Black Rose back on the green stuff. This beautiful daughter of Black Minnaloushe made a statement for Maine Chance and the first Cape Premier Sales draft when she debuted in emphatic fashion, coming home a clear 2.25 lengths ahead of her competition in the Var Juvenile Plate on Avontuur Fillies Guineas day.
TBA Gr1 Paddock Stakes
The Paddock Stakes is the pre-eminent fixture for the cream of our female crop and an acid test for the gracious matrons that will grace our stud farms and carry our future generations of champions. It seemed a fait accompli for current Champion 3 YO Filly / Champion Middle Distance Horse / Horse Of The Year / 2011 Vodacom Durban July Champion and the Aussie jewel in the SA racing crown all rolled into one. The little filly with the monstrous stride – Iiiiiiiiii-gugu! Unfortunately it was not to be as the Mike de Kock charge was scratched at the 11th hour on the grounds of coughing. May we wish her a speedy recovery.
The much hoped for rematch with Ebony Flyer in the Queen’s Plate may have fallen on deaf ears, but Justin Snaith rallied with some of his considerable arsenal in the form of Emerald Cove and We Three, who respectively put up such spectacular runs in the Jet Master Stakes and Victress Stakes on Guineas Day. Dennis Drier brings Beach Beauty to the party, our current Cape champion trainer Mike Bass saddles Hollywoodboulevard and Thunder Dance will line up for Brett Crawford in the cheery and distinctive silks of Ian Longmore. Grant van Niekerk, who rode Smanjemanje to such a smart win in the recent Victory Moon Stakes, takes up the reins on Super Elegant and there will be more than a few supporters in the crowd for Piet Steyn’s gutsy Daylami filly.
The ‘Mane’ Attraction
Just after 4pm, the heat will rise considerably in the parade ring, when our Queen’s Plate heavy weights step into the ring.
Gibraltar Blue and Ebony Flyer will fly the flag for the X chromosomes. Like all Mike de Kock fillies, Gibraltar Blue is a tough cookie who does not flinch at taking on the opposite sex. She graced Kenilworth in both the Cape Flying Championship and Majorca Stakes last January and I look forward to seeing this Rock of Gibraltar daughter back in Cape Town.
Anyone who has seen the Snaith-trained Ebony Flyer in the flesh will know that it’s a memorable experience. I have sung her praises high and low and just love this phenomenal filly. She has a distinctive, almost regal air that sets her apart from her peers. She seems to race the same way, crossing the line with ease and seemingly oblivious of her competition.
Justin also saddles the very handsome Gimmethegreenlight who actually won when he debuted on last year’s Queen’s Plate day. Hassen Adams’ More Than Ready colt will be piloted by maestro Piere Strydom this Saturday.
Joey Ramsden’s Bravura was unbeaten and seemingly unbeatable as a 3YO. While his 4YO campaign was a little less stellar, he’s kicked off his 5 YO year with a bang by beating Tales of Bravery home in last November’s Green Point Stakes.
The second contender from the Ramsden string, Lion in Winter, started life as Battle Abbey. However, Martin Wickens relates that he and partner Gisela Burg didn’t like the name and decided to change it. They clearly don’t subscribe to the idea that name changes are bad luck and their colt seems to agree. We recently saw the charming couple on screen after their fantastic win with Shades of Indigo in Gisela’s silks. When I asked Martin how they decided which horses run in which colours he said that Gisela likes the greys and he gets what’s left! He tells me the colt is jumping out of his skin and with a good draw on their side, it will be worth keeping an eye on those orange and purple silks.
The last of Joey’s trio is Variety Club, being touted by many as the best colt of his generation. He has not copped the best of the draw, but this colt has ability and guts in equal measure and seems to raise his game with every challenge. Anton Marcus had a plane to catch and avoided the champagne shower on Guineas day, but I dare say he may not escape so easily this weekend!
Vaughn Marshall’s Tales of Bravery is a big favourite and I just love this sparky son of Kahal. Second in last year’s Queen’s Plate, he seemed on song when winning the Jet Master Stakes a few weeks ago and one can’t help thinking that a big win is well over due for this lovely little horse.
Mike de Kock must get the quote of the year award for his unmade waterbed comment and it is always a treat to have him on course. The beautiful grey Link Man took a bit of a knock after Ridethebreeze’s antics in the KRA Guineas, however he made a successful recovery and looked lethal in his November comeback. There have been rumblings about his subsequent two runs, but I am very excited to see what Mike de Kock’s Toreador colt makes of the Kenilworth mile.
Mike Bass lifted the beautiful platter for 4 consecutive years courtesy of Pocket Power and will no doubt have strong designs on recovering his silverware, although he acknowledges that it will be a tough ask against this quality field. Karl Neisius piloted Chesalon to his maiden win and takes up the reins on the big son of Fort Wood again on Saturday. Stable companion Kiss Again runs in Lady Lilford’s colours and will be piloted by the very able Aldo Domeyer.
After a long hiatus, Glen Kotzen’s Fabiani made a winning return to the track with two back to back wins over 1600m. This will be the third start since his break and the rangy chestnut son of Model Man has Sean Cormack in the irons for the trip.
Whether you favour the fillies, the colts, the young upstarts or the seasoned campaigners, this is going to be a heck of a race.
The Politician Stakes (Listed)
Most people will be on the track watching the Queen’s Plate prize giving while the gladiators for the Politican Stakes are suiting up. However, it is worth stealing away early to see the likes of Mushreq, Silver Haven, Master Mascus – oh, who am I kidding – the whole field is a feast for the eyes. In fact, the same can be said for the card as a whole. We have the best horses, jockeys and trainers from all over the country all on the same card and it is quite simply one of the most exciting days on the racing calendar.
But if the best horses, top jockeys, big personalities and high fashion aren’t enough to get your blood up, there are fast cars, fine wines and the Style Lounge concert featuring the best of South African music kicking off at 6pm.
Royalty has always been associated with the idea of nobility – of mind, character or spirit. My on-line dictionary defines it as exalted moral excellence and so it is no coincidence that we refer to our best horses as blue bloods. And therein lies the heart of the matter – when you put our best horses, on our best race track, on the best race day of the year, then you can be pretty sure nobility will oblige.
