Great Jockey. Piere Strydom and Snaith are a lethal combination
Justin Snaith and Piere Strydom continued with their stunning PE strike rate when the smart grey Oratorio gelding Ottimo, cruised home to win the R 130 000 Listed East Cape Guineas run over a mile at Fairview on Friday.
Former Coolmore stallion Oratorio, who now stands at Avontuur Stud in the Cape, is registering the stakes winners over all kinds of distances all over the world, and is an exciting addition to our stallion ranks. He will cover his first mares here this year, and his book is understandably filling very fast.
On the track front, it would probably have been music to the ears of the locals that Piere Strydom has no intention of making regular trips to the Eastern Province city. We have frankly run out of adjectives to describe the level of expertise that this man rides at.
Not that any particular skill was required to pilot Ottimo home in this event.
And maybe we should mention Snaith’s experienced assistant Juan Nel too. The former Cape Town based jockey, a champion apprentice jockey in his younger days, was nattily decked out in what looked like an expensive suit, to complete the lead in formalities after Striker’s work was done.
Nel has worked for top yards like Mike De Kock, Greg Ennion, Sabine Plattner, Joey Ramsden and Mike Bass and boasts plenty of international experience. He must rank in the top echelon of assistant trainers in this country, next to the likes of Trevor Taylor, Frikkie Greyling, David Lilley, Steven Jell, John Buckler, Nathan Kotzen and Gavin Blake.
Man About Town. Juan Nel trained a double for the Snaith yard
And Nel had Fred Crabbia’s Australian bred tuned to the minute.
The pace was never really boiling hot as Prestwick led Land Of Meadows, with Ottimo relaxed in third, ahead of Way Clear and Red Silvano. Burlaine Forest was relaxed at the rear, as he usually likes to race.
In the straight, Strydom released Ottimo and he breezed into the lead with the entire field off the bit in his wake. He simply ran away from the bunch to win by 4,25 lengths in a time of 91,46 secs. It was a second winner on the afternoon for Snaith and Strydom after Little Pearl had won earlier for the partnership of Jonathan Snaith, and Dave and Sue Whitelaw.
The consistent Way Clear stayed on for second, ahead of the very fit Lord Jonathan, with Double Nelson bizarrely beating his highly thought of stablemate Burlaine Forest into a disappointing fifth, seven lengths behind.
The 22 to 10 second favourite Burlaine Forest moved up menacingly down the wide outside, but did not go on with his effort. We should perhaps wait for the Stipes Report, prior to discarding him as he has looked a very bright prospect, although the pace could well have been his undoing.
The winner was bred by Flame Tree Stud Pty Ltd of New South Wales and is out of the French bred Octagonal mare, Figure Of Eight, who only raced twice.
She is the dam of the former Charles Laird trained Eight Street (Street Cry), who campaigns in Zimbabwe these days in the Seb D’Aquino yard.
Ottimo, who was formerly trained by Ivan Moore in KZN, has won 4 of his 11 starts with two places, and is a revelation since gelding and the fitment of blinkers. He has earned R329 280, with his biggest win being the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes run over 1200m at Scottsville as a 2yo, which he got on an objection.
He cost Aus $ 65 000 as a yearling, which equates to about R600 000 in today’s terms.
And Oratorio’s acquisition by Avontuur is looking more and more like a really smart move with every passing day!
