Club Class. Variety Club at work.
We were fortunate to witness two smashing colts at Kenilworth on Saturday. One measure that the connections of Diadem Stakes winner What A Winter and Guineas hero Variety Cub will definitely not be considering in the near future is gelding. The chances are that at least one of these two stars could contribute materially to the future of the breed in this country are probably a little premature, but quite likely with what we have seen to date.
A wise, if somewhat cynical, old Breeder observed just the other day that the majority of our producing stallions in this country are on the wrong side of the hill. He may have been a little unkind by his observation but if we consider that this year we lost our champion sire Jet Master and the rising star Dynasty is on light duty and has had his own medical issues, then maybe it is a valid point. Fort Wood is now 20, Western Winter is not getting younger at 18, National Emblem is 17, Kahal is 16, and then we have the relative youngsters in Captain Al and Silvano at 14 years old.
But what makes a stallion prospect? Probably a combination of breeding, Group race track record and conformation, together with the lucky breaks and opportunities- like the best broodmares, the winning farms and the right province, geographically speaking. Variety Club and What A Winter tick the first three boxes. The finger of fate will deal with the rest.
Excuses are an integral component of training racehorses. When your trainer can’t blame the jockey and has tried a tongue-tie, pacifier or set of blinkers, then the unkindest cut of all is an option. Euphemising castration by labelling it gelding or ‘cutting’ is a familiar approach by these beleaguered professionals who have to provide the reality therapy and contend with over expectant owners. Every time the hammer falls on the sale of a colt, the guy signing the chit is praying that this is the next Dynasty or Captain Al. Let’s face it, unless Mike De Kock happens to fancy your boy and sees him as an international prospect, the only real path to riches through racehorse ownership is a sort of six-year plan that incorporates finding the next Jet Master.
Guineas winning trainer Joey Ramsden explains that Variety Club is a ‘bit of a boy’ but advises that he is ‘pretty well behaved in spite of that.’ He says that he is comfortable with his Var star at the moment and says that he is ‘manageable.’ One lady who would go gaga to see a son of Var graduating to stallion duties one day is Avontuur GM Pippa Mickleburgh, who is currently still hovering somewhere on cloud nine above Kenilworth Racecourse.
Club Chairman. Markus Jooste is a big investor.
Variety Club’s owner Markus Jooste ptobably has enough stallions at stud, and he will be happy to have just started seeing some Group race success for his sizeable equine investments. And to prove that succeeding as a stallion is the only way to financial security for the working classes, then consider the fact that the Beaumont Stud-bred has won 9 races, including the Langerman, the Matchem, the Selangor Cup and now the Guineas – and has grossed just under R1,2 million. Fair enough, he is probably worth R3 million in his Goodhope Racing box at Milnerton. It shows again that it surely doesn’t make sense to dash off to a fancy sales venue and pay millions for unproven well packaged products, does it?
Diadem winner What A Winner is a magnificent son of Western Winter out of an Irish-bred mare and has now won 8 of his 12 starts and has banked much the same sort of cash as his year younger counterpart. Part-owenr Marsh Shirtliff has already tried his vastly experienced hands at breeding via the highest earning SA horse ever, Jay Peg, and latterly the less illustrious TobeOrNoTobe. The latter has already had a few winners, but it is early days yet in both careers. His best horse Pocket Power was gelded early on and produced the magic on the track, but whether Marsh believes, or even wants to start thinking about What A Winter as a sire prospect, is a matter for debate.
Many of us males would be able to relate to some form of coltish behaviour at one time or another. If we define it broadly as not being able to focus on work and being distracted by fillies, probably. And the Jooste entire Dan De Lago was a graphic and extreme case in point in the fifth race preliminaries in the parade ring and chute on Saturday. His parentage – he is by Encosta De Lago out of a Danehill mare – has meant that he was never gelded and never realised his true potential on the racecourse. He cost around R3 million as a youngster and has earned under R700 000. He did not jump out of the stalls on Saturday, so will now be suspended again. At age 6, he has probably missed his chances but a stallion career beckons.
Big Fish. Mike Bass' brilliant sprinter, What A Winter.
For the layman’s edification, gelding normally follows these coltish tendencies and also vicious behavior towards other colts. Also ‘stereotypes’, which are destructive behaviour, like self-mutilation or other neurotic antics.
The colt can also develop stallion-like physical characteristics – they get very heavy and thick-set through the neck and shoulders. This makes them strong and difficult for the jockeys to manage and also places a lot of strain on the front legs, thus again, risking injury. Racehorses tend to travel on the forehand in their races, so more weight is placed on the shoulders / front end and having a heavier, more developed front end obviously means extra strain on the front tendons and ligaments.
Your trainer may also tell you that your colt is haemo-concentrating. The increased testosterone levels have an influence on the blood pressure / red blood cell concentration. Admittedly this seems to be a bit of a ‘fad’ and we are inclined to believe that this has more to do with the Lasix type drugs that are administered like Smarties these days
