James Doyle – top rider
We had a fascinating weekend’s racing, kicking off with the International Jockey’s Challenge. It is funny how the weather gods looked down and decided to bestow rain upon it at Turffontein and also a little bit here in the Cape. But it wasn’t just a white wash weather-wise; it was a white wash, sadly, for the internationals, with the locals absolutely killing them.
It ended up being no contest at all with the locals making the internationals look moderate indeed. Was it just the luck of the draw, with the locals getting the plum rides, or was it that some of the internationals were not really up to it?
I think I have a fair answer for that.
I thought Mr Harley, Mr Kirby and certainly Mr Doyle were absolutely excellent and a credit to their country. It was a real pleasure having them aboard and around. They were brilliant and true professionals, both in the parade ring and on the horses. I did not have Gregory Benoist or the German, Andreas Helfenbein, riding for me but I watched them fairly carefully. Their skills did not appear as apparent as was made out to be in their write ups.
As for the Turkish fellow, Yasin Pilavcilar, I am not sure he should really have been here at all. He was absolutely appalling and I felt extremely sorry for whoever was unlucky enough to have him on board their horse. We ended up with him on one of ours and it was a total embarrassment and a disgrace.
Yasin Pilavcilar – not good enough
One only had to look at his record to see that he was not good enough to compete with the rest and whoever ended up with this gentleman was already receiving a severe penalty. If these international meeting’s are to be held in the future, then they also need to be done on level playing fields with regards to the quality of jockeys.
As I said, I don’t know enough about Benoist and Helfenbein to judge but whoever ended up with the Turk, Pilavcilar, should simply have scratched and stayed at home and that’s not what it is all about. It is no wonder that the trainers are frightened to leave horses in these races as in some cases the consequences are dire.
We all want to support racing and showcase and highlight it in all ways possible, but sadly, Sunday’s meeting and certain individuals, is not what it is all about. The trainers who did leave their horses in and ended up with lousy performances can consider themselves sporting in the extreme. Enough said. This aside, it was still loads of fun and great to watch the different styles and to see three such tall men in Kirby, Doyle and Harley ride so stylishly, even though it cannot be easy.
Big Weekend
Act Of War – let’s hope it’s not the smaller the field, the bigger the upset…!
Down here in the Western Cape we have the most wonderful weekend coming up. The Selangor Cup looks to be a fascinating contest. A number of the horses are not yet at their physical peak. It is also great to see a couple of three year olds in the race which opens it up to be one of the best Selangor’s we have had for many a while. It is not the biggest of races with many of the horses maybe shying away from MLjet and Act Of War. But as they say in racing, the smaller the field, the bigger the upset.
I only hope this is not the case this time. Act of War is going exceptionally well at home and we are hoping for the best. I would ignore Catkin’s last run as we have found the reason for it. They also went extremely quickly in the race. Cotton Hill is coming back to form and enjoys the distance. Kingvoldt seems to have come back to his best and it will be interesting to see if the mile is within his range. No matter the size of the field, it will be an absolute thriller and it will not surprise me if it is not the race of the day. I am certainly looking forward to it.
We also have the sales race this year and while I am sure a couple of good ones will come out of it, it does not look quite the quality of last year’s event. That just makes it all the more exciting for those lucky enough to be running for this massive CTS stake. Everyone is going to be trying their hardest and it looks like being a really rough and tumble event with a dash for the cash being the pot-of-gold at the end of the rainbow.
Brutal Force – our Lanzerac RTR Stakes candidate
We have the one runner, Brutal Force, but unfortunately have a fairly wide draw of 12. He is a big horse and it won’t be easy for him to get in from that position. Luckily we have the master, Bernard Fayd’Herbe, in the irons and I know he is ready and up for the challenge. It is a big field with all the top jocks down and looks an exciting and open contest showcasing some of our best horses. I cannot wait.
I know Cape Thoroughbred Sales are putting on a real show on Saturday and it will be a showcase exercise in marketing. It is a wonderful day’s races and there should be no excuse for not attending. The weather is set to be fair and the horses on show are some of the best around. We also have some of the country’s leading jockeys riding. I am already having sleepless nights about it. I am not sure if it is the excitement or the worry that goes with it.
With the arrival of these races, the season has really got into full swing and the boys are getting stuck into their horses. Sadly, it is a time when little niggling injuries can occur, along with some quite large ones as we start to get them ready and pumped up for the feature races ahead. The season promises to be a cracker and I cannot wait for the weekends to come.
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