Sedge
It’s been a busy weekend! The weekend kicked off with a fantastic win by up and coming EC superstar, Sedge (Silvano – Shasta Daisy). Gavin is perennially friendly and forthcoming, but I detected more than his usual enthusiasm when I rang up for a chat.
Most often associated with 2010 Vodacom Durban July winner Bold Silvano and assuming there might be a family resemblance, I asked what had attracted him to Sedge. “Bold Silvano was a big, burly horse. Sedge is very different though. He’s quite a plain horse – dark bay, nearly black and he’s not very big – he stands around 15’3, maybe a little more, but he’s got that classic big beautiful eye and head of a good horse. ‘ell man, he’s the sort of horse that makes you want to get up in the morning!” I can hear the grin on his face all the way from Cape Town.
Sedge was lot 404 on the 2011 National Yearling Sales and Gavin warms to his story “I picked him myself at Nationals. We paid R250k. I bought him for Danie du Randt and Johan Beukman and I retained a share. After a while Danie got out and Johan bought out his share, so it’s just the two of us now, although I only own a hoof and the tail!”
Being a small horse, Sedge got plenty of time on his farm before being broken in. Gavin says he’s a joy to train and paints a picture of a straight-forward, workman-like character. “He likes to run with the pace and if he’s got his head in front, he just keeps giving. In a race, you can try and settle him, but he prefers to be at the front, where he can switch off and set his own fractions. But he’s so honest and he does his best, no matter what the trip.”
Sedge won his first outing over 1100m at Fairview last February. He placed in his next 3 starts, running 5th in the EC Nursery and 4th in the Dahlia Plate. Gavin rang John Slade at Maine Chance to ask whether there were any siblings available and it turned out there was a full brother on the 2012 NYS. However, Sedge’s accomplishments had not gone unnoticed and Silver Scooter went for R750 – above Gavin’s. It was bitter sweet when John Slade consoled him that he’d made the brother, “but that’s racing,” Gavin shrugs good-naturedly.
To make up for the disappointment, Sedge came back to win 3 in a row, including the EC Champion Juvenile Cup under an eye catching ride from Anton Marcus.
“Because he’s so generous, he tends to take his runs quite hard. He’s got a lot of natural gate speed, but he is quite competitive and tends to run himself flat. So you’ve got to freshen him up. I train him with the eye, but ag, you know what, he gives you all the signs. If he’s feeling the work, he’ll go off his feed. Then we back off him a bit and put him on the treadmill and walker and once he’s freshing and feeling better, we know we can get on with it again. He’s such a special little guy.”
It seems he’s a bit of a yard favourite and like a lot of Silvanos, a bit of a character. I’m told he adores carrots, Marilyn comes in and tickles his nose and gives him a kiss every morning and Sedge is never happier than when he’s being fussed over and receiving one of his treatments. “One girl does his Equissage and someone else does his Ice-man. He loves all the attention!”
Gavin says he’d earmarked Le Var as a sprinter and expected Sedge to want further – “after all, he’s a Silvano and out of a Rakeen mare – the breeding says he should !” They stepped him up in trip for the 1600m Guineas Plate in November where he finished 5th (5.6 lengths behind Placido). After a 10th place in the November RA Stakes, Aldo rode him back to the paddock and told Gavin “we can’t make him stay.” Gavin gave the matter some thought and duly rang Johan and told him “we’re on the wrong track, we need to sprint him.” Johan was naturally a bit disappointed, but agreed and they haven’t looked back. Sedge clocked up a 2nd in a small 1400m field in January and then followed that up with 2 wins on the trot over 1200m and 1000m.
With things going so well, I was curious why Gavin risked a young 3YO against EC Sprint company. “It was the Merit Rating really. Before he won the 1000 he was a MR96 and I wanted to go to 6 furlongs. The EC Sprint is our biggest sprint race and he’d been pushed up to MR102. Copper Parade and Bois de Var were MR105’s, and we got a 2.5kg pull, so I thought we’d be competitive.” Gavin was right and Sedge put in a gutsy performance to hold Copper Parade at bay by 0.05 of a length. Sedge’s groom Noman loves the horse to pieces and was thrilled with the win, telling Gavin afterwards “God was looking after us!”
So where to now? “Well, the MR always gets pushed up fast, but is slow to drop which makes it hard to place them and there aren’t too many races for horses like him down here. Possibly Cape Town, but there are no immediate plans. I’ll wait for Sedge to tell me.” I’m sure Sedge will have a few opinions and look forward to seeing him in action again soon!
CTS Book 2
Back near the Mother City, Durbanville hosted the much vaunted CTS Book 2 Yearling Sale, with its tempting new initiatives including the R1 million trainer bonus and the 3YO Challenge race series.
I have to compliment the organisers on a superb effort. Most of us can find our way to Durbanville, but those who can’t had absolutely no excuse as it was beautifully signposted with the smart blue and white CTS flags and banners showing the way. When you got out of your car, you were greeted by a large colourful banner announcing “CTS Welcomes You” above the course entrance gate. It felt slick and well organised. A Bedouin tent stretched from the grandstand, over the auction room floor and the sales ring. The lighting had been improved from last year and the compact layout ensured that the atmosphere was busy and cosy. For those who wanted a bit more breathing room, there was ample seating overlooking the ringing area so that buyers could surreptitiously appraise forthcoming lots, while not having to stray too far from the action. There was even entertainment for the kids, making it easy for the whole family to attend.
By Friday the stable complex was a hive of activity and the chores done, vendors and prospective buyers alike were relieved to pull up a chair and smooth some frayed nerves at the Kuda spit braai, while Ann Dalton and her team worked late to put the finishing touches on the main tent across the way.
The sales got off with a bang as the CTS contingent’s guest caught fire in the early hours of Saturday morning and Amanda and Craig had to be evacuated while the fire brigade were called! Fortunately it was smooth sailing after that and after the hammer fell at the end of day 1, people stayed to chat and discuss the day’s events. Chris van Niekerk was the consummate host, expertly working his way through the crowd with a quip or a comment for everyone.
The stables were buzzing from early on Sunday morning. John Everett was roundly congratulated by everyone on the birth of his daughter Zoe and those who had travelled from Cape Town were full of talk of the pod of whales that had beached themselves at Noordhoek.
Day 2 also saw brisk business, with a number of first season sires receiving support, including current talking horse, Seventh Rock. The Wilgerbosdrift grooms consortium consigned a half brother to Wagner by Lundy’s Liability and sold their handsome colt for R150k to Alistair Gordon. Adrian Todd pronounced CTS very satisfied with the sales aggregate and the interest generated by the new initiatives.
New Name
An interesting new name on the buyer’s list was Kerry Jack. The bubbly brunette from Durbanville is a qualified veterinary nurse and probably best known for her role as racing bloodstock manager at Summerhill. Her extended stint at the champion stud farm has given her a solid grounding in everything from prepping yearlings, to accompanying Mick on pin hooking trips to Australia. She is most proud of being part of the team that picked Igugu and Hollywoodboulevard. Kerry struck out on her own about a year ago and has had a busy 12 months setting herself up as a bloodstock agent.
The job is less formal and defined in South Africa than it is abroad, but with nearly a decade of experience to her name and a thorough understanding of local as well as international bloodstock, Kerry tackles everything from advising on potential matings to drawing up short lists for sales, right through to a fully bespoke racing management service.
She says it was nerve-wracking at first, but her Summerhill grounding helped develop confidence in herself and her ability to pick a good horse. She says Mick also passed on a piece of sage advice that has stood her in good stead: “Always show up and opportunities will present themselves.” It was exactly this philosophy that led to Braam van Huyssteen becoming her first client and his bloodstock and racing management work now occupy a lot of her time. “It all ties up quite nicely because you hear about all the new sires and what’s happening etc. I also go round to all the yards and see all the horses that I’ve had anything to do with.”
A surprise phone call from the TBA inviting her to join John Kramer on his sale inspection rounds provided an opportunity to put her hone her skills. She also relished visiting all the local studs and seeing the stallions. “I’m more into the physical specimen than the pedigree. I love to see a horse and see where the physical traits are coming from. As much as possible I like to see the horse before the page because it has to be an athlete.”
John Kramer, Kerry Jack and Tobi Spies
Kerry has been assisting local trainers and investors for some time and purchased horses under her own name two recent Australian sales, butCTS Book 2 was the first time her name appeared on a local sales sheet. Her selections included some first season sires for clients who wish to race as well as some pin hooking prospects. She also did some work for Joey Ramsden and Derek Brugman amongst others. “Now the jury’s out and have to see if they perform!”
While she smiles as she says it, there is determination in her tone. Kerry is clearly a direct and no-nonsense lady and says that she’s started her business as she means to go on. She wants to keep things small, so that she can offer value and what is clearly a very dedicated and high quality service to her clients. “One can’t always be right of course, but you can always be honest. It is very quick and easy to earn a bad reputation in this game, but earning a good name is hard and takes time.” But she is quick to say that the contacts and reputation she forged at Summerhill have stood her in good stead and she has been warmly received by the industry. Plans for the future? “Just to keep showing up and see what opportunities present themselves!”
