The ink had barely dried on Beach Bomb’s debut second in the recent Gr3 Violet Stakes when stable companion and fellow South African-bred Isivunguvungu went one better.
South Africa’s Champion Sprinter of 2022-23, the dual Gr1 winner made the four-hour trip from Graham Motion’s stables to Colonial Downs for his American debut and duly showed he is on target for a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with a game victory in the Da Hoss Stakes over 1100m.
To the writer’s knowledge, the son of What A Winter is the first South African-bred stakes winner on American soil since August 2013, when The Apache crossed the line first in the fabled Gr1 Arlington Million, only to lose the race in the boardroom.
On a day filled with disappointment and high drama, Mike de Kock’s charge was demoted to second after he had shifted out and bumped runner-up Real Solution.
Jockey Christophe Soumillon remarked afterwards: “We were the better horse, but he got scared by the video screen close to the finish and shifted out.”
Horse Chestnut wins the Broward
Sadly, The Apache ended a notable window in time during which a number of South African-breds showed their mettle on American racetracks.
Many will think that it started with De Kock’s grand champion Horse Chestnut. Horse of the Year and the country’s first Triple Crown winner, the Oppenheimer-bred and raced colt made a dream American debut when he powered to a five-length victory in the Gr3 Broward Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
However, it was his year-younger compatriot, the filly Spook Express, who started the ball rolling.
She too, had raced from the De Kock stable in South Africa, where Gr1 victories in the Sharp Electronics Cup, Garden Province and SA Fillies Guineas earned her championship honours.
Nervous glance! Christophe Soumillon on The Apache glances to his outside (Pic – Supplied)
Crowned the country’s top 3YO filly, the daughter of the Blushing Groom horse Comic Blush was sold to America, where she went on to perform with marked success.
She added another four Graded stakes successes to her resume, including the Gr2 Galaxy Stakes, whilst chasing home champion Banks Hill (who became the dam of Mauritzfontein stallion Ideal World) in the 2001 Gr1 Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Sadly, this hard-knocking mare suffered a fatal injury in the Gr1 Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park, a race subsequently won by compatriot Gypsy’s Warning.
Like The Apache, Gypsy’s Warning was sired by Mogok and was one of a plethora of stakes-performed South African-bred fillies purchased to race in the States by Team Valor’s Barry Irwin, who saw the economic gap: buy South African value in Rands and aim for Dollar success.
Campaigned in South Africa at two and three, Gypsy’s Warning captured the Gr1 Thekwini Fillies Stakes and Gr1 SA Fillies’ Classic. Stateside she landed Monmouth Park’s Gr3 Eatontown Handicap on debut and like Isivunguvungu and Beach Bomb, was trained by Graham Motion, who went on to do a super job with the quirky filly, given that she was not an easy character and had a mind of her own.
Her signature victory in the 2010 Matriarch Stakes came on the back of third-place efforts in the Gr1 Beverly D and Gr1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes.
By the way, South African distaffers have built an excellent record in Arlington’s Beverly D Stakes.
While Spook Express finished third in 2001, the Gr1 Paddock Stakes victress Crimson Palace won it three years later in the blue silks of Godolphin, who had acquired the daughter of Elliodor from Team Valor after her first start in Dubai.
Top-class Caesour daughter Irridescence (Pic – Supplied)
Caesour’s champion daughter Irridescence, who, like Gypsy’s Warning, raced in the States for Team Valor and Green Lantern Stables, closed out her stellar career in the 2007 renewal, where she went down by the narrowest of margins.
As a sophomore, she had won the Gr1 South African Classic and Gr1 Woolavington Stakes, achievements which earned her the title of Champion classic female of 2004/05.
Sold to Team Valor and trained by Mike de Kock, she enjoyed her finest moment when defeating a high-class field in the 2006 Gr1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong, a race previously won by pioneer London News in course record time!
Another globetrotter, Pocket Power’s Gr1 winning own sister River Jetez, finished third in the 2011 Beverly D, an admirable effort considering she was already eight years old.
Warning Zone, the Champion Juvenile Filly of 2002, was another ex De Kock-trainee to earn American black type in the Team Valor silks when successful in a Listed race on debut.
Yet another American stakes winner for Team Valor was Alexandra Rose.
A Gr2 winning juvenile in South Africa for Glen Kotzen, this daughter of Caesour crowned her American campaign with victory in the Gr3 Monrovia Handicap at Santa Anita.
Oleksandra (Aus), daughter of Alexandra Rose (SAF) wins the Jaipur S (Gr1) in New York (Pic – Supplied)
She also has the honour of being the dam of an American Gr1 winner, her Australian-bred daughter Oleksandra defeating male rivals in the Gr1 Jaipur Stakes at Belmont Park.
Cape Fillies Guineas victress Captain’s Lover also raced with distinction for Team Valor. A Gr3 winner of the Prix du Pin in France, she too, crossed the Atlantic where she proceeded to romp to a seven-length victory in Monmouth Park’s Matchmaker Stakes.
While Horse Chestnut and The Apache are probably the most prominent male runners of this particular era, it would be remiss not to make mention of Trademark.
South Africa’s Champion Older Middle Distance Horse of 2000 and a winner of the Gr1 Durban July and Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate for Mike Bass, he became a dual Gr2 American Stakes winner at the ripe old age of seven when he claimed both the Bernard Baruch and Fourstardave Handicap.
Incidentally, his Elliodor half-sister Super Brand also ended up joining the Team Valor outfit after winning the Gr3 Final Fling Stakes. She too, won in her adopted country, whilst earning American black type when runner-up in the Gr2 Winstar Galaxy Stakes.
Champion sprinter Tara’s Touch turned out to be yet another shrewd Team Valor purchase.
Effective up to a mile and trained by Joey Ramsden for owner/breeder Rob Knuppe, she capped her South African racing career with a two-length success in the Gr1 Garden Province at four. Transferred stateside, this daughter of Tara’s Halls blossomed at age six as a sprinter of note, winning Keeneland’s Stravinsky Stakes, in addition to which she crossed the Canadian border to claim the Gr3 Royal North Handicap at Woodbine.
A colt who flew under the radar was Mahubo, a National Emblem half-brother to the fine globetrotter Imbongi.
Who remembers Imbongi? (Pic – Supllied)
Trained by Herman Brown Jnr, Mahubo had earned his first black type as a maiden when he finished third in the Gr3 Godolphin Barb Stakes as a juvenile.
Twice a winner at three for trainer Herman Brown Jnr, the colt was then sent to Dubai, where he scored once before his transferral to the States and the stable of Kiaran McLaughlin.
He opened his stakes account by landing Aqueduct’s Listed Three Coins Up Stakes, one of three victories stateside.
This nostalgia trip goes to show that South African-breds can more than hold their own in the ultra-tough arena of American racing, reiterated by the recent bold showings of Isivunguvungu and Beach Bomb.
Needless to say, trainer Mike de Kock, the man who initially put the wraps on so many horses mentioned above, was delighted with Isivunguvungu’s win.
“Hopefully this will be the first of many,” he remarked. Amen to that.
