January 2 – 8
Flaming Rock
Flaming Rock, who covered 67 mares in his first season at Shirley Pfeiffer’s Arc-en-Ciel stud near Wellington, is reported to have put up a sparkling 800m gallop at Kenilworth. Last season’s Schweppes winner convincingly beats Final Request and Signor Amigo after just 3 weeks in full training (he had been kept on the move while on the job at the farm, though). Flaming Rock has his sights set on the Gr1 J&B Met, a Gr1 race that so far has eluded him. Bookmakers and punters pay little attention to the news, however: Flaming Rock is easy to back at 14/1. Early favourite is Take A Walk at 15/10, with Vesta 4/1 and Eli’s Truth at sevens.
“Now you see them, now you don’t”.
Hilda Podlas
Swynford Paddocks board member Dr Hilda Podlas arrives at the stables of Frank Agliotti early one morning, and informs the veteran Italian trainer that all of Swynfords 35 horses in the yard will be removed immediately. That leaves Agliotti with a seven strong string, and lots of empty boxes. “Obviously I’m looking for new patrons”, he says philosophically.
10/1 shot Ravenous upsets six J&B Met entries when he wins the Gr3 Peninsula handicap over 1800m at Milnerton in record time from Laurasian Express.
Ravenous – Gr3 Peninsula Handicap
January 9 – 15
Michael Roberts
Just 23 horses accept at the second last entry stage for the J&B Met. Included in these is Flaming Rock, for whom Michael Roberts has been booked. Flaming Rock shortens from 14/1 to 8/1 in the betting following steady support.
Ray Koedyk
The Receiver of Revenue orders Raymond Koedyk, an owner and breeder, to pay R740.000 tax on R2.1 million in Pick Six winnings. Koedyk, who vows to fight the case all the way through the courts, is believed to be the first South African to be taxed on Pick Six winnings. Koedyk declared his winnings as a non-taxable receipt last year. Reportedly, Koedyk is a relatively small punter, who got lucky when a horse he owns won a major race at long odds, providing him with an anchor in the Pick Six. The Receiver’s obsession with the Koedyk winnings is a result of the fact that he has won the Big Bet on more than one occasion. In a frontpage newspaper article (“Gambler to fight tax on R2m win”) Koedyk is quoted as saying that the Receiver of Revenue gave the impression that the racing industry is “corrupt” and that “if a horse owner wins then the race is fixed”. Wonder what gives the tax officials those ideas? Shouldn’t the Jockey Club follow this up as a case of bringing racing into disrepute?
Windy conditions make for an upset in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship, when Speedwona gelding Best of the Best (what’s in a name?) comes from well off the pace to win going away at 12/1 (R37 on the Tote), ridden hands-and-heels. The winner races in a sheltered position at the back of the field. Three-year-old filly Hot Seven runs a useful second. Best of the Best is one of five consecutive winners for jockey Gavin Howes, who rides the first five legs of the Pick Six (and thus the whole of the Jackpot, which pays R2200).
Best Of The Best winning the Cape Flying Championship
January 16 – 22
Foveros
The untimely death of champion sire Foveros comes as a severe blow to the beleaguered South African breeding industry. Foveros succumbs to the effects of laminitis, which set in after he’d contracted a foot infection that developed into an abscess.
After racing in Europe early in his career (he was Gr1 placed in France and rated 121 with Timeform), Foveros scored three Gr1 wins in South Africa at 5 and 6.
Four-times South African Champion Sire in the last five seasons, the son of Averof (Sing Sing) sired the winners of over R16 million, including 12% Stakes winners. Foveros was as good with colts as fillies, with sprinters and milers as with stayers. Amongst his best progeny were multiple Gr1 winning stayer Aquanaut, sprinters Simonside and Fulfillment, sprint/miler Enforce, and milers Singing Boy and Miss Averof.
Foveros’ first son to enter stud, Enforce (now dead), sired leading 1994 three-year-old Command Control in his first crop. Another son, Singing Boy, has his first crop racing in 1994.
Foveros is the third important sire to die before his time in the space of less than a year, and the shortage of young, proven sires in South Africa is now more acute than ever – so far (the juvenile season is already four months old) none of the new intake of freshman sires gives the impression to be able to fill the gap.
Natal OTA holds a special general meeting, inviting opinions from its members on the subject of jockey’s remuneration and to debate the recent Jockey Club decision to levy owners with an additional R13 per ride.
Flaming Rock
Flaming Rock has his final prep for the J&B Met in a well publicised gallop at Kenilworth on Thursday morning, for which his big-day jockey Michael Roberts specially flies in from Durban. The Rock works with Midnight Run and shows he’s fit to fight, Roberts declaring: “He had a testing workout”.
Our stopwatch shows the horses clock 60 second for the 1000m (with flying start) and 23 for the final 400m.
Bookmakers appear unimpressed and Flaming Rock remains at 8/1 in the betting. They bet 2/1 Take A Walk, 9/2 Vesta, and 7/1 Eli’s Truth. Talking horses are Sapieha (8/1) and Millard trained Waitara (10/1), who is being prepared on the Rand, will arrive in the Cape shortly before the big race.
A new wing is opened at the SA Jockey Academy at Summerveld – specifically designed to accomodate the four girl apprentices now in residence.
Trainers of horses declared to run in the J&B Met decline to take part in formal J&B Met Gallops, planned by the Western Province Racing Club for the Sunday before the big race. The concensus view of the trainers is reported to be that “the racing programme has adequately catered for their charges’ race preparation”.
Elliodor
No less than seven of the runners in the Gr1 Arc-en-Ciel Paddock Stakes are by Elliodor or his son Model Man. The father/son combination has three in the first four home, including convincing winner Double d’Or, trained by Eric Sands. This daughter of Elliodor broke down last season, was nursed back to fitness over a period of almost a year and now races with bandages. Three-year-old Fair Model (Model Man) continues her unlucky streak by again finishing second – this is the third time in a row, but consolation is that she has collected some R100.000 in prize money for her last three second places! Fair Model’s full sister Model Flight finishes fourth.
The Pick Six at Kenilworth is carried forward even before the last leg is run. Punters will get a second chance at the next racemeeting – which is in a week’s time on J&B Met day.
Model Man
January 23 – 29
Pas De Quoi winning the J&B Met
Turnover records are broken on J&B Met day, where an estimated 40.000 people pack the stands and picnic sites. The Gr1 J&B Met is won in fairytale fashion by 20/1 shot Pas de Quoi, a seven-year-old who comes in from the cold after standing a season at stud in ’92. Blinkered first time, Pas de Quoi leaves his Queens Plate form well behind and gets up on the post to deprive the heavily supported Waitara and jockey/trainer combination Marcus/Millard from a J&B Met double. Waitara, like his half sister Wainui, has to be content with second place, a few lengths ahead of race favourite Take A Walk. Sapieha, Art de Vivre and Flaming Rock finish next, in that order. Pas de Quoi’s win heralds a return to big race glory for the former successful partnership of trainer Kannemeyer and jockey Garth Puller.
The J&B Met competition, for which winners are announced on course after the big race, is won by someone called “Martell” – clearly in keeping with the spirits of the day.
