With a son out of South African bred Secret Heart (SAf) winning last year’s Breeder’s Cup Juvenile, Team Valor International has proved that a little South African flavour goes a long way.
The driving force behind one of the world’s most successful racing partnerships, Barry Irwin hardly needs an introduction. Founder and CEO of Team Valor (often found behind his enigmatic, Jack Nicholson-esque shades), he has always maintained that ‘a good horse can come from anyplace’ and has made Team Valor’s mission “to scour the globe to find and develop the best equine talent available”.
It seems they have hit upon a recipe for success. For the last several years, Team Valor has been listed among the world’s 100 leading stables by the English publication Directory of the Turf. Helping them lead that charge, is the South African breeding industry.
While Ipi Tombe blazed a trail for Southern Hemisphere horses (Team Valor style), subsequent success has shown that she was no fluke. Following in her footsteps have been horses like Irridescence, Gypsy’s Warning and Pluck to name but a few.
With Team Valor stats for 2010 putting them in at the top of the leader board for public partnered stakes winners, it is clear from names such as Ebony Flyer, Gypsy’s Warning and Pluck (comprising 3 of their 7 graded stakes winners) that South Africa and our horses play a big part in their success.
The current Team Valor roster confirms that they are keen to continue the trend. Of their older mares, 5 out of 13 are of South African descent as well as 8 out of 14 three YO fillies and 2 out of 10 three YO colts. Of their two YO’s, South Africa can lay claim to 6 out of their 9 fillies and 4 out of their 7 colts. The percentage of young stock is even higher with 5 out of 15 yearlings and 5 out of 7 foals.
Barry’s reasoning ? “Without wanting to say anything bad, they’re just sounder horses over there. They’ve got class and even if they come here and they’re maybe not the best racehorses we have, they still have incredible bone, and I just think mixing up the pedigrees and introducing new blood is a good idea”.
Asked about their prospects for the future Barry was prompted to say “I think we will break every record in the books in 2011.”
And of course South African horses will be there to help. Every step of the way.
