Anyone with a sense of humour, a love for sci-fi, or simply a sense of the quirky, is bound to have stumbled across Douglas Adams’ seminal volume, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. The book is described by its late author as a “thumping good detective-ghost-horror-whodunnit-time-travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic”. Some of which is entirely accurate. One of its central themes is the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, meaning that many details which may appear random and superfluous turn out to be integral to the plot, in a number of highly improbable and amusing ways. These include ghosts, aliens, time machines and an electric monk. All of which are highly entertaining, but not really relevant to racing. Or are they….
Last weekend saw the Castle Tankard and successful racing fixture up in Zimbabwe. This weekend South Africa seemed to stage its own Zimbabwean festival.
Exhibit 1
The weekend kicked off in fine style at Kenilworth when ex-Zimbabwean Ronnie Sheehan and Karis Teetan hit the boards with the handsome son of Silvano, Just Harry in the 3rd race of the afternoon.
Exhibit 2 – The Listed Terrance Millard Olympic Duel Stakes
Reflective Image being led in by the Jolliffe family after last Saturday’s Olympic Duel Stakes
Karis was in the irons again for a rather special winner in the 6th race when Reflective Image stormed home 1.5 lengths to the good of Kwitizina. The connections were out in force to lead her in and I caught up with Gary Jolliffe to find out a bit more.
During my high school years, I was teased about my stories about ‘back on the farm’, but I guess there are worse things to be compared to than a ‘Golden Girl’, so go with me on this one. Picture it: Bulawayo, 2002… Velvet’s Image, a filly by Goldkeeper out of Velvet Mitt is growing up on Jill Burgess’s farm just outside Bulawayo. Unfortunately for Velvet’s Image and her friends, they were born during the time of the Zimbabwean land grabs. The tentacles of political unrest stretch all the way onto their tranquil lives on the farm and one horrible day, the family and farm-workers are driven off, leaving the animals to fend for themselves as best they could.
After a few months had passed and things had quietened somewhat, a rescue attempt was staged. Fences were cut and a party of workers snuck onto the farm to retrieve what livestock they could, and walked the animals back to Bulawayo. It was only about a month before the yearling sales, but Jill and her team did their best and despite the desperate set-back, managed to produce a consignment for the sales.
Velvet’s Image did not make her reserve and was returned to her boarding farm after the sale, where she caught the eye of Gary Jolliffe. He describes her as a small, but very high quality filly and offered to pay Jill the reserve then and there. Jill refused, but the offer obviously stayed at the back of her mind, because a few months later, she returned Gary’s phone call to ask whether the offer still stood. It did, and it became one of those pivotal decisions, the enormity of which one only realises with the benefit of hindsight.
Paul Matchett, another Zimbabwean to become a fixture on the SA racing scene, also liked the look of the filly and expressed an interest. When the Jolliffe’s explained that they were new to the country and didn’t really have the means to keep a horse in training, Paul offered them to find a partner. A few months went by and Gary enquired whether a suitable partner had been found, only to be told that Paul had such confidence in the filly, that he’d decided to retain the share himself!
Velvet’s Image duly repaid everyone’s faith in her, becoming a 4 time winner and placing 7 times from 12 starts, earning her the moniker of ‘the Jolliffe’s ATM’ from Nico Kritsiotis.
When the filly retired, the Jolliffe’s and their young family were still finding their feet in South Africa. Again they decided to find a partner to share in the trials and tribulations of having a horse at stud and Mike Kid joined the team.
The first produce was a Tamburlaine filly called Velvets Reflection, who unfortunately proved a disappointment on the track. However, her next filly, also by Tamburlaine, would go on to be christened Reflective Image. In keeping with the strong ties to home, Reflective Image joined the string of another ex-Zimbabwean, Brett Crawford out in Philippi and debuted most impressively to finish second in October last year. With a total of 7 starts under her belt so far, she has yet to finish out of the money.
Gary is, understandably, over the moon and says Velvet’s Image really has been their fairy godmother. She escaped Zimbabwe with them and has really helped put them on their feet in South Africa. He says the horse business is not unlike surfing – you have to swim out against the current, in shark infested waters, and paddle like hell to catch that wave. But once you’re on the right one, you’ve just got to enjoy the heck out of it and pray that it lasts!
Subsequent to Reflective Image, Velvet’s Image has produced a 2009 filly by Imperial Stride (another recent addition to the Brett Crawford string) and an impressive 2010 colt by Horse Chestnut, who was knocked down to Paul Matchett at the recent Book II Cape Premier Yearling Sale. Although the mare suffered a paddock injury last season, she is now in foal to Var and it goes without saying that the Jolliffe’s await their next arrival with great anticipation.
Exhibit 3 – The Gr3 Recall Effective EC Derby
A baby Tribal Dance
The following day we were treated to more of the Zimbabwean invasion when Vaughan Marshall took a trip up memory lane (and the N2) to PE, stopping in just long enough to scoop the EC Derby with another horse with a Zimbabwean flavour, Tribal Dance. Whether you love it or loathe it, PE racing continues to produce some solid racing talent. No-one can dispute that Tribal Dance won like a good thing and seems destined to light up the Formgrids pages for some time to come. And better still, he also comes with a good story!
Much like his journey to PE, Tribal Dance’s journey has also taken rather a scenic route. In Geoff Armitage and his family, Zimbabwe’s loss was South Africa’s gain. Geoff, son James and connections relocated to South Africa from Zimbabwe some six years ago, alighting for a while at the old Daytona stud before settling in at their current premises, Sandown Stud, just a little off the N1.
James relates that he found Navajo Angel on the 2008 Equimark Broodmare sale as part of the Oaklands dispersal draft. With her dam, Navajo Princess, being a half-sister to Dancing Brave there was quite a lot to like from the pedigree page alone, but she was a nice type and the fact that she was in foal to first season sire Tiger Dance sealed the deal – the hammer fell his way at R35 000.
Navajo Angel produced a bright bay colt with an asymmetric blaze tailing off over his left nostril. In case there is any doubt as to how much breeders put into their babies, James rummaged around in the recesses of his computer and promptly produced a few photos of baby Tribal Dance by his mother’s side. James describes the colt as not particularly flashy, but ‘with everything in the right place’. The tall, leggy colt was held back till the National Two Year Old Sale where he went under the hammer to Cape-based trainer Vaughan Marshall. Vaughan says he likes to support first season sires as they often offer good value, but also noted the connection to Dancing Brave. Whether it was a lucky gamble or an exceptionally shrewd purchase, at R40 000 the colt certainly looks a bargain.
Tribal Dance races in the familiar colours of the late Roy Eckstein, whose cheery yellow and cerise silks have become a familiar fixture on our courses and winner’s enclosures. Horses may not be able to read their catalogue pages, but the beautifully bred colt has certainly fulfilled his potential. He has made an eye-catching addition on parade (as well as past the post!) at the recent Gr1 Investec Cape Derby (finishing 3rd behind Jackson) and second to Variety Club in the Gr3 Tekkietown Winter Guineas.
Vaughan is understandably pleased and proud of his charge and relates that the colt will hit the road again shortly and should reach his new digs in in Durban by Tuesday morning.
In a rather neat twist to our tail, which brings our two features pretty much full circle, the Armitages stand Goldkeeper at their Sandown Stud. Goldkeeper is the sire of Velvet’s Image, who produced the Jolliffe’s filly, Reflective Image.
I rest my case, your honour!
Paul Matchett has just debuted Genuine Leather. Brett Crawford is conditioning Jackson. Tribal Dance is en route to Durban…
Whether you go by the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, the six degrees of separation, or simply believe that the racing gods move in mysterious ways, one thing is certain – fasten your seatbelts folks, the Zimbabweans are coming!
