The sheer brilliance of the evergreen Piere Strydom sealed a memorable 1-2 finish in the R500 000 Mike de Kock Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge at Turffontein on the Day of Reconciliation public holiday meeting.
Piere Strydom drives White Pearl up the centre to beat Silver Sanctuary (obscured) as Let’s Go Now (Gavin Lerena) stays on for third (Pic – JC Photos)
Racing has a way of scripting fairytales, and with the 28-10 VJ’s Angel having done the donkey work out front and no luck forthcoming for the 9-10 favourite Fiery Pegasus, who was caught out wide off a modest pace, it was left to the 58 year old Strydom to showcase his judgement and patience.
While Raymond Danielson was making up lengths down the inside on topweight stablemate Silver Sanctuary, Striker was looking left then right and left again, as he waited for a gap to open as White Pearl turn it on, relishing the forgiving gallop.
The gap opened and White Pearl (10-1) flashed up to hold the gutsy Silver Sanctuary (17-2) by 0,30 lengths in a time of 99,58 secs for the standside mile.
Let’s Go Now (17-2) grabbed third a further 0,40 lengths back, with VJ’s Angel (28-10) stopping late for fourth.
The top four finishing within under a length of each other.
“I probably had a whisky or two in at the time, but I told Piere Strydom once that he is the Tiger Woods of the jockey ranks,” conceded De Kock as he praised the ride of both of his jockeys.
Pushed if he had only passed the compliment once, De Kock added: “You can’t tell them more than once – it can go to their heads, you know!”
On the runner-up Silver Sanctuary, De Kock said that he left the racecourse on Betway Summer Cup day in absolute disbelief that the daughter of Silvano had run last in the topliner.
“Two weeks after that she runs a great race in a Grade 2. Just makes one wonder.”
It was a terrific feature outcome after the disappointment of the top yard’s Heather’s Boy who was injured and pulled up lame after the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas in the Cape 48 hours earlier.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, White Pearl, who perfectly suits the Strydom patience and probably doesn’t stay a genuine hard-run mile, was winning her first Grade 2 and has now won 4 races with 10 places from 18 starts for starts for stakes of R1 072 375.
By Deep Impact’s son Danon Platina, a champion 2yo colt of Japan in 2014, the winner is out of the Tiger Ridge mare Oyster Pond.
White Pearl was a R450 000 purchase from the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale.
A half hour after White Pearl’s dramatic victory, local star Main Defender bounced back to winning ways when cruising home to win a R200 000 Pinnacle Stakes over a mile. Gavin Lerena rode the winner for Tony Peter.
