The proud carrier of the Hollywood Syndicate’s purple and yellow silks, What A Winter’s flying son Isivunguvungu will need to live up to his name in every sense when contesting the $1 million Prevagen Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint over 1000 metres on 2 November.
Neil Morrice writes that it’s not a coincidence that the two fastest times recorded in the race’s 15 year history have happened the twice Del Mar has hosted the World Thoroughbred Championships – that in 2017 and 2021.
Isivunguvungu wins the Da Hoss Stakes (Pic – TDN)
Let’s hope it’s also a pleasing coincidence that the Narrow Creek Stud-bred boasts a name, which translated from Zulu, means ‘Storm’.
On those statistics Isivunguvungu, now in the hands of four-times Breeders’ Cup winning trainer Graham Motion, will need to find the electric gate speed in Southern California that propelled him into becoming a champion in South Africa and winner of three of his last four starts.
His original trainer Peter Muscutt has to be afforded the lion’s share of the credit for making the gelding the finished article he now is, and teaching him the ability we saw in his successes in races like the Gr1 Mercury Sprint to leave the cage like a flash.
‘Isi’ was gameness personified when fighting off his foes under Richard Fourie both at Hollywoodbets Greyville and for his R1 million Gr1 triumph at Turffontein where he missed the break, but importantly displayed a rarely seen change of gear to make it to the front after 200m.
The current reigning SA champion jockey, Richard Fourie reported his charge to be ‘very green in front’ on that occasion.
It was a different story for Isivunguvungu after he left his homeland in March and flew from Johannesburg to New York for his quarantine and then on to Graham Motion’s Herringswell Stables at Fair Hill Training Centre in Maryland.
He made his US debut in the Da Hoss, a stakes race at Colonial Downs in which he started a 9-5 favourite under Manuel Franco, who will again be in the hot seat next month.
On this occasion he broke last, but was again quick to repair any damage and able to play a stalking role to corner beautifully after an opening quarter of 21 and 4.
The gelding easily went clear, before finding extra in the final 150 metres to hold Nothing Better by a neck.
Looking back at the two BCTS’s that have been staged on the very sharp Del Mar turf course, they were won in contrasting styles by Stormy Liberal in 2017 and Golden Pal in 2021.
For the first of his two successes in the race Stormy Liberal broke slowly as Pure Sensation set fractions of 21.98 and 44.57. He was a 30-1 roughie, but closed in the home stretch to claim a narrow but deserved success over stablemate Richard’s Boy in 54.75
However, it was in a wholly contrasting style that the Wesley Ward-trained Golden Pal broke two lengths clear under Irad Ortiz Jr and clocked 22.25 for the quarter and 43.91 for the half on his way to wiring the contest in a final time of 55.22, a record for the race.
Encouraging for Owen Heffer, who since his first Breeders’ Cup attendance at Hollywood Park in 1997 has always dreamed of having a runner at the meeting, is that Isivunguvungu has shown he can operate both ways. So impressed was Owen with the razzmatazz of Breeders’ Cup that year that he named his now internationally successful company after the now defunct track situated alongside LAX international airport.
It will be ‘hold your breath’ time both at the Post Position Draw on Monday week and when the bell rings and the gates crash open on Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
If he gets lucky with a draw between 3 and 8, Franco might be able to sit behind the leaders and wait to make his final bid. If he’s drawn lower he will have little option but to try to commit and attack, while if on the outer to use some of his mount’s early pace to break smartly, before working his way into the pack and riding his luck in the lane.
Since Dancing Spree came out of nowhere to win the Sprint (run on dirt) on my first Breeders’ Cup in Florida in 1989 I’ve seen some great champions.
Some of those horses went from gate to wire but not many. Others cashed in on speed duels that caused very good horses to collapse at the business end. The luxury of being able to sit three or four lengths off a suicidal gallop can prove a trump card (sic).
Controlling the race is easier from just off the pace than on it. So if Graham Motion is to saddle a 5th Breeders’ Cup winner, a 3 to eight draw would be very well received by all concerned with the high-riding Hollywood Syndicate.
