Del Mar – set for Day 1 on Friday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
This weekend, the focus will be on the Del Mar racetrack in California, which plays host to the Super Bowl of American racing, the revered Breeders’ Cup meeting.
Isivunguvungu looks primed to fire (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
For local racing fans in particular it’s a must see, as South Africa will be represented at one of the world’s most iconic of racing festivals by not one, but two runners, Hollywood Syndicate-owned Isivunguvungu, who takes his place in the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, while Drakenstein homebred Beach Bomb will line up for the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
History shows that only two South African-bred runners have previously competed at a Breeders Cup meeting and remarkably, both in the Filly & Mare Turf.
The grand racemare Spook Express finished second in the 2001 renewal at Belmont Park, coming from behind to chase home champion Banks Hill (who subsequently became the dam of Mauritzfontein stallion Ideal World).
Spook Express (pictured left) had the distinction of being the first prominent South African-bred female runner to excel in the States.
Trained in South Africa by Mike De Kock for the Jack Syndicate, the daughter of Comic Blush carried all before her at three, winning the Gr2 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas, Gr1 SA Fillies Guineas, Gr1 and Gr1 Garden Province Stakes in that order, before defeating Gr1 winners Drum Star and Blossoming Fields in the Gr1 Sharp Electronics Cup at Clairwood.
Crowned the country’s champion 3yo filly, she was sold to race in America where she joined the stable of Tom Skiffington and performed with marked success, adding another four Graded stakes wins to her resume, prime amongst which the Gr2 Galaxy Stakes.
Sadly, this hard-knocking mare’s career ended in tragedy when she suffered a fatal injury in the Gr1 Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Three years later, the Royal Chalice mare Super Brand travelled to Lone Star Park for the Filly & Mare Turf.
Alas, she finished off the board, nine lengths behind the outstanding English-bred winner Ouija Board, who by the way, had been beaten by our own Irridescence when third in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin.
Durban July winner Trademark – his Royal Chalice half-sister was the last SA bred star to compete (Pic – Supplied)
A half-sister to Durban July hero Trademark, Super Brand likewise was trained by Mike Bass and was purchased by Team Valor International after winning the Gr3 Final Fling Stakes.
The Filly & Mare Turf was her last of three American starts and came off a second in the Gr2 Winstar Galaxy Stakes and a third in the Listed De La Rose Stakes.
Half-brother Trademark, the Equus Champion Older Middle Distance Male of 2000, also left South African shores for an international campaign, having won both the Durban July and Queen’s Plate.
He would prove himself on the tough American racing circuit at Gr2 level, claiming victory in both the Gr2 Bernard Baruch Handicap and Gr2 Fourstardave Handicap. Wonderfully durable and a grand ambassador for South African breeding, this son of Goldmark was still winning in Dubai at age nine!
Speaking of ambassadors, that Mike de Kock never saddled a South African-bred Breeders Cup runner remains a travesty, although he did send out British-bred Eagle Mountain to run second in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Mike de Kock (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
But back to this weekend’s runners.
After leaving South Africa in March and enduring a strict two-month quarantine during which they were basically confined to their stalls, both have come through their preparations in fine fettle under the tutelage of trainer Graham Motion.
South Africa’s Champion Sprinter of 2022-23, Isivunguvungu prepped for the big occasion with a game victory in the Da Hoss Stakes over 1100m at Colonial Downs, to become the first South African-bred stakes winner on American soil since the De Kock-trained The Apache crossed the line first in the 2013 Gr1 Arlington Million, only to be disqualified by the stewards.
Beach Bomb turned up in beautiful condition (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Beach Bomb runs in the Filly & Mare Turf off two promising efforts, having run second in Monmouth Park’s Gr3 Violet Stakes on debut before heading to Santa Anita for the Gr2 Rodeo Drive, where she finished third.
The daughter of Lancaster Bomber booked her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup meeting back in January with a neck victory over reigning Horse of the Year Princess Calla in the Gr1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, a ‘Win and Your’e In’ Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series event.
That was the second top level success for the filly, who had beaten her contemporaries in the Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas. She left South Africa after a gallant second in the Gr1 SplashOut Cape Derby.
“We can only hope that she is ready after all she’s been through,” remarked Drakenstein owner Gaynor Rupert, who will be at Del Mar to watch her prized filly in action.
The Hollywood Syndicate will also be at Del Mar in what has been a dream come true, win, lose or draw, for the passionate Owen Heffer and his team. Their first winner, Splendid Night in 2002 must feel like light years away!
It’s been a long time between drinks, 20 years to be exact, since the last SA-bred stepped out in the great global festival.
Now that the wait is over, may the racing gods smile on both our warriors.
