Turf Talk Newsletter – 4 July 2022

Mary Slack's July Win Completes The Jigsaw

Mary Slack’s famous black with a scarlet cap colours will be on the Hollywoodbets Durban July wall of honour in the Hollywoodbets Greyville classic room for the first time courtesy of the Mike de Kock-trained four-year-old filly Sparkling Water (Silvano), who was ridden by S’Manga Khumalo in Saturday’s showpiece event.

However, it is the 7th time a member of the Oppenheimer family have won the race as owners.

Six of those winners have been with homebreds and they have bred a further two July winners.

Mary’s parents Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer became involved in horseracing after buying a farm in Kimberley in 1945 and setting up Mauritzfontein Stud.

Mauritzfontein has remained in the family and now partners with Wilgerbosdrift Stud, a stud which Mary founded after buying a farm in Piketberg in the Western Cape in 1997.

The Oppenheimer family have been on the July winner’s roll nine times in total:

1959 Tiger Fish (Janus) owned by Mr and Mrs HF Oppenheimer bred by HF Oppenheimer trained by Tim Furness ridden by Benny Little

1965 King Willow (Wilwyn) owned by Mr and Mrs HF Oppenheimer bred by HF Oppenheimer trained by John Breval ridden by Ian Bailey.

1975 Principal Boy (Free Ride) owned by Mr and Mrs HF Oppenheimer bred by Mr and Mrs HF Oppenheimer trained by John Breval ridden by Robbie Thompson

1992 Spanish Galliard (Gay Fandango) owned by Mr and Mrs H F Oppenheimer and Mr D G Nicholson bred by estate late HI Khan trained by Dennis Drier and ridden by Robbie Sham

2003 Dynasty (Fort Wood) owned by Fieldspring Racing bred by Wilgerbosdrift Stud trained by Dean Kannemeyer ridden by Robbie Fradd

2004 Greys Inn (Zabeel) owned by Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer bred by Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer trained by Mike de Kock ridden by Anthony Delpech

2007 Hunting Tower (Fort Wood) owned by Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer bred by Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer trained by Charles Laird ridden by Anton Marcus

2017 Marinaresco (Silvano) owned by MW Bass, F Green, Bryn Ressell and NM Shirtliff bred by Mauritzfontein (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Miss J B Slack) trained by Candice Bass-Robinson ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe

2022 Sparkling Water (Silvano) owned by Wilgerbosdrift Pty Ltd bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein trained by Mike de Kock ridden by S’Manga Khumalo

Mary’s black with a scarlet cap colours were registered by Isaac “Jack” Barnato Joel in England in 1900 and gifted to her by his son Harry “Jim” Joel many years later.

The connection between the Joel and Oppenheimer family’s was through the De Beer’s diamond company.

Jack Joel’s uncle Barney Barnato took him and his brothers Solly and Woolf under his wing and they made a fortune with the Barnato Diamond Mining Company in Kimberley.

Barnato’s diamond companies formed a merger with the companies of Cecil John Rhodes in 1888 to create De Beers Consolidated Mines.

Diamond dealer Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Mary’s grandfather, became chairman of De Beers in 1929 having earlier been their strongest opposition as the foremost diamond expert in the world.

The famous black with a scarlet colours have been carried to three Epsom Derby victories by Sunstar in 1911, Humorist in 1921 and Royal Palace in 1967.

Sunstar and Humorist were owned by Jack Joel and Royal Palace was owned by Jim Joel.

Jack’s brother Solomon (“Solly”) Joel, who had pink colours with green stripes, also won the Derby in 1915 with Pommern.

Solly Joel won two July’s, in 1921 with Longstop (St. Denis) and in 1928 with Glen Albyn (Bridge Of Earn).

Mary Slack’s name first appears in Volume 61 of the SA Racing Calendar, alongside E. de Rothschild and H. J. Joel, when the two-year-old bay colt Henry Higgins won on debut over 1200m at Newmarket on 31 March 1965.

Henry Higgins wore the famous Joel silks – black body with a red cap – and Jim Joel eventually gave Mary the colours to use in South Africa.

The one missing piece in the jigsaw is now complete as the colours are now on the honour’s roll of the country’s premier race.

They will hang on the Hollywoodbets Greyville Classic Room Wall of Honour together with the equally famous Oppenheimer silks, Black, yellow sash, sleeves and cap.

THE OPPENHEIMERS' JULY WINS REFLECT THEIR ASTUTE IMPORTS OVER THE YEARS

The Oppenheimer racing Dynasty have played a big part in improving the quality of South African thoroughbred bloodlines over the years with their astute imports and this is reflected in their July record.

Saturday’s July winner Sparkling Water is out of the former De Kock-trained British-bred Espumanti.

She was bought by Wilgerbosdrift Stud’s bloodstock agent Jehan Malherbe (Form Bloodstock) at the Tattersalls sale in Newmarket for 130,000 Guineas in 2011.

Espumanti is by Dansili (Danehill) and is a half-sister to a dual Listed winner by Efiso.

She is from the family of Dick Turpin (Arakan), who won the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville in France in 2010, and perhaps that was one of the reasons for the purchase because the first stallion the Oppenheimers ever imported, Janus, also won the Prix Jean Prat.

Janus, who was by Pharis (Pharos), sired the Oppenheimer’s first July winner Tiger Fish.

Ironically Espumanti was retired after finishing last in the July in 2014.

However, before that she had been well performed. She won six races including two Grade 2s and was runner up to Beach Beauty in the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes.

At stud her first foal was the useful speedster Gin Fizz, a multiple stakes runner up.

Sparkling Water (Silvano) was Espumanti’s second foal.

In 1959 the Oppenheimers imported British-bred Wilwyn, who won eleven successive races in the USA, including the important Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup.

Wilwyn became a champion stallion and sired the Oppenheimer’s second July winner King Willow.

Wilwyn was also broodmare sire of the like of Sentinel.

Wilwyn’s son Col. Pickering was damsire of the great Horse Chestnut.

In 1965 the Oppenheimer’s imported the champion older horse in France, Free Ride (Free Man).

Free Ride produced the Oppenheimer’s next July winner Principal Boy.

Principal Boy was out of SA Oaks winner Julie Andrews (SNL) (who also produced Col Pickering, and SA Oaks winner, Grease Paint).

Julie Andrews’ dam, Eliza Doolittle, by Epsom Derby winner and champion sire Never Say Die, was imported in foal by Mauritzfontein in 1960.

In 1994 the Oppenheimers imported their best stallion of all, the mighty Fort Wood (Sadler’s Wells), winner of the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris.

This champion stallion not only became sire of Horse Chestnut, but also of the Oppenheimer’s July homebred winner Hunting Tower, sire of the Wilgerbosdrift Stud-bred July winner Dynasty and damsire of the Mauritzfontein Stud-bred July winner Marinaresco.

Dynasty went on to sire two July winners himself, Legislate and Belgarion.

Fort Wood is also grandsire of last year’s July winner Kommetdieding (Elusive Fort).

The Oppenheimer’s 2004 July homebred winner Greys Inn was actually born in the USA. Bridget Oppenheimer purchased his Australian-bred dam Great Verdict in foal to great New Zealand sire Zabeel and sent her to the USA to be covered by Horse Chestnut.

Thus Greys Inn was born in Kentucky, earning him a (USA) suffix. Great Verdict arrived in SA with Greys Inn at foot and carrying Good Judgement, who was unraced but went on to breed the champion Mauritzfontein homebred Met winner Smart Call.

All of the above facts give an inkling of the impact the Oppenheimers have had on South African thoroughbred bloodlines.

That is not to mention the 4Racing operated jurisdictions of the SA racing industry, Gauteng, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, having recently been given massive monetary support by Mary Slack and family to help them through an ongoing financial crisis.

It is little wonder Mike de Kock said on Saturday’s there was no one more deserving winner of the July than Mary Slack.

Picture: Mary Slack (Chase Liebenberg).

Khumalo Produced One Of The Great July Rides

S’Manga Khumalo’s ride in the Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday will go down as one of the great rides of the big race.

“Closer” is American racing slang for a horse who runs on from behind and nobody could have envisioned the closer Sparkling Water leading in the early stages.

Pomp And Power, who has been known to set the pace, was drawn 8 and was going to have to try and find cover to prevent him from pulling like he did in the Daiy News. This was especially considering he had settled when finding cover in the Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby, which he won easily.

None of the other horses drawn inside of Sparkling Water’s number 12 gate were going to want to lead.

However, outside of her there was the like of Astrix, a handy type who was going to have to be up there to have any chance from draw 17.

Khumalo thus had a gameplan and he made his winning move from the jump.

He bounced Sparkling Water out and made a beeline for the rail.

It probably surprised him he was able to get there without expending much energy, considering the usual scrimmaging and jostling for position in the early stages of this notoriously rough race.

When Puerto Manazano and Astrix came around Sparkling Water on the first turn to take the lead and set no more than a steady pace it was effectively race over.

She had come from way off the pace in the Champions Challenge, a race in which later analysis showed the winner Astrix to be going at the correct pace in second position, way ahead of her.

She had thus done phenomenally well to run on and lose by just a head.

That was a weight for age race and on Saturday she was carrying just 53.5kg.

Sitting in the box seat as a closer with a resolute finish behind a slowish pace, the writing was on the wall for the rest of the field.

Every July winner requires some luck.

The anxious moments for her connections would have been when she was stuck behind Puerto Manazano and Astrix as the rest of the vanguard fanned out approaching the straight.

However, Astrix moved outward at the top of the straight and Puerto Manzano stayed straight meaning Khumalo could go through the gap before any horse had the opportunity to steal much of a march.

Do It Again had done his best to do so and went clear at the top of the straight, but Sparkling Water had fetched him by the 300m mark.

She is a filly who winds up into her run, so nobody was going to catch her after she had hit the front so early off a slowish pace.

She galloped to the fourth easiest victory in the great race’s history – three lengths.

Riboville (1974) holds the record of 4,50 lengths, followed by Royal Chalice (1988), who won by 3,60 lengths and Mazarin (1971), who won by 3,25 lengths.

Khumalo was in a difficult position before the race as he was associated with two strong contenders, Sparkling Water and Jet Dark.

He opted for the right one.

Jet Dark finished second under Bernard Fayd’Herbe, a twice July-winning jockey who flew in from Mauritius.

Khumalo became the first black jockey to win the July in 2013 and later became the first black jockey to be national champion.

He has won the national championship twice and has now won two Julys.

He grew up in Kwamashu and received the biggest cheer when all of the riders were introduced before the race.

His agent Monty Mariemuthoo has played a big part in his revival after he had gone through a relatively lean spell in the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons.

Picture: There are many smiles and triumphant gestures in the crowd as Sparkling Water powers to victory under S’Manga Khumalo (Anneke Akal Kitching).

Mrs O's Sense Of Humour Rescued The De Kock/Oppenheimer Partnership

Mike de Kock has now won five July’s, sponsored for the first time on Saturday by Hollywoodbets, and has won 133 Grade 1s.

He won a Grade 1 in his first season in 1989 with Evening Mist after inheriting a good string with the passing of his guv’nor Ricky Howard-Ginsberg.

However, his career really took off when he won the support of the Oppenheimer family.

The partnership was somewhat lucky to get off the ground.

He recalled in the Horse Chestnut Book written by Charl Pretorious that when Bridget Oppenheimer phoned him in 1995 asking him to train her horses he believed it to be his friend Joey Ramsden playing a practical joke.

He said to her, “You must be joking. I have boxes for Mrs oppenheimer, but not for you. You’re not Bridget Oppenheimer.”

She replied, “I sure am and we would like to send you a few horses.”

De Kock half-listened to the rest of the phone call in silence still believing it to be a joke and at the end said dismissively, “Yeah right, send me those horses.”

He said, “She bid me farewell and rang off. I didn’t even ask for her phone number.”

Later Mauritzfontein stud manager Gavin Schafer phoned and told De Kock Mrs. O had just phoned him and said it seemed he did not want to train her horses.

De Kock apparently felt sick at his faux pas.

He recalled, “I phoned her back and apologised. I thought she would tell me to take a hike. But she was very nice and I know she dined out on that story thereafter.”.

De Kock said Mrs O’s wonderful sense of humour and forgiving attitude had broken the ice and set the foundation for their future relationship.

After the Oppenheimer’s had joined it seemed to give everybody in the yard a boost, including the horses, and De Kock began his Grade 1 run.

Record Edge won the Gold Challenge in 1995.

Then in 1997 the yard had five Grade 1 wins, two with Record Edge, and one each with Patchouli Moon, Raratonga Treaty and Golden Hoard.

There were another five Grade 1 wins in 1998.

None of those Grade 1 winners were Oppenheimer horses.

However, in about 1997 De Kock had spotted Horse Chestnut at Mauritzfontein, whom he described as the most striking thoroughbred he had ever laid eyes on. He gave Horse Chestnut him a 6 on his normal scale of 1 to 5 for breathing space between the jowels and gave him a rare 5 out of 5 overall rating.

Horse Chestnut went on to become, in the opinion of many, the greatest thoroughbred in the history of the South African turf.

He put De Kock from a burgeoning talent on the SA stage on to the world stage.

Tragically, he only had one overseas run in the USA before injury enforced retirement.

However, De Kock has gone on to win many Group 1’s in Dubai, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore, not to mention a couple of near misses in America.

De Kock paid Bridget Oppenheimer back by winning the July for her in 2004 with her homebred Greys Inn.

He has now paid Bridget’s daughter Mary back by winning the July for her with her homebred Sparkling Water.

The Summerveld fraternity all confirmed De Kock’s Hollywoodbets Durban July contenders had been looking in magnificent shape in the week of this year’s big race, as any of his horses running in the July would be.

The most strongly fancied of his quintet was the three-year-old Silvano colt Safe Passage, who started at 11/2.

Sparkling Water was only third best at 16/1.

However, those who can read between the lines would have noticed De Kock always coming back to Sparkling Water during the build up and continually mentioning how well weighted she was.

Charl Pretorious, who has for a long time been the De Kock yard’s media man, was also tipping the filly to win the big race.

De Kock had clearly done his job to perfection and when S’Manga Khumalo did his to perfection it culminated in the fourth easiest win in July history.

The gap in the straight took a while to open for Safe Passage but by that time the bird had flown.

He finished a 3,75 length third after being overtaken late by Jet Dark.

Aragosta sat behind Sparkling Water on the rail and battled to get a clear run in the straight.

Al Muthana ran on well from last to just pip Aragosta for eighth place.

Three of De Kock’s July winners have been fillies, the other two being Ipi Tombe in 2002 and Igugu in 2011.

His other July win not mentioned above was with Bold Silvano in 2010.

The July trainer/owner combination on Saturday was definitely one of the most fitting in the big race’s history.

Picture (from left): Trevor Brown (assistant trainer), Stephen Jell, Mary Slack, Diane de Kock, Mike de Kock (Anneke Akal Kitching).

Silvano Leapfrogs Into Second Behind Son In Sires Title Race

Silvano extended his record-holding number of individual July winners to five when his daughter Sparkling water won the R5 million Hollywoodbets sponsored event on Saturday.

His son Safe Passage finished third.

The two big stakes cheques enabled him to leapfrog up to second place in the national Sires Championship behind his son Vercingetorix.

The latter’s progeny continued on their stake-winning way on Saturday, with Cousin Casey wining the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe and Val D’Orcia winning the Grade 2 Post Merchants.

Silvano’s progeny have earned R15,225,80 this season, R1,219,838 behind the R16,445,638 of Vercingetorix.

He will have a tough task catching the latter as there are limited big race opportunities left and Vercingetorix has a plethora of top horses around.

Silvano’s five July winners are Bold Silvano (2010, Heavy Metal (2013), Power King (2015), Marinaresco (2017) and Sparkling Water (2022).

Meanwhile, Paul Peter is in the lead on R21,552,688 which is R2,449,527 ahead of reigning champion Justin Snaith.

Picture: Silvano (Maine Chance Farms).

Candice Bass-Robinson Sets New PB - 105 Winners

Candice Bass-Robinson set a new personal best of 105 wins for the season when Aeneas (Vercingetorix) cruised to a 4,75 length victory in today’s fifth race over 1600m at Kenilworth under Keagan de Melo. She has done it at a strike rate of 15.79%.

Richard Fourie rode a treble to go to 184 wins for the season at a strike rate of 18.44%.

Picture: Candice Bass-Robinson leads in Aeneas.

1-2-3 FOR ROYAL MO AT KENILWORTH TODAY

Klawervlei Stud’s well bred young sire Royal Mo has enjoyed a great strike rate with his runners over the past few weeks and the former G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes winner came up with a third first crop winner at Kenilworth on Monday afternoon.

Royal Mo’s two-year-old son Rule Of Thumb was sent off favourite to land Monday’s fourth race, the www.caperacing.co.za Maiden Plate (1400m), and he duly obliged in smart style.

The Justin Snaith trained gelding hit the front 100m from home and he powered away to score impressively by two lengths.

Remarkably, sons of Royal Mo filled the first three placings in Monday’s fourth race, with Rule Of Thumb relegating his paternal half-brothers Royal Port Louis and Matsuyamo to second and third placings respectively. Both Royal Port Louis and Matsuyamo look poised to win soon, with their sire himself going from strength to strength,

Bred by Klawervlei Stud, Rule Of Thumb has done nothing wrong in his brief career thus far, with the promising two-year-old running third on debut, behind the promising Le Mans, before finishing second on his only other appearance.

He joins a growing list of promising winners for Royal Mo, with others including Royal Aussie and Mo Jive.

This list looks sure to growing further in coming weeks, with Royal Mo now sporting the eye catching statistic of having six winners or placed runners from just nine starters.

A son of outstanding sire, and emerging sire of sires, Uncle Mo (whose other progeny include US classic winners Nyquist and Mo Donegal), Royal Mo’s granddam Irish Linnet won no fewer than 19 races including the G2 New York Handicap. Irish Linnet was sired by Seattle Song, who also is broodmare sire of US Horse Of The Year and outstanding sire Tiznow.

Picture: Rule Of Thumb lead home his paternal half-brothers Royal Port Louis and Matsuyamo in the fourth race at Kenilworth today (Wayne Marks).

Today’s Question

How many times have Silvano’s progeny made the frame in the July?

See Answer At The End Of Newsletter

Picture: Silvano progeny Sparkling Water (black, scarlet cap) and Safe Passage (Blue), on their way to first and third in Saturday’s July (Hollywoodbets).