Two legends, Piere Strydom and Michael Roberts, after See It Again had won the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 (Picture: Tumi Pakkies/African News Agency(ANA)
Michael Roberts has no criticism of Piere Strydom’s ride of the Hollywoodbets Durban July favourite See It Again in the big race on July 1.
Looking back on the race, he began, “See It Again was in tip top condition, he is a very easy horse to train and everything in his preparation went perfectly. The race then panned out exactly to the tee how we had discussed it.”
Roberts felt See It Again’s position in the running was perfect.
The Twice Over colt slotted in at the Drill Hall and sat one out and three horses behind the second placed horse, who had sat well off the fast fractions set in the first half of the race by Dave The King.
See It Again travelled supremely throughout and his supporters would have been confident.
Roberts continued, “The scrimmaging at the top of the straight did probably force him to go too soon.”
There are some who say Strydom should have waited longer.
However, his options appeared to be to take the gap that presented itself and go for the inside or stay in the scrum and follow the 33/1 shot Bless My Stars.
The majority of top jockeys would surely have taken the same option he did given those choices.
Roberts said, “It is very easy to criticise afterwards. He is a veteran who has won four Julys and it is unfair to criticise for what could have happened after the race. People also forget that jockeys ride the July differently to a normal race. It is our greatest race and everybody wants to win it, so you need luck in running. In fact, I have admitted in interviews that in my July win I was worried during the closing stages I had gone too soon. I have seen the July change many times in the last 200m.”
Roberts was quoted as saying in one article about his July win on the David Ferraris-trained Super Quality in 1997, “And then as we were turning for home a big gap opened to my left. I was able to switch to the outside and the rest is history. I did remember thinking how often a July leader is caught in the closing stages, but fortunately it did not happen.”
So he moved at almost exactly the same time as Strydom did on July 1 this year, if not sooner, and for exactly the same reason.
That is most interesting considering if a poll was taken on the two greatest riders South Africa has produced Roberts and Strydom would probably be the two choices.
In the July when a gap presents itself it is advisable to take it.
A gap did not present itself for Do It Again in 2021. He was continually baulked for a run and it could well have cost him the race, considering how well he was travelling.
Roberts concluded, “It would have been a fairytale if See It Again had won, but it was not to be. I can’t criticise anything about the ride. That’s racing.”
He added, “My comment beforehand that he was the best horse in the race proved to be correct and to go so close giving 3,5kg to an older horse … it was only the handicapper who beat us.”
See It Again, who carried 56,5kg, went within a quarter of a length of breaking a weight-carrying record for a three-year-old July winner.
The record is held by Legislate, who carried 56kg to victory in 2014, although in weight for age terms Igugu’s feat of carrying 55kg as a three-year-old filly to victory in 2011 was a greater performance.
Roberts continued, “And there is still next year. We also have the Cape Summer Season to look forward too.”
See It Again might well take his place in the Gr 1 Hong Kong World Pool Champions Cup over 1800m on the last day of the season at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Roberts admitted the horse had had a hard race in the July, but he said he had come out of it well and his participation in the Champions Cup would be “played by ear.”
He said See It Again had been “fresher” before his Gr 1 Daily News 2000 victory than he had been for the July, because he had to leave a little bit in reserve for the July.
He said he would now have to freshen him up for the Champions Cup.
If he does run in the Champions Cup he will be in line to be named Equus Three-year-old champion and Equus Horse Of The Year, although whatever happens there is going to be little between him and the other superstar in the country, Charles Dickens.
See It Again looks a virtual certainty to be named Equus Middle Distance Champion as things stand having won both the Gr 1 Splashout Cape Derby and Gr 1 Daily News 2000 as well as finishing a narrow second in the July.
