Richard Fourie after a third Gr 1 win on Princess Calla, whom he describes as “a wonder horse”. ( Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Fourie 100% Committed To Title Chase

Richard Fourie has confirmed he will be out to win the national jockeys championship this season.

He said, “I am a hundred percent committed.”

Much has been said about the “divorce” between himself and his chief Cape Town yard, Justin Snaith.

However, Fourie said, “It was an amicable agreement. I told him I would be travelling this season, so obviously I could not carry on being their first choice rider because they need somebody to be a full-time rider to do the work in the mornings etc. But they will still be giving me rides.”

Fourie will be travelling all over the country, meaning from his Cape Town base he will not only be travelling to his usual away centres of Fairview and KZN, but also to Johannesburg.

He did not single out any yards who will be giving him support, but instead put it like this, “I am getting support from all over, everybody is happy to put me on.”

Of course, although not singling out any “main” supporters, his prolific partnership with Alan Greeff will naturally continue, while his prolific Gr 1-winning partnership with Sean Tarry will also likely continue.

Regarding the carrot dangled by Hollywoodbets of a R1 million bonus to beat Anthony Delpech’s record of 334 wins, Richard replied, “Nobody has reached 300 wins in a season for a long time, so I think 300 wins will be a good target.”

Richard ended the season on a high with a feature four-timer on World Pool Gold Cup day, including landing his second career World Pool Gold Cup and also winning the Gr 1 wfa HKJC World Pool Champions Cup and Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint.

He has taken a deserved few days holiday to recharge the batteries before tackling the grueling year-long schedule that a championship bid requires.

Richard starts his bid for the championship on Friday at Fairview where he has a full book of nine rides, all of them for Alan Greeff.

He then travels to Johannesburg on Saturday where he has five rides, one for Mike de Kock, two for Lucky Houdalakis and two for Sean Tarry.

It is then down to Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday, where he has seven rides, two for Peter Muscutt and the rest for different trainers.

Then it is back home for the Hollywoodbets Durbanville meeting on Tuesday, where he has a full book of eight rides for various trainers. The fact one of them is for Justin Snaith confirms there is no animosity between the two high class professionals after his step down from the stable jockey role.

So that is the schedule he will be hoping to maintain for a lot of the season and that covers just over half-a-week!

It would be no surprise to see him limiting the number of Highveld meetings he attends, because seven flights per week might be asking a bit much.

A complication might arise when a KZN meeting is followed by a Fairview meeting, because there is apparently a lack of direct flights on that route and a flight via Jo’Burg is required.

Richard has many top horses to look forward to during the season, including a top class trio from the Sean Tarry yard.

He called the Tarry-trained Flower Alley mare Princess Calla a “wonder horse” and wondered out aloud whether she would be the Equus Horse Of The Year.

She has topped the points table, so statistically speaking is in pole position for the award.

However, it will all depend on the opinions of the public voters and the expert panel, with Charles Dickens and See It Again being the other two obvious contenders.

Charles Dickens is likely Princess Calla’s chief opposition, considering the class he has shown and accolades he has attracted coupled with the fact that Princess Calla beat See It Again in their only meeting.

Richard, asked how he would feel about Princess Calla taking on Charles Dickens on the race track, replied, “I would love to see her take him on over a mile, it would be very exciting, and I would really like us to take him on over 1800m!”

He continued about the Tarry-trained Equus Champion Two-year-old filly elect, Mrs Geriatrix, “Mrs G has a good turn of foot and although she lacks in stature she has a nice big heart and gives it her all.”

He lamented the bad luck the top class Tarry-trained two-year-old colt Lucky Lad suffered in his last start in the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes, a race in which “nothing went right and it didn’t go at all to plan.”

Tarry and Fourie learnt nothing from that race and a line can be drawn through it.

Asked whether he had felt in his earlier unbeaten run over sprint distances that Lucky Lad would stay a mile, he replied, “Oh yes definitely, he will do the distance.”

He also mentioned the Peter Muscutt-trained Isivunguvungu. His two Gr 1-winning rides on this What A Winter gelding would both be contenders for the ride of the season. In both the Gr 1 wfa Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein Standside and the Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville Fourie used tactical brilliance, coupled with the good condition and speed of the strongly built four-year-old, to overcome unfavourable draws.

Fourie completed one missing piece of the jigsaw with his other Gr 1 winner of the season, the now retired Justin Snaith-trained Jet Dark. The stalwart Trippi entire provided him with his first winning ride in his hometown’s biggest race, the WSB Met. And what a ride that was too!

The popular rider will receive a mountain of public support in his bid for the championship, a title he has surprisingly never won before.

Muzi Yeni’s target for the season is 200+ wins. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Muzi Realistic About His Goals For The Season

Muzi Yeni, when asked to confirm he was “obviously” going for the national championship, replied, “No it is not obvious at all.”

He said he would be out to work as hard as he could and give himself every chance to do as well as he could, but at the same time he recognised Richard Fourie would be very difficult to compete with due to the support structures he had.

Muzi said, “Richard has signed up with Greeff and Tarry and that changes the game and he does not lack support in KZN either and is riding for Peter Muscutt. I don’t have the support of any big stables. To say you are going for the championship and you don’t have the right backing would be a bit over ambitious at this stage.”

He continued, “But I don’t see anything wrong with me riding 200 winners or over.”

Muzi has ridden over 200 wins in a season once, in the 2018/2019 season, when his 216 wins were just three behind the championship-winning total of Lyle Hewitson.

He added, “If after six months, let’s say I have 150 wins, then you can say you are in a position where you can do a bit more or a bit extra.”

However, he said his current goal for the season would be to reach the 200 win mark.

He said, “I am going to be travelling so there is a big chance I can have 200 wins. I will be very happy with that and obviously to win some big races on the way.”

Muzi does not have set support from any strong stables in any centre and is also not currently associated with any top horses.

However, he will be, as usual, one of the most appreciated jockeys by the punting public.

He is known for the effort he puts into every ride and for his effort in the closing stages to gain the best possible finishing position, even when his winning chances are gone.

He about his views on his riding at present, “I’m happy. I’ve got the experience and a lot of our jockeys have left the country, so our jockey pool is not as strong as it used to be. Maybe that’s why it looks like it’s easy and why there is opportunity – the quality rides are there.”

Muzi leads the jockeys log after one week with eights wins but he pointed out it was not actually a good start because he had already picked up a one week suspension, which would prevent him from getting a break on Richard.

He concluded, “But let’s see how it goes and I think if any jockey rides over 200 wins in a season that is really brilliant.”

Cape Racing has once again raised the bar with a number of incentives aimed at adding yet more sparkle to the already transformed Cape Town racing package. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Latest Incentives Announced – RaceCape Sets The Pace!

The Sporting Post

Launched by the new Cape Racing team on 1 September 2022 as a first in South African racing history, the innovative RaceCape incentive, powered by Hollywoodbets, proved a real winner last term and injected over R13,5 million into the pockets of stakeholders, in the process achieving all of its immediate goals, and more.

With the ultimate aim of boosting racehorse ownership in the Western Cape and achieving enhanced field sizes with the knock-on vital lifeblood of increased betting turnovers, the RaceCape incentive underscored the unprecedented turnaround experienced in Cape horseracing by providing further opportunities for the local racing community and increased employment prospects for grooms and work riders, as well as raising the bar for all related and ancillary horse racing services.

Hollywoodbets Kenilworth feature action (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)

This week the Cape Racing Team unveiled their RaceCape package for the new season.

Last term’s numbers make for interesting reading!

RaceCape, powered by Hollywoodbets, paid out a hefty R13,52 million to stakeholders, which included R8,4 million in appearance fees to local owners, and R2,13 million in saddling fees to local trainers.

Visiting horses of all classes from other provinces undoubtedly raise the standard of competition and add to the diversity aspect for racing fans.

As a means of attracting and incentivizing out-of-province raiders, Cape Racing paid out R2,99 million through bonuses, appearance fees and subsidized transport.

IN THE 2021/22 SEASON, AVERAGE FIELD SIZES IN THE CAPE WERE 8,8 RUNNERS PER RACE. THIS INCREASED OVER 17% TO 10,4 LAST SEASON. THIS CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED THE BENEFITS OF THE RACECAPE INCENTIVES AND BUCKED THE TREND IN BOTH GAUTENG AND KZN, WHICH SAW DECLINES IN FIELD SIZES SEASON-ON-SEASON.

Individual horses, or unique runners, as we call them, rose from 1076 in the Cape the previous season to 1169 for 2022/23. Intentions are to grow this number further in the season that lies ahead. Comparatively, KZN and Gauteng both showed a drop in their unique runners.

Plenty of exciting racing ahead (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)

IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT CAPE RACING RECENTLY ANNOUNCED STAKES INCREASES RANGING FROM A RISE OF R20 000 FOR A MAIDEN PLATE (FROM R100 000 TO R120 000) TO R25 000 FOR A CLASS 4 HANDICAP (FROM R110 000 TO R135 000) TO R35 000 FOR A CLASS A STAKES RACE (FROM R150 000 TO R185 000).

In allocating the increase adjustments, consideration was given to fairness and balance across the range of divisions – the encouraging principle for owners being that there is an economically viable place for all horses of all strengths in the Cape. The traditional ‘off-season’ period, run between September and October, also benefits from notable prize money increases.

CR’s Racing & Bloodstock executive Justin Vermaak told the Sporting Post that there would be some minor changes to the RaceCape incentive structure for the new season.

This includes categorization of trainers on a similar basis to RaceCape’s recently launched Syndication scheme.

“In terms of the natural evolution of the RaceCape programme, we have continued to review the underlying goals of the initiative and have tweaked the structure to ensure that our primary goals are always in sight. The aims include sustainable growth of the general horse population, curbing the outflow of lower rated horses from the province, and focusing on the survival and growth of the smaller stables. We recently announced substantial stakes increases at all levels of our racing, and implemented considered, and what we believe to be well researched, programme changes for juveniles right through to our older horses. These changes have been very well received. We are consulting and talking to stakeholders all of the time – and, more importantly, we are listening to them,” added Vermaak.

The trainer categories to apply this season are the same as those published recently for the syndicate scheme and are listed below:

Category A – Snaith/Bass/Crawford
Category B – Marshall/Kotzen/Kannemeyer
Category C – The rest + ALL raiders

These categories will be remunerated as follows:

Category Owner Trainer

A R2 000 R400
B R2 500 R500
C R3 000 R750

Jockeys will receive an additional R100 a ride, with a 50% reduction if not meeting the local work riding criteria.

The visitor bonuses will remain – i.e. R10 000 to the owner and R10 000 to the trainer for non-festival meetings.

This increases to R50 000 to the owner and R50 000 to the trainer at a Festival meeting, but does not apply to races with stakes in excess of R500 000.

Subsidies for transport and free stable rental are also offered to out-of-province runners.

DEVIN HEFFER, HOLLYWOODBETS BRAND AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, SAID THAT THEIR BACKING OF RACECAPE WAS REWARDING ON ALL FRONTS.

“We have already seen the tangible spin-offs for local racing and the overall upliftment of the sport in the Cape goes hand-in-hand with enhanced job security and job opportunities in the sport and ancillary functions in the region. We are proud to be associated with innovation and out of the box thinking on this level. Congratulations to the Cape Racing team and we really cannot wait to enjoy the summer racing action,” he concluded.

ADDED GREG BORTZ, CHAIRMAN OF CAPE RACING: “THE RACECAPE INITIATIVE REMAINS ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGIES TO DATE. IT IS A TRUE GAME CHANGER, AND WE INTEND TO KEEP INNOVATING AND ENHANCING THE PROGRAMME OVER TIME. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HOLLYWOODBETS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF RACECAPE – LONG MAY IT CONTINUE!”

Mujbar (Picture: Mark Cranham)

Ackerman invests in future of Gauteng racing

Charl Pretorius

In what can be best described as a vote of confidence in the future of Gauteng racing, a partnership led by prominent owner and businessman, Willem Ackerman, has purchased the talented and impeccably bred English sprinter, Mujbar. He will be trained by Mike de Kock.

A winner at the G3 Horris Hill stakes and G2 placed as a juvenile, Mujbar is an athletic and good-looking son of Oasis Dream’s successful sire son, Muhaarar, out of Madany, a stakes-winning daughter of Acclamation. Madany herself was runner-up in the GBP500,000 Newmarket Tattersalls Millions Sprint.

Mujbar’s pedigree is laden with class. He is a half-brother to the G1 Royal Ascot Sprint winner, Eqtidaar, and to Massaat, who was second in both the G1 Dewhurst Stakes and the G1 English 2000 Guineas.

Mujbar’s pedigree combines the two most prominent speed lines in Great Britain, and unlike many imports does not sacrifice either performance or pedigree due to exchange rate limitations.

Mujbar arrives in South Africa in mid-August and the immediate aim of the partnership is to prepare him for a tilt at the 2024 L’Ormarins King’s Plate. No stud plans have yet been considered.

Trainer Andre Nel runs SPRING KISS in the TabGold Score10 FM 75 Handicap at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow. (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)

Daniels To ‘Kiss’ Them Goodbye

Andrew Harrison (Gold Circle)

His only win since returning to the saddle has come in Zimbabwe but Derryl Daniels could remedy that when he partners Spring Kiss for Andrew Nel in the seventh at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow. It is a turf meeting and a perceived complication is that during Champions Season most of the lower division races were run on the poly so there could be a few surprises in store.

Daniels is in the irons at the expense of stable rider Robert Khathi but assistant trainer Byron Forster has given Daniels a chance and the lightly raced filly has been close up in two starts on the poly since her maiden win on the turf. That form has worked out quite well and from a good draw she should have every chance.

Michael Roberts sends out She’s Not Easy who has been confined to the poly recently but is never far back and her 1.5kg allowance from the saddle should make her competitive. African Beat shed her maiden in open company for Mike Miller who had two winners at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday and the filly has not been far back since. She was running on strongly over the distance last time out and she looks progressive. Gareth van Zyl saddles Faizah who has a tricky draw to contend with but she was close up first time out of the maidens in stronger company. She is a four-year-old who has only had four starts.

Craig Zackey could start off his new job with a winner in the first when he partners Dynalley for Dean Kannemeyer after the departure of Keagan de Melo. The gelding disappointed second time out after making a cracking debut and can get back on track in a rather modest line-up. Thisiswhatitmeans has only once missed a cheque in five starts and goes well on the turf. Sean Veal has jumped ship on Connoisseur which could be a valuable pointer. El Draque is lightly raced but has shown up well at recent outings on this course and Alyson Wrights charge should make an impression.

The second consists mostly of first timers but of those that have run, Tony Rivalland’s charge Greenlight Legend has made steady improvement and barring any ‘springers’ in the race she looks to be the right one. Miss Paget has not been far back in two recent starts and with the better draw looks the most likely danger.

Garth Puller’s runner Oshakati has been knocking on the door for some time now and looks the part in the opening leg of the Pick 6. He looks to be in the right race and one of the better bets on a tricky card. Sir William has the widest draw which is a concern but he has his second run after a break for Andre Nel and did improve on his Cape form last time out. Lady Greensleeves showed up well for Sean Tarry last time out and although taking on males she does look capable in this field. Tickalox has a mighty merit rating for a horse with six duck eggs behind his name but he did show some improvement last start and Paul Lafferty’s runner could be the dark horse.

The fourth is a tricky handicap. Pongola has been consistent since shedding his maiden but his last start on the poly may have been out of his compass. Michael Roberts has dropped him back in trip and from a good draw he should be right there. Drawn one on his inside and in pole position is Stuart Ferrie’s runner Lucky Dollar who gets first time blinkers. His last run on the poly is best ignored and he was not far back to stronger at his two previous outings.

The fifth is a wide open filly’s and mare’s handicap. Drive By will start at lengthy odds as she finished one from last at her last start but Louis Goosen’s charge was less than five lengths back from the worst of the draw on the poly. She has a handy weight here over her optimum trip. Fashion Mistress has a tough draw to content with but is lightly raced. Although she comes off a break the step up in trip should suit. Angelic Fort has been in good form on the poly for Gary Rich and if she brings that form to the turf from a good draw, she must have a strong chance. Shell Seeker has been a perennial under achiever but is not the easiest. Mark Dixon has persisted and from pole position draw she could finally land her second win.

The last two races are both difficult handicaps. Nonoti may just have needed her last run for Michael Roberts over a distance short of her best. She should come on from that over a more suitable trip and has a strong chance in a competitive line-up in the seventh. Vermacilli has been confined to the poly at recent starts by Wayne Badenhorst but she has been holding form well and the trip suits from a good draw. Grecian Palace improved nicely second time out for visiting trainer Weiho Marwing and with further improvement she could well prove too classy for her older rivals. Fairy Trip steps up in trip after going down narrowly when favourite last run. The trip should suit and she is another in with a strong chance.

The last is wide, wide open and could be a race between turf specialists and poly counterparts. Louis Goosen has three runners in the race, best of which could be Captain Who that has made recent improvement in blinkers and was not far back to stronger last time out. Goosen has stayed faithful to Nicholas Patel, who does not get many chances, and he could have a winner at lengthy odds. Blazing Light has done all of his recent racing on the poly for Stuart Ferrie and has been in good form. If he can reproduce that form on turf, he will be a strong contender. Dontstopmenow was a recent maiden winner but has done well on the turf and is lightly raced.

Eloy Aguirre of Gainesway, the showman of Hip 77, a $1.1-million Quality Road colt at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

Showman Helps Anthony Beck’s Gainesway Get Seven Figures For Quality Road Colt

Paulick Report

Eloy Aguirre called his shot before he led Hip 77 up to the pavilion during Monday’s opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.

When the door swung open to let the Quality Road colt into the sale ring, the number in Aguirre’s head was $1.1 million. When the hammer fell, that was the number on the board, ultimately topping the auction’s opening session.

It made sense for Aguirre to have a good read on the colt’s worth. As a showman for consignor Gainesway, he took the colt through his paces over the course of more than 125 shows since showing began on Friday.

“He’s so sweet, and he always did everything right, so I didn’t have to push him try to do something,” Aguirre said. “He knew everything, pretty much. Hopefully he’s got a good future ahead of him.”

Not pushing the horse was a recurring theme when Aguirre discussed his philosophy with showing at the sales. It was a learned skill for the Mexico City native, who said horses were a small part of his life growing up, but never one that would suggest a career path. However, when he moved from Mexico to Florida in the early 2000s, the horses presented the most immediate opportunity, and he followed it.

“When I got here, there were many jobs to do, but the first one that came was the one I took, and it was horses,” he said. “All these years, I just kept working with horses, and every day learning something.”

Aguirre started with central Florida-based horseman Robert Scanlon, where he learned horses from the ground up; first grooming horses, then picking up the skills to tack them up and show them. About 10 years ago, he was presented an opportunity to move to Kentucky to work with Gainesway, and he took it.

Though working with horses wasn’t a native vocation for him, Aguirre quickly developed the kind of bond that can make up for lost time.

“Horses take a lot of things out of me, like bad things, because they keep me busy,” he said. “I feel good with them, and probably many horses feel good with me. I always give good treatment to every single horse, and I think that’s the best part of it. I love what I’m doing, and hopefully God blesses me with many, many years to keep doing this.”

Aguirre said he was first introduced to the Quality Road colt, who Gainesway handled as agent for Stonestreet Bred and Raised, four days earlier when the horses shipped in.

That didn’t leave much time to develop a rapport with each other, but the lessons the showman learned over the course of the past two decades gave him the blueprint to get through to his charge before his number started getting called.

“They have feelings like you and me, and they always let you know how they’re feeling, what they want to do, and what you have to do to make them comfortable to work or do whatever they want to do,” he said. “The secret of this business is keep the horse happy as much as possible, and then you can work well with them.”

The colt, out of the Grade 3-winning Henny Hughes mare I’m A Looker, sold to AMO Racing, with plans to send him to Ireland to begin his race training, then return to the U.S. to race.

The weather in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., leading up to Monday’s session was all over the place during the show periods, swinging dramatically from hot and humid to pouring rain in an instant. For a horse as popular as the Quality Road colt, he and Aguirre were out in a lot of it.

“It’s a big toll,” said Gainesway’s Lakota Gibson. “They walk all day long. I’d wager they do over 10,000 steps a day, and they just keep a smile on their face. They’re out in the sun, they’re out in the rain like they were this morning, it doesn’t matter. They do a good job.”

Gibson said Aguirre is one of the consignment’s go-to showmen for the big horses, and he rose to the occasion when he was paired with the eventual session-topper.

“They just matched really well,” she said. “Stride for stride, Eloy knew what it took to keep the horse in the right direction. The horse was good the whole time, but Eloy was calm and collected. He was the right guy for the job.”

Back at Barn 6 after the seven-figure horse was put away, Aguirre was proud of the horse and his own ability to get the most out of him, but he was also grateful to the people that allowed him to reach that level of skill, both professionally and personally.

Though the Saratoga sale is short, it requires a special commitment compared with the auctions closer to home in Kentucky. It’s a long time to be far away from home, and it’s made even longer with Gainesway’s consignment in the upcoming Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale at the same venue next week.

It takes a great deal of support to make a seven-figure horse, but it also takes a lot of support to make a seven-figure showman.

“My family always, I have to live away from home for a few weeks, and they’ll always be there,” he said. “I’m so happy that they’ll be for me, no matter what.”

Paddington’s win at Goodwood again drew parallels with Giant’s Causeway (Picture: attheraces.com)

Kevin Blake’s Blog – Paddington moving into rarefied air with gloriously aggressive campaign

www.atheraces.com

Paddington took another step towards being a great at Goodwood, leaving Kevin excited as to what lies ahead for him in 2023

Paddington wrote the latest chapter of the fast-developing tale of his racing career in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last week. Mind, such were the sodden conditions on the day that his entry might well have been smudged by the rain that arrived in torrents, rendering the racing surface on the extreme end of testing. Indeed, the final time for the race was over 10 seconds slower than standard, a glacial time that ranks amongst the slowest-ever in the history of the race. However, that shouldn’t be used as a means to downgrade what we saw.

Paddington set out to make his own running and Ryan Moore regulated him to a sensible pace in the testing conditions. While the pair had it all their own way in the first half of the race, Ryan wouldn’t have been pleased to see his main danger Inspiral attacking him from over three furlongs out, a long way from home on such ground. Having seen off that challenge and crossed to the near-side rail, Paddington had one more foe to see off in the shape of Facteur Cheval who had been smuggled into the race after avoiding the premature outbreak of battle early in the straight. Faced with having to win the same race for the second time, Paddington duly pulled out more and forged away close home to prevail by 1½ lengths.

Paddington’s win at Goodwood again drew parallels with Giant’s Causeway

It wasn’t a performance that is likely to feature prominently in Paddington’s end-of-career highlight reel, but it was one that put his heart on public display in conditions far more testing than most top-class colts will ever be asked to race on. It represented a new test of the son of Siyouni and he passed it with flying colours to make it four Group 1 wins in just 66 days.

The comparisons being made between Paddington and Giant’s Causeway are understandable given the similarities of their three-year-old campaigns thus far. To contextualise the significance of those comparisons, it is worth detailing what Giant’s Causeway achieved for the benefit of those that weren’t lucky enough to witness it first hand. A total of 23 years have passed since the colt that became known as the Iron Horse put together one of the most remarkable three-year-old campaigns of the modern era.

He ran 10 times in the 209 days between April 9th and November 4th, winning the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh, the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Eclipse at Sandown, the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, the Juddmonte International at York and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Not only that, he also finished second in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot and most notably of all, the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the dirt at Churchill Downs.

It was a campaign that was so much more than the very impressive bare facts detailed above. It was a run of performances characterised by a Tyson-like aptitude for a scrap. The biggest winning margin in any of his six wins that season was ¾-length. Such was his fearsome reputation as a battler, the defeat that snapped his winning run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot came after Kevin Darley deliberately delivered Observatory with a late and wide challenge to avoid eye-balling Giant’s Causeway and getting drawn into a battle.

In a move that would be highly unlikely in current times, his connections threw him into the dirt cauldron of the Breeders’ Cup Classic for his first start on the surface in what would be his final start. The hope was that the prominent dirt influences in his pedigree would help smooth the transition to the new surface. As well as that, O’Brien shipped Giant’s Causeway over to Southwell to work on the Fibresand surface, the closest thing to American dirt available in the UK and Ireland, to help familiarise him with the test ahead.

As it transpired, Giant’s Causeway produced one of the great performances in defeat of the modern era, going down by just a neck to the dirt champion Tiznow in a pulsating contest. Tiznow emphasised his own merit when returning a year later to win a second Breeders’ Cup Classic. For Giant’s Causeway to push him so close on his first start on dirt really was a sensational effort and it put an exclamation mark on his wonderful career, earning him cult hero status that has endured.

So, for any horse to be so widely compared to Giant’s Causeway is a big deal. Paddington has already put together a remarkable body of work that warrants such comparisons. His campaign has been a breath of refreshing air that has served to remind us what exceptional examples of the thoroughbred are capable of when raced with aggressive ambition. Thus far he has proven to be more than equal to every challenge. Whether he can maintain such a high level of performance into the Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes and maybe even the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe remains to be seen, but I can’t wait to see it.

Hollywoodbets Greyville Fields – Wednesday

The horse in question is pictured winning above (Photo: Edward Whittaker (Racing Post))

Today’s Question

Who holds the record for the most number of Group 1 wins in Europe in a single year?

Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

wikipedia

Sea The Stars completed a perfect three-year-old campaign, winning six Group 1 races in six months, including two English Classic races and one of Europe’s most prestigious 3-year-old and up races. His three-year-old record is described by many as the best in modern thoroughbred racing.

2000 Guineas Stakes

Sea The Stars was rested over the winter, and John Oxx entered him in the 2009 2000 Guineas without a prep race. Despite this, he started 8-1 in the betting behind Craven Stakes winner Delegator (3/1f). There were concerns about his preparations because of a setback on 17 March due to a viral infection and a temperature. He rested for 2 weeks, which hampered his preparation for the Guineas. However, Oxx still wanted to give him his chance at a mile, and a good workout the week prior to the race encouraged Oxx to declare him.

Travelling well throughout the race, Sea The Stars pulled clear of the field in the final furlong, winning by one length from the favourite, with Gan Amhras 3⁄4 of a length behind in third. Michael Kinane, winning his fourth 2000 Guineas, later commented: “He’s a classy horse and we’ve waited for him all winter. He’s been crying out for this ground.”

Epsom Derby

Despite doubts about his stamina and a strong field, notably from Ballydoyle, who fielded six of the twelve runners, Sea The Stars won the 2009 Epsom Derby, beating the favourite, Fame And Glory, and Masterofthehorse (making it a 1-2-3 to Ireland). Racing prominently behind the pacemakers, Sea The Stars traveled very well and slowly reeled in the leader from three furlongs out, taking the lead with 1+1⁄2 furlongs to go and keeping the lead all the way to the finish. Mick Kinane (winning his third Derby two weeks shy of his 50th birthday) said of the winner, “I was going so easy all the way, it was as if we were going in slow motion.”

Eclipse Stakes

Sea the Stars was scratched from the 2009 Irish Derby due to the track conditions, but won the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park a week later. Always travelling well, he overtook the fading pacemakers early down the straight, forcing Kinane to commit earlier than expected. Rip Van Winkle came with a strong challenge two furlongs out, but Sea The Stars fought him off with a surge of acceleration, winning readily by one and a half lengths, with 2008 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Conduit five lengths behind in third.

International Stakes

In August 2009, Sea the Stars won the Juddmonte International Stakes at York. Scaring off most of the opposition, he faced only four other horses were left in the race, three of them from Ballydoyle. Mastercraftsman, winner of four Group I races including the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot, was the main opposition, with the two others acting as pacemakers. Tracking Mastercraftsman throughout the race, Kinane followed Johnny Murtagh through a narrowing gap created by the two pacemakers at the beginning of the straight. Sea The Stars powered past Mastercraftsman in the last furlong, taking the Group I race by a length and breaking the track record by 0.8 seconds.

Irish Champion Stakes

Next was the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September 2009. It was Sea The Stars’ first appearance in front of his home crowd since 2008, and the race was billed as a clash between him and Fame and Glory, who since finishing second in The Derby had won the Irish Derby by five lengths and been rested for two months. The race was highly anticipated, as the rematch during the Irish Derby was postponed due to ground conditions. Turning into the straight, Johnny Murtagh on board Fame and Glory took the initiative and got first run on Sea The Stars. A patient Kinane stayed on Murtagh’s heels and with a powerful burst of speed went easily past Fame and Glory two furlongs out to win by two and a half lengths. Mastercraftsman finished third, another two and a half lengths behind Fame and Glory. After his win in the Irish Champion Stakes, Sea The Stars was awarded a 140 Timeform Rating.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

On 4 October 2009, six months since his win in the 2000 Guineas, Sea The Stars lined up as the odds-on favourite for Europe’s most prestigious 3-year-old and up race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France. A large field of nineteen runners along with a long and difficult season were major concerns, with some thinking this was one race too many. The race featured nine other Group I winners, including unbeaten French filly Stacelita; Yorkshire Oaks and Pretty Polly Stakes winner Dar Re Mi; Irish Derby winner Fame and Glory; 2008 St Leger Stakes, 2008 Breeders’ Cup Turf and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Conduit; Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Vision d’Etat; Grand Prix de Paris and Prix Niel winner Cavalryman; and two-time Arc runner-up Youmzain. Quickly out of the stalls, Sea The Stars pulled very hard for the first two furlongs, was bumped and dropped back down the field. Kinane settled him and raced on in eighth and ninth position throughout the race. Turning into the straight, Sea The Stars stayed on the rail and seemed boxed in and in trouble. As the principals started to pick up, Kinane found a gap and challenged Stacelita alongside Dar Re Mi. Sea The Stars then produced a decisive turn of foot and went clear in a matter of strides. After going three lengths clear half a furlong out, he was eased down, winning by two lengths. He thus became the only horse to have won the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the same year.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 8 August, 2023