Turf Talk Newsletter – 07 November, 2024

One Stripe gives stalwart trainer Vaughan Marshall the opportunity to win the Cape Guineas with a paternal grandson of his Cape Guineas winner Captain Al (2000), having already won the iconic race with two sons of Captain Al (William Longsword (2016) and Tap O’ Noth (2017)). (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Sarah Whitelaw

The Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas is one of South Africa’s most prestigious and historic horse-races. The Cape Guineas has an impressive honour roll, headed by such star stallions as Hawaii, Jet Master and Captain Al, not to mention such superstars as Colorado King, Renounce, In Full Flight, Politician, Bold Tropic, Empress Club, Horse Chestnut, Jay Peg and Variety Club.

Cape Guineas winning champions have also enjoyed plenty of success over seas, with the likes of Hawaii, Bold Tropic, Horse Chestnut, Jay Peg, and Variety Club all making their presence felt on the international stage.

However, a number of beaten Guineas runners have also gone on to greater things, with the list headed by the legendary Sea Cottage and including such stars as Dynasty, Big City Life, Mother Russia, Wolf Power and Classic Flag, to name just a few.

This year, the G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas has been scheduled to take place at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on December 14th.

But who are the potential Cape Guineas contenders for 2024? Below is a brief pedigree description of three-year-olds who could find themselves in the line for the Guineas of 2024.

One Stripe: c One World -Silver Stripe, by Silvano
Last season’s dual G3 winning two-year-old is a son of One World, Equus Champion Older Male of 2019-2020 and South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2023-2024.

One World, who looks likely to be well represented in the Guineas, ran third in the 2018 Cape Guineas, while One World’s champion sire Captain Al won the G1 Cape Guineas back in 2000. The much missed Captain Al has more than made his mark on the Guineas, with the son of Al Mufti also responsible for Cape Guineas winners Tap O’ Noth (2017) and William Longsword (2016). Captain Al is also the broodmare sire of 2023 G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot.

One Stripe, whose broodmare sire Silvano sired 2019 G1 Cape Guineas victor Kilindini, is out of Listed Spook Express Handicap winner Silver Stripe, a full-sister to G3 Winter Derby Gifted For Glory. Silver Stripe, who won from 2200-2450 metres, is herself out of versatile G1 TBA Paddock Stakes winner Badger’s Gift, a daughter of champion South African sire Badger Land.

One Stripe’s third dam, the stakes placed Upwardly Mobile, is a half-sister to Superior Service, who ran second, behind Flight Alert, in the G1 Cape Argus Guineas of 2002.

Great Plains: g Danon Platina -Mara, by Var
His sire Danon Platina, Japan’s Champion 2YO Colt of 2014, was sired by legendary racehorse and sire Deep Impact. The Japanese Triple Crown winner of 2005, and Japan’s Champion Sire on 11 occasions, Deep Impact has had a marked impact on the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), with three Deep Impact sons winning that Japanese classic. Deep Impact fillies won the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) on five occasions.

Other notable Guineas winners sired by Deep Impact include Saxon Warrior (Qipco 2000 Guineas) and Beauty Parlour (Poule d’Essai des Pouliches).

Great Plains, winner of both the G3 Cape Classic and Listed Hollywoodbets Sharks Gatecrasher Stakes, is a half-brother to Listed Ibhayi Stakes runner up Trip To Maputo (by Trippi), and his dam Mara (by Var) is a winning half-sister to Listed Perfect Promise Sprint winner Lesedi La Rona (by Trippi) and the Legislate sired Listed East Cape Oaks winner Swazi Queen. Another half-sister, G3 Flamboyant Stakes runner up Impala Lily, is the dam of 2024 G3 Baker McVeigh Diana Stakes runner up Summer Lily.

The well bred Mara, whose sire is also responsible for 2011 Cape Premier Yearling Sales Cape Guineas winner Variety Club, is out of the stakes placed Western Winter mare Barberton Daisy and is directly descended in female line from arguably history’s greatest thoroughbred broodmare, La Troienne.

Var was a grandson of Storm Cat, and Storm Cat mares enjoyed plenty of success when mated to Danon Platina’s sire Deep Impact. The Deep Impact/Storm Cat has produced a legion of stars including champions A Shin Hikari, Loves Only You, and Kizuna. Real Steel, sire of this year’s G1 Kentucky Derby third Forever Young, is another bred on the Deep Impact/Storm Cat cross.

Boundless Energy: c Vercingetorix -Bella Spumante, by Dynasty
The promising Boundless Energy shares his star Vercingetorix with 43 stakes winners. This total includes ten G1 winners, including former Cape Guineas runner up finishers Pomp And Power and champion Cousin Casey.

Other notable gallopers sired by Vercingetorix include G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Oriental Charm, Equus Champions Mrs Geriatrix and Nebraas, and G1 winning sprinters Alesian Chief and Surjay.

Vercingetorix has a number of promising three-year-olds this season including the aforementioned Boundless Energy, Garrix Greaterix, and I’m So Pritti.

His son Boundless Energy is out of Dynasty’s Listed Milkwood Stakes winning daughter Bella Spumante, herself a half-sister to Listed Betting World Somerset 1200 winner Cool Zone (by Captain Al). Bella Spumante has already produced 2023 Listed Christmas Handicap winner Bella Siccome (a Silvano 3/4 sister to Boundless Energy), as well as Boundless Energy’s classy full-sister Bevvies Delight. The latter won three and ran third in the 2023 G3 Dennis Drier Poinsettia Stakes.

This is also the family of G1 winning Equus Champion Canadian Summer (by Oratorio), whose dam, like Vercingetorix, was sired by Silvano.

While he had to settle for second place in the 2003 G1 Cape Argus Guineas, the wonderful Dynasty made amends for his defeat through his offspring. Not only is Dynasty sire of 2014 G1 Cape Guineas winner Act Of War, the champion also ranks as broodmare sire of 2022 G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas victor Charles Dickens.

All Out For Six: One World -Howl, by Trippi
By one of South Africa’s most exciting young stallions and from one of the most powerful female lines in the stud book, All Out For Six has plenty to recommend him in terms of pedigree.

His G1 Sun Met winning sire One World has made an exceptional start to his stud career, with One World’s first crop having unleashed 40 winners, headed by dual G3 winner One Stripe, G1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes third place getter Grand Crescendo and the first two home in last season’s Listed Somerset 1200. Recent G3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes runner up World Of Alice is another high-class member of this crop.

Langerman runner up All Out For Six is out of the winning Trippi mare Howl, a three-parts sister to Trippi’s G2 Cape Punters Cup winning son Hluhluwe, who ran third in the 2023 G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas. The regally bred Howl is a half-sister to G3 Victress Stakes winner Fresnaye (by Western Winter) and the stakes placed Quick Breeze.

Howl’s own dam Gulf Breeze (by Dubai Destination) is a half-sister to G1 Racing Post Trophy winner, and former SA sire, Medaaly (by Highest Honor) and G2 Queen Anne Stakes winner Charnwood Forest (by Warning), and Gulf Breeze’s dam Dance Of Leaves is a full-sister to late South African champion sire, and G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Fort Wood (by Sadler’s Wells). The latter has had a considerable influence on the Cape Guineas with his offspring including the brilliant 1999 G1 Cape Argus Guineas winner Horse Chestnut and Fort Wood is also broodmare of past Guineas winners Capetown Noir, Noah From Goa and William Longsword.

Artist’s Model: g Buffalo Bill Cody -Milk And Honey, by Belong To Me
Classy galloper Buffalo Bill Cody, who shares his outstanding sire Redoute’s Choice with the likes of Snitzel, The Autumn Sun and Rafeef, has made a bright start to his stud career, despite only having a handful of runners.

At the time of writing, Buffalo Bill Cody had been represented by 13 runners, of which seven have won, and this tally includes Listed HKJC World Pool Event 6 April Storm Bird Stakes winner Pistol Pete, G3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes runner up Wolf Mountain and the exciting Artist’s Model.

Artist’s Model, closely inbred to Danzig, is a half-brother to useful performers Tamarisk Tree (by Ideal World), and Maple Syrup (by Silvano), and is out of the high-class racemare Milk And Honey. A granddaughter of Danzig, Milk And Honey won five times including the G3 Acacia Handicap, and was beaten just a length, by multiple champion Dancer’s Daughter, in the 2009 G1 Empress Club Stakes. (Milk And Honey’s beaten rivals in the Empress Club Stakes included subsequent US G1 winner Gypsy’s Warning among others).

In turn, Milk And Honey is a half-sister to G2 Gold Circle Derby runner up Happy Valley (by Alphabet Soup), as well as to the classy Baby It’s You. The latter finished second on debut before going on to win her only two other outings, and, at stud, produced G2 Gold Circle Oaks winner Sweetie Pie (by Fort Wood) and Listed Queen Palm Handicap Treaj Pots (dam of high-class East Cape stayer Onesie).

Belong To Me, sire of Milk And Honey, is broodmare sire of more than 80 stakes winners, including US classic winner and dual champion Lookin At Lucky. The latter, a multiple champion sire in Chile, has himself sired more than 70 stakes winners including G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate.

Eight On Eighteen: c Lancaster Bomber -Sempre Libre, by Captain Al
This colt is bred to win a Cape Guineas, with Eight on Eighteen bred on very similar lines to last year’s winner Snow Pilot. Not only was Eight On Eighteen sired, like Snow Pilot, by the much missed Lancaster Bomber, but his dam Sempre Libre (by Captain Al) is a three-parts sister to Snow Pilot’s dual G1 winning dam Snowdance. Short-lived G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Lancaster Bomber left behind four stakes winners in his first crop, including dual G1 winner and recent G1 Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf contender Beach Bomb.

The blue blooded Eight On Eighteen is out of Sempre Libre, a half-sister to the ill-fated Rabiya, victorious in the G1 Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas of 2005 and fellow Equus Champion Bela-Bela.
A full-sister to the Captain Al sired G2 KZN Guineas winner Secret Captain, Sempre Libre is out of the magnificent Royal Academy mare Mystic Spring. The latter produced 11 winners, of which seven were stakes races.

Sempre Libre also numbers graded stakes winners and high-class producers Secret Of Victoria (by Goldkeeper) and Spring Lilac (by Joshua Dancer) as half-sister. The former produced the Captain Al sired G1 winners All Is Secret and The Secret Is Out, while Spring Lilac’s 11 winners include the Captain Al sired star Snowdance as well as Snowdance’s stakes winning full-sisters Victorian Secret and Juniper Spring.

Garden Of Eden wins on debut over 1400m at Hollywoobets Durbanville (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Graded race markets are usually dominated  by big yards and the colours of most of the runners near the top of the boards are familiar, while their jockeys are usually in the top echelon.

That same market principle usually applies to first-timers.

For example, Kommetdieding, trained by the small yard of Harold Crawford, ridden by Sihle Cele and owned by Ashwin Reynolds, who was an unknown at that stage, was allowed to go off at 16/1 on debut, just over a year before he won the country’s biggest race, the Durban July.

The top of the market for Saturday’s Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship duly looks familiar with the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Khaya Stables homebred Gimmie’s Countess, with Craig Zackey up, being on top and deservedly so.

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Gr 1 third-placed Symphony In White is next in line.

Right at the bottom of the boards in a filly called Garden Of Eden.

The latter is from the small yard of Paul Reeves, will be ridden by the not too prominent Devin Ashby and the colours of the Turf Talk Syndicate have only appeared on a racecourse six times in total!

The Duke Of Marmalade filly has only run once and won by a shorthead at odds of 125/1, so the expectation is she will drift out even further than the current 33/1 on offer by Hollywoodbets for Saturday’s race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

However, she is sure going to provide an exciting day out for the Turf Talk Syndicate members.

And a closer inspection of this filly’s credentials means they will arrive on course feeling their filly more than just deserves her place.

“Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie” might in fact be the syndicate members’ motto for the day after the nominee Grant Knowles has explained to the British members of the syndicate what that now famous South African proverb means!

The first question is would a good looking Duke Of Marmalade filly bred by the highly respected Riethuiskraal Stud of Professor Altus Joubert be sent off at odds of 125/1 if it was firstly known she was out of a half-sister to a Listed winner, while she herself is a half-sister to a six-time winner?

Secondly would she have gone off at that price had she been from a bigger yard, been ridden by a top jockey and had more familiar colours?

This filly had always impressed the experienced horseman Paul Reeves and when putting in her first serious workouts it was confirmed she had a lovely action and she also struck as being a natural.

No trainer can give too much confidence on a first-timer, as inexperience can take its toll, and Garden Of Eden was duly slowly away and then green throughout on debut over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on October 5 … and yet she won, beating a decent field despite jumping from a tricky draw of nine out of 14 and having had to pass most of the field in the straight.

Devin Ashby commented that she had won on ability alone, so green was she in the running.

She now has draw six out of 12 and is already proven over the trip.

Beach Bomb working out at Del Mar racecourse (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Drakenstein Stud’s racing manager Kevin Sommerville pointed out that all of the races at the Breeders’ Cup are weighted on the northern hemisphere weight for age scale.

On the South African weight for age scale Beach Bomb was actually 1kg under sufferance in the Gr 1 Breeders Cup Filly And Mare Turf considering four-year-olds in South Africa still get 1kg over the one mile three furlong (2200m) trip of the BC Filly And Mare Turf in the month of November, whereas she got no age allowance at all.

Her European and American four-year-old counterparts, who are all officially seven months older than her, would not get any age allowance on that same scale,  it being the eleventh month of their four-year-old career.

November is the fourth month in the SA racing season and in the UK horses do not receive any weight for age allowance over one mile and three furlongs in the fourth month of their racing season i.e April.

Nevertheless, Kevin actually pointed out the anomaly to Breeders’ Cup officials and said they had responded favourably, meaning the consideration of hemisphere differences in weight for age allowances  could soon be brought to the table for discussion.

Kevin said not a lot could be learnt from the run of Beach Bomb in the Gr 1 Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf due to the way the race was run and the nature of the tight Del Mar track.

Del Mar racecourse’s turf track has a short straight and quick turns and a total circumference of only one mile, with a straight that is around 330m long.

Kevin felt Beach Bomb had acquitted herself well in the slow run race, beaten just 3,50 length into 8th.

He said it probably proved that South African-breds were worth their places in such a field.

However, it was difficult to tell how well she would have done had she had conditions to suit i.e. a faster run race and the opportunity to unwind a finish on a longer straight, not to mention the extra 1kg weight for age allowance she could have been given.

On the other hand he pointed out there might well have been other horses in the race who had also not been suited to the track and the way the race had panned out. He used the Gr 1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Content as an example. The latter had finished just half-a-length in front of Beach Bomb.

The slow run race had led to some scrimmaging on the final turn and jockey Antonio Fresu had returned saying Beach Bomb had not enjoyed that.

Fresu had actually had Beach Bomb perfectly positioned, despite a wide draw, as she sat one wide in midfield and was directly behind the eventual winner Moira.

Beach Bomb started at 55/1 odds but Kevin said, “That might have been the odds, but that’s not what we thought her chances were and we wanted to try and give her the best chance possible. The winner comes about four or five wide around the turn and we are trying to track her but the horse on our outside actually squeezes us and keeps us in.”

He added, “If you look at the configuration of the track, it’s very, very tight and sometimes luck can play a role.”

Trainer Graham Motion had had to give Beach Bomb a relatively intense training schedule to get her ready in time for the Breeders Cup following her time spent in quarantine and he believed she now deserved a rest. There are also less turf races available in the winter months in the USA.

Beach Bomb’s owner and breeder Gaynor Rupert is looking forward to her turf campaign next year as she she will be coming in off a less rushed preparation and will be able to realise her true potential.

Kevin said dirt races would not be considered as Beach Bomb was not used to or physically suited to that surface.

The Del Mare parade ring on the Saturday of the Breeders’ Cup meeting (Horsephotos)

Drakenstein Stud’s racing manager Kevin Sommerville spoke about how well organised the Breeders’ Cup was as an event and how well the owners and breeders were catered for, which had led to it being a most enjoyable meeting for Beach Bomb’s owner and breeder Gaynor Rupert.

Kevin has been to many of the top racemeetings around the world including the Melbourne Cup, the Epsom Derby, the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and now the Breeders’ Cup, among others.

He said they were difficult to compare because one could have been younger and more impressionable when attending certain of the meetings, for example he attended the Melboure Cup as a 21 year-old.

However, he said the Breeder’s Cup was incredibly well organised to the extent that the huge crowd did not seem to be big at all.

He spoke of the parking arrangements in which attendees park in various car parks or fields well away from the course and are then bussed to within twenty metres of the entrance gate.

Hundres of busses were evident so there was no delay.

Connections of a runner were similarly bussed in from their hotels to the entrance gate.

He said the ticketing arrangements were equally well organised.

Owners and breeders had excellent seats from which to spectate and the catering had been five star.

He said although the parade ring at Del mar is small he had found it easier to access than the huge parade ring at Ascot. Number signs are also put up so the connections of a horse know exactly where to meet each other and the jockey can see immediately where to go.

He summed it up by saying, “It was an incredibly well organised event, one of the best I’ve been to. For there to be such a large crowd and for it to be so easily navigatable through the facilities … it didn’t feel like there was a big crowd even though there was. The owner experience was definitely one of the best I’ve seen in the world. The attention to detail for the owners and the breeders was second to none, far superior to any other racemeeting I’ve ever been to. From that perspective it was excellent.”

However, he added the atmosphere did not match some of the other events he had been to around the world. This could possibly be because the Breeders’ Cup attracts the purist.

He said, “It was not the most raucous crowd. I’ve been to the Belmont Stakes and it definitely had more atmoshere because there were more people and it was louder. I’ve been to the Kentucky Derby too and that was crazier and louder but also more disorganised, whereas the Breeders’ Cup is phenomenally well organised, there is no waiting around. There certainly is an atmosphere at the Breeders’ Cup. It is just not the biggest atmosphere I’ve ever experienced.”

Gaynor Rupert would not have missed the Breeders Cup for the world and hopefully having a runner will become a regular occurrence.

Beach Bomb qualified for the BC Filly and Mare Turf by winning the Cartier Paddock Stakes, which is run at the meeting Gaynor has passionately converted into a world class spectator experience, the L’Ormarin’s Kings Plate meeting.

Andrew Fortune – bitterly disappointed by NHA Appeal Board ruling (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)

Sporting Post

Former SA Champion jockey Andrew Fortune’s bid to be relicenced to ride again has been denied after a National Horseracing Authority Appeal Board ruled that a 30 May 2024 decision of the licencing committee to refuse a licence, is confirmed.

But those dreams have now been stonewalled after the appeal board’s decision on 7 November 2024.

While there has been widespread public support for the flamboyant sportsman, the door has been shut in terms of his options via the SA racing regulator channels.

His recourse, if wishing to pursue his goals, would now be via the courts.

Fortune told the Sporting Post on Thursday evening that he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ but would not be drawn on any indication of what the future holds.

The Sporting Post reported earlier today that Chad Little has been granted a licence to ride again after completing a five year suspension.

Little, who is fulfilling conditions of a fitness test and insurance compliance, is expected back as soon as Saturday 16 November 2024. Click here to read his story.

Model Man In Full Cry (Ken Wilkins)

The Model Man Mile run at Hollywoodbets Greyville a couple of weekends ago was the first KZN pointer to the three-year-old features and was in celebration of a great racehorse.

Model Man had one of the best four-year-old campaigns in South African history and was unlucky to not be unbeaten that term.

He won the last race of his three-year-old campaign at the end of July and in those days the KZN Winter Season used to stretch into the first couple of weekends of August, so in a period of just over twelve months he won five prestigious open Gr 1s and was unlucky seconds in two others.

He won his two other races in that unforgettable stretch, including giving the Gr 1-winning sprinting filly Bold West 4,5kg over 1100m at Greyville and using his gigantic stride to mow her down in devastating and memorable fashion.

Model Man was trained by Paddy Lunn and all in all won 14 races in 23 starts.

Equus Award-winning journalist Charl Pretorius wrote about Model Man in one of his recent Off The Record columns.

CLICK HERE TO READ CHARL PRETORIUS’ ARTICLE ABOUT MODEL MAN

Richard Fourie is back in action at Fairview on Friday with racing taking place on the Polytrack.

Fourie was away last week, and trainer Alan Greeff struggled, but they will be back in the winners’ box soon enough.

Ironically though, it does appear that Fourie’s best ride will be Oliver Twist for trainer Gavin Smith in Race 2, a Maiden Plate over 1600m.

This Ideal World colt has improved with each run and was also a runner-up under Fourie twice in a row.

He was only run out of it late by Karoo Gold last time out over this course and distance last month. That was his first run on the Polytrack and he will have learned from that experience.

Fourie and Greeff team up with last season’s Champion Two-Year-Old-Filly Splicethemainbrace in Race 6, the Fillies Guineas Plate over 1400m.

Unbeaten in five starts as a juvenile Splicethemainbrace won some good races. She does, however, have a couple of question marks that need to be answered.

The Master Of My Fate filly struggled in her only start of this season when never in the race on a soft track in September. It is likely she did not like the conditions that day.

More concerning is that she tries the Polytrack for the first time and has to give rival Happy Holly 8kg. That is a lot of weight to give to a filly she has beaten three times all by very narrow margins.

Happy Holly also disappointed when returning from a break and was only fifth and beaten six lengths by Ellorix over 1000m in her first try on the Polytrack.

Happy Holly was given a soft ride that day and she will be hard to beat at these weights if showing her best side.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 6 Fantasy Girl, 1 Sweet Cake, 7 Gotcha Buzz, 2 String Of Lights

Race 2: 6 Oliver Twist, 1 Roll Of The Dice, 5 Lord Quinn, 7 Super Casanova

Race 3: 1 Angel Of My Heart, 6 One Wish, 4 Accumulate, 11 Take Your Time

Race 4: 5 My Ami Beach, 2 Aadehya, 1 Eyjafjallajokull, 8 Marquez

Race 5: 9 Dr Faustus, 3 Ledell’s Echo, 2 The Mauritian, 8 Donny Tee

Race 6: 3 Happy Holly, 1 Splicethemainbrace, 2 Can’t Say No, 7 Blue Palace

Race 7: 11 El Romiachi, 6 Pedro, 8 Scampton, 1 Waz Wouter

Race 8: 2 Get It Done, 3 Lady Writer, 1 Cicadidae, 5 Gold For Africa

BEST BET

Race 2: 6 Oliver Twist

VALUE BET

Race 5: 9 Dr Faustus

BEST SWINGER

Race 6 1×3

BIPOT

R216

Leg 1: 1, 6, 7

Leg 2: 6

Leg 3: 1, 4, 6

Leg 4: 1, 2, 5

Leg 5: 2, 3, 8, 9

Leg 6: 1, 3

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R324

Leg 1: 6

Leg 2: 1, 6

Leg 3: 1, 2, 5

Leg 4: 2, 3, 9

Leg 5: 1, 3

Leg 6: 6, 8, 11

Leg 7: 1, 2, 3

PICK 6

R2250

Leg 1: 1, 4, 6

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

Leg 3: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9

Leg 4: 1, 3

Leg 5: 1, 6, 7, 8, 11

Leg 6: 1, 2, 3

JACKPOT 1

R250

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

Leg 2: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9

Leg 3: 1, 3

Leg 4: 1, 6, 7, 8, 11

JACKPOT 2

R150

Leg 1: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9

Leg 2: 1, 3

Leg 3: 1, 6, 7, 8, 11

Leg 4: 1, 2, 3

Formguides And Selections

Devonne Govender (Gold Circle)

Six-year-old mare Rattle Bag (Bezrin) clinched a double for the Piere Strydom/Grant Maroun combination at Turffontein Inside today. (JC Photos)

Piere Strydom kept up his high strike rate for the season by riding a double for Grant Maroun at Turffonteon Inside today.

Marco van Rensburg and Tony Peter had inidividual doubles.

Strydom is now on 27 wins for the season at a strike rate of 28.12%.

Van Rensburg is the most in form jockey in the country at present with eight wins this month. He has now had 29 wins this season at 10.94%.

Grant Maroun’s double was his first two wins of the season.

Tony Peter has had 26 wins at 16.15%.

The picture gives a clue to the answer

Which jumps horse has had the biggest winning sequence this century?

Picture: The Nicky Henderson-trained superstar Altior credit: theownerbreeder.com

Altior made a winning debut for Nicky Henderson in a bumper at Market Rasen in 2014 before suffering defeats in two similar events but he then racked up 19 straight wins over jumps between October 2015 and April 2019, including four Festival wins in the Supreme Novices’, Arkle and two Queen Mother Champion Chases. His second Champion Chase win saw him matching Big Buck’s sequence of 18 straight wins before he broke it in the following month’s Celebration Chase at Sandown. Altior’s unbeaten run over jumps was ended by Cyrname in a chase at Ascot the following November.

When he unseated at the last in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, it prompted Paul Nicholls to return Big Buck’s to hurdling with spectacular results as he maintained a vice-like grip on the staying hurdling scene which saw him win his next 18 races between New Year’s Day 2009 and Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle in December 2012. It was only after more than a year off with a leg injury that Big Buck’s finally met with defeat as an 11-year-old in the 2014 Cleeve Hurdle.