Turf Talk Newsletter – 12 November, 2024

Sail The Seas shows his big stride on Saturday when winning a strong Class 4 event over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth (Picture: Wayne Marks) 

Sail The Seas made it three wins from five starts on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and impressed racing analyst Mark Van Deventer, who said he had recorded speed figures worthy of a Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas candidate.

Van Deventer said about the Justin Snaith-trained Vercingetorix colt, “Justin Snaith’s three-year-old cracked the triple digit speed figure mark which, historically, is what it takes to shape in the Cape Guineas.

The final time was around two seconds faster than mid to high 80’s campaigners, Zeitz and Ozark managed, and he dipped below 24 seconds for the final 400m in a smart display.”

It was the first time Sail The Seas had run over 1600m and Richard Fourie remained unbeaten on him in two starts.

Sail The Seas was drawn ten out of 15 and Fourie found a nice handy one wide position with cover.

In the straight he quickened superbly when switched outward into daylight.

He has an interesting action with his front legs thrown out some way and when he matures he is likely to have a giant stride.

After he had overtaken the pacemaker Baton Rouge, he got into a battle with One World colt Happy Days, to whom he was giving 4kg.

However, his big stride took him ahead and he won cosily by a length.

Sail The Seas runs in the familiar French grey and a violet cap colours of Ravi Naidoo, who owns him in partnership with Rurik Gobel, Countess S Labia and Dave MacLean.

Their nickname for the promsing colt is “Bertie”, after Bertie Reed, the famous South African yachtsman who knew all about sailing the seas.

Ravi recalled the moment of the purchase at the BSA National Yearling Sale, which he called a “reflex purchase.”

He said, “We were sat alone and there was a lull … people were ambling about. Non verbal comms. A nod from me. A raised hand from Jono (Snaith). And he was ours … just one bid.”

He continued, “Moments later Rurik and Dave wanted in and then when I got back I heard Countess Labia had missed the Sale and had asked after any opportunites, so I offered her a share.”

He added, “He is Rurik’s first horse and what a ride he has given us!”

Greeting My Master beats Main Defender narrowly in the Betway Victory Moon (JC Photos)

Main Defender escaped with a one point raise for his second place finish in the Gr 2 Betway Victory Moon Stakes thanks to Purple Pitcher being chosen as the line horse.

Purple Pitcher is a Gr 1 winner over the course and distance so was an obviuos choice. He was 3kg under sufferance with Main Defender according to official merit ratings and Main Defender beat him by 3,50 lengths meaning he performed one point better than his handicap mark.

Purple Pitcher will be 3,5kg bettter off with Main Defender in the Summer Cup for the 3,50 length beating so could be fair value at 20/1 compared to Main Defender’s 25/2 price. However, Main Defender was back to his impressive self and might just have slightly needed it. That seems a more apt explanation than him  not staying because he moved up effortlessly and will be a touch fitter next time out.

Victory Moon winner Greeting My Master copped a three point raise to go to 110, but he has not been supplemented for the Summer Cup. Connections have until next Monday to supplement him.

NHA Press Release

Handicapping Ratings Update

Western Cape Fillies Championship (Grade 2)

MON PETIT CHERIE has had her merit rating raised from 91 to 108 following her success in the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship for three-year-olds over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.  The Handicappers were of the view that 3^rd placed SYMPHONY IN WHITE would not have run below the 107 performance she displayed in a Cape B Stakes for fillies and mares on 28 September 2024 and used her to that level of 107 to rate this Grade 2 event. Her pre-race rating of 105 is a consequence of the arbitrary restrictions imposed on the Merit Rating system for the aforementioned Cape B Stakes and is not a true reflection of SYMPHONY IN WHITE’s ability.  Accordingly, her rating was increased to 107 from 105.

There were rating increases also for four other fillies.  Runner-up BEWARE THE BOMB was adjusted from 89 to 107 having finished 0.05 lengths behind the 108 rated winner, and marginally ahead of the now 107 rated line horse. LITTLE SUZIE was raised to 103 from 89 so that she is not rated lower than the 103 rated WHISTLE THE TUNE, who she beat by a small margin at level weight terms here.  MAI SENSATION went to 99 from 91 and finally POLYNOMIAL went to 97 from 90. These two fillies were only given marginal adjustments and their actual race performances were not taken literally as the Handicappers felt they may be flattered in this event due to the compact nature of the finish. However, their adjustments were deemed necessary for handicapping and elimination purposes.

The only runner to receive a drop in ratings was DIXIELAND BAND, who dropped from 100 to 96.

Laisserfaire Stakes (Listed)

MISS MARGUERITE had her rating adjusted from 90 to 96 after landing the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. The Handicappers were of the view that NORDIC QUEST made for the most suitable line horse here and she remained unchanged on a rating of 102.

ASIYE PHAMBILI, was increased by 5 points and went from 111 to 116 for beating the line horse by 2.65 lengths, while the 3^rd placed SUMMER LILY went up 4 points from 96 to 100.

Three horses received a ratings drop of 1 point each, ONI SAN was dropped from 91 to 90, HIGHLYCONFIDENTIAL was dropped from 89 to 88 and WINTER RAINFALL was dropped to 93 from 94.

Woolavington Stakes (Listed)

DAIMYO had his rating adjusted from 86 to 92 after winning the Listed Woolavington Stakes over 2500m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. The Handicappers were unanimous in their view that 2^nd placed LOVE IS A ROSE made for the most suitable line horse and as such she remained unchanged on a rating of 101. In rating the race this way DAIMYO actually runs to a higher mark, but had to be capped to 92 due to the specific race conditions that state that the winner may only be increased by a maximum adjustment of 6 points and the placed horses may not be increased. In fact, DAIMYO had enjoyed arbitrary Merit Ratings protection on his 3 previous runs and therefore his pre-rating was misleading and not based on the Handicappers’ official assessment.

The 3^rd placed runner, HOLDING THUMBS, achieved a higher rating but could not be adjusted due to the aforementioned ratings’ cap.

There were no other changes to this event.

Betway Victory Moon Stakes (Grade 3)

GREETING MY MASTER, has seen his rating increased from 107 to 110 after winning the Grade 3 Betway Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein on Monday 11 November.  PURPLE PITCHER was considered to be the most suitable line horse here and he remains on a rating of 123.

The runner-up, MAIN DEFENDER, was increased to 130 from 129 after beating the 123 rated line horse by 3,5 lengths or 7 points (123 + 7 = 130). THUNEE PLAYA was only increased to 97 from 93 for his 4^th placed effort despite running to a higher mark. This is due to the specific conditions that inhibit the Handicappers from increasing the ratings of placed horses by more than 4 points. Interestingly, the bottom weights for the Summer Cup will be raised to 54kg which placed majority of the Summer Cup horses under sufferance thereby negating such merit rating protection.

A number of horses received drops.  PUERTO MANZANO was dropped from 122 to 120, SAFE PASSAGE was dropped from 109 to 107, MY SOUL MATE was dropped from 111 to 108, ARAGOSTA was cut from 113 to 110, SHOEMAKER was dropped to 110 from 111 and JOHNNY HERO was given a 5-point drop from 108 to 103.

Betway National Colour Stakes (Listed) – formerly Gardenia Stakes

ICE STAR had her rating increased to 112 from 107 following her win in the Listed Betway National Colour Stakes over 1000m at Turffontein on Monday.  TROPPO VELOCE was deemed to be the most suitable line horse here and her rating remained unchanged on 107.

The runner-up, ELEGANT ICE, went up to 105 from 101 after her narrow defeat and the unlucky 3^rd placed finisher, ALMOND SEA, went up to 112 from 110.

Three horses were given drops in this event, CAPTAIN’S CHRISTY dropped to 95 from 97, SORCERESS SUPREME was dropped to 95 from 98 and MIST IN SCOTLAND dropped from 91 to 90

Enquiries:

The Handicapping Team

Faithful Neo storms home under Jarryd Penny (JC Photos)

Cape Breeders

Faithful Neo, whose dam Aunty Carol hails from the immediate family of Drakenstein Stud’s popular young sire Charles Dickens, made the perfect start to her racing career on Tuesday.

The Tony Peter-trained three-year-old made a big impression when storming home to win on debut at Turffontein, despite starting at odds of 40/1.

Under Jarryd Penny, the three-year-old Horizon filly came from the clouds to win the 4Racing Welcomes You Maiden Plate (F and M) (1000m) by two and a quarter lengths.

Bred by Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud, Faithful Neo is from an outstanding family.

Her winning dam Aunty Carol (by Oracy) is a half-sister to G2 Ipi Tombe Challenge winner Demanding Lady (like Horizon, sired by Dynasty), Equus Champion Broodmare of 2022-2023.

To date, Demanding Lady has produced five winners headed by dual Equus Champion Charles Dickens, G1 Gbets Cape Derby runner up Charles and Listed Settlers Trophy winner Somerset Maugham.

A son of champion sire Trippi (also responsible for the recent G2 Alllied Steelrode -Onamission Charity Mile hero Winchester Mansion), the brilliant Charles Dickens won ten of 13 starts and earned R5,119,813.

A stakes winner at two, three and four, Charles Dickens’s six graded stakes wins included the 2024 G1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, 2022 G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and 2023 G1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge.
The handsome chestnut was fully booked for his first season at stud.

Former Durban-based South African jockey Glyn Schofield rode Extreme Choice to a spectacular victory in the Aus$500,000 ATC Inglis Nursery 1000m at Randwick in December 2015. (Picture: arrowfield.com.au)

Despite subfertility, Extreme Choice has become an in-demand sire in Australia.

By Martin Stevens/Racing Post Friday, 8:00 AM

Sire Extreme Choice has been showered with praise since his son Knight’s Choice pounced late for a shock victory in the Melbourne Cup (G1) Nov. 5. He has been described variously as “something seriously special,” “a phenomenon,” and even “a freak” by commentators.

The son of Not A Single Doubt is only the second sire, after the legendary Sir Tristram, to supply winners of both the Race That Stops a Nation, a two-mile test for battle-hardened older campaigners, and the Golden Slipper (G1), the prestigious six-furlong sprint for fresh-faced 2-year-olds. His first-crop son Stay Inside having prevailed in that race in 2021. That’s some versatility.

Extreme Choice also restored some Australian pride when it came to the Melbourne Cup, which for years has been dominated by European and New Zealand exports. Knight’s Choice is the first winner by an Australian-bred sire since Rogan Josh in 1999, and only the fourth Australian-bred horse to have scored in the Flemington showpiece in the new millennium.

What really sets the stallion apart from the rest, though, is the extraordinarily high concentration of quality in his output, as demonstrated by a 12.3% strike rate of stakes winners to runners.

Knight’s Choice is the fourth top-level winner to have emerged from the 77 live foals across the sire’s first two crops, joining Stay Inside and She’s Extreme, who landed the 2022 Champagne Stakes (G1) at 2 and the 2022 VRC Oaks (G1) at 3, and Espiona, who defeated Pride Of Jenni in the Coolmore Classic (G1) last year.

Extreme Choice’s custodians at Newgate in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales have no doubt reveled in all those plaudits for their exciting young charge in the past few days, and yet the celebrations must also have been a little bittersweet, as the only reason he has relatively so few offspring is that he suffers from subfertility.

It’s difficult not to wince when you think what more he might achieve if he were able to fire on all cylinders.

Bruce Slade, Newgate’s director of bloodstock, perfectly sums up the mixed emotions involved in standing the stallion when he says, “It’s highly frustrating, but at the same time we’d rather have some of his progeny than none of them.”

Extreme Choice, a neat chestnut out of an unraced daughter of Hussonet and Canadian stakes winner Going to Extremes, entered Newgate’s orbit after scoring in a valuable Inglis nursery at Randwick on his first competitive start and backing that up with a smooth success in the 2016 Chairman’s Stakes (G3) at Caulfield second time out.

“We’re always trying to find new stallion prospects, and do a lot of form analysis with Daniel O’Sullivan,” says Slade. “He said he did a unique thing on debut, getting a rating of more than 100, which was a sure sign of a group 1 colt in the making. So we jumped in and secured him ahead of the Blue Diamond Stakes, which he also won nicely.”

Extreme Choice doubled his tally of top-level victories at 3, winning the 2016 Moir Stakes (G1) at Moonee Valley by clear water, and he continued to acquit himself well in elite sprints throughout that season, until he was retired to Newgate.

His pedigree and performance made him a fine commercial proposition, and he was given a competitive opening fee of AU$38,500 (US$25,686, AU$1=US$0.677), so breeders bit the stud’s hand off for bookings. It was all going too well.

“He was a popular horse in that first season, very busy in the shed, and so we soon got a heap of early scan results 15, 16, or 17 days post ovulation,” recalls Slade. “It didn’t take more than a month before the negative scans were returning at such a scale that it was obvious we were in trouble.

“He was getting some in foal, obviously, which meant we could make a partial claim on the insurance, but not a full one, because he wasn’t infertile, only subfertile. We got the partial payout and from thereon we just did our best with him, but commercially he was dead. Completely dead.

“It’s difficult enough to get breeders on board in a stallion’s second, third, and fourth seasons when they’re unproven, let alone when they’re both unproven and subfertile, so his commercial prospects were highly questionable. It became almost impossible through those first four years for him to get any support without any runners.”

The meager opportunities granted to Extreme Choice in his wilderness years only serve to underline his sire power. Knight’s Choice, for example, is out of Midnight Pearl, a seven-time winner by More Than Ready, but his dam was bought by his small breeders Elswick Stud for AU$1,000 and he is the first stakes winner in five generations of his maternal pedigree.

Since Extreme Choice has emerged as a potential game-changing sire, his books have taken on a very different complexion. His subfertility still has to be carefully managed, but his fee is now AU$275,000, making him the joint-most expensive stallion in Australia this Southern Hemisphere season with I Am Invincible  and Zoustar , and he is sent a who’s who of high-class racemares and producers.

“He gets great management under our stud manager Jim Carey,” says Slade. “For the best results, he covers one mare a day. That basically gives you a flip-of-a-coin chance of the mare going in foal, a 50/50 shot. That’s as good as we can get him, and that’s with a lot of vetting, and getting the mares as close to ovulation as possible.

“In terms of morphology, a lot of the sperm is defective and dies very quickly; it doesn’t stay around for long. That means he gets a low number of viable sperm, and the viable ones basically have only a 24-hour window to fertilize the mare’s eggs, otherwise they just don’t seem to go in foal.”

All of which makes Extreme Choice’s book each year a bit moveable. How many mares he serves, and which ones, is subject to variation.

“The numbers can be a bit deceiving,” says Slade. “He’ll cover one mare a day from Sept. 1 right through to when the mares dry up beyond Christmas time. Because of what he’s done so far, and the scarcity value of his progeny, people are happy to keep using him until very late in the season.

“In fact, we open him up later in the season, especially in December, as it’s a good opportunity for breeders with mares who might be more middle-distance or very high-end, and can therefore produce a November foal who’ll still be viable commercially. The average price for his November-born foals at the yearling sales is something like AU$300,000, so people still get paid well for them.

“But otherwise, what generally tends to happen is a shareholder will send a mare early in the season, and if that mare doesn’t go in foal, they’ll switch in another mare later on. He doesn’t get two cracks at many mares, it’s usually only one and then the owner will try another mare instead.

“So he’ll end up covering around 100 mares in a season, but it will result in something like a 70-mare book. The majority are owned by shareholders and breeding right holders who have equity in the stallion, and then we sell a handful of nominations to outside breeders or arrange high-end foal shares to cover our standing rights.”

Among the most glittering names in Extreme Choice’s book this season are the brilliant racemare Tofane, fellow group 1 winners I Am a Star and Speak Fondly, and high-class performers Blanc de Blanc, Heatherly, Nurse Kitchen, Pretty Brazen, Queen Of The Ball, Satin Shoes, and Savatiano—not to mention Speedboat, the dam of Captivant.

“It’s a great book,” says Slade. “It’s all about the future with him. You’ve got to remember that nearly everything by him that has raced so far, from 3-year-olds and upwards, were bred from mares whose owners knew there was a high risk of them not going in foal, and so they weren’t the most important members of their bands, commercially.

“That all changed after he got the Golden Slipper winner in his debut crop, and the foals resulting from his first book of good mares, who are now 2-year-olds, have come out flying. Last month at Randwick his daughter Bel Merci won the Gimcrack Stakes and his son Tempestuous was just touched off in the Breeders’ Plate.

“They’re the first 2-year-old races of the season in Sydney. To do that with a crop of just 40 foals, he has to be a freak.”

“Freak” is the word, especially when the reason for Extreme Choice’s outstanding talents as a sire seem so hard to explain. Yes, he was a top-class racehorse, and, yes, he is pretty well bred, but he apparently wouldn’t knock your eye out.

“I’m not sure what it is,” says Slade. “It’s quite interesting, he’s got an incredible action but he’s very small, only 15.1 hands in fact, and he wouldn’t be considered a stocky, square sort of horse that people like; he’s actually small and refined.

“Henry (Field, Newgate managing director) and I were talking about it the other day. Why is it these small stallions seem to do such a wonderful job? Obviously you go back to Northern Dancer and Nureyev, in Australia we’ve had Not A Single Doubt, who has an incredible record, and in Europe you’ve got Havana Grey, who’s doing great things.

“We were reading about the height restriction in his book with interest as we do the same with Extreme Choice, because it’s just too difficult for him to cover bigger mares.

“Maybe it’s because those smaller horses have to have exceptional biomechanics to compensate for their lack of size in order to be competitive in top races; they have to have amazing athleticism and balance to do it. I’m sure that’s what Extreme Choice had, as he’s the most beautiful mover, with a loose action and huge stride length, even though he’s so low to the ground.

“And then maybe all it takes is a mare to add in a bit of size to those smaller sires and they start producing superstars. I don’t know, but it’s fascinating.”

Food for thought, with a new tranche of colts retiring to stud in Europe and being shown off in the next few months, maybe we should all think twice before shaking our heads, scrunching our noses and muttering disapprovingly ‘bit small’ when a more vertically challenged horse is presented to us.

“Nobody would pick out Extreme Choice on looks at first glance,” says Slade. “But when we show him to knowledgeable horse people, and they stand with him for long enough, and then they see him moving, they often say he quickly grows on them. He’s just got that presence that a lot of top-class horses have.

“He’s also got a super temperament, and his progeny are the same. Knight’s Choice’s connections said they were always confident that he’d get the Melbourne Cup trip because he just relaxes so well in his races, and is so tractable.”

Slade suggests it is those qualities that allow Extreme Choice to be so versatile; able to deliver lightning-quick sprinters in his own image, like Espiona and Stay Inside, and middle-distance horses and stayers, like She’s Extreme and Knight’s Choice.

“I think he’s just passing on exceptional cardio and efficiency of action,” he says. “We’ve got Stay Inside on the farm here and he’s the same: just the most beautiful mover.”

Extreme Choice was opened up to mares being covered on Northern Hemisphere time in 2023, in order to capitalize on his bright start and to maximize his earning potential.

The venture reportedly wasn’t a roaring success, in terms of numbers, but it did leave a smattering of Northern Hemisphere foals born this year. One appears in the recently published Weatherbys Return of Mares: a filly out of Sweet Strike, a Smart Strike half sister to United States grade 1 winner Nereid , born in February and bred by Glen Hill Farm.

“It was a bit more difficult than we hoped, as we found the mares weren’t cycling quite as well out of season, and we did struggle with fertility rates, especially through March and April,” says Slade. “But there are a handful of Northern Hemisphere-bred foals by him out there; I think there is a filly based in France for Peter Anastasiou, and at least four others here in Australia. It’ll be exciting to see what they can do.”

Indeed, Extreme Choice has done it with small numbers before, so it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that his few early Northern Hemisphere-bred offspring might make a significant impact in European racing—a Royal Ascot 2-year-old, even?—and renew demand for his services in the first half of the calendar year in future.

Summarizing the challenge of standing a superb but subfertile stallion, Slade says: “The question for us is how we make the most of him; how we can get as many mares in foal as possible, in a comfortable and safe fashion.

“To that end, we say to breeders if you do have a mare that you want to give one last crack to, one who you were thinking of pulling up stumps with otherwise, you can come to him later in season, because you’ll still get a foal with considerable rarity value.

“We want those breeders to know that they’re free to always pick up the phone to us, as we’re always very accommodating. There’s possibly a misconception that because he’s elite, and is in the circumstances he’s in, he has a closed or private book. But that’s not the case; we’re happy to talk to people in order to make the most of the stallion right through to Christmas, even January. Foal shares are always on the table for the right mare, too.”

Warming to his theme, he adds: “An Extreme Choice foal can add real value to a mare’s record and a breeder’s portfolio, first in the ring—the market has so much respect for him that one in six of his yearlings sold for a million dollars last season—and then on the track.

“There’s no telling how far he might go. Pound for pound, no other sire has achieved what he has, certainly not in Australia at least.”

All the meticulous management of Extreme Choice and his fluid book of mares, plus the limit on how much income he can generate, must feel frustrating at times.

But the frustration is worth enduring for this “freak” of a stallion.

This story ran in Good Morning Bloodstock, the Racing Post’s daily morning email.

Young Emperor wins on debut (Photo: HKJC)

Savannah Storm just prevails in a stirring duel for the line (JC Photos)

Piere Strydom once again stole the show with a vintage ride on the Phillip and Jeannique Vermeulen-trained Savannah Storm, an eight-year-old gelding by Sudden Storm, at Turffontein Inside today (Tuesday). Strydom toook an age to take Sudden Storm down for the 1450m event, keeping him calm and relaxed and never out of much more than a walk. In the race he had him bottled up in midfield from draw two and was then patient in the straight, producing him with the fine turn foot this 101-rated horse is capable of at the 400m mark. He hit the front but it seemed all over when The Africa House came ranging up to challenge him. The evergreen jockey could surely not have reserved just enough extra, like he uncannily has the ability to do,  in an eight-year-old outsider who was not only going to have to fend off a horse half his age but he was also giving the latter 4kg? But indeed he had reserved enough as Savannah Storm fought off The Africa House in a stirring duel for the line. It was yet another vintage ride from the meastro. It was in fact only the second cheque Savannah Storm had earned since winning about a year ago, but a look at the class of horse he had generally been facing and a decrease in merit rating gave him some hope for today. Nevertheless, he was an outsider at 25/2 odds. Piere has now had 32 wins this season at a strike rate of 30.19%.

Craig Zackey rode a double at the meeting and it took him into lone third place in the national jockeys championship.

Paul Matchett and Tony Peter both sent out doubles.

Zackey is now on 59 wins for the season and has achieved it at a strike rate of 14.90%.

He is now only nine wins behind the lead of the sidelined Muzi Yeni, whilst Gavin Lerena’s single win today took him within one win of the lead.

Matchett is on 22 wins at 12.87%.

Peter is on 28 wins at 16.37%.

The Tom Brown-trained Australian-bred Grand Flaneur (Yattendon). (Picture: wikipedia)

What is the claim to fame of the Australian-bred Grand Flaneur (1877).

Grand Flaneur (the 1880 Melbourne Cup winner)

The Melbourne Cup’s only undefeated winner, Grand Flaneur, also boasts the distinction of being the first Cup winner to sire a Cup winner. In fact he sired two – Bravo (1889) and Patron (1894).

And he was the first Melbourne Cup winner to sire a Northern Hemisphere stakes winner, his Williamstown Cup-winning son Merman (who was recently inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame) sold to famed actress Lillie Langtry, going on to win a number of U.K. features, including the Goodwood Cup and the Ascot Gold Cup.