Two Years On From 5500 Striker Hits 5585
Dyce is one of many top horses keeping any thoughts of retirement well at bay for Piere “Striker” Strydom. (JC Photos)
It is almost two years ago, on November 24, 2022, to be exact, that the legendary Piere Strydom rode his 5,500th winner and it had more significance at the time than just being a milestone achievement because it was at one stage supposed to be his final goal and would herald his retirement.
However, he is now further away from retirement than he he has ever been in the last two years, because he is associated with a plethora of good horses.
He will not only be aboard the Betway Summer Cup favourite and highest rated horse in the country, See It Again, on Summer Cup day, November 30, but will also be riding the Equus Horse Of The Year Dave The King in a Pinnacle Stakes event, he will be aboard the record-breaking champion filly Quid Pro Quo in the Gr 2 Betway Dingaans, he rides the useful White Pearl in the Gr 3 Betway Carry On Alice Stakes, he will be aboard crack filly Fatal Flaw in the Gr 3 Betway Fillies Mile, he rides the talented but quirky Shoemaker in the Betway Consolation Stakes and he will attempt to make it three-in-a-row on the talented Champion Warrior in the last race of the day.
All of White Pearl, Fatal Flaw and Shoemaker are owned by the owners who retain Piere, the ASSM Syndicate.
Landing the ride on Quid Pro Quo is somewhat ironic, because this stalwart homebred filly’s trainer Barend Botes gave Piere his 5500th winner on that day almost two years ago at the Vaal on a horse called Admiralty Arch (Admiral Kitten) in a 1200m event.
However, the above-mentioned horses are not the only good ones he has become associated with.
He is also now the incumbent rider on the best sprinter in the country, the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Dyce (William Longsword).
Today he rode a most promising Fabian Habib-trained horse called Bacchus to an impressive victory.
Bacchus gave him what must have been his 5585th career victory, considering it was his 85th win since that 5500th win on Admiralty Arch.
Piere is riding so well that his strike rate for his 33 wins this season is the highest in the country at 29.20% and he seems to be become more and more in demand with each passing meeting.
The only detractor is his weight, which means he can only ride at a minimum of 58kg.
However, there seems no stopping the legend and retirement is never spoken about anymore.
Piere ended a stint of close to 15 months on the sidelines by coming back on June 26, 2022.
The eye condition that had kept him away had settled enough to allow him to ride, but there were still some concerns and he said his intention was to just ride eleven more winners to reach the career figure of 5,500 winners before hanging up his riding boots for good.
In typical style the legend’s first ride back was a winner as he got the Justin Snaith-trained six-year-old Nexus gelding up by 0,75 lengths to win the KZN Breeders Mile on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf.
Thereafter it proved tough to get suitable rides.
The first double of his comeback was only in mid-October.
He finally reached the magical 5500 mark exactly a year ago at the Vaal Classic track on the Barend Botes and Yolandi Vosloo-trained Admiralty Arch (Admiral Kitten) in a 1200m handicap, converting 2/1 favouritism by a length.
However, at the time he had become associated with the Gareth van Zyl-trained Money Heist (Gimmethegreenlight).
He had partnered this promising three-year-old to a close second in a Graduation Plate over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville and they followed that with a decent a 4.05 length fifth to Cousin Casey in the Gr 2 Cape Punters Cup over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
Piere had to stay on to complete the agreement that he would partner this horse in the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas in mid-December.
He duly partnered him to a 6,90 length sixth in a vintage renewal of the prestigious race, which was won by 4,25 lengths by the superstar Charles Dickens.
Piere’s new retirement date was now going to be WSB Met day, as he was to ride the Ricky Maingard-trained Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate winner Al Muthana as well as the Justin Snaith-trained Itsrainingwilliam in the R7 million Gold Rush.
In the meantime an old friend of his Joe Soma phoned him and said, “Come and ride this filly (Lady Of Power) and some others before retiring and if it goes well you can carry on for a bit longer.”
Soma said at the time, “I am a small yard and top jockeys are usually affiliated to big yards, so sometimes I have been fired by them, although sometimes I fire jockeys. With Piere it is now about chapter 34! I think this is the final chapter and I hope it is a happy one.”
It was a happy one. Piere won on Master Of My Fate filly Lady Of Power on the week of the Met.
Met day was now no longer retirement day.
In the Met Al Muthana was unable to find a clear run in a messy race and finishing unplaced. Itsrainingwilliam had earlier finished a fine third in the Gold Rush.
A week later up on the Highveld Piere produced won of the all time masterful rides at Turffontein Standside to win the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas on Lady Of Power.
Piere did not have any rides in the three weeks between the Gauteng Fillies Guineas win and Cape Derby day, where he was due to ride the Justin Snaith-trained Itsrainingwilliam. Was Cape Derby day going to be the new retirement date?
No, because fate then intervened in the most fortuitous way.
Itsrainingwilliam was scratched and Jonathan Snaith suggested to prolific Durban-based owner Nick Jonsson that Strydom would be a great rider for Jonsson’s Michael Roberts-trained Cape Derby candidate See It Again. The connections fancied the Twice Over colt for the Derby but had not yet appointed a rider and so on Jonathan Snaith’s suggestion Piere landed the ride.
See It Again was coming off a 3,20 length seventh in the Gold Rush, which was viewed as a creditable run, but the Cape Derby was not a limited race like the Gold Rush and See It Again was ignored by the punting public.
He was sent out at 50/1 odds, but after being patiently waited with at the top of the straight he powered home to down Charles Dickens by a comfortable two lengths. Another master class from the sadddle.
A new superstar was born and any thought of retirement now went out the window.
Piere is of course still associated with the now twice Gr 1-winner See It Again.
However, he is no longer his only big horse and it looks likely that there will be many more master classes for the racing fraternity to enjoy.
It was questioned by some why he had not embarked on any farewell tours when retirement was imminent two years ago and it is most fortunate he did not.
Frankie Dettori did do the latter and after taking part in a plethora of farewell ceremonies and accepting momentos etc he likely felt obliged to depart at a time when he was on the top of the game, although his USA career is going superbly too.
Bacchus Confirms His feature Race Promise
Bacchus saunters in under Piere Strydom at the Vaal today. (JC Photos)
The Fabian Habib yard look to have an exciting horse on their hands in the three-year-old Maine Chance Farms-bred Master Of My Fate gelding Bacchus.
Jonathan Nassif revealed the gelding was not “right” last time when coming back from illness and yet he still ran the exciting three-year-old prospect Heather’s Boy to a half-a-length in that 1600m event when receiving only 1kg.
Today he was backed in to 6/10 and won under Piere Strydom by 1,50 lengths despte the race not panning out at all well.
Strydom revealed that he had planned to use his long stride and be near the front.
However, Bacchus did not jump well and this forced Striker “to give him a chance.”
He added, “I found myself in a very bad position.”
Striker had eased over to the outside but then found himself behind a crowd of horses on the outside rail.
He attempted to go in and then out to extract himself from the position to no immediate avail.
However, a slight gap presented itself on the outside rail and Bacchus, when asked to go through it, accelerated impressively and soon had a clear run, although a horse on the outside rail who was going nowhere was impeded slightly.
Bacchus used his big stride to make up the leeway and was still in the hands when hitting the front at the 250m mark.
He went on to win by a cosy 1,50 lengths.
Bacchus was purchased on the BSA August Two-year-old Sale for R250,000.
He is out of the Gr 1-winning Lateral mare Bilateral, who won the Golden Slipper over 1400m at Greyville when it still had Gr 1 status in 2014. Bilateral was trained by Weiho Marwing and went on to finish fourth in the Gr 1 SA Oaks and had a Listed second and a Grade 3 third, although she won only three races in her 22 start career.
Bilateral is a half-sister to Listed winner Blaze Of Fire (Victory Moon) and also a half-sister to twice winner Ramazotti (Restructure), who is the grandam of the Gr 2 winner Bereave.
Bilateral hasn’t excelled at stud to date and Bacchus is in fact her first winner of three runners todate. Kudos to the connections for spotting the good physical specimen.
Bacchus looks to have plenty of stamina in his pedigree and will be an interesting candidate for the Triple Crown races.
Today he carried 59kg off a 92 merit rating and beat hardened older handicappers down the Vaal straight, which is no mean feat.
Bacchus is owned by Messrs Tony Zackey, D Chinsammy, G J Nassif, J Nassif & Tri-Deal Sixteen CC (Nom: Mr Z L Nassif) .
Hiccup For Hollywood And Barnane's Chase Star Il Etait Temps
Craig Kieswetter leads in Il Etait Temps after his Gr 1 win at Punchestown in May (Picture: Brian Lawless/PA)
Il Etait Temps, the crack jumps horse owned by the Hollywood Syndicate and the Kieswetters’ Barnane Stud, has some big targets this season, but he has unfortunately had to be scratched from his engagement on Sunday in the Gr 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase due to an issue.
His Willie Mullins-trained stablemate, the Cheltenham Festival’s Gr 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase winner Fact To File, is the 15/10 favourite for the John Durkan Memorial and his illustrious Mullins-trained stablemate, the twice Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs, is third favourite at 7/2.
Il Etait Temps holds entries in the famous Gr 1 Kempton Ladbrokes King George VI Chase (Grade 1) over three miles at Kempton on Boxing Day, for which he is the joint second favourite in the ante-post market at 10/1 together with Galopin Des Champs and the Dan Skelton-trained Grey Dawning, with the favourite being the Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior, whom Il Etait Temps has beaten in two Gr 1 chases but he lost to him in the Gr 1 Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival.
When Il Etait Temps won the Gr 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown on May 2 it clinched a new world record for Mullins as it took him to 35 Gr 1 wins for the season, breaking his own 2015/2016 season record.
Il Etait Temps is at his best from two miles to two-and-a-half miles so his entries for next year’s Cheltenham Festival are in the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) over two miles and in the Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy) (Grade 1) over two miles and four-and-a-half furlongs.
Southern Hemisphere Record Price For A 2YO
The Ready to Run Sale’s previous record price of $825,000 was blown out of the water at Karaka in New Zealand on Wednesday as Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis went to $1,650,000 to secure an I Am Invincible colt with a special connection to the stable.
The standout colt was offered by Kiltannon Stables as Lot 174 and fetched the highest price ever paid for a two-year-old at a public auction in the southern hemisphere.
He is out of the Savabeel mare Shillelagh, who was trained by Te Akau’s former trainer Jamie Richards to win four races from six New Zealand starts for owner-breeders Christopher and Susanna Grace. Shillelagh later crossed the Tasman and joined the stable of Chris Waller, for whom she won the Gr.1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) and Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).
Shillelagh has made a promising start at stud with her first foal to race, the I Am Invincible filly Irish Legacy, placing in the Gr.3 Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie in the Grace colours earlier this year.
Wednesday’s sale-topping I Am Invincible colt was originally offered in Sydney as a yearling in April, where he failed to meet his A$420,000 reserve. It was a very different story when he graced the Karaka sale ring seven months later.
The crowd swelled significantly ahead of the striking youngster’s arrival, and after starting at $200,000, bids were quickly being fired in from three corners of the auditorium.
Ellis appeared to be on the back foot on multiple occasions over a tense next few minutes, but he summoned another couple of $50,000 bids late in the piece to secure the prized colt.
“The fact that we trained Shillelagh for Christopher and Susanna Grace makes this quite special for Te Akau, but the simple fact is that I thought he was easily the nicest colt I’ve ever seen at the Ready to Run Sale,” Ellis said.
“I was on the toe the whole time he was in the ring, because I really wanted to take this horse home. At one stage my wife Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) said to me, ‘If you really, really like this colt, don’t be beaten.’ That gave me the confidence to put in those last couple of bids.
“I saw the colt when he was in Sydney as a yearling, but things weren’t quite 100 per cent with him at that stage. They took him home and turned him out, and he’s just gone to the next level since then.”
Ellis has enormous regard for I Am Invincible, who sired the stable’s 10-time Group One winner Imperatriz and Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Move To Strike.
“He’s one of the very best stallions we’ve got in this part of the world,” Ellis said. “We’ve obviously had the likes of Imperatriz and Move To Strike in our stable, so he’s a sire that works so well for Te Akau.
“Harry and Bill Mitchell, who stand I Am Invincible at Yarraman Park, said to me that this is as nice an I Am Invincible colt as they’ve seen, and they’re going to be taking a share.”
The colt’s appeal grew even higher in last month’s breeze-ups at Te Rapa, where he made an enormous impression and clocked the catalogue’s best time of 9.97 seconds.
“The breeze-ups are Mark Walker’s area of expertise, he’s an absolute genius,” Ellis said. “He said he hasn’t seen a two-year-old work the way he did for a long time.
“Christopher and Susanna Grace are among the best breeders in New Zealand, they’ve been breeding such top-quality horses for a number of years and their results speak for themselves. All of us at Te Akau Racing are just honoured to be taking this magnificent colt home.
“He’s likely to enter our system here in New Zealand, where he might be set for something like the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes, and then he could join our Australian stable further down the track.”
Some Shrewd Opinions On The Summer Cup
Silver Sanctuary was fancied by a shrewdie or two in the Betway Summer Cup ante-post market and could provide Mike de Kock with an elusive tenth Summer Cup. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
There were plenty of shrewd bets taken in the Betway Summer Cup ante-post market.
Charl Pretorius caught up with Betway’s Jonathan Blumberg last week and also asked a number of punters about their early choices, although one of them has already gone awry with Safe Passage being eliminated by the final field panellists.
The ante-post market has now been replaced by the final field market, but the early choices of those asked still make for interesting reading.
There could still be come value on the final field market.
The odds in the latter market range from the 5/2 of See It Again down to the 100/1 of Cape Eagle.
Joy And Peace Can Make It Eight
Matsunyane, Tarry Doubles
The Corrie Lensley-trained six-year-old Greys Inn entire Guy Alexander makes it a fifth career win and a third win in his last four races. He gave Kabelo Matsunyane a double today. (JC Photos)
Kabelo Matsunyane and Sean Tarry scored indivual doubles at the Vaal meeting today (Thursday) and combined for one of them.
Matsunyane is on 25 wins for the season achieved at a strike rate of 8.71%.
Tarry goes to 19 wins at 14.50%.
Find Your Jam at Emperors Palace
Article – Hello Lifestyle
Food Jams has come to Johannesburg, and it’s starting to sizzle.
Located at the Feastivity Cooking Studio at Emperors Palace, Food Jams is an exciting new cooking experience for foodies and the cooking-impaired alike.
Food Jams is a great alternative activity for those looking to unwind, socialise or simply learn a trick or two in the kitchen. It’s ideal for friend groups or families looking to find something different do and have fun in an environment that is often out of their comfort zone. More importantly, Food Jams is ideal for team building outings or company year-end functions. Think of Food Jams as your own private MasterChef Masterclass, where you get to have fun putting together a series of exotic dishes and then share the results. The interactive cooking experiences are not just about savouring delicious flavours, but combining the power of cooking with a deep commitment to sustainability, Food Jams at Feastivity redefines what it means to indulge in your own unique creations while caring for our planet.
Food Jams has a series of signature events happening in November and December that is ideal for companies and corporates looking for something different, fun and interactive for a year-end function event. Here’s the calendar:
06 Nov – Mexican Fiesta Cooking Class
07 Nov – Boujee Boozie Barista Fun
09 Nov – Journey to Japan Cooking Class
13 Nov – Hibachi Griller Cooking Class
20 Nov – Mediterranean Escape Cooking Class
23 Nov – Indian Spice Adventure Cooking Class
27 Nov – Italian Feast Cooking Class
30 Nov – Mexican Fiesta Cooking Class
04 Dec – Journey to Japan Cooking Class
07 Dec – Hibachi Griller Cooking Class
For more information or to book visit FoodJams.co.za or click here
Food Jams is Located at Emperors Palace, located next to OR Tambo international airport.
Emperors Palace. The Palace of Dreams.
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Today's Question
The subjects are pictured above
Which two horses met for the seventh time in the 1978 Kentucky Derby?
FIELDS, Friday 22, November
Fairview Poly
Today’s Question Answer
Picture: A highlight in a year of highlights: Alydar (near) is touched off by Affirmed at the end of their epic duel for the Belmont Stakes. Photo: Bob Coglianese/NYRA.com
1978 (104th Derby)
One of the sport’s greatest rivalries made the 1978 Derby memorable. Affirmed and Alydar had already met six times, with Affirmed winning four. With 18-year-old Steve Cauthen in the saddle, Affirmed beat Alydar by 1 1/2 lengths. The two horses later went head-to-head in the Preakness and Belmont. Affirmed swept the series to become racing’s third Triple Crown winner of that decade.
