The Ascot Stud-bred Bold Silvano was not only Silvano’s first July winner but also his first son to stand at stud
Vercingetorix continues to increase his living legend status and it would be fitting to look back at an entertaining night just over 15 years ago on the weekend in which Vercingetorix’s sire Silvano first gave an inkling of what was to come.
Silvano had made a good start to his stud career, but nobody was predicting him to become a six-times champion sire as well as the greatest Hollywoodbets Durban July sire in history.
In 2010 Silvano had the first of his five July winners.
The Mike de Kock-trained Bold Silvano, bred by Ascot Stud in Port Elizabeth and formerly trained by PE trainer Gavin Smith, beat home his stablemate Irish Flame.
He was the the third of De Kock’s five July winners and the third of jockey Anthony Delpech’s four July winners.
The Hollywoodbets Durban July appeals as one of the world’s great races partly due to the traditions attached to it like the final field and draw ceremony, the July Gallops, the July beans, the roar of the crowd as they jump, the victory canter past and the hanging of the winning colours in the Classic Room, to mention just a few.
There also used to be the Chairman’s Dinner to honour the July winner on the Monday night after the big race and although it was a fine tradition it was probably the correct decision to dispense with it due to the modern way in which time is at a premium, not to mention expense.
The last Chairman’s Dinner was in 2010 after the Mike de Kock-trained Bold Silvano’s victory and it was remembered chiefly for the entertaining speech of winning part-owner Gill Thompson.
The article below reports on that dinner and gives some insight into the story of how a Port Elizabeth-bred-and-trained horse sired by Silvano went on to win South Africa’s greatest race:
Mike de Kock received a standing ovation and a toast at last night’s Chairman’s Dinner at Greyville proposed by Vodacom Durban July winner Bold Silvano’s winning part-owner, Gill Thomson.
“South African racing owes Mike an enormous debt,” said Thomson during her highly entertaining speech that drew almost as much laughter as the later performance of comedian, Ben Vos.
Thomson, who lives in East London, described de Kock as a man who was not scared of anything and whose endeavours to succeed in the thoroughbred industry knew no boundaries.
She felt that de Kock’s efforts overseas had put South Africa on the world horseracing map.
She also thanked Anthony Delpech for his brilliant ride of Bold Silvano, whom she described as a “beautiful horse”.
Thomson also praised Ashley and Rose Parker of Ascot Stud and felt there could not have been more deserving July winning breeders, especially in light of the narrow July defeat in 1991 of the horse they owned, the later highly successful sire, Al Mufti.
She said, “I saw Bold Silvano on their farm before the yearling sales and there was something about him – he talked to me.”
She got Port Elizabeth trainer Gavin Smith to bid for him and secured him for R300,000, which it was pointed out during the evening was a big price to pay for a horse that was to be based in Port Elizabeth.
Early on in his training Gavin Smith had told her that the horse was something special.
Thomson received numerous offers for Bold Silvano after his early success in PE, including from de Kock, but turned them all down.
However, after the Cape season she decided to send the horse to de Kock for the Champions Season.
Thereafter she received an offer for a share in the horse from de Kock’s chief client Sheik Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum that she “could not refuse.”
Thomson described herself as never having really been a racing person, but whose life had revolved around horses.
She is very well known in the horse show world.
She became choked with emotion when thanking her husband Mitford for his support and for having put up with her love for horses.
De Kock thanked Thomson for allowing him to train such a “wonderful horse” and thanked the sponsor Vodacom.
He gave magnanimous praise, as he always does, to his whole team from assistant trainers, grooms, jockeys, workriders, vets, farriers etc, before adding, “Not many people know how much work it takes just to win a maiden plate, let alone a July.”
Delpech began his speech by thanking Vodacom and also heaped praise on de Kock, describing him as a “genius”.
He recounted that at the Summerveld team breakfasts Kevin Shea would not hear of defeat for Irish Flame, while he himself had kept quietly confident without playing his cards.
Gold Circle Chairman John Bescoby revealed that the national tote turnover for the day was R94,140,144, an increase of 3,74% on last year.
Gold Circle’s share of this turnover was R54,053,228 a decrease of 1,03%, but higher than the budgeted for figure of R53,499,282.
The on course turnover was R19,319,879, an increase of 6,07% on last year.
The national turnover for the main race, the July, was R33,452,724 a 3,2% increase on last year.
Gold Circle’s portion of this was R20,635,583, an increase of 13,8% on last year.
The crowd at Greyville reached it’s capacity of 50,000.
