Fortune Supremely Confident Of A Fairytale Win
See It Again flies up for a narrow third in the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Andrew Fortune is supremely confident of winning the Gr 1 wfa WSB Met on the Justin Snaith-trained See It Again.
Lauded by virtually all and sundry for his horsemanship, one thing surprisingly missing on his CV is a win in one of South Africa’s three “majors”, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, the WSB Met and the Betway Summer Cup.
It looked like he was going to break his majors drought in the Summer Cup this year when Olivia’s Way came with a storming run on the outside.
Unfortunately, she started running around a bit and that might have been costly as she only lost by half-a-length to another filly, Mocha Blend.
It is a thing of beauty to watch Fortune at his best and he seems to have taken his game to its highest plain in recent weeks.
He is particularly good at his home course, Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, and it would be a fairytale, or more accurately another chapter to a story which is already a fairytale, if he were able to finally pull of his hometown’s biggest race, the WSB Met, in his late fifties.
It would also be a fairytale story for See It Again’s owner Nick Jonsson, who would in that case have pulled off four successive wins in the Met with four different horses.
Justin Snaith is also going for a fourth successive Met win, and a fifth overall, and that would also be an amazing feat, but not quite as amazing as in Jonsson’s case simply due to the numerical odds involved – whilst trainers are able to pull off such feats on rare occasions, it would be unheard of for an owner to do it.
A quick look at this season’s logs show Snaith to have had 514 runs, whilst Jonsson has had 92 runs.
Furthermore, Snaith has six chances to complete the four-in-a-row sequence in the Met, while Jonsson has three chances to do it (with Eight On Eighteen, See It Again and Okavango), although if Eight On Eighteen were to win it he would have done the four-in-row with only three different horses.
See It Again has had a drama-filled season and the most apt saying to describe it would be the one about every cloud having a silver lining.
He was set to have a tilt at the R6 million Betway Summer Cup, which was at the beginning of the season the most expensive race in the country.
However, that plan went pear-shaped when he refused to load for both of his preparation races.
He was thus scratched from the Summer Cup.
That has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because unlike last year when he fulfilled the racing adage that you can’t travel up to Jo’Burg and then down to Cape Town and expect to be successful, he arrived in Cape Town this season fresher than ever before.
He also changed yards to Justin Snaith and that certainly wouldn’t be a reflection on Michael Roberts’ ability to get the best out of him, but it just makes sense for the yard who is hands on and able to see the horse in the flesh everyday to also be making the decisions.
See It Again’s starting stall woes were worked on by Cape Town’s renowned “horse whisperer” Malan Du Toit.
He did lose a a couple of lengths when fly-jumping in the Gr 2 Ridgemont Green Point Stakes over 1600m.
However, he showed his well-being by flying home for a 0,35 length third with Fortune in the irons for the first time.
Then in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate he jumped perfectly, so hopefully Malan du Toit has won that battle.
He produced the most eyecatching finish in the King’s Plate from near the back and had he not had to ease slightly to get past a slowing Dave The King he might well have won it instead of finishing a 0,25 length third.
Andrew said after the race, “Phenomenal run, I’m so happy. He was well behaved today and hopefully that’s his pattern. If he gets half-a-draw in the Met you can start backing.”
Unfortunately, he landed draw ten out of eleven, which will make it a little bit harder to find cover, although in a small field being at the back won’t be a train smash.
Fortune said in an interview on Wednesday, one day after the draw ceremony, “I probably ride him six out of seven mornings and I tell him all the time, ‘You’re the best horse in the country’ and he’s a bit like me he goes ‘haw, haw, haw … haw haw haw…’ But when I am on him I tell him that ten times a morning, ‘You are the best horse in the country’ and I am still a firm believer I’m going to win it. If the pace is on, then it will not be a race, I am telling you he will come from behind .. . I say that because a mile is just too short for him. I’ve got to know him and I’m supremely confident, I really am.”
There is some dramatic irony in his concluding statement, because See It Again is out of a mare called Supreme Vision.
Nobody who was at Hollywood bets Greyville on either of those occasions when See It Again did not load would have envisaged him being in the position he is now in. The WSB Met is there for the taking and then there is still the Hollywoodbets Durban July, for which the recently announced R10 million stake is almost double the Summer Cup’s stake.
That cloud had more than a silver lining.
A win for See It Again will see Drakenstein Stud having bred three out of the last four Met winners and a fourth met winner overall.
Drakenstein are also breeders of Eight On Eighteen and Sail The Seas.
Fortune Talks About Fasting And Touches On His Extraordinary Career
Andrew Fortune salutes after winning the Gr 2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes on Gimme What I Want (Picture: Chase Liebenberg)
Andrew Fortune’s extraordinary career is well documented, and not only defined by the 1,488 winners in the record book or the 60-plus stakes trophies on his mantelpiece. Much has been said and written about the breath-taking wins, the ups and downs and controversies that have marked his 43 years as one of our racing community’s favourite sons.
Fortune’s is a mindset that refuses to accept final counts. It is shaped by discipline sometimes bordering on obsession, and by a level of self-belief that has repeatedly carried him back from places most never return.
Last Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, Fortune added another chapter to his remarkable story. At 58 years of age, riding off 54 kilograms – a weight he had not seen in three decades – he partnered two graded winners on King’s Plate Day. That success was followed by four further masterclass victories at Turffontein on Sunday and midweek at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, reminding everyone that his name still belongs in racing’s biggest conversations.
Click here to read Charl Pretorius’s full article on Andrew Fortune
Will Cosmic Speed Stay The Met Trip?
The Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Cosmic Speed will try a distance beyond a mile for the first time in the WSB Met (JC Photos)
The Sean Tarry-trained Cosmic Speed is a winner of the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m and as a two-year-old he won the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.
One would think that being by Querari out of a Silvano mare he would have been tried over more than a mile by now, but in fact the WSB Met will be his first attempt at a distance beyond a mile.
His dam Cosmic Dream only won once, over 1200m second time out, and was subsequently only tried up to 1400m. She ended her career running six times for that one win with a short-head second over 1200m too and a third over 1400m.
In the breeding shed she has also produced speedy types.
Cosmic Speed is a full-brother to the speedy Cosmic Light, who won on debut before winning the Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m second time out and then making it three runs unbeaten when winning a handicap over 1200m. She later finished a 1,65 length fifth to the Equus Champion Sprinter Carry On Alice in the Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m and she then finished a half-a-length second in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m.
At stud Cosmic Light has produced two speedsters in Listed Golden Loom Handicap winners Chyavana (Flower Alley) and Cosmic Star (Erupt) and it doesn’t augur well for Cosmic Speed that both of them were by stallions capable of imparting stamina.
Cosmic Speed is a half-brother to the useful Gimmethegreenlight sprint-miler Cosmic Highway, whose sprint wins included the Gr 2 Cape Merchants, the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes and the Gr 3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery, but he did also win the Listed Gatecrasher over 1400m and came second in the Gr 2 Concorde Cup over 1600m and third in the Gr 1 Cape Guineas.
In the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate last time out, Cosmic Speed jumped from draw 14 of 14 and found a nice position behind Sail The Seas.
He stayed on quite well for a 3,45 length fifth, but he was unable to stay with Sail The Seas who beat him by three lengths.
Gavin Lerena will ride him in the Met and said, “There are not many who look like they stay ten furlongs in the Met and I think if I switch him off he will stay the distance. It is an easy 2000m.”
There were question marks about The Real Prince getting the Hollywoodbets Durban July trip due to his pedigree, being a full-brother to Equus Champion Sprinter Gimme A Prince.
However, the reason there can’t be as much confidence in Cosmic Speed seeing out the longer trip as there was with The Real Prince is that the latter, before his run over 2200m in the July, had finished off his only attempt at a mile exceptionally well.
He had also finished fast in seemingly effortless fashion in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m in his last start before the July.
Cosmic Speed, on the other hand, was only just holding on to his fifth place in the King’s Plate with a host of horses closing in on him.
On the other hand he did have to do some early work to find a position from the wide draw and might have also been too handy in such a fast-paced race.
In the Met he has the bonus of pole position, so will be there for free and can relax from the off.
What also gives hope is that when winning the Horse Chestnut he had sat in third place one wide without cover and yet had still found the extra to finish the race off well over the tough 1600m course and distance.
In America they have a term “the embattled duo” (or trio etc) referring to those who are fighting it out at the front.
Often in racing the favourites become embattled and an outsider, who had not been under as much pressure in the build up, comes and picks them off late having just watched their battles from a relaxed, detached position.
That would be the ideal scenario for Cosmic Speed.
However, in conclusion his price of about 17/1 does seem a bit stingy and he will likely drift out on the day.
There are question marks and he does face a high class field.
De Melo/Tarry Double, Yeni Double
The Specialist (The United States) was bought out of the MJ Odenddal yard after two wins and an eyecatching third in the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe in his fifth start. Big things were expected of him and he started off for the new partnership with a second in the Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes, but in fact today was the first time he had won since that purchase about 18 months ago and his merit rating has fallen from 115 to 88. He clinched the first leg of a quick double for all of Sean Tarry, Keagan de Melo and Laurence Wernars (JC Photos)
Keagan de Melo rode a double for Sean Tarry at the Vaal Classic track today with both horses running in the Laurence Wernars colours.
De Melo is now retained by Wernars.
There was also a double for Muzi Yeni.
Craig Zackey had a single win to go to 133 wins for the season, achieved at a strike rate of 17.41%, and he is now 27 wins clear of Richard Fourie, whose 106 wins have come at a strike rate of 22.13%.
Yeni is on 72 wins at 11.30% and he has joined Callan Murray in third place with the latter’s 72 wins having come at 14.01%.
De Melo has had 24 wins at 15.38%.
Tarry is on 43 wins for the season at 12.04%.
Kingdom Of Heaven Can Score On The Poly
Kingdom Of Heaven has been tipped to go one better than last time by winning the seventh race (Pauline Herman Photography)
Fairview Poly Friday Formguides And Selections
R1 Competitive maiden. (4) KENTUCKY LASSIE has been catching the eye in her finishes and is overdue to win hence she will be the top selection. (5) LAYDELAY has been holding her form and will be a real danger to the top selection. (3) TIPSY wasn’t far on debut and is expected to improve and get much closer. (7) SOMBREUIL has been running consistently and should be there again. (Devonne Govender 4-5-3-7).
R2 (2) AUGUSTA ROSSO ran a cracker in the last start at decent odds, Richard Fourie is aboard and she will make her presence felt in a big way. (1) ROYAL CITY GIRL won a gutsy race in her last start and has been in good form so will be the main danger here. (4) NORTH STAR has been consistent and gets a top rider up so needs to be respected here. (3) SILVAN MISTRESS is capable on her day and can into larger perms. (Devonne Govender 2-1-4-3).
R3 (3) FRENCH FLAME is holding solid form and will be a strong contender here from a top draw. (2) LAGUNA VERDE ran a cracker in the last start and will be a big danger to the top selection, he is capable of a big finish on his day and can win this. (6) WILD FIG has been racing consistently and another decent run can be expected. (8) KING RAHUL gets the claimer up and will have light mass on his back which makes a contender here. (Devonne Govender 3-2-6-8).
R4 (1) ONE DANCE ran a cracker in her last start at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. She now goes 1400m and will have an outstanding chance here. It must be noted Cape form stands up strong in the province hence she is the top selections. (4) TWILIGHT BAY ran well in her last start, she will be a big challenger if repeating that last run. (9) JUST ONE KISS ran a cracker and needs to be respected here, although her overall form isn’t the most reliable she can feature. (7) GREENLIGHT DANCER has been running consistently so should be included in larger perms. (Devonne Govender 1-4-9-7).
R5 (4) GALILEO STAR is in great form, he looks progressive and will be the narrow first selection after catching the eye in the last start. (3) ONE TOO MANY has been consistent and another good run can be expected. (2) KINGS AGAIN is another who is holding consistent form and will make her presence felt. (1) SPEED RACER is very capable on his day, with the claimer taking valuable weight off his back he needs to be respected here. (Devonne Govender 4-3-2-1).
R6 Open looking race. (2) IZANAMI is lightly raced and has been racing well, she will go very close to winning here. (1) ALEX MILLER has been consistent and another decent run is expected. (3) FARAWAY GIRL placed at big odds in her last start, she has a much better draw this time and cannot be ignored. (4) ENDEARED won on provincial debut and has scope to go well. (Devonne Govender 2-1-3-4).
R7 (8) KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ran well in the last start and is holding good form, he is capable of a big finish on his day and will be a serious contender. (3) GLOBAL STATE was impressive in his last win, and another huge run is expected. (2) FEW DOLLARS MORE is overdue for another career win, he goes well on the poly and could be a nice value bet. He is capable of doing work in a race and still produce a big finish so he cannot be ignored. (6) KEY NEWS ran well in his last start and won’t be far. (Devonne Govender 8-3-2-6).
R8 (2) GREY WARRIOR has been consistent in recent starts hence he is the top selection, although he has a tough draw here he is capable of winning this. (1) PICK A POMODORO was a sudden improver when running second in his last start, he can win this if repeating that. (3) O SPACE O is holding form and is another who can feature. (4) AETHELWULF hasn’t been far in recent starts and can’t be ignored. (Devonne Govender 2-1-3-4).
R9 (9) CANFORD QUEEN is never far back and will run a big race from a decent draw. (4) PYROMANIAC has been consistent in recent starts and needs respect. (7) SPOIL YOURSELF gets a much better draw now and can be included in larger perms. (8) CELTIQUE will have a quartet chance after an impressive maiden win. (Devonne Govender 9-4-7-8)
Hollywood Suffered Anxious Minutes But Il Etait Temps Is "Grand"
Il Etait Temps is ok after a fall at Ascot on Saturday
Owen and Devin Heffer and the rest of the passionate Hollywood Racing team suffered an awful ten minutes last Saturday together with joint owners The Kieswetter family after an unusually lacklustre performance by their star six-time Gr 1 winning chaser Il Etait Temps ended in a tired fall at the second last jump.
The screens came up as a precaution around the stricken horse and remained up for some ten minutes, but it turned out he was just winded and he had soon stood up and was walked off the course.
Cheltenham is looming and the team will put the horse’s welfare before any race engagement, but hopefully he will be ready for his likely target, the Queen Mother Chase.
Interview With The Colourful Legend Paul Carberry
Legendary Irish jockey Paul Carberry (pictured) spoke in an interview about:
Harry Cobden being a smart choice to be JP McManus’s number one rider – and current incumbent Mark Walsh will understand the decision
What he would do with Constitution Hill, with the hurdling star set for a run on the Flat at Southwell this month
His views on the strength of Irish racing ahead of the Dublin Racing Festival this month but also, why the Brits could be set to fight back at the Cheltenham Festival this year
Carberry was speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest horse racing odds.
Legendary Irish jockey Paul Carberry: I rode for JP McManus and Harry Cobden is definitely the right choice for his retained jockey role, racing needs the billionaire around forever, why Constitution Hill running a Flat race at Southwell is the wrong decision and my best fancy at the Dublin Racing Festival
Speaking to BOYLE Sports, legendary Irish jockey Paul Carberry – who rode plenty of winners for billionaire owner JP McManus, has hailed the recruitment of British rider Harry Cobden to be McManus’ new retained jockey
Cobden replaces Ireland’s Mark Walsh, who Carberry said will “understand” the decision to replace him and the two-time Irish Gold Cup winner said that racing needs McManus around “forever”
Carberry also spoke on Constitution Hill’s potential Flat run at Southwell and why it’s not something he would have done as the solution to the superstar hurdler’s current malaise over obstacles
Carberry also gave a tip for the upcoming Dublin Racing Festival and revealed exactly how the Irish racing body have got things spot on with their Festival schedule
Harry Cobden is the right man for the retained jockey job with JP McManus because he simply doesn’t make mistakes
It is a huge job for him, definitely. It is the one everybody wants to get. JP McManus is a great person to ride for and good people to work for as well.
I rode a good few winners for him, I never felt any extra pressure. He never did that. He is a very easy man to ride for and lucky enough I was successful for him.
Harry is the right man for the job, he is a very good rider. He is just very good, he doesn’t do much wrong or throw away too many races. He simply doesn’t make any mistakes, that’s what you need in a jockey, 100 per cent every time.
Current retained rider for McManus, Mark Walsh, will understand the decision to move on from him
J P has been very good to Mark and I’m sure Mark will understand [the move]. Mark has always been a very good rider. He had been second jockey for a long time, then got the main role when Barry Geraghty stepped down. Mark is still a very good rider, I’m sure he will understand.
The big thing is that he [Cobden] wasn’t on a retainer with Paul Nicholls and that is a big difference when you get a lot of money to do the job that you love and to ride for that man, it is very hard to turn down.
Hopefully JP McManus never dies and he stays in racing forever
Hopefully he never dies and stays around forever! He looks after me, everybody in the industry. I break in a few horses for him, he looks after us all. He is a great man.
My solution to Constitution Hill’s problems over fences – I wouldn’t have sent him for a Flat race at Southwell next week
I suppose it is a smart move for Southwell, they’ll get a big crowd in. For me, I’d like to see him go over hurdles again and give it another try, I don’t think there is any reason why he shouldn’t try again.
I know he has had a couple of falls, I think you need to make up his mind for him. He is a very good jumper. At the end of the day, if you win a couple of flat races he still won’t be as good as he is over jumps.
You could maybe have sent him over fences and then brought him back to hurdles. It just seems to be a lack of communication between the two of them [horse and jockey] when he is coming to a hurdle, i think you need to be a bit more aggressive with him and send him over, rather than give him no instruction and then the horse doesn’t know what to do – that’s the way it looks to me anyway.
The Dublin Racing Festival is a very influential meeting and Ireland gets it right with how they spread out their showpiece Festivals each season
It is a very big meeting alright, very influential in the calendar. There is a lot of money there, a lot of big races that you can’t go for. It is a good two days, serious racing for the last couple of years.
It is a very big pointer towards Cheltenham. The best horses are going to be there and at Cheltenham, it’s about five weeks.
They are spread out fair enough, the Festivals in Ireland, starting at Down Royal and then Punchestown, then Navan and Fairyhouse, then Leopardstown again, they are spread out well to give horses time to recover and go again – that is a huge help.
There will be a lot of pointers, the ones that win there, you know will have a good chance at Cheltenham.
Willie Mullins will begin to send out his big guns now, but Gordon Elliott is breathing down his neck this season
He’s had a bit of a quiet start, usually he goes big at Leopardstown at Christmas but he didn’t quite have them firing then but now he will be really going for it.
Gordon, if he keeps going the way he is going he will put up a really good fight to him this season. I know he said he isn’t thinking about it [the trainers’ title] at the moment but I am sure in the back of his head he is thinking about it alright.
Gordon has been flying the last six weeks, two months. It’ll be interesting because he kind of avoided it [DRF] last year but I think he will have a bigger team this year, he had a good Leopardstown at Christmas, so Willie Mullins is starting to fire now as well.
Leopardstown is the best track in the world
Absolutely. Definitely, I used to love riding around there. When you’re on a good horse and you win it probably helps!
It is great to ride, when you turn down the back and there’s seven fences in front of you, if you are on a good horse then you get some thrill out of that.
I won the Irish Gold Cup on Beef Or Salmon and Florida Pearl. It is one of the biggest races. Beef Or Salmon was a super horse, he never quite liked Cheltenham but he loved Leopardstown.
This year? Galopin Des Champs didn’t put up a bad showing for first run this season, if he is on form he could be hard to beat at the DRF in the Irish Gold Cup.
He was very good at Christmas last year and then not as good at DRF, then got beat at Cheltenham and then came back to Punchestown and looked absolutely awesome. He has been brilliant, he is probably a better horse to rider than most and I suspect Paul Townend gets a real thrill out of riding him.
Noel Meade has Affordale Fury, that was a great win at Leopardstown [in the Savils Chase]. I think he will have a decent chance in the Gold Cup and it would be nice for Noel as well.
Dan Skelton and Olly Murphy are two british trainers who I think will be putting it up to the Irish at Cheltenham this year
The Irish will dominate the Cheltenham Gold Cup, that’s for sure, I don’t think that’ll change. It is so strong over here with Wille and Gordon, plus Gavin [Cromwell] with Inothewayurthinkin who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year, he’s feeling a bit better now as well after his first run of this season I have been told.
From Britain, Dan Skelton will be putting it up to them now, Olly Murphy is having a great season, it won’t be all Irish at Cheltenham this year – we will share it out a bit!
Jockeys have it a lot tougher these days than I did when I was riding
I’d say it is very hard to be a jockey these days. If you are not in them big yards, the big ones, you are struggling to get winners. It has gotten a lot harder.
Even when I was riding, I was a freelance, Barry [Geraghty] too, we were picking up plenty of winners, but that day has gone now.
You have to be in big yards, then there are five or six fighting riders for the second spot, it has gotten very hard for jockeys.
My advice to the jockeys? Get yourself into a good yard, you have to work your way up. Simply work hard and get some winners, especially on the television days!
Today's Question
Did the legendary British jockey Lester Piggott ever ride in the Met?
The picture gives a clue to the answer
FIELDS, Friday, 23 January
Today’s Question Answer
Lester Piggott rode in the 1982 Met and finished a 4,25 length fifth on the 3/1 second favourite Swan Prince with the race being won by 2/1 favourite Foveros (pictured above as a highly successful eight-times champion stallion).
