I’m A Fireball smashes the course record over 1450m at the Vaal Classic track. It was one of two course records on the day with the Roy Magner-trained Titans Of War (Act Of War) having earlier broken the 2000m course record under Gavin Lerena, recording 119.93 seconds (JC Photos)
The most impressive winner at the Vaal Classic track meeting on Thursday was the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Hollywood Racing-owned three-year-old Vercingetorix gelding I’m A Fireball, who led in a Graduation Plate over 1450m under Callan Murray and just never went back to the field as some of the jockeys of the other runners might have been expecting.
He ran out a 3,25 length winner carrying 56kg and became the first horse to do the course and distance in under 84 seconds, recording an amazing 83.32 seconds and smashing the previous record of 84 seconds set by Lady Of Steel on June 2, 2020 (the runner up King Harald was also under the old record, recording 83.86 seconds).
What is particularly fascinating about the victory is that I’m A Fireball’s dam, the Irish-bred Rock Of Gibraltar mare Gibraltar Blue, caused a sensation on her South African debut over the same distance of 1450m and she was also trained by Mike de Kock.
Gibraltar Blue’s race was at Turffontein Inside on 17 April, 2010, and she powered in by 5,50 lengths under Johnny Geroudis in a Progress Plate for fillies and mares carrying 55,5kg.
Mathew de Kock, who was likely unaware his charge had just broken the course record as there didn’t seem to be any mention of it in the aftermath of the race, said I’m A Fireball’s performance had been the sort of promise he had always shown them. He had not disgraced himself when beaten just 1,95 lengths in the Gr 1 Gold Medallion, but this Vaal race was the first time he had made it into the winner’s enclosure since his impressive debut over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. Mathew mentioned his mother Gibraltar Blue having also liked the front-running style of racing, so he will likely stick to that tactic.
I’m A Fireball’s mother Gibraltar Blue went on an impressive winning streak after that aforementioned debut.
She won the Gr 2 KRA Filllies Guineas next up and then, after finishing a 0,25 length second in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, she won the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m, then after a near five month layoff she won the Listed Gardenia Stakes over 1000m by 4,25 lengths and then won the Gr 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m.
Her first six starts in SA had thus yielded five victories and one second.
She was then aimed at lofty targets like the Cape Flying Championship, Queen’s Plate etc and her best results were a close third in the Gr 1 Majorca Stakes, winning the Gr 3 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m against the boys and a close second in the Gr 2 Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein.
She was six months younger than her South African contemporaries as she was born to Northern Hemisphere times in Ireland, so that made her career even more impressive, especially in her three-year-old year.
She was actually entered for the July as a three-year-old, as the first nominations were early and it was not known at the time that she would have limited stamina capacity.
John Koster of Klawervlei Stud chose Gibraltar Blue, with the help of Mike de Kock, Jehan Malherbe and “Fozzy” Stack, at the Goffs Million Sale in Ireland in 2008.
“We knew she was above average after her runs in Ireland and England,” said Koster way back in 2010 a few days after her impressive South African debut. “She was close to the lead in the Goffs Million sprint (in 2009) about a furlong out and finished only four lengths back. Then she had bad luck when finishing fourth in a Group 2 race at Newmarket against some very good fillies – she had no sort of passage. After Saturday’s win (over 1450m at Turffontein Inside), especially considering she is six months younger than the rest of the three-year-olds, she looks special.”
The specific aim of the journey to the Goffs Million Sale in 2008 was to find a filly to run in one of the Goffs Millions races attached to the Sale.
The two races were staged at the Curragh racecourse over six furlongs and a mile respectively in 2009, both with prize money for the winner of one million Euros. The race was reserved for horses which had catalogued as yearlings at the previous year’s Sale.
Gibraltar Blue was initially sent to trainer Tommy Stack, whom Koster used to work for.
Stack is famous for having ridden the great Red Rum to his third Grand National victory in 1977.
Apart from having been a jockey and a trainer, he was also involved in breeding and was one of Coolmore’s early staff members.
Koster did his “apprentice” years in the breeding industry under Stack.
“Tommy is a legend in Ireland and actually bred one of the first good horses he trained, Corwyn Bay, who won the first running of the Cartier Million”, recalled Koster back in 2010.
Gibraltar Blue soon showed potential under the watchful eye of Stack and his son “Fozzy”, who was a kid at the time of Koster’s employment.
(“Fozzy” took over his father’s license in 2016 and is successful in jumps and the flat, including winning the Gr 1 Belmont Oaks with Aspen Grove.)
Gibraltar Blue won her debut over six furlongs at Fairyhouse before her two meritorious defeats in the Goffs Million Sprint and the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes for two-year-old fillies over seven furlongs at Newmarket.
She was due to join De Kock’s small string at Newmarket in the UK in the summer, but partly due to the expense of keeping horses in training in Britain and Ireland, she was brought to South Africa instead.
Rock Of Gibraltar’s progeny tend to prefer fast ground so the move to the Southern Hemisphere was probably the right call.
I’m A Fireball is Gibraltar Blue’s eighth foal – all of them have been bred by Klawervlei Stud.
She has had seven winners and three stakes-placed horses, Pillar Of Hercules (Captain Al), Battleoftrafalgar (Captain Al) and Cullinan Blue (Vercingetorix).
Hopefully, I’m A Fireball will become her first stakes winner.
