Turf Talk-sponsored jockey Chad Little described winning the Gold Cup on Saturday as the biggest win of his career (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Last Tuesday at Summerveld trainer Glen Kotzen had ended an interview by saying, “I don’t think Hollywoodbets Greyville suits Holding Thumbs, but we’ve got a plan.
It was easy to work out that with no obvious pace in the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m and Holding Thumbs being a big galloping type the plan would be for Turf Talk-sponsored jockey Chad Little to take last year’s runner up to the front in South Africa’s most prestigious staying race.
Kotzen had also said in the interview that the Champions Season hadn’t been great for the big Vercingetorix gelding and he had added, “But I think we have now turned him for the Gold Cup.”
It was revealed after the race on Sunday they had made some changes to his work program and in particular he was given more short, sharp work as opposed to long work.
Kotzen said it could be seen when Holding Thumbs walked into the ring that the new program had made all the difference.
Holding Thumbs jumped from draw 13 of 13, which at least allowed him a clear passage to the front.
The big bay pinged the gates and was far enough clear when reaching the turn to slot in front of Shoot The Rapids.
Little had got his trigonometry just about perfect with Holding Thumbs having gone on virtually a straight line from starting stall to the inside at the end of the first straight.
That ensured he would have expended as little energy as possible in the first 450m and it also meant he had the rail for the rest of the journey i.e. the shortest way home.
That was the first prerequisite for a perfect ride ticked off.
He then ensured no more than a steady pace from then onward.
Hot favourite King Pelles was in midfield sitting in a one wide position with cover when he suddenly came off the bit and began backpedalling as they approached the 1000m mark. Lyle Hewitson had no option but to ease him out of the race. He had run a fantastic third in the Hollywodbets Durban July, but it had been tough race for him and the Gold Cup might have proved a bridge too far.
Meanwhile, the second favourite Ahead Of The Facts was travelling well, but his supporters’ concerns were mounting, because he was closer to the back than the front in a relatively slow run race.
Richard Fourie had the room to switch Ahead Of The Facts out at the 800m mark and he began inching closer as they came up the hill.
The exceptional turn of foot Ahead Of The Facts had displayed in his impressive Gr 3 Durban Gold Vase victory over 3000m was evident in the straight as he had soon mastered the chasing vanguard.
However, Little had meanwhile fulfilled more criteria for a perfect ride by giving his horse some rein as they approached the straight and he then extracted a telling kick from his charge at the top of the straight.
Those two moves were vital aboard a resolute galloping type, who lacks the acceleration of Ahead Of The Facts, and he had soon opened up a four length gap on the rest of the field.
It was apparent the long-striding horse was going to be hard to haul in and even after Ahead Of The Facts had easily passed the others it was clear he was not closing on Holding Thumbs quickly enough.
Little showed perfect timing in drawing the stick as late as the 250m mark.
He later executed a deft change of whip hand which saw Holding Thumbs changing legs and finding another gear.
He pulled off another late whip hand change when Holding Thumbs hung in on to the rail.
However, he can only be given 99% for the ride because in his understandable excitement he stood up and saluted a stride or two before the line.
Ahead Of The Facts stayed on well for a two length second, leaving Justin Snaith still chasing a first Gold Cup.
The Robbie and Shannon Hill-trained filly Jazz Cafe enjoyed a third successive step up in trip and stayed on well from fifth place in the running for a 2,90 length third. She is a stayer worth following, although she was officially 5,5kg under sufferance with the winner, so is likely to be given a sizeable merit rating raise.
Future Pearl was not aided by the slow pace, but stayed on well from the back of the field for a 6,10 length fourth.
Native Ruler galloped all the way to the line from the back of the field for a 8,20 length fifth and would also have appreciated a faster pace.
Some would say Shoot The Rapids ran disappointingly, beaten 8,25 lengths into sixth, considering he sat in the box seat throughout, but that would not take into account that Chill In The Air stuck close to his outside throughout and it appeared that Shoot The Rapids could never find a perfectly relaxed rhythm.
The Gold Cup used to be the second biggest race in Durban, if not the country, and Glen Kotzen has now done the career double of two iconic races, albeit 17 years apart with Big City Life having won the July for him in 2009.
Jockey Chad Little is old enough to recall that great racing era when the 3200m long Gold Cup was a huge event accompanied by razzmatazz that almost matched July day.
After executing one of the rides of the season he likened winning Sunday’s big World Pool-sponsored race to winning the Hollywoodbets Durban July, even though it has been downgraded in recent years to a Gr 3.
Fittingly, Holding Thumbs was bred by the Oppenheimer family’s Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein stud operation.
The victory falls 67 years after Chad Little’s grandfather Benny Little gave Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer of Mauritfontein Stud their first July win in 1959 in his first July ride on the homebred Tiger Fish.
The Gold Cup win ensured the Breeders Championship had been regained by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein, who pulled away on the final big day of the season from this season’s nearest rival Varsfontein Stud to win it by over R2 million.
The sire phenomenon Vercingetorix took his number of stakes wins for the season to 34, which was one more than last season, but despite winning three stakes races on the day with Zeitz, Palace Of Avernia and Holding Thumbs respectively, the Maine Chance Farms-based stallion’s tally of individual stakes winners in a season remained on 21, two short of the SA record he had set last season.
Nevertheless, Vercingetorix has run away with his second Sires Championship, finishing close to R11.5 million clear of the three times Champion Sire Gimmthegreenlight.
For owners Messrs P Bamford, D D MacLean & Gary Player Stud Farm (Pty) Ltd, Mrs J Doyle & Mr L S & Mrs Rayna Govender it was also a huge moment.
Gary Player also part-owned last year’s winner King Pelles and this was his third Gold Cup win in all.
It would have been a race of mixed emotions for Player with King Pelles, who started as hot 13/10 favourite, being pulled out of the race. Thankfully the horse was okay, although he did have to be subjected to veterinarian checks.
