Guineas Winners Set The Bar
Sandringham Summit saunters clear in the Gr 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas at Turffontein Standside on Saturday (JC Photos)
Jack Milner (Tab4Racing)
Bettors at Turffontein on Saturday witnessed two superb feats in both the Grade 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas and Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas as both strong favourites – Sandringham Summit and Gimme A Nother respectively – put up spectacular winning performances.
The manner of their victories has put significant anticipation into the other two legs of the SA Triple Crown and Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara for fillies.
“These are the horses we get up and work for,” said trainer Mike de Kock after Gimme A Nother came from near last to score a sensational 1.75-length victory in the Fillies Guineas.
Ridden by JP van der Merwe, the daughter of Gimmethegreenlight comfortably beat stablemate Silver Sanctuary, with My Soul Mate in third and Let’s Do It in fourth.
The most remarkable fact is that very little went right for horse and jockey in the early stages.
“Today, from that draw (No 11), I thought it was going to be a little bit difficult,” said Van der Merwe. “I couldn’t get in and I had to pull her back a little bit to get in and I was a little bit far out of my ground.
“But I got her into the straight, gave her a nice clear run and she just gets better and better.”
“We knew this filly’s decent, we knew that from day one,” said Van der Merwe.
Going off at 1-1 and paying an even better R2.10 for a win on TAB, those circumstances saw Gimme A Nother placed second last, one off the fence, as stablemate Mary’s Greenlight made the early pace, but once she was switched to the centre of the track, she stormed past the opposition to win with complete authority.
De Kock added his thoughts to the victory. “She actually behaved quite badly today because she was supposed to go to Cape Town for the Paddock Stakes, but that fell through, so we were switching her on, switching her off, switching her on again so she was very fresh today.
“So, I know it sounds stupid now, but I think she will even get a little better.”
De Kock added that while Gimme A Nother came from near the back of the field on this occasion, she would be quite capable of racing from the front is she had to be there.
So Gimme A Nother remains unbeaten in five starts and Van der Merwe has been aboard in all of them.
If De Kock is prepared to get out of bed at the crack of dawn for Gimme A Nother, it is even more true for David Nieuwenhuizen and Sandringham Summit.
He has a small yard and for them to have a horse of Sandringham Summit’s extraordinary ability is uncommon.
That also adds to the pressure for the yard, and it has not been easy for Nieuwenhuizen.
The three-year-old son of Gimmethegreenlight had been beaten in the Grade 2 Dingaans over the same course and distance and when scratched from an earlier engagement, rumours were flying around the racing fraternity that all was not well with the Gimmethegreenlight colt.
But Sandringham Summit put the record straight in no uncertain manner on Saturday when he coasted to a three-length victory over Hotarubi, William Iron Arm and Purple Pitcher.
Despite not having raced since November, Sandringham Summit looked fantastic in the parade ring and ran accordingly.
Gavin Lerena, who scored his fourth winner of the day aboard this colt, had him perfectly placed in fourth position while House Of Romanov set a strong pace. At the 400m mark Lerena moved in, the opposition faded out behind him, and it was all a question of how far.
Sandringham Summit went off at 12-10 which in retrospect, looked outstanding value.
Lerena was full of praise for the colt. “Fantastic win from him.
“His last run wasn’t Sandringham’s run. I didn’t really know the horse well. I was working him, and he didn’t really give me too much of a feel and I must say that this time all I had was horse under me.
“So obviously, his last run was a flat run and a big thank you to them for sticking with me.
“He’s a phenomenal horse and it’s just great to be on him.”
It is always thrilling to see a small stable win one of the top feature races and certainly a highlight for Nieuwenhuizen, who Lerena said had pulled off a “fantastic training feat”.
Nieuwenhuizen was clearly delighted by the display produced by last season’s Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. “This is the horse I know,” he said. “Last time everything went wrong.
“Gavin must be given all the accolades. The horses went up front, they went hard, he obviously knew what was happening.
“He won a great race, a great riding feat from him if you watch the race.”
Sandringham Summit will now be aimed at the second leg of the SA Triple Crown, the Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m on Saturday 3 March.
The manner in which Sandringham Summit and Gimme A Nother dismantled their opposition, it will take a brave punter to bet against the two closing out the second leg.
However, the issue will come up in Leg 3 because will these two see out 2450m in the Grade 1 SA Derby and the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks?
Sometimes these three-year-olds don’t really have to stay, their class sees them through and these two are swathed in class!
Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Upgraded To A Multipurpose Property Operating Seven-days-a-week
The biggest question asked when Greg Bortz and Hollywoodbets began pouring money into Cape Racing was how long it could last for. Bortz answered that question at the Cape Racing awards evening where he revealed that Cape Racing’s racecourses and the racing itself would become self-sustaining not only through Tote turnover but also by making the racecourses multipurpose properties attractive for families to visit seven days a week. He has once again delivered on these words and the following article appeared in the mainstream media late last week.
Heleen Boshoff (People’s Post, News 24)
In keeping with the heritage of the Kenilworth Racecourse, Cape Racing’s Chief Operating Officer Donovan Everitt is excited to introduce the multipurpose property to the wider community. PHOTOS: Heleen Boshoff.
The stirring hustle and bustle at the Kenilworth Racecourse alluded to the return of splendour thanks to a palpable rejuvenation as one proceeded through the refurbished halls of the home of Hollywoodbets, soon to be surrounded by a more inviting offering for the wider community.
In Jay Gatsby fashion, coffee in hand, Cape Racing’s Chief Operating Officer Donovan Everitt showcased plenty of developments on the property during a revival walking tour of Hollywood Park on Thursday 25 January.
As an experienced director of major event management with a demonstrated history of working in the events services industry, according to his LinkedIn profile, Everitt endeavours to reinvent the racecourse in a recourse from an industry in “dire straits” as he, frankly, put it.
“I want the surrounding community to be exposed to horse racing and bring racing back to the forefront in an open-planned environment that hones in on the core fundamentals of the industry,” he told People’s Post.
He explained the course’s management was previously run from offices in Jo’burg, driving business at a loss of the intimate racing and betting experience, detached from local business perspectives and the community.
“Considering the previous management, it seemed the spirit of horse racing got lost amid the close-knit patrons who enjoyed the lavish fashionable jewel events in seclusion. For too long, people on the outside were not included in these various event perspectives, and we aim to transform this completely.”
Single events are held at the legacy property and oldest racecourse in South Africa, such as the crowned WSB Cape Town MET diamond event held in February. These boost the local economy with an estimated half-a-billion rand.
More and bigger events, like the Ultra Festival, will call Kenilworth their home, as long as event owners and organisers adhere to the stringent by-laws and internal rules and regulations of the racecourse.
This prompted excitement from Ward 58 councillor Katherine Christie, adding: “I believe we need to balance the benefits of the events at the racecourse to our economy, and especially youth employment, with temporary and momentary inconvenience to residents when it comes to noise. I found that the majority of my residents are happy with the events set to take place, it’s the few that complain.”
She appeals of “the few” to tolerate the slight inconvenience of one or two events that become noisy, “in consideration of the benefits to our local economy and people who need jobs”.
Hollywood Park: Open seven-days-a-week
Thanks to a brand-new team of executives and managing staff, business at Kenilworth Racecourse will be an all-rounder property operating seven-days-a-week catering to the wider public.
“This will now be run as a multipurpose property in the heart of the Southern Suburbs as a site open for public recreation in a park format,” introduced Everitt.
He said the past year’s vision saw phase one of renovations that prepared the property for the racing season from November through to February.
“These rejuvenations seek to create new interests into racing for owners, breeders and trainers because, without them, we don’t exist.”
“Another spin-off was formulated as we looked at the industry of grooms, trainers and breeders. This led us to formulate stimulation incentive packages to promote owners and horse breeding to get more horses on the course.”
During the takeover of the racecourse, a total of 720 horses have increased to 1 800 horses over the past year.
“For every one horse on the course, an average of 20 people are employed in the industry. It’s important to increase the horse population, as well as increase the owners’ experience as it’s vital to the growth of the industry.”
Everitt and his teams work hard to ensure upgraded world-class facilities to offer open recreational experiences to reposition the racecourse’s future.
Following the season, phase two is to be set in motion to enter new markets.
“We looked at overseas ventures promoting ‘sportainment’ in which a multitude of sports, like pedalling, will be introduced into one ecosystem.
“Beside being the oldest racecourse, the ecosystem of Kenilworth’s Conservation Area is rated higher than that of Kirstenbosch.”
This is where Cape Racing seeks to introduce fitness spaces, running and biking courses, and a dog park “to be an extension of the community’s homes and lifestyle”.
This is how Everitt detailed the resurrection of horse racing with the racecourse’s multipurpose plans in offering the community more, bigger and better.
In conclusion, Christie had this to say: “The community will benefit massively from the new and improved park that’s about to be developed on their doorstep.
“Residents will now have 24/7 access to a space they will be able to enjoy with their children and dogs – for free.
“It’s a win-win!”
Daniel Muscutt, Andy Turk Emperor's Palace Ride Of The Month Winners
Daniel Muscutt’s ride on Double Superlative in the WSB Cape Town Met received the most votes in the first Emperor’s Palace Ride Of The Month competition.
Piere Strydom, Aldo Domeyer, Sean Veale and Serino Moodley were the other nominees.
There was a lucky draw for all those who voted for Daniel and the winner was Andy Turk.
He wins a one night stay at the four star Peermont Mondior Hotel at the Emperor’s Palace with bed and breakfast included.
Meanwhile, submissions for best rides for the month of February must please be sent in i.e. if a ride impresses you please send an email to editor@turftalk.co.za with the name of the jockey, the name of the horse and the date and the ride will then be considered as one of the five nominations for the Emperor’s Palace Ride Of The Month for February.
Hollywood/Kieswetter Chaser A Cheltenham Contender After Gr 1 Win
Picture: The small but courageous Il Etait Temps carries the Hollywood Syndicate colours to victory in the Gr 1 Irish Arkle at Leopardstown on Saturday under Danny Mullins (via Hollywood Meta)
Il Etait Temps, who races in the Hollywood Syndicate colours and is part-owned by the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud, takes Irish Arkle, as Marine Nationale disappoints
Dream afternoon at the Dublin Racing Festival for jockey Danny Mullins.
At The Races
It Etait Temps completed a dream hour for Danny Mullins when winning the Goffs Irish Arkle at Leopardstown, where Marine Nationale was a huge disappointment back in fifth place.
Having already won the opening two Grade Ones on Dancing City and Kargese, Mullins was riding full of confidence, but faced huge opposition in the shape of Barry Connell’s unbeaten Marine Nationale – not to mention Facile Vega, a stablemate of the Willie Mullins-trained winner.
It was Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty who ensured there was to be no hanging about and with Facile Vega on his heels, there was no letting up in the pace.
Sent off the 4-7 favourite, Marine Nationale had been settled in third, but his jumping was not as assured as on his debut and Il Etait Temps moved past him down the back straight.
As the field turned in Marine Nationale briefly threatened to take a hand, but a bad mistake at the last sealed his fate.
Found A Fifty looked like he had done enough to hold on, but Il Etait Temps gamely dug in to win by a neck at 6-1.
The winner is now 5-1 from 14s for the Arkle at Cheltenham with Coral.
“Danny is just on fire today,” said Mullins.
“This horse is improving, his jumping is improving and he’s settling as well. He didn’t have much respect for hurdles, but he has far more respect for fences and that’s bringing out improvement in him.
“It just shows you that chasers come in all shapes and sizes, he’s not the biggest horse in the world. He’s obviously very effective over this trip and we’ll look forward to the Arkle in Cheltenham.
“He showed plenty of resolution and Danny just timed his run well.
“Facile Vega will probably stay at that trip as well. I was very happy with him, even though he got beaten. I saw a lot in the race to say that he’s coming along and improving as well.”
The jubilant winning rider said: “I think my mum cooked me eggs for breakfast and I’ll definitely be back tomorrow!
“That was a good performance, on known form I thought I’d be in the mix but he’s definitely improving.
“I don’t think the others bombed out, they ran their races and he was just better than them.”
Jockey Michael O’Sullivan could offer no excuses for the beaten odds-on favourite and said: “He travelled very well, I followed Facile Vega and was where I wanted to be.
“He settled, travelled, jumped and did everything right but after the second-last he didn’t get into gear like he normally does.
“He made a mistake at the last, but I was easing off him by then. No excuses.
“He was a small bit careful over the fourth-last, but other than that I couldn’t put it forward as an excuse. I hope something will show up as he’s better than that. It’s just disappointing.”
On Found A Fifty, Elliott said: “I was gutted, but the horse and jockey didn’t do anything wrong. The horse ran a great race and just got touched off. He’s a good horse and he’ll go to Cheltenham with a chance.
“We knew it was going to be a tough couple of days and said if we could pull a winner out of each day we’d be happy.
“The horses are running well and we’ve a lot of nice horses at home.
“We might lose the battle over these couple of days, but we won’t lose the war. Cheltenham is only around the corner and we’re looking forward to it.”
Karel Miedema Of Raceform Explains His Sectional Timing Analysis Method
There are many factors affecting a horse race, but performance can be measured through the use of standard times (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Karel Miedema is one of the most respected racing analysts in the land and has explained how he is making use of the sectional timing data made available in Cape and KZN racing recently.
He gives an explanation of his method below and the application of his method can then be seen in the links below that.
Karel Miedema (raceform.co.za)
Confused about all the figures and fables generated into sectional timing data?
It doesn’t need to be.
Here’s a quick explanation.
The optimum way to expend energy is evenly.
Too much early, or too little early – both have a negative effect.
In a race it means an even pace should be best.
Many factors make that difficult to achieve.
Track undulations, false-rail configuration, hard or soft going are some of the things that matter.
Jockeyship, draw and positioning are other influences, often from split-second decisions.
So many factors to consider!
What we need is something that evens out all those influencing factors.
We do that by using average race times for a given distance on a given track.
It’s called ‘standard time‘.
We break it up in equal portions, sections of 200m, all with the same average time.
Then compare the recorded sectional times for each runner to those standard times.
And show the result in a table and related graph.
Standard times are averages.
The better horses should always do better, the lesser horses less.
The table and graph reveal who did what.
Listed here are black-type races that have recorded sectional times info.
All sectional times are expressed as a percentage of the standard time.
So less than 100% of standard time means faster, and more than 100% means slower than average.
The graphs shown are for the first four finishers in each race.
See for yourself!
Black Type Sectional Timing Races
January 2023
Gr3 Schweppes Politician Stakes (3yo’s)
Olympic Duel Stakes (F&M)(Listed)
Gr1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship (WFA)
Gr1 City Of Cape Town Majorca Stakes (F&M)(WFA)
Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met
Gr3 Summer Fling Stakes (F&M)
Gr2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes (F&M)
Gr2 Anthonij Rupert Wine Premier Trophy
Gr1 Cartier Paddock Stakes (F&M)(WFA)
Gr1 L’ormarins King’s Plate (WFA)
Christmas Handicap (Listed)
Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes (F&M)
December 2023
Gr3 Splashout Victress Stakes
Gr3 Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap
Gr1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas
Gr2 Cape Merchants
Gr2 Wsb.co.za Southern Cross Stakes (F&M)
Gr2 WSB Green Point Stakes
Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas (3yo’s)
Cape Summer Stayers Handicap (Listed)
November 2023
Sophomore Sprint (3yo’s) (Listed)
Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship (3yo’s Fillies)
Woolavington Stakes (4yo’s)(Listed)
October 2023
Gr3 Cape Classic (3yo’s)
Southeaster Sprint (Listed)
Gr3 Hollywoodbets Diana Stakes (F&M)
Gr3 Hollywoodbets Matchem Stakes
September 2023
Settlers Trophy (Listed)
July 2023
Gr2 Tabgold Umkhomazi Stakes (2yo’s)
Gr2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante (2yo Fillies)
Gr2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet (F&M)
Gr1 Mercury Sprint
Gr3 World Pool Gold Cup
Gr1 The Hkjc Champions Cup
Lhkir In December Umngeni Handicap (Listed)
Off To Stud Stakes (F&M)(Listed)
Olympic Duel Stakes (Listed)
Gr3 Final Fling Stakes (F&M)
Gr3 Splashout 2200
Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper (2yo Fillies)
Gr2 Durban Golden Horseshoe (2yo’s)
Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July
Gr1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes (F&M)
June 2023
Somerset 1200 (2yo’s)(Listed)
Perfect Promise Sprint (2yo’s Fillies)(Listed)
Stormsvlei Stakes (F&M)(Listed)
Gr3 Pocket Power Stakes
Gr3 Track And Ball Derby
Gr2 Track And Ball Oaks
Devon Air Stakes (2yo’s Fillies)(Listed)
Gatecrasher Stakes (2yo’s)(Listed)
Gr3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial
Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge
Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship (2yo’s Fillies)
Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint (F&M)
May 2023
Gr1 Daily News 2000 (3yo’s)
Ladies Mile (F&M)(Listed)
Gr3 WSB Legal Eagle Stakes
KRA East Coast Cup (F&M)(Listed)
Gr2 World Sports Betting 1900
Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes
April 2023
Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes (2yo Fillies)
Gr3 Godolphin Barb Stakes (2yo)
Gr3 Dennis Drier Poinsettia Stakes (F&M)
Scarlet Lady (F&M)(Listed)
Sledgehammer (Listed)
Kwazulu-Natal Stakes (F&M)(Listed)
Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes (3yo Fillies)
Royal Victory Shortens In Early Hollywoodbets Durban July Betting
Royal Victory shortly after crossing the line first in the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup under Muzi Yeni (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Betway Summer Cup winner Royal Victory was shown scant respect by the sponsor when pre-noms betting was opened for the Hollywoodbets Durban July and was out at an inviting 50/1. Punters took advantage and he was the first one to shorten significantly and is now at 33/1.
Mike Moon wrote the following article about the early July betting.
Mike Moon (The Citizen)
Durban July is open for business at Hollywoodbets
Aussie Horse Swept 100km In Floods Wins
John Allen returns to the mounting yard on Storm Watch (Racing Photos)
Storm Watch showed great guts scoring on debut at Werribee on Friday, but it’s far from the toughest thing the colt has been through.
Speaking post-race, trainer Lindsey Smith revealed an almost unbelievable story from the raw three-year-old’s past, making Friday’s victory even more incredible.
In 2022, the horse now known as ‘Wilson’ was presumed dead, swept away from his paddock as a two-year-old during the disastrous Nagambie floods.
But remarkably, the son of Savabeel was found many kilometres away and identified thanks to his brandings.
“He’s lucky to be here – a couple of years ago when the floods were up at Nagambie, he was found about 100km away,” Smith said. “His nickname’s Wilson, after the ball on ‘Castaway’. He was in good hands with Tony Merrifield, who runs Limerick Farm up there … this one they just couldn’t find him, they got the phone call, with the brands and whatnot, and there he was, way down the river. I know the farm will be very happy, they’re quite close to this horse because of the courage he’s shown … they did an incredible job saving those horses and Wilson’s here to tell the story! If he couldn’t run, we were going to put him in the swimming race!”
WATCH: Storm Watch breaks maiden
Wearing the famous Gerry Ryan colours, Storm Watch needed every step of the 1649 metres to win, sitting well off the leaders and coming off the bit very early under John Allen.
Tom Dabernig’s Bonnaroo ($23) looked to have the race sewn up, but Smith’s galloper ($4) put in a last-second dive and got the nod from the judge.
It leaves Smith open-minded about Storm Watch’s prospects heading forwards, with the colt looking very capable of handling a step up in trip.
“He looks like he might have a future over a bit of ground,” he said.
“He’s a bit dumb, the horse, and a bit new, but an aggressive, strong rider did the trick.
“I think he needs gelding, but we’ll just see what Johnny says … I think he’ll push on.”
Taqaareed Tops Tattersalls February Sale at 200,000 Guineas
February Sale, 2024
Whole Sale Statistics
| Current Year | Previous Year | Change % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lots Catalogued | 379 | 477 | -21% |
| Lots Withdrawn | 106 | 121 | -12% |
| Lots Offered | 273 | 356 | -23% |
| Lots Unsold | 73 | 58 | +26% |
| Lots Sold | 200 | 298 | -33% |
| Total Value (gns) | 2,863,000 | 4,141,800 | -31% |
| Median Value (gns) | 7,250 | 7,000 | +4% |
| Average Value (gns) | 14,315 | 13,899 | +3% |
| % Offered Lots Sold | 73% | 84% | -13% |
Today’s Question
Selangor Turf Club (selangorturfclub.com)
How many horses have won the Selangor Turf Club’s (Malaysia’s) Triple Crown race series?
Today’s Question Answer
The Selangor Turf Club Triple Crown race series comprises the three Malaysian Group 1 races run at Selangor throughout the year.
- Tunku Gold Cup (G1) 1200m RM 200,000 (Appox US$51,000)
- Selangor Gold Cup (G1) 1600m RM 200,000 (Appox US$ 51,000)
- Piala Emas Sultan Selangor (G1) 2000m RM 400,000 (Appox US$96,000)
However, since its inception in 2003, no horse has won the Triple Crown series. In 2005 Superb Classic trained by Cecil Robert won the first two legs of the series which is as close as any horse has got to winning the Triple Crown.
