Turf Talk Newsletter – 05 March, 2025

Imilenzeyokududuma (Dynasty), pictured winning the Listed Christmas Handicap, is one of Hollywood Racing’s best horses at present and finished third in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes last Saturday at Turffontein. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Hollywood Racing reached 100 wins for a season for the first time on Gold Cup day in 2022 to much fanfare and, fittingly, it was Isivunguvungu who did it for them.

This season they are already on 73 wins with just under five months of the season still to go, so it is not surprising they have a big lead in the national owners championship and this time they might not be caught, because Drakenstein Stud do not have as much firepower as when winning the Owners Championship for three successive seasons from 2021/2022 to 2023/2024.

Hollywood were second to Drakenstein by R2,649,388 in the first of the Drakenstein wins, second to them by R3,845,863 in their next win and last season they were only R822,281 behind.

This season Hollywood Racing are R2,537,975 ahead of Drakenstein.

Drakenstein have the high class Snow Pilot for races like the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, but their current best Hollywoodbets Durban July candidate is Future Swing, who is rated a 25/1 shot by Hollywoodbets. Silver Sanctuary was fancied for the July last year, but will need to bounce back to form.

The July is of course of huge importance to the owners championship because it has a R5 million stake.

The best horse in training Drakenstein own at present is probably the USA-based Beach Bomb, so they are still excelling, but on the local front they do not have their usual grip on the championship.

Hollywood do not appear to have a big July runner either, although Imilenzeyokududuma ran a cracking third in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes in testing going over the tough Turffontein Standside course on Saturday and on that run he could perhaps get the 2200m of the July and perhaps rates a better chance than the 330/1 odds Hollywoodbets have accorded him.

However, Hollywood’s lead in the Owners Championship is such that the ball is in the court of the others to catch them.

In third place on the log is Sabine Plattner and she is just R2,961,269 behind Hollywood.

She has Master Redoute and Zeitz as possible July candidates, so is not out of it.

Nick Jonsson & Johann Rupert are just over R3 million behind, but those stakes are all from just one horse, Eight On Eighteen, so they are unlikely to threaten for the championship even if they win all of the big ones, as the cumulative force of scores of runners is likely to rake in more money than one superstar.

Rikesh Sewgoolam is in fifth place just behind Jonsson and Rupert, but that was largely through One Stripe, who is now joint-owned by Hollywood and his only remaining race in the country is a restricted race anyway, so won’t count for the championship.

Khaya Stables are in sixth place and are just over R3,3 million behind, but with stalwarts like Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince running for them they could possibly threaten. Dean Kannemeyer has a fine record in the July and The Real Prince won so impressively when stepped up to 1600m last time there might be the thought of running him in the July.

The entities further down who have enough runners to mount a challenge if they can land the big one i.e. the July, are the The ASSM Syndicate, Laurence Wernars and Nick Jonsson (on his own).

However, they are likely a bit far off the pace to be a serious threat to Hollywood Racing, who churn out winners weekly.

The top ten as it stood after racing on Tuesday is shown below:

Lot 83 is by Gimmethegreenlight out of a twice-winning Pathfork mare who is out of Australian-bred Gr 3 winner Queen’s Command (Commands).

Soetendal Estate goes from strength to strength in the South African racing industry. Graduates of Soetendal have excelled this season, with their ranks including none other than star colt One Stripe.

One of the best horses racing in South Africa, One Stripe, who began his career under saddle with Soetendal, has won six of eight starts with his crowning achievement coming when downing older rivals to land the 2025 G1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate.

The beautiful Soetendal Estate is a horsey paradise and lies some 15km northwest of Wellington, off the R44, facing the dramatic mountains of the Limietberg and offering stunning scenic views on all sides. The magnificent farm, a National Heritage Site, was founded in 1852.

Julia started the Wellington based operation on a small scale on 50 hectares of magnificent Boland countryside in 2005.

The estate will be offering a very classy draft at the upcoming Premier Yearling Sale, with Soetendal’s string including yearlings sired by the likes of Gimmethegreenlight, Master Of My Fate, Rafeef and What A Winter, to name a few.

Julia Pilbeam had the following comments to make about her Premier Sale draft: “Soetendal Estate has an exciting draft for this year’s CRS Premier Yearling Sale, with horses consigned on behalf of a variety of stud farms, individual breeders and private clients alike. We will be selling yearlings on both Day 1 and Day 2, and look forward to presenting them to prospective buyers”.

Lot 83: unnamed c Gimmethegreenlight -Skye Lane (Pathfork)
This colt is a must-see. By last season’s champion sire, he is a magnificent specimen, moves very well, and has a great temperament to go with it. To add to that, the mating is a Perfect Match on the G1 Goldmine stallion match program, and we can see why!

Lot 109: Gee My ‘n Soentjie c Gimmethegreenlight -Vivir (Philanthropist)
From the family of Sparkling Nymph and Driving Miss Daisy, this colt is out of a black type mare that won at two. He looks precocious, and is deep-girthed with a good shoulder and hindquarter, and plenty of presence.

Lot 142: unnamed c Rafeef – Charge d’Affaires (Captain Al)
This colt is a great opportunity to buy into the incredible Polar Charge family. He is out of a winning full sister to Champion 2 Year Old, Always in Charge and the famous 24-time winner Captain Lars. He is a November foal with good scope and a ground-covering walk, and should attract plenty of interest.

Lot 160: unnamed c What a Winter-Emblem Ahoy (Captain Al)
A a half-brother to the 6-time winner, Captain Peg, this colt is bred on a similar cross to Isivunguvungu, Same Jurisdiction and Magical Wonderland. He is a powerful, racy colt who looks a forward type, and has an excellent walk.

Lot 219: Soundsofsymphonies c Master of My Fate- Symphony (Oratorio):
From a winning half-sister to Lochlorien and Gothic, this colt is maturing into a real classic type. He stands over ground, has good rein and a great hindquarter.

Lot 243: Mo’s Treasure c Royal Mo-Banking April (Bankable):
This well-grown colt is full of quality and has an elastic walk. This is a prolific winner-producing family of such recent stakes winners as The Futurist. The colt’s 6-time winning dam has 100% strike rate of winners to runners, and this colt has three full siblings who are all winners, including Grade 3 placed filly, Donna Mo.

For more information on this draft, interested parties are asked to speak to Julia on 082 317 9474.

Strawberry Thief (Canford Cliffs) is the second leg of a four-timer for Richard Fourie and it secured a quick treble for Brett and James Crawford, who won races three, four and five. (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Richard Fourie’s four-timer at Hollywoodbets Durbanville today saw him reach 151 wins for the season putting him just 14 wins behind the national log leader Craig Zackey. Fourie has done it at a strike rate of 25.12%. Two of his wins today were for Brett and James Crawford, who scored a treble.

Graeme Hawkins wrote the below report about the meeting.

Graeme Hawkins (Gold Circle)

Candice Bass-Robinson got off to a flyer at a lightning-fast Hollywoodbets Durbanville yesterday saddling the first two home in the opener, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1000m. The ante-post favourite Cliffscape was scratched during the morning, leaving Candice with two debutantes to represent the stable, and they did her proud. Amen Corner (7/1) bounced away smartly from the gates and kept up a resolute gallop all the way to the line to hold off her stable companion Precocious (16/1) by just under a length.

Elusive Winter (6/1) and The Abdicator (9/4) cut each other’s throat in the second race, a Middle Stakes over 1000m, setting a cracking gallop with Nordic Chief (8/1) some four lengths adrift in third spot and the balance of the 7-strong field a long way back. Elusive Winter tried gamely to keep going when The Abdicator threw in the towel, but Nordic Chief accelerated smartly into the closing stages and drew clear to score comfortably, stopping the clock at 56,56 seconds – marginally outside the course record set by Empress Club in 1992. The favourite Arctic Wizard was run off his feet in the early stages and turned for home at the rear, but the 3yo son of What A Winter ran on well to close out the Quartet and is clearly better over slightly further.

The impeccably bred Hoerikwaggo (7/2) put her act together in fine style under Richard Fourie to win the third race, an Open Maiden (F&M) over 1250m, at only the third time of asking. There was solid on course support for the newcomer Thingamabob and the daughter of Trippi caught the eye by finishing second just ahead of the consistent Catch A Penny (33/10) who tried to make all the running from a poor draw. Hoerikwaggo has plenty of upside and will appreciate further while Thingamabob looks a winner in waiting and should be worth following at her next start.

The Brett & James Crawford training team are back in full swing and recorded a race to race double with Dubbelosix (9/4) saluting in the fourth race, an Open Maiden over 1600m. Dubbelosix hit the front approaching the final 300m and had more than enough in hand to hold out Master Bomber (6/1) and Tunguska (14/1) by a diminishing half-a-length. Thirty-five minutes later the Crawford outfit completed the hattrick when Strawberry Thief (5/2) came from last to beat the professional maiden English Mistress (5/2) by half-a-length in the fifth race, an Open Maiden (F&M) over 1800m. Following on the success of Hoerikwaggo earlier, Strawberry Thief was a second winner for Richard Fourie in the colours of his sponsor Ridgemont.

The sixth race, a Class 4 Handicap (F&M) over 1800m, produced a good finish between the well backed Lavendar Bay, a chance ride for Sean Veale, and the top weight Royal Invitation (10/1) with the former prevailing by a neck in receipt of 6,5kgs. The money was also on the button in the seventh race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1000m, when Devin Ashby produced Lucy Rocket (33/10) from a few lengths off the pace with a well-timed late charge to mow down Champagne Mac (7/2) over the last 50m.

Fourie rode his third winner aboard Street Outlaw for trainer Ricky Maingard when getting the better of Firingonallengines in a head-bobbing duel in the eighth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1250m. Firingonallengines tried gamely to go from pillar-to-post and was only undone by Fourie’s magic in the very last stride.  Iconic Destination failed to overcome his wide draw and was never a factor, finishing more than three lengths off the winner.

Fourie added a fourth winner with a spectacular victory on Okavango in the ninth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1600m. In a well spread-out field, Okavango (28/10) cornered for home three lengths behind the second last horse and at that stage his chance of success seemed a lost cause. But the Justin Snaith-trained 3yo son of Master Of My Fate began to reel them in one by one up the home stretch and amazingly got up in the last few metres to deny Touchdown (6/1) by a head.

Lot 194, a filly by One World, is a half-sister to the like of Gold Rush runner up Coastal Command (Lancaster Bomber) and to Look For Hounds (Pathfork), a Listed runner up and Gr 3 third-placed stalwart. 

The picturesque Paarl Diamant Estate is located only 40 minutes from training centers like Milnerton and Philippi. Their horses are turned out into lush grass paddocks daily, where they can roam freely and enjoy the open space. Paarl Diamant enjoyed notable success at the 2024 Breeze Up & Unbroken 2YO Sale, where the estate’s two-year-olds made up to R550 000.

Monique Schabort will be offering a pair of well-bred yearlings at the upcoming Premier Yearling Sale, and both lots have plenty going for them.

Lot 194: Eye Opener f One World – Open My Eyes
Sire sensation One World is not only the sire of current star three-year-old One Stripe but is also responsible for a number of classy fillies. These include Gr 3 Betway Fillies Mile winner World Of Alice, Gr 2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes runner up Roccapina and Listed Somerset 1200 runner up Miss World. With a number of well-bred fillies yet to race, One World’s tally of talented daughters looks sure to grow considerably.

Open My Eyes, a twice winning half-sister to Gr 3 Algoa Cup runner up Malabar, has produced five winners, including a full brother to the filly on sale, including Listed Racing Association Stakes runner up Look For Hounds and millionaire Coastal Commander. She is a daughter of Kahal, whose daughters have produced such Gr 1 winners as Royal Victory, Chimichuri Run and Mrs Geriatrix.

Lot 205: Big John Mac c Talk Of The Town – Saints Alive
A son of the late, great Var, Talk Of The Town, who won three of just five starts, came up with the smart performers Miss Lia, Sakurajima, and Famous Lady in his small first crop.

This colt, bred on the same cross as Gr 3 Betway Mother Russia Stakes third Miss Lia, is out of Saints Alive, a three time winning own sister to Safe Harbour, who finished second in all of the Gr 1 Cape Fillies Guineas, Gr 1 Paddock Stakes and Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic. A direct descendant of Sister Sublime, Saints Alive’s granddam is Gr 1 Lancome Handicap winner Saintly Lady.

For more information on these two yearlings, interested parties are asked to contact Monique Schabort on 083 310 9751. 

Picture: SA-bred Celtic Voyager, a 2023 Carnival winner, wearing an “Ozone Blanket”.  (pic: supplied) 

Charl Pretorius writes about Ozone Therapy in his lastest Off The Record column.

Ozone therapy is increasingly recognised worldwide for its powerful healing properties in animals and, interestingly, in the world of equestrian sports and horse racing, South African Alexander ‘Zaan’ Thompson has played a key role in the development and promotion of the ‘Ozone Blanket’ for horses in Dubai and now also in South Africa.

Click here to read Charl’s article about Zaan And Ozone Therapy

Which horse transformed from a handicapping hurdler as a seven-year-old into a three-time winner of the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle?

The subject is pictured above (wikipedia).