Picture: Time Fo Orchids (Time Thief) is a scopey CPYS 2021 graduate and her owner Sean Tarry might receive an offer from a Gold Rush ticket holder (JC Photos).

Get Your Top 3yo Into The Gold Rush

If you have a top three-year-old graduate of the Cape Premier Yearling Sale of 2021 and do not hold a ticket into the CTS R7.5 million Gold Rush race over 1600m at Kenilworth in January you might want to contact a ticket holder and negotiate a deal.

The 16 ticketholders for the big race are:

David Abery

Central Route Trading

Chris van Niekerk and Bernard Kantor

Suzette and Basie Viljoen

Ridgemont Highlands Stud

Hollywoodbets

Pieter Graaff and Ken Truter

Maine Chance Farms

Bass Racing and Ian Longmore

Rikesh Sewgoolam

Drakenstein Stud

Laurence Wernars

Crawford Racing

Klawervlei Stud

Sandy Arundel

Playgate SA

The 16 prospectors can be contacted via the CTS Gold Rush Committee Chairman Jacques Chowles.

Jacque’s contact details:

Cell Phone: 079 459 3022

Email address: JChowles@cthbs.com

Depending on just how good your horse is, you might want to wait until the first CTS Gold Rush log is published because there are sure to be some prospectors banging on your door if you own one of the leading contenders.

The first log is expected out in the next few days.

The Gold Rush race works on the same basis as Australia’s The Everest, which is the richest horse race in the world.

The 16 runners for the race are respectively selected by the 16 “prospectors” who hold a Gold Rush ticket.

There is one entry per ticket.

However, some of the ticket holders might not have an eligible horse good enough to be a contender.

On the other hand there are some owners who do have an eligible horse good enough but do not have a ticket.

Those two parties are then allowed, under the rules of the event, to negotiate and get the latter horse into the race under a partnership agreement.

The details of the agreement must be divulged to the Gold Rush committee.

Picture: Ryan Munger brings Integrity home after leading all the way last Friday (Pauline Herman Photography)

Flower Alley Is Truly Blossoming

PEDIGREE PROFILE -INTEGRITY

by Sarah Whitelaw

Wilgerbosdrift’s resident sire Flower Alley has made a flying start to the 2022-2023 racing season. The former G1 Travers Stakes winner came up with two winners at the Vaal last Thursday, before coming up with three more winners the following day.

Flower Alley also dominated proceedings in Friday’s Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes, where his daughters Integrity and Santa Therese finished first and second respectively.

It was back to back East Cape Paddock Stakes wins for Flower Alley, with Santa Therese having prevailed in the 2021 renewal.

In landing Friday’s Listed feature, Integrity became the 32nd stakes winner for her sire. Flower Alley, whose sons include Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another and Canadian champion Lukes Alley, is building up an impressive record of stakes winning daughters.

Among these are the G1 winners Lilacs And Lace and Princess Calla, last season’s graded stakes winners Bold Fortune and Maharanee, champion My Wandy’s Girl and 2020 G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic runner up Marygold.

Another daughter of Flower Alley, Feather Boa, won last season’s Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies), while beating subsequent G1 winner Canadian Summer into second spot, before adding to that win with a fluent success at the Vaal last week.

Integrity, however, also owes plenty of ability to her female line.

Originally knocked down for R600 000 at the 2018 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, she is out of a stakes winning daughter of an outstanding sire and broodmare sire, and she also hails from a high-class female line.

Integrity’s dam Illumiere won six times including the Listed Lady’s Bracelet, and she also finished fourth in the 2012 Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes. Integrity is her dam’s first stakes winner, with Illumiere also dam of Integrity’s winning full-brother Iron Will.

Illumiere was sired by Cartier Horse Of The Year and triple US champion sire Giant’s Causeway, who, not surprisingly, has become an outstanding broodmare sire.

Already damsire of more than 180 stakes winners, Giant’s Causeway (who was known as the “Iron Horse” as a result of the courage he showed on the track) also ranks as the damsire of US Horse Of The Year, and outstanding young sire, Gun Runner, as well as South African champions One World and Soft Falling Rain.

Daughters of Giant’s Causeway have been responsible for 16 black type winners in the Northern Hemisphere already this year, with this tally including G1 Dubai Turf deadheater Lord North.

Integrity herself traces back to the Rock Flint mare Sweet Rocket –who also ranks as the granddam of outstanding, but ill-fated, filly Rockfel, winner of the 1000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, and Champion Stakes.

Other standout performers from this female line include charismatic G1 Prix Du Cadran winner Sergeant Cecil, group winning two-year-old Kings Point (a full-brother to Integrity’s granddam Inspired), and Kampala. The latter won the G3 Hungerford Stakes before going on to sire Arc winner, and champion Japanese sire, Tony Bin.

Early Foal Pictures From Around The Country

Above Picture: Klawervlei Stud filly by Vercingetorix out of one-winning Captain Al mare African Daisy, who is a half-sister to Grade 3 Track And Ball Oaks-placed Estimation.

Above Picture: Drakenstein Stud Querari colt out of three time-winning Seventh Rock mare Rock On Baby, who is a half-sister to Listed winners Sailing Ship (Duke Of Marmalade) and Santa Maria (Trippi).

Above Picture: Erik The Red’s first foal born at Varsfontein stud.

Above Picture: Mauritzfontein’s ten time-winning Tiger Ridge mare Meryl with her white-socked filly foal by Danon Platina (Deep Impact).

Above Picture: Narrow Creed Stud filly by Rafeef out of a maiden mare, “who is just the best first time mommy ever”.

Picture: Wysact (Act Of War), full brother to Gr1 2nd-placed Bartholdi and half brother to Gr1 Cape Flying Championship-winner, Bohica. (Candiese Lenferna).

Bloomhill Stud To Blossom At August Two-Year-Old Sale

KZN Breeders

The Bloomhill Stud looks to be an exciting addition to the roster of vendors represented at the August Two Year Old Sale.

Owned and managed by Sandra Trethewey, Bloomhill Wartburg is situated just outside Wartburg in the KZN Midlands. The farm, which also plans to offer accomodation as a wedding venue site, is not only home to the stud itself, but also the very successful Farmgirl Flowers and LT Earth Movers, both of which are also owned by the Tretheweys.

Based in KwaZulu-Natal, Bloomhill will be offering their first ever draft at the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale, and the farm looks to have a very exciting line up on sale.

Bloomhill will be offering six smart two-year-olds at the August Sale, with their draft made up of lots by Act Of War, Gold Standard, Ideal World, and dual G1 winner Rabada.

Lot 195 Jet Speed. Image: Candiese Lenferna

Perhaps the standout lot in this draft is the Act Of War half-brother (Lot 159) to the top-class sprinter Bohica with this colt also a full-brother to Bartholdi. The former was victorious in the 2022 G1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship while Bartholdi finishing a close second in this year’s G1 Golden Horse Sprint.

Another attractive lot on sale is the filly (Lot 43) by exciting young sire Gold Standard out of G3 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Oochee Agent.

Bloomhill’s August Sale string can be viewed in Block D at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

Picture: The Gauteng Gigimaz lost narrowly to the Kwazulu Royals in the opening contest, so will be out to score a win against the Cape Stingers tomorrow night at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

Stingers Vs Gijimaz Friday Night Formuides/Selections

To read about the ins and outs of Global Team Horse Racing (GTH) click here: https://www.gthracing.co.za/

www.attheraces.com

1 18H05 – GTH 50/50 Dash Maiden Plate (F & M)

If WHERE’S THE PARTY makes a slight improvement, she could have her way here. She was a fair second on debut behind a Hollywoodbets Scottsville specialist and is now meeting a weak field. One to beat. NAMIBSROOS was unlucky not to finish closer after suffering interference on her local poly debut. If she can repeat on the turf she could fight it out. ROYAL VENUS was scalped in her last run when making the running. She should enjoy the drop in distance and is expected to get closer here. JOY TO THE WORLD has shown little but has only had two starts and can improve.

Top Tip: WHERE’S THE PARTY (6)

Watch out for: NAMIBSROOS (7)

2 18H23 – GTH 50/50 Dash Maiden Plate (F & M)

SLEEK AS SILK competed against horses like Feather Boa and Canadian Summer in her penultimate and confirmed with a fair second on the poly last time. Cheekpieces may have helped and she can step up on her form as well. UMHLALI misbehaved in her first start but she didn’t run badly considering. She met a decent bunch of males last time when tiring late and can do a lot better on turf first time. CINNAMON BLUSH also did well even though losing valuable energy playing up. She too will need to behave to have a winning chance. Elder ROYAL OASIS has had chances but could take advantage at best.

Top Tip: UMHLALI (4)

Watch out for: SLEEK AS SILK (2)

3 18H45 – Global Team Horse Racing Mr 87 Handicap

On paper PASSAGE OF POWER, who has finished ahead of SIKHULU and CAPTAIN WHO, represents the form choice even if having to do a bit more at the weights. He is highly regarded but yet to win at Hollywoodbets Greyville. SIKHULU has only won on the poly at this venue but is not one to take lightly after two solid races facing a tough task. DANDOLO was beaten only 0.30-lengths by SIKHULU the last time they met and is now 2,5kg better off. He should run a big race but is carded to run prior. CAPTAIN WHO is capable but will need them to go hard in the early stages.

Top Tip: SIKHULU (4)

Watch out for: DANDOLO (3)

4 19H03 – Global Team Horse Racing Fm 68 Handicap (F & M)

Crystal ball needed here as anything can win, especially if REGINAS ANGEL doesn’t repeat her maiden winning performance at Scottsville. It took 24 attempts, but she eventually did it convincingly. Highveld filly THEROSEOFBECHARRE lost form recently but could enjoy the change of scenery and has blinkers refitted. She has beaten better. LUNDY ISLAND has been dropping in ratings and has drawn well yet again. She needed her last run and could come on nicely. FLOWER SEASON should run well from a prime position. She has shown versatility and could bounce back.

Top Tip: TOP HONOURS (7)

Watch out for: REGINAS ANGEL (4)

5 19H21 – Global Team Horse Racing Mr 96 Handicap

Top division field with plenty of pace. All of CHATTERTONS KEEPER, AL’S MY DADDY, LADY LEGEND and GOODTIME GUY can lead and as such this will be quite tactical. DESOLATE ROAD is in good nick having run four seconds from his last five and could enjoy the speed. BABY SHOOZ showed promise earlier and perhaps the drop in distance will see him make a strong comeback. CHATTERTONS KEEPER wasn’t disgraced giving weight to the field in a minor feature last time and has to be taken seriously. GOODTIME GUY should be right on top of them over this course and distance as well.

Top Tip: DESOLATE ROAD (7)

Watch out for: GOODTIME GUY (8)

6 19H39 – Global Team Horse Racing Mr 96 Handicap

ARCTIC DRIFT was not disgraced on his track debut when needing the run. He should come on in leaps and bounds. But it is wide open. On a line through TREAD SWIFTLY, ARTIC TUNE could be the one that comes up trumps. He has been supported in difficult races but had excuses in those. TREAD SWIFTLY may not have enjoyed racing upfront last time and given a chance could run them down coming from off the pace. MASTER OF DESTINY is most consistent and has drawn well in his comeback – not one to take lightly. SILVER TYCOON is on the verge of coming back to best.

Top Tip: ARTIC TUNE (6)

Watch out for: MASTER OF DESTINY (1)

7 19H57 – Global Team Horse Racing Maiden Plate (3-Year-Olds)

WYLIE RILEY has plenty going for him. He wasn’t slowing down when second in a competitive field in yielding going and should enjoy the longer distance. He is also bred for it. POLITICAL PARTY has run like he needs further, but he will have matured and can stake a claim. SAINT SILAS and WIIDSKI both have room for big improvement.

Top Tip: WYLIE RILEY (7)

Watch out for: POLITICAL PARTY (8)

8 20H15 – GTH Super Charge Fm 84 Handicap (F & M)

SPLASH OF GREEN has secured a plum gate on her return to KwaZulu-Natal. She raced in a Grade 1 here as a juvenile but battled a bit before making a form return earlier in the year. She has dropped in ratings and could be the one to watch. Fellow Highveld based MAGICAL FLIGHT is holding form. She did well even though injuring herself on the poly last time and rates a strong contender. It could get close between SHAPE OF YOU and BELLA SICCOME on their earlier meeting. LUCKY MISS is giving signs she’s ready to challenge for the win. Most are useful and have claims.

Top Tip: SPLASH OF GREEN (2)

Watch out for: SHAPE OF YOU (1)

Picture: Secretariat’s heart size remains a wonder of the racing world (NYRA).

What Happened To The X-Factor Large Heart Theory?

The X-Factor Large Heart theory, which was formulated soon after a necropsy on Secretariat showed him to have a massive heart, was popular for a while.

However, even in its heyday breeders were soon saying the application of the theory, which would supposedly produce superior racehorses with large than normal hearts, did not produce any better results than normal.

Kentucky Bloodstock pedigree consultant Ann Peters gave a good explanation a few years ago in 2016 why the theory would not work and why it should be well and truly debunked.

Pedigree Theories and Selection Techniques

The “X Factor” or Large Heart Gene – Thumbs Down

Despite having been disproved by science for years, the X Factor, or Large Heart Theory continues to be touted by its fans as a truth in horse breeding. People, please listen! I have always stressed that when considering a pedigree theory, if it doesn’t make genetic sense, then throw it out. Here’s one to throw out.

How did this idea get started? After the death of Secretariat in October, 1989, a necropsy was performed on the great champion by the University of Kentucky veterinarian, Dr. Thomas Swerczek. One of Swerczek’s findings was that, by his estimation, based on visual examination only and from his long record doing necropsies, Secretariat’s heart was roughly twice the size of the normal Thoroughbred heart, in fact twice the size of the heart of Secretariat’s great sire, Bold Ruler.

From this observation, writer Marianna Haun developed a theory which she called “The X Factor,” suggesting that Secretariat’s great heart size was inherited from his dam, Somethingroyal, through one of her X chromosomes (see Chart 1), particularly the one acquired from her sire Princequillo, one of the great broodmare sires of modern times. The idea was that when Secretariat passed on that same X chromosome to his daughters, he also passed on his large heart gene, but when he passed on his Y chromosome (to his sons), he did not pass on such greatness. This would hopefully explain why he became better known as a top broodmare sire (females are all XX, getting one X chromosomes from each parent) than as a sire of top colts (who are YX, getting their Y chromosome from their sire and their X chromosome from their dam).

Of course, this concept doesn’t exactly jive with reality, since Secretariat was a very successful, if under-appreciated, sire with 57 stakes winners (8.72% from foals), not the least of which were the top male performers Risen Star (Champion at 3, Preakness and Belmont Stakes), Medaille d’Or (Champion at 2 in Canada), General Assembly (Travers Stakes), and Kingston Rule (Melbourne Cup), besides his fillies which included Horse of the Year Lady’s Secret and the brilliant sprinter Terlingua. One could argue that those good staying colts, Risen Star, General Assembly and Kingston Rule, got a large heart gene from their dams and not from Secretariat (if I chose to believe the theory to begin with), but it seems obvious that a horse who wins the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths in new record time for a mile and a half, as Secretariat did, has the genetic wherewithall to sire good staying colts, X Factor or not.

Continuing her speculation, Haun extrapolated on the concept by zig-zagging backwards through Secretariat’s pedigree, eventually landing on the great 19th Century broodmare Pocahontas (foaled in 1837 and sired by *Glencoe) many generations back as the source of Secretariat’s large heart-producing X chromosome. Through similar speculation, Haun determined that nearly every top broodmare sire is a carrier of the “X Factor,” and can all trace their pedigrees back to Pocahontas along this “heart-line.” Convincing, yes? Well, actually no. Since most Thoroughbreds, including Secretariat, go back to Pocahontas many times over, finding a “heart-line” path to her wasn’t very difficult (there are several possible paths in Secretariat’s pedigree), and we know all of these “large heart” carriers weren’t as great as Secretariat. Labeling these historic stallions as X Factor carriers was easier said than done, since most of them were unavailable for analysis to confirm their heart size, being long dead.

Working with a scientific researcher, Haun began the task of actually measuring heart size in living individuals through heart scans. Using a mare with a proven measured large heart, she bred a few foals with large hearts, although unfortunately none of them ever raced, so she could not prove her hypothesis that the large heart gene is what made Secretariat great.

This is an intriguing and colorful theory that a lot of people want to believe, and many will spend too much time mapping the heart-lines in a pedigree, to show which ancestors might carry one or even two copies of the large heart gene on their X chromosome. Their goal, of course, is to breed a horse with a large heart and win classic races, but unfortunately, there are a few problems with this theory and methodology.

First and foremost, there is no proof that a large heart translates into greatness, stamina, or even above average success on the race track. While most good equine athletes have strong hearts, there are too many other factors at work in producing a great runner and a large heart is useless without them working in concert with each other. On the other side of this argument, there are several really outstanding runners and sires that allegedly have average-sized hearts (Mr. Prospector and Caro come to mind, as well was Secretariat’s sire Bold Ruler), and this presumed deficiency didn’t hold these horses back in either career, on the track or as sires of classic runners.

The relationship of stamina to a large heart slips away when Haun describes the great mare Miesque having inherited the mighty heart of her sire Nureyev, when in fact both father and daughter were outstanding milers rather than being able to run further successfully, using the stamina that the large heart is said to supply.

A second point to consider is that without actually having a horse’s parents and other ancestors confirmed as owners of large hearts through actual measurement, mapping the X Factor through a pedigree is entirely a guess based on non-fact, no matter how neatly or how many ways one can find their way back to Pocahontas.

Third, and most importantly, while it wouldn’t be surprising to find that natural heart size has a genetic component, and so could be inherited in a reasonably predictable manner, the mapping of the equine genome has proven that heart size is not passed on the X chromosome. If Haun hadn’t been so adamant that the large heart factor was on the X chromosome specifically, she wouldn’t have dug such a deep hole for her theory.

As I’ve said, if a breeding strategy doesn’t make genetic sense, then it’s not a valid breeding strategy. If the Large Heart Gene does not exist in horses on the X chromosome as the theory states, that’s about as solid a genetic debunking as you can get.

Chart 1: A horse’s sex (like humans and other mammals) is determined by the sex chromosomes with alleles X and Y, getting one from each parent. A female is what happens when the pairing is XX and a male happens when it’s XY. A female can pass on either one of its X alleles to its offspring, but a male can pass on either a Y (resulting in a son) or an X (resulting in a daughter), so he is actually the sex determiner.

Nasrullah (XY)

Bold Ruler (XY) Miss Disco (XX)

Secretariat (XY) Princequillo (XY)

Somethingroyal (XX) Imperatrice (XX)

(We don’t know which X chromosome Secretariat got from Somethingroyal, the one she got from Princequillo, or the one she got from Imperatrice. The Large Heart theory presumes it was the one from Princequillo, but it could just as easily be the one from Imperiatrice.)

Picture: Kabelo Matsunyane clinches his double on the Roy Magner-trained Stormy Seas (Time Thief).

Doubles For Fortune, Matsunyane And Syster

Ashley Fortune, Kabelo Matsunyane and Jeff Syster all had doubles at The Vaal Classic track today.

Fortune has had three winners so far this season at a 12,50% strike rate, Matsunyane has had seven winners at 23,33% and is joint-second on the national jockeys log and Syster has had two winners at 11.11%.

Today’s Question

What unique feat did British trainer Roy Cambidge achieve with his British-bred horse Threadbare (Galivanter) over a three day period in 1973?

Picture: The first two legs of the feat happened at Newton Abbott racecourse (Lodgenine.co.uk)

Fairview Poly Friday August 12 Fields

Today’s Question Answer

The Roy Cambidge-trained Threadbare won a hurdle, a chase and a flat race in three consecutive days in 1973 at Newton Abbott and Wolverhampton, all of them selling plates.

Picture: Wolverhampton Racecourse (visitbirmingham.com)

Turf Talk Newsletter – 11 August 2022