Kannemeyer’s Guineas Hope Kicks Off Tomorrow
Dean Kannemeyer is never one to be too hard on his two-year-olds and has a phenomenal record in Cape Town’s leading three-year-old event, which this year will be know as the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and it will carry a stake of R2 million.
Looking for Diamonds?
Monique Schabort of Paarl Diamant Stud has filed reports on the stud’s three two-year-olds to go under the hammer at the Cape Racing Ready To Run and Unbroken 2-y-o Sale on 29 October at Kenilworth.
Lot 13 (pictured above headline): “This William Longword colt from a mare by Storm Cat is a three-parts brother to a four-time time winner. He is showing a lot of speed and looks to be coming to hand early. He is a striking looking colt and he is no slouch on the track.”
Lot 44: “A Lancaster Bomber colt out of a mare by Kahal, he’s a half-brother to feature contender Look For Hounds. He is called Coastal Commander- a well put together son of the late Lancaster Bomber. He’s a long striding horse, athletic and scopey with a good shoulder. A real classic type of horse.”
Lot 66: “Here we have an Erupt colt named Volcanic, bred from a full-sister to Mother Russia and from a very strong female line. He’s a strong, muscular, solid chap with a lot of scope. He works well every time he goes to the track and has been really impressive throughout his prep for the sale.”
New Dawn In Hong Kong Racing As Mary Slack And Zhang Yuesheng Join Owners List
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has welcomed its first imports owned by non-resident international owner-breeders as it seeks a new way to invigorate the horse population.
HKJC sounded out a number of significant owner-breeders around the world earlier this year and from those, billionaire businessman Zhang Yuesheng and South African racing doyenne Mary Slack are the first to have horses trained full-time in Hong Kong.
Any new owners must be HKJC Racing Members, which requires the stiff formality of being ‘signed in’ by a Voting Member, but, in a break from long tradition, being a Hong Kong resident is no longer a requirement.
Zhang’s famous green and white ‘Yulong’ colours will be seen aboard the British PP (Private Purchase) import Show Respect, which arrived in Hong Kong on September 10 to be trained by Douglas Whyte, and Slack’s first PP Wings Of War landed last Friday on its way to Tony Millard’s stable.
Wings Of War wins the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury. (Photo by Steven Paston/Getty Images)
“It is a very cautious approach to allow certain, very selective, international owner-breeders – but persons, not corporations – to be involved in Hong Kong racing,” said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club’s CEO.
“It is not open slather, but we want to strengthen the global reach of Hong Kong racing and there are people who we think can help but we will do this step by step.
“We are looking for connections that are not just horse owners but they are also connected to breeding. We have no policy to open up to the world for corporate owners, we are being selective, owners that have an interest in the breeding side. We want owners that are well known and have an international view.”
Hong Kong’s horse population is down in numbers due to Hong Kong’s owners struggling to purchase the right horses in a tough market against the backdrop of two years of Covid restrictions on travel.
A dearth of quality horses being available to buy and high prices being asked in Australia and Europe has meant that several owners who were allotted permits to buy a horse have handed them back to the Club unused, a situation that would have been unheard of in past years.
“It is about getting good horses here,” said Millard. “The last two or so years, trainers have spent a lot of money and come up with nothing. The market is tough, there is no doubt about it, you can’t get the horses out of Australia like you used to because the syndicates are so huge that no matter what you offer them, the smaller shareholders don’t want it. This has been, fundamentally, the problem.
“During Covid, none of the trainers were able to go out. For the first year, agents bought, and you should have seen what came. Nobody bought the next year, how can you? People were too scared because they had been burnt.”
Those difficulties have resulted in a depleted top bracket and the recent G3 National Day Cup, the first Group race of the season at Sha Tin, attracted a half-field of just seven runners.
“Frankly speaking, since John Moore left here, the quality of horses has gone down,” continued Millard, referencing the former champion trainer who led his peers in sourcing and training top-class tried imports until his enforced retirement in July 2020 at age 70.
“Nobody is saying that it hasn’t, it is a fact. When you look at it, we are something like 100 horses down on what we normally are and it has been very tough, the number has gone down, and the quality is not what it used to be.”
Owner Yuesheng Zhang after his horse Sikandarabad won at Mornington. (Photo by Natasha Morello/Getty Images)
The PPs imported by Zhang and Slack are the types of horses the club is keen to source. The three-year-old Wings Of War – rated 107 in Britain – won the G2 Mill Reef Stakes as a juvenile and was purchased by Slack after running third in the G2 Hungerford Stakes in August; the two-year-old Show Respect raced four times in Britain, most recently when second in the G2 July Stakes at Newmarket prior to Zhang’s purchase of the colt.
Englebrecht-Bresges met with Zhang in Paris during the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend and said that the global owner-breeder impressed him with “how he thinks about his business.”
The billionaire businessman is behind a massive Group 1-winning breeding and racing operation that spans Europe, Australia – he is the biggest breeder in Victoria – the United States and mainland China. His best horses on the track include this year’s G1 Irish Oaks winner Magical Lagoon, the G1 Australian Oaks winner Hungry Heart, and the G1-winning colts Tagaloa and Lucky Vega; his Yulong Stud in Victoria stands five stallions, headed by current Australian champion stallion Written Tycoon, and boasts an impressive broodmare band in terms of both size and quality.
Meanwhile, Slack is the daughter of the late Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer, of De Beers diamond wealth, and is a major figure in South African racing, in large part as the proprietor of the Group 1-producing Wilgebosdrift, which she established, and the Oppenheimer family’s historic Mauritzfontein stud, alongside her daughter, Jessica Slack. She is credited with saving the industry in South Africa two years ago, investing about US$35 million in the wake of the Phumelela Gaming collapse.
The Mary Slack-owned Claymore wins the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot (Getty Images).
Her notable successes as an owner this year alone include the victory of the currently injured Claymore in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot – a race that has previously been a source of Hong Kong imports – and a first win in the G1 Durban July with Sparkling Water.
Engelbrecht-Bresges said that the club will bring in more overseas-based owners – on a selective basis – with a view that they will benefit Hong Kong long term, and added that reputable owner-breeders in Australia and New Zealand have also been approached.
Captain Peg Solidifies Top Spot On Ready To Run Log
The Stuart Pettigrew-trained Jay Peg filly Captain Peg made it four wins from four starts at Turffontein Inside on Saturday and became the only 100 or above merit-rated qualifier for the Cape Sales Ready To Run Stakes, a R600,000 event to be held at Kenilworth on October 30.
The filly has a fine turn of foot and three of her wins have been over 1450m, so she will enjoy the trip of the Ready To Run race.
Second on the log is the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Piroshka (Quasillo), who runs in a 1400m Middle Stakes event at Hollywoodbegs Durbanville tomorrow (Wednesday).
The log for the WSB R7.5 million Gold Rush over 1600m on 28 January next year sees Time Fo Orchids still on top.
She is one of five qualifiers for that race who are merit rated 100 or more.
The Ready To Run log:
The Gold Rush log:
Buick Relishing Baaeed Clash With Adayar
Last year’s Derby hero has only run once this season.
William Buick is under no illusions about the task facing Adayar as he prepares for a mouthwatering clash with the brilliant Baaeed in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Winner of last year’s Derby at Epsom and the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, Charlie Appleby’s Adayar has missed much of the current campaign, but looked as good as ever when slamming two admittedly inferior rivals on his belated reappearance at Doncaster last month.
The four-year-old will have far more on his plate next Saturday, of course, with the William Haggas-trained Baaeed out to put the seal on an unbeaten career before being retired to stud.
Buick – who will officially be crowned champion jockey for the first time on the same afternoon – is hopeful Adayar can at least give Flat racing’s current superstar a run for his money.
He said: “Doncaster was perfect for Adayar as a comeback run. He did everything right and he’s a bit of a forgotten horse this year, but he was very good last year.
“It’s a tough task (taking on Baaeed), but he’s a Derby and King George winner, and then he ran well in the Arc on ground he didn’t like and things didn’t really go his way, then the Champion Stakes probably came a bit soon after that.
“I would say he’s the best horse Baaeed has taken on and it’s going to make a great race.”
Buick has chased home Baaeed on a few occasions this season, perhaps most notably finishing second to him aboard Modern Games in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
Asked how he will go about lowering his colours, Buick added: “You have to wait until the fields are out and the draw and everything else and then you sit down and make a plan.
“Obviously Baaeed looks very straightforward and has done it from every which way, from a mile to a mile and a quarter. We have no qualms about the task ahead, but it’s a horse race.”
The result of the Champion Stakes is likely to have a huge bearing on the who will be crowned champion trainer, with reigning champion Appleby currently holding a relatively slender advantage over Haggas, who is bidding for his first title.
“Charlie was champion trainer last year and it would be great to do it again this year,” said Buick.
The Rockingham Beach Cup Is Back This Year
Established in 2016, the Rockingham Beach Cup combines two of WA’s most beloved pastimes – a day at the races, and a day at the beach.
Australia’s only beach racing carnival, plus a massive weekend of entertainment on Rockingham Foreshore, will take place this year on November 12-13th, with the must see beach horse racing on the Sunday.
Pictures from a previous year:
Money Heist Is A Serious Horse
The Gareth van Zyl-trained Money Heist carried 2,5kg overweight in his race on Sunday and lost by a hair’s breadth.
Fourie/Greeff Double, Mjoka Double, Juan Nel Double
Richard Fourie won the first two races on the Fairvoew poly today for Allan Greeff.
Mpumelelo Mjoka also rode a double and Juan Nel saddled a double.
Fourie has had 26 winners this season at a strike rate of 17.45%.
Mjoka has had six winners at 6.45%.
Greeff has had 25 winners this season at 13,30% and is lying second on the national trainers log.
Juan Nel has had seven winners at a strike rate of 9.72%.
Today’s Question
What was the first million rand race in South Africa?
Picture: The winner of SA’s first million ran race was by the stallion Elliodor (Lyphard).
Hollywoodbets Durbanville Fields
Today’s Question Answer
The Topsport Bloodline Million was the first R1 million race in SA history.
It was run on 31 March, 1990, over 1200m at Turffontein and was won by the Roy Magner-trained Leopard Strike (Elliodor), who was ridden by Stephen Jupp.
