Tongue-twisting Eyjafjallajokull is Durban-bound
Trainer David Nieuwenhuizen praised Varsfontein Stud for the “beautiful” name given to his strapping grey gelding Eyjafjallajokull.
More on the name later in the article, but firstly David holds the son of Erupt in high regard and is hoping he gets into the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes on Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup day.
He said he had reluctantly had to geld the big grey because he had been “impossible” after the Sale and was not only intimidating to the grooms but probably a danger to himself.
On debut over 1200m in one of the strongest juvenile form races of the season, won by Thunderstruck, Eyjafjallajokull was not disgraced but he said he had been outpaced “and all over the place” so small cups were fitted second time out.
He then showed a superb turn of foot over 1600m, but did not know what to do out in front and was caught late.
Yesterday, he ran over 1400m against older horses and Gavin Lerena used that fine turn of foot to power him into a big lead shortly after turning for home in an effort to not only win the race, but also to teach him what it is all about.
He just hung on to win by half-a-length.
David lamented the wide draw he has landed in the Champion Stakes, because he believed Hollywoodbets Greyville would suit him.
His turn of foot will be a valuable asset on the tight course and he is likely to have horses around him all the way to the line, so there will be no time for wandering.
David pointed out that whilst Dubawi stallion Erupt was a twice Group 1 winner over the classic Derby distance Eyjafjallajokull’s dam Kiss And Fly (Jet Master) had been speedy, winning three times from 1200m to 1400 and placing third in the Listed Ladies Mile.
So the big grey has inherited plenty of speed.
He is in fact a half-brother to Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Kilindini, so David did well to land him at the BSA National Yearling Sale for R275,000.
He had been impressed by the big grey and even more so when he was in the ring “screaming” at him.
The discussion about his name had already begun at the Sale.
Click Below to watch Eyjafjallajokull being sold:
Video Player
00:00
03:06
Stergio Poriazis took a share and helped put the syndicate together of Messrs S Poriazis, John Arvanitakis, Gary Citron, R P Macnab, Mr D J & Mrs H M R Nieuwenhuizen.
David said there has been a lot of debate surrounding his name and it had been a fun aspect of training and owning the horse.
He said, “Googling it there are whole news items about the pronunciation. Even the Icelanders seem to have different pronunciations.”
He added, “I call him Eyja which means island.”
“Eyja” means island, “fjalla” means mountains, and “jökull” means glacier. So when put together, Eyjafjallajökull means “glacier on island mountains.”
It is the name of the volcano in Iceland which erupted in 2010 causing enormous disruption to air travel across northern and western Europe for a week.
The horse’s name was obviously prompted by his sire’s name, Erupt.
The name is not easy to pronounce as it requires special Icelandic phonetic clicks for the double LLs which sounds similar to a ‘T’.
Click here to hear what sounds to be an authentic pronunciation: PRONUNCIATION
Freshman Stallion Title Is Decided On Stakes – Erupt Clear
The NHA confirmed that the Freshman Stallion Championship is decided on stakes and not number of winners.
They also confirmed restricted race stakes do not count.
Nevertheless, Maine Chance Farms freshman stallion Erupt is well clear on all counts, so should have it wrapped up.
He has had eight winners of ten races and stakes earnings of R983,250.
Nearest rival Gold Standard has had four winners of four races and stakes earnings R311,500.
Next best is Royal Mo with three winners of three races and earnings of R249,925.
Both Erupt and Gold Standard have had winners this week with the David Nieuwenhuizen-trained Eyjaffjallajokull yesterday and the Vaughan Marshall-trained Colloidal Gold on Wednesday.
Eyjaffjalljokull is entered in the Grade 1 R500,000 Premiers Champion Stakes.
Gold Standard has two fillies in the Grade 1 R500,000 Thekwini Stakes, the Glen Kotzen-trained Hold My Hand and the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Golden Hostess.
However, even winning the lion’s share of the Thekwini Stakes pot will not enable Gold Standard to close the gap on Erupt.
Golden Hostess is also entered in the Grade 2 The Debutante, but so is the Corne Spies-trained Erupt filly Flowerbomb, who is also entered in the Grade 2 R200,000 Umkhomazi Stakes.
Wernars can keep notching up wins with young horses
Owner will look back on the 2021/2022 season with much satisfaction
David Mollett (Business Day)
Award-winning owner Laurence Wernars will not only look back on the 2021/2022 season with much satisfaction, but he will also be aware he’s got a number of promising young horses for the new campaign.
Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren has played his role in this success with more than 50 winners and is in 11th place in the national log.
Outofthedarkness — a three-time winning son of Gimmethegreenlight — runs in the fifth race at Turffontein on Saturday and Lord Of Light rates an each-way chance from pole position in the opening event.
Then — in the sixth race — Wernars’ five-year-old Corvette Captain has been priced up second favourite to notch the fourth win of his career.
Van Vuuren will be optimistic that his two-year-old Ridgerunner — owned and bred by Ridgemont Highlands — can go on to better things in his second season.
The son of Canford Cliffs boasts a win and two seconds from his three starts this term and has been priced up 19-10 favourite for the seventh race at Turffontein on Saturday.
Jockey-of-the-moment Keagan De Melo will partner the colt for the third time and — from a handy draw — his mount should do well despite taking on his elders.
Paul Peter’s three-year-old, Mathis, justified favouritism on his debut in December and the grey reappears after a 30-week absence. The market will be the best guide to the grey’s chance though the stable aren’t shy to put the money down if they feel they can win.
Sean Tarry has snapped up the services of Richard Fourie for his five-year-old Constable — the jockey knows the gelding having partnered him into third place in a race on the inside Turffontein track in May. The question is: can he give 6kg to Ridgerunner?
Tuscan Winter sports the Wernars colours in this 1,200m contest and the son of What A Winter probably needed the outing when unplaced behind Rollwiththepunches. No surprise to see Gavin Lerena’s mount in the places.
Warren Kennedy’s many fans will be pleased to see the champion-elect back in action after missing a few meetings and he should go close on Sound Of Summer in the fifth race.
The Peter inmate is a five-time winner and is 4kg better off with Castletown compared to their recent clash. Top-weight Sovereign Spirit — having his fourth start for Ashley Fortune — may pose a bigger threat to Kennedy’s mount.
Origami, who takes on nine rivals in the fourth race, is another possible winner for Kennedy though this 2,000m looks wide open with Youcanthurrylove and Wernars’ Green Haze on the shortlist of possible winners.
Peter has a strong hand in this race as — apart from Origami and Green Haze — he has booked Muzi Yeni for SA Derby third, London Roads. This first leg of the Pick Six looks a field race with Ridgerunner a possible banker in the seventh.
Yahagi Eyes More International Riches With Bathrat Leon
www.goodwood.com
Godolphin Mile winner Bathrat Leon (Kizuna) will attempt to give Japan yet another victory on the world stage in the £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes.
Deirdre made history for Japan at the Qatar Goodwood Festival in 2019. The daughter of the 2009 Gordon Stakes winner Harbinger stormed home under Oisin Murphy to take the Qatar Nassau Stakes for trainer Mitsuru Hashida.
“Today’s victory is important for Japan because it showed that it is not just possible to come here and compete, but that it is also possible to win,” said Hashida’s Yoshimura after the filly’s famous victory.
Hopefully, we can have a good influence on Japanese racing with this win.
Seiko Hashida Yoshimura
Japanese runners have since shone on the international scene, underlined by an historic double at the Breeders’ Cup in November, four winners at February’s Saudi Cup meeting and a five-timer on Dubai World Cup Night.
Trainer Yoshito Yahagi led the way with six winners across the three meetings, which followed the revered handler’s 2020 Japanese Triple Crown success with Contrail and his mare Lys Gracieux’s win in Australia’s Cox Plate in 2019.
“I went to the Qatar Goodwood Festival many years ago, before I started to run my stable, and I was very impressed with the meeting and with the racecourse,” Yahagi told the Racing Post last month.
“Goodwood is my favourite racecourse in Europe and I understand the Sussex Stakes is a very prestigious race, which shapes the championship of European milers, so it is a great honour for me to have a runner there.”
The Qatar Goodwood Festival run from Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 July.
Bathrat Leon was an unconsidered 66/1 chance for the Godolphin Mile on his first run outside of Japan, with his biggest success at home coming on turf in the G2 New Zealand Trophy at Nakayama in April of last year.
While Bathrat Leon won the Godolphin Mile on the dirt at Meydan, he is as good on turf as he is on a dirt surface, and his pedigree has received a lot of European influence from his dam side.
Yahagi referred to the four-year-old’s dam Bathrat Amal, who is half-sister to 2008 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Serious Attitude.
Having travelled over from Japan on June 23, Bathrat Leon will be based in Newmarket with stable-mate King Hermes, who finished 11th in last Saturday’s July Cup.
Saratoga Opening Day Patrons Queue And Race For Best Spots
Patrons, some who had been waiting since 5:45pm on Wednesday queue up for their chance at a picnic table in the back yard on Opening Day of the 154th meeting at Saratoga Race Course Thursday July 14, 2022 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Photo Special To the Times Union by Skip Dickstein)
All Quality On CTS HIT Sale Saturday
There are 14 quality lots catalogued for the CTS Horses In Training Sale at Turffontein Racecourse this Saturday, 16 July. The Sale will be held in the parade ring directly after the last race of the day, which is due off at 16:45.
Three additional entries have been added to the original 11-horse catalogue. They are Lot 12 Leahlicious, an unraced Futura filly from the family of Deliberation and Gang Related; Lot 13 Paradise Flower, an unraced filly by Crusade out of a mare by Jet Master, and Lot 14 Space Wolf, an unraced New Predator colt out of a mare who has already produced four winners.
The other lots catalogued include three Graded performers, and they are discussed in more detail, HERE.
The sale will be covered live on Racing TV (DSTV#240), and buyers wanting to participate online can request a Zoom link from john@cthbs.com. The catalogue is available online on www.capethroughbredsales.com
Grant Knowles, MD of CTS, commented: “Make a note of this sale in your phone calendars. If you miss it, you’ll miss out
Entry Form For CTS Ready To Run
& Unbroken Two Year Old Sale 2022
29 October 2022
Entry Form Closing Date 30 July 2022
CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM: CTS RTR SALE 2022.pdf
The CTS RTR SALE 2022 will be held at Kenilworth Racecourse.
Please complete the above form IN FULL and return to: entries@cthbs.com
Contact And EFT Details are listed on the Entry form.
Greeff/Cheyne Win PE Gold Cup – Champion Elect Smith Grabs A Four-timer
The Listed Port Elizabeth Gold Cup will stay in Gqeberha as the Alan Greeff-trained five-year-old Master Of My Fate gelding Barak, having his second start since relocating from the Highveld, won the merit rated-band conditions event by 1,25 lengths under carrying 55.5kg off an 85 merit rating under Greg Cheyne.
Gavin Smith had a four-timer to go to 130 winners for the season at a strike rate of 10.88%. He will be crowned East Cape champion trainer at the end of the season.
Sharon Kotzen had a double to go to 37 winners for the season at 8.83%.
Warren Kennedy had a double to go to 259 winners for the season at 16.56%.
Greg Cheyne also scored a double to go to 109 winners at 14.65%.
Cheyne will be crowned East Cape Champion Jockey with 79 winners compared to Kennedy’s 58 and Richard Fourie’s 54.
Today’s Question
The QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame was launched in 2021 and focuses on the modern greats of the sport from 1970 onwards.
Hall Of Famers are inducted twice a year.
Who are the seven thoroughbreds and five racing people who have been inducted so far?
Picture: The above legend was the first horse to be inducted into the The QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame
Turffontein Inside Saturday July 16 Fields
Hollywoodbets Greyville Poly Sunday July 17 Fields
Today’s Question Answer
QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Famers:
Horses in order of induction: Frankel, Brigadier Gerard, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Dayjur, Dancing Brave, Galileo.
People in order of induction: Lester Piggott (jockey), Vincent O’Brien (trainer), Pat Eddery (jockey), Her Majesty The Queen (Special contributor), Frankie Dettori (jockey).
Brigadier Gerard (pictured) was the second horse inducted into the The QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
His only defeat in 18 starts was a three length thrashing by Roberto in the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup run over an extended mile and a quarter at York, although this defeat was later analysed to be his best ever performance as he was within the course record and was 17 lengths clear of the third horse.
Roberto, who won seven out of 14 starts, also won the Epsom Derby.
He was the champion 2-Year-Old Colt in Ireland in 1971 and the champion 3-year-old colt in both Ireland and England in 1972.
However, he is most famous for his defeat of Brigadier Gerard and his win in that inaugural running of the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup has been regarded by many experts to have been one of the greatest ever performances on a European racecourse.
Lester Piggott summed up this Vincent O’Brien-trained horse, “He was a champion when things were in his favour”.
Roberto was sire of the South African champion stallion, Al Mufti.
The latter also sired a champion stallion, Captain Al.
