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Striker Driving To Durban For Nexus Comeback Ride
Piere Strydom is booked for his first comeback ride on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville and will drive down to Durban with his wife and kids on Friday.
He will ride his Hollywoodbets Durban July mount Belgarion in a gallop on Saturday at Summerveld and will then ride another Justin Snaith-trained Dynasty gelding, Nexus, in the R600,000 KZN Breeders Mile on Sunday.
He then has another two rides on Monday on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly, the Fabian Habib-trained Waqaas and the Gareth van Zyl-trained Another Love.
He will then drive back to the Highveld where he has three rides on Tuesday at the Vaal on the Billy Ruiters-trained Samthewiseman, the Grant Maroun-trained Global Breeze and the Grant Maroun-trained Queen Britanna.
He will try and get more rides for Turffontain next Thursday.
He then drives down to Durban again with his family and said, “It is always great to be in Durban around the July time so we will make a weekend of it.”
Piere was almost jocked off his Hollywoodbets Durban July mount by officials who were concerned about his ring rustiness and whether it would be fair to punters.
He also had to get offical clearance from the opthalmologist.
He explained, “They had read somewhere that I was apparently going blind! Thank goodness I have now got clearance though and I am thankful they are giving me a chance to get unrusty.”
He only missed one day of workriding last week to go to the opthalmologist and is happy with his fitness.
He said, “It is all looking good. I jumped out of the stalls for three gallops this week to get used to pushing a horse out again, but there is nothing like riding in a race.”
His weight is coming down slowly, although not as quickly as he would have liked and he put that down to the cold weather.
However, he is confident he will get it down enough by Sunday to ride Nexus at 57kg.
Strydom was happy with what he saw of Belgarion’s last race.
It was not a strong field but he finished second and looked to be striding out well.
Belgarion, who won the 2020 July, only arrived at Summerveld this week and was due to have his official July gallop today.
However, Piere did not go down for the gallop because Snaith had told him it was too soon after his arrival to be able to do any hard work.
By Sunday it will be about a year and and two-and-a-half months since Piere last rode in a race and the fans will be glad to see him back.
He intends retiring officially after gaining the eleven more wins he needs to reach 5500 in his career.
He said any engagements he still had after reaching that milestone would be fulfilled.
Therefore, there is a good chance he will be able to have an official farewell meeting.
Picture: Wayne Marks
Hollywoodbets Durban July Broadcast Schedule
Venniker’s Surreal Moment But She Will Be Prepared
Rachel Venniker had helped Joe Soma work ride some of his horses at Summerveld over the last two or three weeks and when she was walking past one morning he told her the ride was still available on Red Saxon for the Hollywoodbets Durban July and would she like to take it.
Red Saxon was all at sea in his first run at Hollywoodbets Greyville and Soma had been looking for a rider with more experience of the tight city course than the horse’s regular rider Julius Mariba.
Of course she jumped at the opportunity and will thus become the first woman to ride in the July.
That is an incredible achievement for somebody who only had her first ride in a professional race just over twelve months ago.
She admitted that being one of the riders in this year’s July final field of 18 had not really sunk in yet.
She said, “It is every jockeys dream to ride in the July and I used to day dream and imagine what it must be like. But it was always a distant dream and I didn’t think it would happen.”
Asked when she started believing it could happen, she said humbly, “When my name went down!”
Rachel had seven rides as a workrider in 2019 and 2020 for one win and a place.
As an apprentice in the professional ranks she has ridden 69 winners at a strike rate of 12.68%.
51 of her winners have come at the Hollywoodbets Greyville venue and 12 of those have been on the turf track.
She confirmed the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf circuit was her favourite track.
She said, “It suits my riding style. The straight is long enough to be able to ride at a comfortable pace and there are not too many ups and downs to negotiate.”
She is well aware of the climb from the July 2200m starting point to the Drill Hall, a hill many an inexperienced rider at Greyville has underestimated and thus used up too much energy early.
She said the more well known hill, which climbs from halfway around the turn to the top of the straight, was a gradual one which horses could handle, although she added one had to be careful not to use up too much energy improving position at this stage.
She not only has an affinity with the course but also with the horse.
She said, “I had been following Red Saxon in Johannesburg. I just always liked the look of him.”
Rachel said the butterflies had already started, but added the nerves would never become overwhelming.
“It will be important to just treat it as another race,” she said.
However, she plans meticulously for every race and will do the same for this one.
She will not only sit down with Joe Soma to discuss the race in detail but also sit down with her guv’nor and mentor Michael Roberts.
The latter will obviously also provide her with some insight into the July from a jockey’s point of view and some advice on how to ride it.
Red Saxon has drawn 14 and she is happy with that.
She said, “I think it might work in our favour.”
The July is known as race where not an inch is given so being drawn 14 allows one to be out of the early jostling.
Recent Julys have also shown higher draws to be favourable, because horses are able to build momentum into the straight as opposed to those who are stuck behind horses towards the inside.
The enormity of what Rachel has achieved will probably sink in at the Hollywood Durban July gallops todomorrow morning (Thursday).
Many of the big crowd who pitch up are not regular fans and the horses and jockeys are looked at in wonderment.
Rachel’s parents are not going to attend July day and instead will gather with friends and tune in while enjoying a braai.
One can only imagine how big the butterflies will be for them when the traditional massive roar of the crowd heralds the start of South Africa’s most exciting two-and-a-quarter minutes of sport.
Picture: Rachel Venniker being led in by her guv’nor Michael Roberts after winning recently on Luna Eclipse. (Candiese lenferna)
Marshall Very Happy With Linebacker And His Draw
Vaughan Marshall said before yesterday’s Holywoodbets Durban July Final Field Announcement and Draw Ceremony he would choose between draw five and ten for his charge Linebacker if he had a choice.
He said afterwards, “I got four, so I can’t complain, I’m very happy.”
He was asked if the four-year-old Captain Of All gelding had still needed his run in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge last time, where he finished a 0,40 length second, and replied, “He needed it a little bit but there was a vast improvement from the Drill Hall and he has improved further, so I think he will be spot on.”
Linebacker finished a half-a-length second to Kommetdieding in last year’s July and will now be 1,5kg better off.
Marshall believes he might have even won last year had he stuck to the inside rail and gone for home down the inside instead of being switched outward.
He concluded by saying the bay was “exceptionally well” at present.
Marsh Predicts His Lucky Draw
Twice Durban July-winning owner Marsh Shirtliff correctly predicted the draw of eight his horse Pomp And Power landed for the Hollywoodbets sponsored event this year.
He said at the ceremony, “I had a feeling we were going to draw eight, it is a lucky number in the Chinese language, and then after we had sat down for breakfast at the Mug And Bean in the morning I looked up and saw we were at table eight so I said to the boys ‘we’re definitely going to draw eight.”
Marsh has in fact won the July from draw eight before.
His second July-winner, the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Marinaresco (Silvano), won from draw eight under Bernard Fayd’herbe in 2017.
His first July winner also involved the number eight as it happened in the year 2008. That was of course the Mike Bass-trained legend Pocket Power (Jet Master), who dead-heated with Dancer’s Daughter, also under Fayd’Herbe. Pocket Power jumped from draw three that year.
Marsh had two horses in the reckoning yesterday, the other one being Marinaresco’s full-sister Marina.
He said, “I was a bit disappointed she didn’t get in but I didn’t expect her to get in after her path to the July, so we will have to wait until next year. She’s good enough, that we do know.”
Shirtliff, who is one of SA racing’s most popular characters, owns Pomp And Power (Vercingetorix) in partnership with Greg Bortz and Etienne Braun.
Picture: Marsh Shirtliff (left) leads in the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Marinaresco, together with part-owner Bryn Ressell after the 2017 July. His charge this year Pomp And Power will not be running in his familiar white, blue and pink colours. (Gold Circle)
Draw Is An Obelix For Astrix
Paul Peter was not too happy with the draw of 17 his Grade 1 TAB Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Astrix landed for the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
He said, “It is not ideal, especially for a horse who goes handy, but it was all done very fairly and it’s just what is meant to be”
He was overlooked by the pundits and public before the Premier’s Champions Challenge and started at odds of 66/1.
Peter said, “From that draw they might forget about him again, but he is fit and well and if you’ve got a ticket you’ve got a chance.”
He added, “He is improving with age and is over all his little issues and niggles. He’s doing very, very well. He’s got a lot of heart, he fights on.”
His sire Vercingetorix appears to not only get them to perform as two-year-olds but also has the trait of his father Silvano in that he gets them to improve.
Peter said, “I think Vercingetorix is going to take over from where Silvano left off.”
He concluded, “Astrix is a very uncomplicated horse. He is in the right space and he always produces.”
This will be the champion elect trainer’s second July runner.
He finished fourth with Majestic Mambo in 2018.
Picture credit: Candiese lenferna Photography
Mares, Fillies and Weanlings Sale Comes At The Right Time!
The CTS Mares, Fillies For Stud and Weanling Sale scheduled for Friday, 24 June at Kenilworth Racecourse has drawn 130 quality lots in total, and the catalogue has been published ONLINE.
This is an auction of exceptional strength, reflected in the representation of several leading stud farms, and mares from a host of proven, high-profile broodmare sires. Among the weanlings, there are a number of impeccably bred foals which can be acquired long before they reach the yearling or two-year-old auctions.
Drakenstein Stud, Klawervlei Stud, Maine Chance Farms and Ridgemont Highlands are among the vendors, and the offspring of leading broodmare sires Dynasty (3 lots), Captain Al (2), Jet Master (3), Silvano (4), Var (5), Horse Chestnut (2), Kingsbarns (2); New Approach, Galileo, Exceed and Excel, Hard Spun and Dubawi (one apiece), will ensure active bidding.
In addition, four stallion shares have become available, and they will be sold after the Mare and Weanling Sale. Three shares of Captain Of All, and one share of William Longsword, will come under the hammer. READ MORE HERE.
Grant Knowles, MD of CTS, pointed to the recovery of the thoroughbred bloodstock market and said: “The last four yearling sales around the country all showed increases in aggregate, which means that we are seeing a return of buyers’ confidence. This sale of breeding stock comes at the perfect time for investors. We are expecting further upturns.”
Two young mares by leading broodmare sire Captain Al, a mare by Dark Angel, and a further eight weanling colts and fillies have been supplemented to Friday’s Sale – SEE HERE.
Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops 07H00 Tomorrow Morning
(Thursday June 23)
The Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops, which are a condition of entry for the country’s greatest horse race, will take place on Thursday 23 June at 07h00, ten days before the big event.
Each gallop will be timed and televised on Tellytrack starting at 07h00. A panel discussion on each horse’s performance will take place immediately after the gallops.
Big race runners not stabled in KwaZulu-Natal at the time will gallop at venues in Gauteng or the Western Cape where they will be televised, timed and broadcast on Tellytrack.
The History of the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops
The Hollywoodbets Durban July gallops at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse in central Durban began in the early years when trainers were given the opportunity to put their big-race runners on the grass for a final workout before the big day and to enable visiting horses to familiarize themselves with the venue.
In the years before the establishment of the Summerveld Training Centre at Shongweni just outside Durban, local horses were stabled at various sites around Durban and in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Some were trained at the private out-of-town venues in the province, others at Pietermaritzburg’s Scottsville track and many at Clairwood.
Many more were stabled at Newmarket in the northern region of Durban and these horses were trained on the beaches at Blue Lagoon.
Visiting horses from Gauteng and the Western Cape were freighted into the area weeks before, many competing in the important races early in the season from which their trainers hoped they could emerge as candidates for invitation into the country’s biggest race.
In the final week before the race the runners were invited to use the Greyville track for their final workout and the public was encouraged to attend the event with coffee and sticky buns available free of charge.
And so was born the July gallops and they became one of the biggest occasions in the build-up to the event with thousands of people crowding the course to watch their fancies in action and to make their final selections.
It became a tradition, but when the Summerveld Training Centre was established and trainers had the superb grass training tracks on which to prepare their candidates, they became reluctant to take their horses to Greyville for their final workouts. This situation was exacerbated as transportation methods improved and trainers from Gauteng began floating their runners overnight to Durban, arriving either the day before or even on the morning of the race.
So the July gallops fell away and a part of the July tradition disappeared. However, with constant pleas from the public, Gold Circle decided in 1999 to re-introduce the gallops. Only a few of the final field made an appearance with Geoff Woodruff’s star, El Picha, putting up a splendid gallop before going on to win the country’s greatest racing event some 10 days later.
Gold Circle then went one step further and made appearance at a timed, televised, public gallop a condition of acceptance into the race and the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops was officially reborn.
Picture: Candiese Lenferna
De Melo Four-Timer, Rivalland-Veale Double
Keagan de Melo rode a four-timer at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today and goes to 166 winners for the season at a strike rate of 16.16%.
Sean Veale rode a double for Tony Rivalland and goes to 45 winners for the season at a strike rate of 11.08%.
Rivalland has had 24 wins this season at a strike rate of 15%.
Picture: Keagan de Melo in fine form today (Candiese Lenferna)
Today’s Question
Who was the only trainer of the 20th century to win a British Classic in five successive seasons?
Picture: Desert Crown wins the 2022 Derby (Reuters).
Vaal Classic Track Thursday June 23 Fields
Today’s Question Answer
Sir Michael Stoute
1985 – Shadeed (2000 Guineas).
1986 – Shahrastani (Derby).
1987 – Unite (Oaks).
1988 – Doyoun (2000 Guineas).
1989 – Musical Bliss (1000 Guineas).
When he won this year’s Derby with Desert Crown it took his number of career British Classic wins to 16:
2000 Guineas (5)
1000 Guineas (2)
Epsom Oaks (2)
Epsom Derby (6)
St. Leger Stakes (1)
1000 Guineas (2)
Epsom Oaks (2)
Epsom Derby (6)
St. Leger Stakes (1)
Picture credit: Timeform
