Lerena Gives Fascinating Insight Into One Stripe Ride
Gavin Lerena chats with Hollywood Racing’s racing manager Anthony Delpech in the parade ring before the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (Picture supplied)
One Stripe’s narrow defeat in the Gr 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational has been the talk of the South African racing fraternity since they watched him producing a flying finish and failing by a neck to fetch his Graham Motion-trained stablemate Test Score in the US$1 million race over a mile and a furlong at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
Gavin Lerena gave a fascinating insight into the ride and into just about every aspect of his trip.
He said, “The whole race he travelled like a winner for me. He changed legs whenever I needed him to change legs. He always felt like he was in a winning rhythm for me. And then when we hit the first bend after the back stretch, in other words at the beginning of the last turn, he dropped the bit completely on me. The one guy on my outside had me pretty tight and One Stripe dropped the bit completely. It actually felt like I had no horse under me and we were going to run absolutely nowhere, but I just had to wait for him and wait for him and then halfway around the turn, when I started to work on him I could feel he was starting to grow under me again. However, at the top of the stretch, I had got him back on his outside leg and then the pace actually shifted outwards. It was from the horse that led with Mike Smith, which was shifting outwards, and it was a bit of a chain reaction. He got a little bit of a fright from that, or should I say he had a good look at it, because it was like bumper cars, like they were coming after him. He hesitated for a stride, but when he balanced up, the way he kicked on was phenomenal. At the 100m mark I honestly thought I was going to get the winner. But Test Score then gave that little bit extra. Everytime in the last 100m I said ‘Ok, I’ve got him’ he gave that little bit extra. Test Score is a very good horse.”
Gavin is not sure why an experienced horse like One Stripe, who had also seen the course before, would have been slightly spooked by that outward movement from the others at the top of the straight and he said, “You never really know, it could have been from what happened to him that time in the Sale race (The Big Cap where he was nearly stuck over the rail), but it could be anything.”
Gavin also mentioned part of One Stripe’s running style was to give himself a little breather before giving it his all in the straight.
He explained, “It is almost like he knows he is now going to give it all and he gives himself a little breather first. He switches off under you and then you have to just balance him up and then go for him. It is not ideal for a track with a short straight, but that is his running style.”
One of the highlights of the trip for Gavin was just being reunited with the former Vaughan Marshall-trained Drakenstein Stud-bred One World colt, on whom he had won four times from six starts in South Africa, including the prestigious Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate.
He said there was no doubt One Stripe was as pleased to see Gavin as Gavin was to see him. It was like the reunion of old friends.
Gavin said, “When I first started riding him I used to whistle to him to try and get him to relax. But he never really settled down. But then one day I picked up that his groom used to hum songs to him while he was grooming him. So I started doing that. Whenever I was on him I would hum and it was always to the tune of “Amazing Grace”. So on getting to his yard in the USA I went into his box and started humming ‘Amazing Grace’ and he looked up straight away.”
Gavin flew out on the Monday before the big race, so had plenty of time to do his homework.
He got to know the form and running styles of all of the opposition horses, and how fast each of them jumped, by watching at least three replays of every one of them.
He was not allowed to walk the course on the day of the race, so walked it on the Friday.
He usually walks a course alone, so said it was good to be able to do it together with Anthony Delpech as they were able to both give their thoughts.
He noticed the track cambers the whole way round and is always higher on the right hand side and cambers down to the inside rail.
He said, “They had had quite a bit of rain on the Thursday and when walking the track it was quite soft down the inside and it was slightly firmer towards the middle outside. I always had it in mind that I wanted to come down the middle.”
Gavin said, “Officially the track was firm on the day, but it was actually quite soft underneath, there was a lot of moisture under the surface. I think it’s probably the first time he’s run in conditions like that and he ran well, so he must have enjoyed it.”
Gavin watched all of the turf races on the day and otherwise spent a lot of time on the Equisizer.
He said, “The Equisizer had TV screens near it, so I was actually able to ‘ride a race’ on it while watching the live race!”
There was quite a big gathering in the parade ring for One Stripe.
Rikesh Sewgoolam was away in Australia, but Owen and Devin Heffer of Hollywood Racing were there together with the Kieswetters of Ridgemont Stud and Ridgemont’s stud manager Craig Carey and Anthony Delpech was obviously there too.
Gavin decribed the atmosphere as surreal and added, “It was truly amazing. It was surreal, but in the sense that we belonged there, One Stripe deserved his place there.”
He continued, “Honestly, I was very tuned in, I was very much ‘in the zone’. It was my first time around the track, but I was so tuned in that it felt like the race took five minutes, everything was just slow motion, I was really in a good space. If you’re not in the zone and it’s your first time at a track then it’s pretty much a blur. But I was so tuned in that the race honestly felt like it was five minutes long. It was like I was in a slow motion dream. It was lovely.”
The race did not pan out exactly as he would have liked.
He said, “My first plan was to get ahead of the number three horse. I did ask David Egan about three or four times throughout the day and he was adamant he was going to push forward, but I still wanted to get ahead of him.”
One Stripe pinged the gates to give Gavin a chance of fulfilling the first plan, but he quickly changed to Plan B.
He said, “It would have been a fight to get ahead of him and it’s always in the back of your mind, you don’t want him to over race, so I had to take the second option and have him relax instead of maybe lighting him up.”
He had to switch to a second plan later on to.
He said, “I was coming into the straight as tight as I could. It’s all split seconds, but I could see there was going to be no run going down the middle, or two or three out, and I did have to sweep around them. It just made it a little bit more difficult that once we were in the straight, those horses made that outward shift and he had a good look at it before he went.”
Once he was someway towards the outside Gavin did recognise that his one advantage was the track camber as he had One Stripe charging home on his outside foot at a horse that was at the bottom of the camber, so to speak.
Gavin thinks the favourite to be One Stripe’s next race will likely be the US$6 million Dubai Turf, which is over the exact same distance as the Pegasus World Cup Turf, one mile and one furlong.
He said, “It’s still all up in the air. We’ve got to see how he’s taken his run. Graham says he has taken the run well, but we’ve got to see how he goes over the next couple of weeks.”
There will be options in the USA for One Stripe if he avoids Dubai, but Gavin reckoned they would be races over 1800m to 2000m.
Legend Mike Bass Played His Part In Justin Snaith's Rise To Top
Picture: Two legends, Mike Bass and Pocket Power
Molly Fancies Sail The Seas For The WSB Met
Dave Mollett
As Justin Snaith readies his army for Saturday’s WSB Met at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, it’s interesting to recall the champion trainer spent a year under the tutorship of legend Mike Bass who won the Cape’s main race in four consecutive years (2007-2010).
No real surprise about that move as Justin’s father was a close friend of Mike Bass who retired in 2016. Mick Goss commented: “I’ve seen some professionals from around the world in my time. Mike is up there among the elite, both as a pro and human being.”
I was lucky enough to unearth an excellent article on Justin Snaith written by Nicci Garner in the Citizen in 2005 which was headlined “Justin Snaith’s Youthful Exuberance Gives An Old Sport A New Look.”
On Mike Bass, Justin said: “He’s one of the most talented trainers in South Africa. He is very meticulous and rarely makes a mistake. I gained a wealth of knowledge from him – patience and nursing a horse along so he can do his best and reach his full potential.”
“He also taught me the ‘training eye’, to know when a horse is looking great and ready to perform at its best.”
Prior to joining the Bass stable, Justin had a year with St John Gray. “My father said if I could put up with St John for a year, then I could handle any owner. He was a hard taskmaster, but I learnt an enormous amount from him.”
Even if Eight On Eighteen wins Saturday’s race and completes the treble in 2027, there is little doubt he will never be rated better than Pocket Power by racing fans. I was at Kenilworth for his three Met triumphs and the large crowd roared their approval like a Cup Final at Wembley.
Whether Eight On Eighteen has had the right preparation for Saturday’s race is up for debate – this will only be the four year-old’s second outing in six months. Many pundits don’t like horses in their second run after a rest. In fact, my view is that he might ease in the betting from his current price of 33.10.
What is not up for debate is that the final field of 11 runners is a disappointment – not only for racing fans but also betting operators.
Turf Talk has such a big following because it never sits on the fence. This has become clear with editor, David Thiselton, going into bat to combat the criticism of the small turnout on racing websites.
The day after the draw, David headlined the newsletter stating the race was “a true championship.” Then – on Thursday last week – he stated “Stop moaning and embrace a Met to savour.” Sweet music, indeed, to the race sponsor, World Sports Betting.
William Milkovitch, a regular contributor to the Sporting Post’s comments section, had this to say on the small field. “For an event that once stood as a defining moment on the Cape sporting calendar, the optics have been difficult to defend.”
He added: “People have been vocal and, in many cases, unforgiving, about a race that drew limited participation from outside the province and leaned heavily on runners from a single stable.”
So now we’ve got what we’ve got, who is going to take the Met’s first prize of R2 968 750?
Though he’s won three Durban Julys, Dean Kannemeyer is yet to win the Met. A year ago, he told Winning Form: “One doesn’t obsess over it, but alongside the Hollywoodbets Durban July and the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, the Met is an indelible part of the holy grail of the sport in this country and I don’t want to me looking back thirty years from now wondering why.”
Kannemeyer has a real chance of notching his first Met win with The Real Prince who has two big wins notched on his belt – the Hollywoodbets Durban July and L’Ormarins King’s Plate.Interestingly, both those wins were photo-finish victories – the former a neck and the latter a short-head.
The judge could be called in again on Saturday, but my gut feeling is that it will be Justin Snath doing the post-race interview and I’m in the corner of his Vercingetorix colt, Sail The Seas. No getting away from the fact he beat stablemate, Eight On Eighteen, by four lengths in the King’s Plate.
Muzi Yeni, who celebrated his 39th birthday last month, has built up a good partnership with Sail The Seas whom he rides for the fifth time in a row. Muzi was clearly in confident mood as he drew gate three in last week’s draw.
Regular Turf Talk followers will be well aware of Andrew Fortune’s bullish comments on the chance of See It Again, but he hasn’t won in his last seven races and has started in single figures in six of those seven starts. Fortune clearly believes he can win back punters’ hearts this time.
The sponsors have responded to this confidence by cutting the six year-old’s price to outright favourite at 5-2.
Okavango – racing in the same colours as See It Again – is definitely going in my trifecta as he seems to have come to his peak at just the right time and has talented Callan Murray doing the steering.
While both Gladatorian and Garrix are in the mix on their best form, the joker in the pack could be Sean Tarry’s runner, Cosmic Speed. It’s worth noting the four year-old had the worst draw in the King’s Plate but now jumps from pole position with Gavin Lerena in the irons. Worth recalling, too, that Tarry won the 2006 Met with 25-1 outsider, Alastor.
In my final analysis on Saturday’s race, my vote goes to Sail The Seas to beat See It Again, Eight On Eighteen and Okavango.
There are 12 races on the Kenilworth card providing plenty of opportunities for punters to find winners in the supporting events.
After Oisin Murphy rode Double Grand Slam in the Paddock Stakes, Andrew Fortune is back in the saddle on the nine-time winner who is certain to be sent off favourite for the Majorca Stakes. Presumably, Richard Fourie had the choice between stablemates Reet Petite and Mon Petit Cherie and has opted for the latter.
That leaves Gareth Wright riding three year-old, Reet Petite, for the first time and he’s got a major shout in this Gr 1 contest.
I’ve chosen three horses for a win and place treble at the meeting. They are O’Tenikwa (sixth race), Sail The Seas (eighth) and Smarten Up (12th). Should this trio win, my next column will be from the Caribbean!
Gladatorian Can Bounce Back In The Met
Gladatorian beats The Real Prince and See It Again in the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Stuart Ferrie is confident the WSB Met will pan out better for Gladatorian than the L’Ormarins King’s Plate did and he could not be happier with the six-year-old Vercingetorix gelding’s well-being.
He said, “He hasn’t put a foot wrong since he’s been down there, except for the last race, which was a disaster, although not him, it was just the way the De Kock pair ran that messed it up for him.”
He finished a 3,95 length seventh in the King’s Plate last time when running on late.
That was not a bad effort at all under the circumstances.
Stuart explained, “The field just became too far strung out. There is a good pace and then there is a stupid pace. We ended up 17 lengths back instead of ten lengths back. You can make up ground on bad horses, but good horses, it is hard to catch them because they can also go fast. So hopefully this time he will be a lot closer.”
Stuart pointed out that Gladatorian was in 13th place at the 300m mark and after that was “flying”, but it was too late to catch the leading few, who, because they are good horses, were able to keep up the gallop.
He added, “It wasn’t a bad run last time, it was just the way the race panned out.”
The smaller field will be in his favour as he should be closer to the leader when turning for home.
He is a horse who often gets there just too late, so it is likely no coincidence that is only Gr 1 win happened in a small field of seven.
The quality of the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup field that he beat was top drawer, but just having less ground to make up than usual aided his cause and he ate up the ground late to pass The Real Prince and See It Again. He also beat Fire Attack, Dave The King, Montien and Son Of Raj in that race.
Another point in his favour on Saturday is he has drawn well in four as opposed to his draw of nine out of 14 in the King’s Plate.
This will allow Sean Veale to relax him from the off and still find a position with cover, as opposed to a wide draw when some maneuvering is required.
Stuart said, “The way the talk is going there should be a nice pace on Saturday, not a stupid pace and if he can just be three-quarters of the way back instead of last there’s no reason why he can’t catch them.”
The only time Gladatorian raced beyond the 1800m of the Champions Cup was in the Hollywoodbets Durban July over 2200m, where he finished a five length seventh.
However, Stuart pointed out he had to carry topweight in that race.
He will now be 3,5kg better off with The Real Prince and that should put them almost together on paper.
Furthermore, he had draw 16 in the July compared to The Real Prince’s draw 5, and he is now in barrier position 4 while The Real Prince has draw 6, so he has a reversal of draw fortunes in his favour.
Gladatorian’s sire Vercingetorix won the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and the Gr 1 Jebel Hatta over 1800m and his dam Harvard Crimson was not only by July winner Dynasty but she won a Listed race over 2000m itself.
Furthermore, Gladatorian ran on exceptionally well when winning the Champions Cup, so all things considered he should easily get the Met’s 2000m trip.
Gladatorian was green around the turn in the Green Point, his first time on a left-handed track, but he was fine around the turn in the King’s Plate. Nevertheless, he would have benefited from two runs at the course.
Stuart rates See It Again as the horse to beat.
He said, “Eight On Eighteen had a bout of biliary and horses who have been sick, you never know how well they are even if they look well. If his biliary did not effect him, which none of us know as you never really know what is going on inside, then he is the one to beat. But if you told me I had to have a bet on a horse, I would have a bet on See It Again.”
He concluded, “Gladatorian should be about eight lengths closer to the pace on Saturday, even if he is sitting last, and his prep has gone smoothly.”
Bloomberg And Fourie's Insight Into WSB Met Day
Alistair Cohen hosts Robert Bloomberg and jockey Richard Fourie in a preview of Saturday’s World Sports Betting Cape Town Met card, where the thrill of elite horse racing converges with a multisensory celebration unlike any other.
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Step into a world elevated with fashion, performance, and immersive moments. We invite you to embrace the surrealist twist of elegance and dramatic flair, where every look is a masterpiece, and style races forward to the rhythm of opulence. Expect a seamless blend of style, spectacle, and sensory indulgence.
The 2026 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met: Where every stitch is a note, and every look a masterpiece. Don’t miss your moment to be part of Cape Town’s most stylish and unforgettable social event.
Secure your tickets now and prepare to compose your own masterpiece at the Symphony of Style!
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Austrian Beauty Could Stun Them
Austrian Beauty (closest) is quick and has a chance from pole position in the last over 1000m (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Andrew Harrison (Race Coast)
Punters face a tricky card on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly tomorrow and it may pay to tread carefully where the market forces may prove your best guide.
In the card opener and first leg of the Bi-Pot, Snow Queen ran well below form when making her KZN debut but was drawn wide and friendless in the market. Adam Azzie had his first winner in KZN and also in his own right as a trainer and this could be the follow-up. Predator’s Surprise was much improved last run and could finally be coming to hand and with a light weight she will be dangerous. Nebulous showed up well in her first local outing after showing some useful Cape form while Catrien has a wide draw and little Cape form to back any claims but is likely to improve.
In the second, Harpa was not far back last run but is capable of better and although she has a big weight she is capable in this line-up. Calli Bullet has made steady improvement and is lightly raced and her best recent effort has been on the poly. Miss Danon has shown up well in two sprints after returning from a break and will appreciate the step up in trip judge on her previous showings.
In the first leg of the Pick 6 Ms Galore takes on males but has been unlucky on a number of occasions and was touched off last run. Keagan de Melo should suit which is a bonus. Desert Dog has improved on the poly and although a well-beaten second last outing he should be a big runner. Light The Fire makes his poly debut and jumps in trip and is one to watch in the market.
In the fourth, The Mask is consistent and although he has a big weight he does get 4kg relief from the saddle. Master Silvano has not been too far back in two races since shedding his maiden. He is still lightly raced with some scope and gets first time blinkers. Professor Lupin started favourite last run but was touched off by L’Ultima who was rewarded for consistent recent form. Alyson Wright’s grey is 1kg better off in the handicap and can turn the tables.
The fifth is another tricky handicap but Rafiki has been touched off at his last two on the poly. He is down in class on his last run and if holding form he will be a big runner. The Gliding Fish has been making steady progress and from the best of the draw he should be a contender although his best recent form has been on the turf. Ultra Quick is never far back and loves the poly while Lou The Legend is another that enjoys the poly and was touched off last run
Dapper is long overdue another win as he is hardly ever out of the money. He has the best of the draw over an ideal trip and could break the ice. Prince Of Troy started at long odds first run after his debut win but this extra should suit and he does look progressive. Parmenion is over his best course and distance and with a 2.5kg claimer aboard he should be competitive while Charlie Croker has a wide draw but steady Cape form. He has a fair weight but one to include in all exotics.
In the seventh, there are many in with chances in a wide open handicap but Magic Surprise is down in class and was touched off on the poly last time out. Grand Appeal was touched off late run and the drop back in trip should not be an issue. They take on a field of well exposed older horses and should run a big race. Rafa’s Boy steps up in trip but has good form on the poly and should be competitive. Alyson Wright has a host of veteran campaigners best of which may be Ibutho with his 4kg claimer aboard but stable companions Fate Of Fortune and Winter Waves are both in with chances.
Austrian Beauty could round off the day as she is quick and back over her preferred trip. She has a smart claiming apprentice aboard and should run a good race from the best of the draw. Grand Force started favourite last run but was upstaged by long-shot stable companion Axis Power. Things should turn around. Of the balance, Time In Paris has been coming on nicely and should be competitive while Trafalgar Square goes well over course and distance and can go one better in another open affair.
Doubles For Zackey, Yeni and Bronkhorst
Gaslight Dancer gives both Muzi Yeni and Fanie Bronkhorst individual doubles on the day (JC Photos)
Craig Zackey rode a double at the Vaal Classic track meeting to go further clear in the Jockeys Championship.
Muzi Yeni also rode a double and Fanie Bronkhorst was the only double scorer among the trainers.
Zackey has now had 137 wins in the season at a strike rate of 17.39% and he is 29 wins clear of Richard Fourie.
Yeni is in third place on the log on 75 wins at 11.45% , although Calvin Habib and Callan Murray are hard on his heels with 74 and 73 wins respectively.
Bronkhorst is on 19 wins at 6.81%.
Romantic Son Has A Lot In His Favour
Romantic Son has been tipped to win the seventh race (HKJC)
At The Races tipster Tim Carroll hit a winning Placepot on Sunday, and has another online for Happy Valley on Wednesday where the racing starts at 12H40 SA Time.
This Wednesday sees a competitive nine-race card from Happy Valley and the final three races of the meeting are all Class 3 contests with race 8, the O’Brien Handicap, over 9-furlongs, offering prize money of more than £200,000.
Now onto this week’s selections.
Click here for a comprehensive guide to the meeting
Today's Question
Who was Henry Cecil referring to when he said in 1997 “[name] is the best horse I have ever trained.”?
The picture is of the subject
FIELDS, Wednesday, 28 January
Today’s Question Answer
Bosra Sham ran ten times and won seven races. Bosra Sham won several important races including the Group One 1000 Guineas and the Champion Stakes in 1996, a year in which she was awarded the title of European Champion Three-Year Old Filly, and she was one of the highest-rated fillies of modern times.
