It is the stuff of fairytales as Nick Jonsson leads in See It Again in the company of two legends, Piere Strydom in the saddle and Hall Of Famer Michael Roberts alongside. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Another Halcyon Day For Both Drakenstein And Jonsson

See It Again landed Nick Jonsson the 13th Gr 1 win of his ownership career when winning Saturday’s Daily News 2000 at Hollywoodbets Greyville and the horse clinched a Gr 1 double on the day for breeders Drakenstein Stud.

Jonsson has had his own colours since 1990, but his Gr 1 wins have all come in the last five years, so to call his rise to a top echelon owner meteoric would be an understatement.

That sort of success rate is unusual even for big spenders, but it is no fluke as he is a fine horseman in his own right.

His current stars will likely be replaced by new stars, one of whom could well be Rapidash, a Danon Platina colt who won the first race over 1200m on Saturday in impressive fashion.

This colt has plenty of substance, but appeared beaten going through the 200m mark. However, the penny dropped late and he powered home to an eyecatching win under Richard Fourie.

Jonsson said afterwards it was plain to see he would get much better than that run as he had been green and looking around in the straight.

He said he had liked everything about this colt at the sale, including the pedigree and admitted to having bought a number of Danon Platinas.

This sire’s standing is increasing rapidly and he has already had eleven individual winners.

This does not surprise Jonsson, who said he had not been in the slightest bit worried about his slow start

He said, “The first three months of a sire’s career is meaningless. I have a July winner and the July favourite and they both only started racing as late two-year-olds. The best horses only start racing at around that time.”

Jonsson played a part in Drakenstein being the breeders of See It Again.

He received a phone call a few years ago from a breeder informing him that their Visionaire mare Supreme Vision, a twice-winning half-sister to Jonsson’s dual July-winning Twice Over gelding Do It Again, was in foal to Twice Over. The resultant foal would therefore be a three-parts brother to Do It Again and would he be interested in buying the mare.

Not being a breeder, Nick offered an amount they didn’t accept, but he did alert Drakenstein Stud of the potential buy and they followed up.

He later bought the resultant foal, See It Again, at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale of 2021 for a mere R120,000.

See It Again provided Drakenstein with an incredible 28th stakes win this season, achieved by 17 individuals which is one shy of the record for individual stakes winners in a season they set last year.

Michael Roberts happened to be walking past at the time Nick signed for See It Again. Nick stopped him and gave him the release ticket and said, “Here I’ve bought you a horse.”

That was the first verse of a story that would be written off as too far fetched if it was a fairytale.

Hall Of Fame jockey Roberts will be out to join a small band of elite, that includes Syd Garrett, David Payne and Bert Abercrombie, who have won the July both as jockey and trainer and partnering him in the bid will be another legend in Piere Strydom, who will be out to score a record-equalling fifth July as well as becoming the oldest, at age 56, to ride a winner.

It is well documented how Strydom made a comeback last year after an eye retina problem in order to just accumulate eleven more winners to reach a career 5,500 tally.

He reached that figure but big rides came along, causing him to delay retirement.

However, nobody could have foretold he would be in this position.

At present See It Again is outdoing Do It Again as he will go into the July on the back of victory in the Gr 1 Splashout Cape Derby, second place in the Gr 2 WSB Guineas and victory in Saturday’s Gr 1 Daily News 2000.

However, when it was suggested to Jonsson he might be even better than Do It Again he replied, “Do It Again is the best horse I have ever owned … I will never own a horse as good as him.”

See It Again put to bed Strydom’s fears that he was not suited to Hollywoodbet Greyville due to his habit of starting slowly and what he had previously believed to be a tendency to take a while to get going in the straight.

He said he had niggled at him down the back straight when he feared he might be too far back and the response had been instantaneous, so he knew the machine was fine tuned on this occasion.

In the running See It Again was stuck behind Without Question, who is also owned by Jonsson, and the latter was detached from the front few.

However, Strydom need not have been anxious because See It Again showed a fine turn of foot to overtake Without Question and it was soon apparent he would catch the pacemaker Dave The King.

The latter rolled on well but was a touch one-paced and See It Again had fetched him by the 100m mark.

He won easing up by 0,70 lengths.

Without Question stayed on well to be beaten two lengths.

Cousin Casey was beaten 2,30 lengths and was a touch disappointing as his turn of foot does not appear to be as devastating as it was as a two-year-old, although the opposition is of course a lot stronger. He did take a bump from Without Question too, which caused the stipendiary stewards to object on his behalf.

Shoemaker ran on to be beaten 3,70 lengths but looks unlikely to make the July final field.

See It Again is unlikely to be raised from his 124 merit rating and Dave The King should remain on 122, but Without Question might get a point raise from 119 to 120.

As things stand See It Again will be well in in the July weights.

With Do It Again and Safe Passage joint-highest rated on 124, See It Again would carry 58kg in a true handicap as things stand, but he will come down 1kg to the maximum weight for a three-year-old of 57kg, so will carry the same weight as Dave The King and Cousin Casey, while Without Question will carry 56kg (if he does get raised to 120).

The Charlie Johnston-trained Dubai Mile will be ridden by Daniel Muscutt in the Epsom Derby on Saturday. (Racing TV)

“Nothing In Derby Which Scares Me” Says Young Yorkshire Trainer

Daniel Muscutt out to make history by becoming the first African-born jockey to win the Derby and his mount is attempting to become the first Northern England-based Derby winner since Dante won it at the wartime venue of Newmarket in 1945.

Dave Mollett

A confession ahead of this month’s column about Saturday’s Betfred Derby at Epsom – it contains bias.

Being Yorkshire-born, I am going to suggest that punters have a serious each-way punt on the Yorkshire-trained runner, Dubai Mile.

What has really got me interested in the colt who finished fifth in the 2000 Guineas is a podcast interview with trainer, Charlie Johnston.

He said: “There’s nothing in there (the Derby) which scares me. I believe the 14-1 and 16-1 on offer underestimates his chances,” said the young man who took over the reins of the Middleham stable from his father last year.

How punters wish SA trainers would come out with such bold comments instead of trotting out the usual “may need the experience” or “likely to be green.”

“The Derby picture looks wide open and Dubai Mile has two factors in his favour. He handles any ground so that is no concern and he has the temperament to handle the occasion,” said Johnston. This is perhaps a reference to the animal rights protesters, who delayed the Grand National, and have warned they have another demonstration planned for Epsom.

Johnston has booked 27 year-old Daniel Muscutt – son of SA trainer Peter Muscutt – to ride Dubai Mile and says “his inexperience in the Derby doesn’t concern me.”

“Confidence is the most important factor when it comes to jockeys and without a shadow of doubt Daniel will have more confidence in this horse than anyone else we could get to ride him.”

“While I don’t like to say the 2000 Guineas was a trial, our horse hit the line strong and will improve a lot by stepping up to a mile and a half in the Derby,” added the Middleham trainer.

One jockey Danny Muscutt will be expecting to throw down a challenge is Oisin Murphy who rides Dante Stakes victor, The Foxes.

Having apparently won his battle with alcoholism which resulted in a 14-month ban, Murphy has quickly got back amongst the winners and predicts a big run from Andrew Balding’s three year-old.

“We were thrilled with him at Newmarket – he obviously improved from the Craven. In the Dante, I counted for a few seconds before I asked him to go and he ran on like a really exciting horse,” said Murphy who won the 1000 Guineas on Mawj.

“He’s easy to ride, relaxes brilliantly and you couldn’t ask for a nicer character. They’ve done a great job with him at home – he’s very chilled so I’m really looking forward to riding him,” he added.

“We don’t really know until raceday if he’ll stay the extra two furlongs because he does most of his work over six furlongs. But it was a truly run Dante that he won and it’ll be nice finding out.” The Foxes is a 10-1 chance in ante post betting.

Probably the best result for Epsom officials and the new sponsors, would be a third Derby win for Frankie Dettori at his last Derby meeting before his retirement in November. The race hasn’t been easy to win for the legendary rider with his two victories coming on Authorized (2007) and Golden Horn (2015).

Frankie is due to ride Chester Vase winner, Arrest, the 5-1 third favourite. He said: “I’m very fortunate I’ve won two and it’s still the most famous race in the world. At least I’m going into my last year with a great chance.”

Dettori feels that Passenger – likely to be supplemented at a cost of 85 000 pounds – may be the horse to beat. “For me he was the eyecatcher of the Derby trials.”

****************

So a double taking Dubai Mile to run a place into the July looks the way to go – but which horse in the famous Greyville race?

If you look beyond See It Again, it’s a confusing picture though I do hold a 20-1 (each-way) ticket on Rascallion with bookmaker Lance Michael.

Without Question, who drifted from 33-10 to 6-1 for the Daily News, looks useful but no world-beater and Dave The King will have Gary Player dreaming of a 10th Major.

There are just no happy endings with Cousin Casey and in the betting shop I visited on Saturday (because of loadshedding) the majority of punters were in the corner of Glen Kotzen’s runner. Last season’s champion juvenile received a bump from Without Question and – in my opinion – the third and fourth placings should have been reversed.

Billy Bowlegs (22-1), second to Son Of Raj in the Derby, was on my shortlist until the latter’s no show in the Daily News.

Andrew Bon tipped me Jimmy Don (35-1) at the Highveld awards and I put this down to him enjoying the red wine! What you can say is that Erico Verdonese’s colt did wonderfully to finish second in the SA Classic considering he was drawn in the Rand Stadium.

Winchester Mansion (25-1) remains a possible longshot as what appeals about his chance is that he’s a winner over 2400m. Terrance Millard always maintained you need a mile and a half horse to win the July.

S’Manga Khumalo returns to the winner’s enclosure on Rain In Holland (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Rain In Holland’s Sweet Woolavington Triumph

Some Hard Luck Stories In The Gr 1 Event Too

“You only get one chance at a classic,” is an oft heard statement in racing and so Rain In Holland’s scratching from last season’s Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 after her mere entry had chased many potential runners away would have been a bitter pill to swallow.

However, she got a second bite at the cherry when the race was opened to older fillies and mares this season and on Saturday she proved once and for all that the procedure to solve an entrapped epiglottis that she had to have at the end of last season has been a success.

The procedure does have a high success rate, but many pundits felt she had run below par in the first half of the season and thus ignored that her three-year-old season showed that she tends to need a bit of racing to reach her peak.

The old combination of Sean Tarry and S’Manga Khumalo tasted Grade 1 glory together for the second time this season.

Khumalo will be favourite to partner Rain In Holland in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.

However, she will have to shoulder 58kg as things stand, which is 3kg more than Igugu’s record weight carrying performance for a female July winner, although it is just 1kg more if weight for age is taken into account.

Khumalo’s agent Monty Mariemuthoo mentioned the weight when asked whether Rain In Holland would be the twice July-winning jockey’s ride in the big one, but said she was an option and added they would have to commit to a ride soon or risk losing out, because at present it looked like most rides would be going to jockeys attached to the relevant stables.

Rain In Holland was drawn in pole on Saturday and Khumalo got the Drakenstein homebred daughter of Duke Of Marmalade in to a handy position.

In the straight, going for a run down the inside, she steadily wound up and then took off when it counted in the last hundred metres to win by a cosy 1,30 lengths from the progressive Brett Crawford-trained Hollywood Syndicate-owned Time Flies.

Last year’s winner Silver Darling ran on well for third ahead of the unlucky Hold My Hand and Marina finished fifth.

Hold My Hand sat in last and went for a rails run in the straight and found her path continually blocked. When she did finally find a gap she ran on strongly to be beaten only 2,50 lengths.

Sixth-placed Gilded Butterfly came into the straight at the back and went down the centre looking to be under a double handful. However, a gap closed on her at a crucial stage.

Peach Dacquiri was caught wide the whole way but could have earned if not squeezed out close to home by a shifting outward Rain In Holland and a shifting inward Time Flies.

Saartjie was caught without cover one out and one back and was then squeezed out when pacemaker Ice Sunsation came off the false rail at a slightly outward angle, whilst Peach Dacquiri on the outside made a beeline for the finish.

Tarry said he knew the rest were in trouble when seeing Khumalo before the race.

Having partnered with him for many Grade 1s he can tell when the “Bling” energy is at its peak.

Tarry said when having a top horse like Rain In Holland it became a real team effort and he thanked his staff as well as Drakenstein Stud for entrusting him with their superstar homebred.

Rain In Holland has now won eleven races and she took Drakenstein’s tally of stakes wins this season, with 17 individuals, to an amazing 28.

Drakenstein also narrowed the gap on the Hollywood Syndicate in the intriguing race for the national owners title. After the weekend’s racing, the defending champions were less than R7,000 behind Hollywood.

Rain In Holland got a second bite at the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 due to a conditions change to include older fillies and mares and she was awarded the victor’s bridle (Candiese lenferna Photography).

Was Changing Woolavington Conditions The Right Move?

Most were happy with the decision after seeing the quality of the field.

However, one man who disagreed strongly was trainer Stuart Pettigrew. whose older filly Gilded Butterfly was one of the most unlucky runners in the race.

Pettigrew, when spoken to afterwards and agreeing she was unlucky, added, “There is now no longer a three-year-old Grade 1 in KZN and there would have been plenty of three-year-olds who would have taken part, including Feather Boa.”

There is a three-year-old Grade 1 in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m respectively.

Pettigrew felt the decision to change the Woolavington conditions to allow older horses in was a “disgrace”.

He decided to leave Feather Boa at home.

She is by Flower Alley, whose progeny tend to continually progress, just like Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg winner Gilded Butterfly has.

Winning trainer Sean Tarry admitted after the race he had originally earmarked a three-year-old for the race and he must have been talking about Bless My Stars, who beat Feather Boa by a short-head in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m. However, in the end Tarry, like Pettigrew, only ran one older horse, the winner Rain In Holland.

In the first seven finishers on Saturday, only fourth-placed Hold My Hand was a three-year-old and in the last seven finishers only one was an older horse.

However, those same three-year-olds might well do better in this race next year as stronger and more experienced four-year-olds.

Saturday’s race was a particularly rough one, which could possibly have been another reason the older fillies and mares fared better.

Gareth van Zyl leads in Sea Master after he had won the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)

Ant Mgudlwa Produces The Goods Again

Athandiwe Mgudlwa produced a fine front-running ride on the Gareth van Zyl-trained Master Of My Fate five-year-old gelding Sea Master to win Saturday’s Gr 1 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville at odds of 33/1.

Sea Master was bred by Varsfontein Stud and is owned by Laura de Haast.

Mgudlwa looked to be a jockey of great promise when riding the Jackpot one day early in his career.

He went off the boil for a few years though and was not very much in favour.

However, astute and loyal trainer Van Zyl has shown faith in him recently and Mgudlwa has paid him back.

The latter is growing in confidence and he looks likely to become as solid a part of the Van Zyl team as Warren Kennedy was.

The Lonsdale was a boil over because 33/1 shot Raiseahalleluja finished second.

Former SA Derby winner Aragosta ran a good 0,60 length third carrying topweight.

Grooms displaying cheques received at the Retirement lunch (Gold Circle)

Retiring Grooms Receive Pay Outs From Investment Scheme

At a historic lunch celebration held on Thursday 25 May at the Summerveld Training Centre, five recently retired grooms, Messrs S Gelede, M Jwala, M Ngilana, Q Zwelilfikile and Z Yebula, and a former assistant trainer to David Payne and Gavin Van Zyl, Opensea Mhlamvu, were presented with their retirement pay outs in front of a large jubilant contingent of more than 500 grooms employed in the Kwa-Zulu Natal racing industry.

The investment for retirement scheme was initiated by the KZNOTA benevolent fund board and strongly endorsed by the Gold Circle board whereby an amount of R4.5m was set aside to kick start this momentous scheme, a first of its kind in the country. Grooms who are employed in the racing industry in KZN were allocated various amounts of seed capital based on their age and length of service in the province.

Dr Manfred Rohwer, a board member of Gold Circle who is fluent in both IsiZulu and IsiXhosa presided as MC. In attendance were the Chairperson of KZN Grooms Association, Ernest (Rasta) Jalybane, supported by his entire committee, Gold Circle CEO, Michel Nairac, (also a member of the KZNOTA board), Tony Rivalland, Chairman of KZNOTA, along with fellow directors, Paul Lafferty (Chairman of the KZN trainers Association) and Raf Sheik, Racing Executive for Gold Circle.

Jalybane, who was also celebrating his birthday, was presented with a wonderful framed gift, fittingly celebrating African tradition on the occasion of Africa Day which symbolises unity and commitment to peace and development on the continent.

Tony Rivalland, one of the main drivers of this investment initiative, thanked the grooms for their attendance and support and assured them of the benefits of their participation which would ultimately provide a financial pay out to them through the contributions of both the trainers and themselves, not only in retirement but also as an investment in their future should they wish to exit the industry for any reason, provided they have contributed in terms of the rules. He concluded by reminding all grooms that the allocation of seed capital would conclude at the end of June, as the deadline had already been extended a number of times. He also thanked Mr Preggie Somasundram, a leading owner in the province, for his generosity in sponsoring all meals and drinks for this occasion.

Prior to lunch being served there was much jubilation among the grooms as a lucky draw comprising of ten R1000 cash prizes sponsored by Gold Circle concluded the ceremony.

The subject of the question pictured above (Picture: Sports Illustrated)

Today’s Question

Who is the only USA Triple Crown winner to retire unbeaten?

Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Vaal Classic Fields, Tuesday

Justify after winning the Preakness (Wikipedia).

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

Justify (foaled March 28, 2015) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is known for being the thirteenth winner of the American Triple Crown.

He also was the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without racing as a two-year-old.

Justify first attracted attention with a win in his debut race on February 18, 2018. He followed up with two more victories, including the Grade One Santa Anita Derby that qualified him for the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Justify then won that race and the 2018 Preakness Stakes and 2018 Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown. He was retired undefeated several weeks after the Belmont and became the only American Triple Crown winner who was never beaten in his entire career.

Justify is only the second horse to win the American Triple Crown with an undefeated record, following Seattle Slew, from whom Justify is descended. Other Justify ancestors include Secretariat, Count Fleet, War Admiral, Omaha, and Gallant Fox, all of whom also won the American Triple Crown. He is also a descendant of English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky. Of the 13 American Triple Crown winners, Justify is the first who did not race as a two-year-old.

On September 11, 2019, it was revealed via The New York Times that Justify tested positive for scopolamine, a banned substance that can be performance enhancing, in excess of what is normally found in tainted feed. The positive came just a few days after the Santa Anita Derby and would have normally resulted in a disqualification but the California Horse Racing Board ultimately dismissed the case.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 29 May, 2023