* Turf Talk Readers Please Note There Will Be no Newsletter on Thursday 31 August and Friday 1 September *

Sponsor Ensures Spring Feature Stakes Increases In 4Racing Jurisdictions

Big Sponsor Commits To “Spring Series”

Today, leading global online betting and gaming brand Betway and 4Racing are springing into the Summer season, with an exciting collaboration that will see Betway sponsor 13 race days on the Highveld and Eastern Cape, which includes exciting bonus incentives and stakes increases.

The Betway Spring Series sponsorship of 13 race meetings kicks off this Friday 1 September at Fairview with the Betway Jockey Club Stakes and concludes with the Joburg Spring Challenge at Turffontein on 7 October 2023, creating a fun ‘Spring into Summer’ Series leading up to the showpiece R5 million 2023 Betway Summer Cup at Turffontein on Saturday 25 November 2023.

Betway have also agreed to sponsor the Gr3 Graham Beck on the Allied Steelrode On A Mission Charity Mile race day on Saturday 28 October, while Betway will also be headline sponsors of the Victory Moon Stakes race day on Saturday 5 November.

The selected Eastern Cape race meetings Betway are sponsoring, with increased stakes are as follows:

Friday 1 September 2023

Listed Betway Jockey Club Stakes

Increased from R150 000 to R200 000

Friday 8 September 2023

Listed Betway Speedster Stakes

Increased from R175 000 to R200 000

Friday 22 September 2023

NBT Betway Friendly City Stakes

Increased from R175 000 to R200 000

Friday 6 October 2023

NBT Betway Craddock Place Stakes

Increased from R175 000 to R200 000

In addition, courtesy of Betway the owner of the first locally-trained horse home in these four Eastern Cape races receives an additional R35 000, while the trainer of the first locally-trained horse home in these races will receive a R15 000 bonus.

On the Highveld, the first Betway-sponsored race day will be the Betway Spring Spree Stakes this Saturday 2 September, which has seen stakes increased from R400 000 to R550 000.

Stakes for the Gr2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge on Saturday 7 October 2023 will be increased from R400 000 to R550 000 and the Gr2 Betway Joburg Spring F&M Challenge increased from R300 000 to R450 000.

For the Highveld race meetings at the Vaal and Turffontein on 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 26 and 28 September, Betway will also give an incentive bonus of R5 000 to the winning trainer of every race.

The selected Highveld race meetings sponsored by Betway, with increased stakes are:

Saturday 2 September 2023

Listed Betway Spring Spree Stakes

Increased from R175 000 to R250 000

NBT Betway Lady’s Stakes

Increased from R150 000 to R175 000

Saturday 7 October 2023

Betway Spring Challenge

Increased from R400 000 to R550 000

Gr2 Betway Joburg Spring F&M Challenge

Increased from R300 000 to R450 000.

“We are delighted to have Betway on board for the Spring season as we build up to what is sure to be a massive 2023 Betway Summer Cup this year. We are also really thrilled that Betway’s sponsorship of the 4Racing Spring season allows for significant stakes increases in their sponsored races and incentives for both the Eastern Cape and on the Highveld. Betway’s sponsorship and integration with the Tote is a major boost for the industry and really gives us the perfect springboard to leap into what is set to be an exciting Summer season for punters,” said Gabriel Soma, 4Racing Head of Racing Operations.

“We are extremely excited by the opportunity to further demonstrate our commitment in supporting the horse racing industry and all its various stakeholders. We have decided to increase the stakes of selected races, as well as offer bonuses to both the owners and trainers on selected race days, as well as a special bonus for the first locally trained horse in the Eastern Cape. We feel this is the perfect way to increase the excitement and interest in the Spring Series as we build up to the 2023 Betway Summer Cup,” said Betway’s Jonathan Blumberg.

“We are striving to do all we can for the industry as a whole, not only with the increase in stakes and the additional bonuses. The increase in the Betway Summer Cup stakes to R5 million is a true reflection of this. We have a few things up our sleeve for this year’s Summer Cup and this will be released to the public in due course,” Blumberg added.

This important collaboration with 4Racing is an extension of the existing relationship with Betway and the augmented stakes and associated bonuses are designed to add interest and excitement to the Highveld season.

ENDS

For any media inquiries contact Jermaine Craig at JermaineC@4racing.com or on 0832010121.

The first Princess Charlene Of Monaco Foundation Water Bike Challenge took place in 2017 on the French Riviera (Picture: seemonaco.com)

“Striker” To Represent Horseracing In Sun City’s Water Bike Challenge

The legendary Piere “Striker” Strydom will represent horseracing in the “Water Bike Challenge” put on by the Princess Charlene Of Monaco Foundation South Africa.

The event takes place at Sun City on Saturday 16 September and involves riding a floating bicycle on a lake.

Former winners of the event Ryk Neethling and Percy Montgomery are two other contestants in what will be a field of celebrities.

To date the foundation’s Water Bike Challenge events have been staged on the French Riviera, with the inaugural event being a 21 km race from Nice to Monaco.

2017 : Nice – Monaco
2018 : Port of Monaco
2020 : The Crossing : Calvi – Monaco
2022 : Port of Monaco

The Water Bike Challenge regularly attracts VIPs and sporting stars.

Ryk Neethling is the CEO of the foundation.

The cause is to raise awareness of the dangers of water and to raise funds for the foundation’s water safety and drowning prevention programmes.

Under the leadership of HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, the Foundation is dedicated to transforming lives through swimming and water safety education.

Piere is currently down in Cape Town putting some finishing touches to the Air B&B he and his wife Chrisna bought in Constantia. He said the amount of bookings had taken them by surprise so they were ensuring everything would be in pristine condition before the plentitude of guests arrived.

Piere will continue race riding when he returns to the Highveld shortly.

“Striker” had some time to reminisce during the interview.

He said his nickname was given in the 1980s by a racing journalist in the East Cape called “Rob Roy” and it was due to his habit of coming from last and winning by short-head margins.

Piere recalled invariably getting uo in the close finishes and hence Rob Roy accorded him the nickname “Striker”.

Piere recalled the number of winners he rode after arriving in the Highveld were so plentiful he finished second in the Transvaal championship in his first season despite not having been there for a full season.

He mentioned the old adage “any publicity is good publicity”, because he actually first hit the headlines on the Highveld through a ride that got him in to hot water.

In a feature race he came from last on the Robert Maroun-trained Westridge to cross the line first, but the horse had hung from the outside to the inside and taken out half the field. Westridge was disqualified and placed last.

However, by the beginning of the 1990s Piere was so popular with punters that when he became the first and only ever rider to ride the Pick 6 on July 14, 1990, the dividend was a paltry R89. He recalled arriving that day and not being overly confident of a good meeting as there were one or two of his mounts who were initially fairly long prices. He recalled a winner oo two of that Pick 6 being trained by Spike Lerena.

That day was one of two occasions he has ridden seven winners at a meeting and he said he always reminded Frankie Dettori of that fact whenever he saw him (because of course the latter attained legendary status when riding the perfect seven at Ascot one day (“The Magnificent Seven”)).

A good trick question for racing trivia would be, “Has any jockey in SA ever ridden the winner of six successive carded races in South Africa?”

Most who knew about Piere’s Pick 6 feat would automatically answer “Yes”, but in fact the answer is “No” because the famous match race between Divine Act and Brainteaser took place that same day in between the Pick 6 races and Piere was on the defeated Brainteaser.

He recalled Brainteaser to be a horse who was quick out of the gates and had plenty of pace. Nevertheless Divine Act, who had won his debut by 15,25 lengths when showing blistering pace throughout, was expected to lead in the match race. So when Piere heard Divine Act’s jockey Charles van Booma cursing as they jumped because the saddle had slipped backwards he felt he might have a chance of keeping the latter at bay by taking the lead over the quick Gosforth Park 1000m. However, Divine Act made up the ground steadily despite the saddle slip and entering the final stages clearly still had plenty in hand. Divine Act then drew away effortlessly to win by 5,25 lengths. The winner was the outsider of the pair, not surprisingly with “Striker” aboard the other one.

Piere could not recall his first feature winner but believed his first Gr 1 win was on Yardmaster on December 31, 1988.

Yardmaster became the first Highveld raider to win the Queen’s Plate in decades and did it for Owners David & Martha Makins and Joe Gore, Trainer Tobie Spies, Assistant Danny Gonzalves, Jockey Pierre Strydom and Groom Johannes Dlamini.

Part-owner Ashwin Reynolds shows his gratitude to Cala Muretta after she had won the Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante (Candiese Lenferna).

Cala Muretta To Start Campaign In Diana Stakes

Listed Devon Air Stakes winner Secret Identity is being rested on the farm and will be returning to her Milnerton yard at the end of this week to join her Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante-winning contemporary Cala Muretta.

Trainer Michelle Rix had only had the ex-Ashley Fortune-trained Varsfontein Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight filly Cala Muretta for four weeks when she won the Debutante over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

She said, “I thought she would run a place. Whatever we had asked her to do she gave it to us. She’s quite a game little filly, there is a lot to look forward to and she will go further.”

The yard is going to start Cala Muretta off in the Gr 3 Diana Stakes over 1400m on September 30 at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.

Secret Identity had no luck with draws in Durban and after running on superbly to win the Devon Air from draw 14 she ran on well for third from draw eleven in the BSA Cup before running unplaced from draw 12 in the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes over 1600m.

The Ridgemont-bred Canford Cliffs filly should also get some ground.

Michelle said, “I think she will go 2000m eventually, but at this stage a mile to 1800m. We’ll aim her for the Cape Fillies Guineas, being very hopeful. She’s a very nice filly, she’s just got to grow into herself now. It’s a long season , so we’ll ease her into the summer season.”

Among the yard’s three-year-colt prospects she mentioned Elusive Winter, a Klawervlei Stud-bred Westward Bloodstock Ltd-owned Captain Of All colt, who won over 1000m on debut before being unplaced in the Gr 3 Winter Nursery.

Secret Identity is owned by Ashwin Reynolds and he part-owns Cala Mureta in partnership with Dylan Chinsammy.

Reynolds became a household name as owner of July winner Kommetdieding, who will be beginning his stud duties soon on the farm where he was born and brought up, Klawervlei Stud.

Unbeaten Sovereign State being led in after his second career victory today (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Sovereign State Makes It Two From Two

The Frank Robinson-trained Sandown Stud-bred Sovereign State confirmed his classic promise at Hollywoodbets Greyville today by winning the Sherrif’s Star Conditional Novice over 1600m despite carrying topweight.

The Visionaire gelding impressed on debut when coming from an impossible position to beat a hot field over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

He is out of a Fort Wood mare and his third dam is a half-sister to Durban July winner Royal Chalice, so Frank took the bold step of putting him over 1600m in just his second career start in today’s polytrack meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

He was accorded a 92 merit rating after his debut and faced just four other runners today, including three other sophomores who were rated from 81 to 90.

Robert Khathi retained the ride and Sovereign State only went off as joint second favourite at 33/10 because the money came for Canford Ice, who when stepped up to 1600m in his fifth start won by 5,80 lengths.

Khathi initially relaxed the bay at the back of the field before switching him out to run one out and one back with cover.

Sovereign State was green in the straight but when asked to fetch the horse whoi looked the winner, Purpleninjaturtle, he stretched out to win by a neck.

Frank said, “I asked Robert to ride him confidently because he is a good horse, so he sat a bit quietly and he was also a bit green as well. But top horses can get away with it and he just had to give him one smack and he took off again, so you can’t ask for more than that. I haven’t done a lot with him since his last win, but he’s going to be a top horse I’m sure.”

Frank will give him one more run before taking him up to the Highveld to run in the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m on October 28 and the Gr 2 Dingaans over 1600m on November 25.

Sovereign State is owned by a big supporter of the Robinson yard, Sid Moodley, and the latter also owns two other promising three-year-olds in Star Of The Future and Mexican Pete.

Mexican Pete won by 2,50 lengths on debut over 1400m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly.

However, Frank is particularly excited about Star Of The Future and said, “He ran second in a 1000 and he’s a Futura! One more stride he would have won. He’s a magnificent horse … big horse … strong horse … he could be anything.”

Sid Moodley has about 15 three-year-olds and 15 two-year-olds with Frank and the ones who have come out to date all look decent.

Frank said, “When you buy a lot of horses you can get some that are not too good, so thank goodness they all seem alright.”

Sid’s young string have made such a good start that the Robinson yard find themselves in joint second-place in the KZN Trainers championship with six wins achieved at a high strike rate of 37.50%.

Bright Blue Sky draws away from Veldskoen to win at odds of 50/1 under Anthony Andrews at Hollywoodbets Durbanville today (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Gareth van Zyl Gets Off The Mark In Hot Class 4 Event

Gareth van Zyl has big ambitions in Cape Town and he has got off to a good start with two seconds and a win with his first five runners in this new campaign.

The first win came quite unexpectedly today as the Jay Peg gelding Bright Blue Sky won a hotly contested class 4 event over 1250m at odds of 50/1 under Anthony Andrews.

The four-year-old gelding certainly did not look like a 50/1 shot as he mowed down a couple of big names in the final stages.

The favourite was Boogiefied, an Andre Nel-trained Sabine Plattner Australian homebred by USA Triple Crown winner Justify.

In the closing stages Boogiefied was being mastered by the promising sort Veldskoen when Bright Blue Sky swooped.

The gelding had been superbly placed by Andrews in a handy position from a tricky draw of seven and got a nice tow into the straight by Veldskoen.

He overtook the latter with big strides in the shadow of the post to win by 0,40 lengths.

Boogiefied finished a disappointing sixth.

4Racing’s flaship racecourse, Turffontein Standside (Picture: www.gautengsummercup.co.za).

A New QuickMix Option Added

TAB4Racing is delighted to announce that its range of QuickMix bets has been expanded with the addition of a daily BiPot QuickMix.

QuickMix bets add a new dimension to multi-race wagers like the Jackpot and Place Accumulator because races from different meetings are combined to enable bets to be completed much quicker than on a single race meeting.

The BiPot QuickMix will mostly comprise a combination of South African and international races and will normally commence on the third-last race at the local meeting.

The daily Place Accumulator QuickMix usually starts on the penultimate local race with the last race forming the first leg of a Jackpot QuickMix.

For any media inquiries contact Jermaine Craig at JermaineC@4racing.com or on 083 201 0121.

Corinne Bestel Honoured At Hollywoodbets Greyville

Corinne Bestel (pictured above with the bouquet) was honoured at Hollywoodbets Greyville today having retired after 35 years in thoroughbred training.

The Clairwood and then Summerveld trainer is the daughter of the former top Durban-based trainer Eileen Bestel.

She started out as assistant to her mother.

She then took out her own license in 1994.

Corinne was particularly renowned for her horse care skills.

That reputation might not have done her too many favours in the long run because she would often be sent problematic horses.

Two of her biggest supporters were Georgie Buchanan (floral shirt) and Eric Buhr (standing behind her).

(Picture: Candiese Lenferna).

Activator (Time Thief) gave Alyson Wright and Muzi Yeni the first leg of a double together today and it was a fitting winner because the horse is owned by Christopher Peech, who gave Alyson her first ever job in racing on a stud farm in Zimbabwe. She later worked as assisitant to Christopher’s wife, the top trainer Noeleen Peech, for whom Alyson’s husban Kebin Wright was stable jockey. (Picture: Candiese Lenferna).

Yeni And Wright Continue Hot Form With Treble and Double Respectively

Muzi Yeni increased his lead in the SA Jockeys National log with a treble on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly today and Alyson took the lead in the KZN Trainers Championship with a double.

Wright has had seven wins this season in KZN at a strike rate of 16.67% and is one ahead of Duncan Howells (25%) and Frank Robinson (37.50%).

Yeni has had 29 wins (21.97%) around the country this season, 15 of them in KZN, and he is ten clear of Richard Fourie, who had a double down in Cape Town today.

Mothership (Erupt) wins cosily to give Richard Fourie and Mike Stewart a double together at Hollywoodbets Durbanville today (Picture: Wayne Marks).

Fourie/Stewart Double, Orffer Double

Richard Fourie rode a double for Mike Stewart at Hollywoodbets Durbanville today and Corne Orffer also rode a double.

Fourie goes to 18 wins for the season achieved at a strike rate of 17.14%.

He is now eleven behind national log leader Muzi Yeni, who rode a treble in Durban today.

Orffer is on six wins at 24%.

Stewart is on three wins at 25%.

Vaal Fields – Thursday

Today’s Question

Which great race between three horses in 1877 (pictured above, source: loc.gov) shut down the US Congress for a day.

Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

The Oft-Forgotten ‘Great Race’ At Pimlico That Wasn’t A Preakness

by Natalie Voss (Paulick Report) 05.17.2019

When Preakness revelers stream through the gates of Pimlico this weekend, many of them will walk by a golden outline of three old-timey horses stretched out in full flight, heads apart. That logo isn’t just a generic nod to Pimlico’s long history, but surprisingly, it’s not commemorating a Preakness of old, either.

The three-horse gold leaf outline is based on a Currier and Ives print depicting a three-way match race held in 1877 between Parole, Ten Broeck, and Tom Ochiltree. The contest that became known as “The Great Race” was one in an endless series of horse racing showdowns with the same plotline: East versus West.

Tom Ochiltree was an Eastern blueblood, winner of the 1875 Preakness and one of the last offspring of the great stallion Lexington. He came to The Great Race the winner of the Dixie (then two miles) and the 2 ½ mile Annual Stakes at three, winner of the Baltimore Cup and Jockey Club Handicap at four, and the Westchester Cup at five. The startlingly-large colt was named champion 3-year-Old in 1875 and co-champion older horse the next year. He had already beaten Parole twice at the time of The Great Race, despite carrying a higher weight in both contests. R Wyndham Walden, the trainer who dominated the Maryland circuit at the time, trained for owner and tobacco heir George Lorillard.

Ten Broeck was the invader from the West (or what was, in 1877, considered “the West”). He came into The Great Race as a 5-year-old, at which time he was undefeated for the season. He had wins in the Phoenix Hotel Stakes and Louisville Cup to his credit and had already been through one match race against the filly Mollie McCarty, which he won handily. He was co-champion older horse in 1876 and 1877. Trained by Harry Colston, he was owned by Frank Harper.

George’s brother Pierre Lorilard was the owner of Parole who, somewhat unusually for the time, was a gelding. He had been running at the top handicap levels, and while he had been successful in late 1877, he wasn’t considered in the same league as his two rivals. After the Great Race, Parole would run several more years, making a transition to the English turf, where he beat Isonomy in the Newmarket Handicap, upsetting the horse many considered the best in the country. He also crossed the wire first in the Liverpool Cup while carrying 131 pounds. (Those who have followed the recent Kentucky Derby disqualification will note that objections in big races were evidently not unusual in those days – Isonomy’s owner “issued a challenge to run the race over” after his horse was defeated, and Parole would later be disqualified from his Liverpool victory.)

The match race was big money in 1870s terms: Each owner put up $500 and the track added another $1,000. The Maryland Jockey Club paid the travel expenses both ways for Ten Broeck. Parole was considered the underdog in the three-way fight and Ten Broeck was the heavy favorite.

The race was so eagerly anticipated that Congress adjourned so its members could take a special train north from D.C. to watch the contest. Some 20,000 people poured through Pimlico’s gates to see the contest.

“A dense mass of humanity crowded every available foot of ground within the inclosure, while the space reserved for carriages was thronged with those who stood on the wheels, and even on the backs of the horses, to get a glimpse of the finish of such a historical struggle for equine mastery,” wrote the Baltimore Sun after the race.

One journalist would note that so many people bet on the race that bookmakers ran out of tickets. Hotels ran out of rooms. Those who came in from Kentucky were said to be especially free with their money as they supported Ten Broeck. This, many seemed to believe, would resolve the age-old question of whether Kentucky horses were really better than their Eastern cousins, and allegedly, Kentucky race fans seemed eager to throw their money behind the concept.

The race, which was set at 2 1/2 miles, got underway with Ten Broeck setting the pace and Tom Ochiltree tucking in behind, while Parole pulled in third. Halfway through, Ten Broeck and Tom Ochiltree began trading the leads, unable to shake off each other. Jockey George Barbee finally turned Parole loose with a quarter mile to go, and Parole passed his challengers in the space of a dozen strides.

Although the horses are shown a few inches apart in the painting, the 1961 Currier and Ives image seems to represent the middle of the race, rather than the end. By the wire, Parole was four lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and 14 ahead of Tom Ochiltree, whose rider pulled him up when he saw the contest was lost.

Spectators swarmed past police barricades and flooded the track, lifting Barbee off Parole, parading him around the grounds on their shoulders and filling his riding helmet with money.

The owners of Ten Broeck and Tom Ochiltree would later blame their losses on coughs they allegedly exhibited before the race. Both stallions retired to stud duty at the end of the year, though neither became drastically influential on the breed. Parole lived until the day before his 30th birthday and upon news of his death in 1903, the Baltimore Sun reprinted its recap of The Great Race in his honor. All three horses were later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 30 August, 2023

* Turf Talk Readers Please Note There Will Be no Newsletter on Thursday 31 August and Friday 1 September *

Big Sponsor Commits To “Spring Series”

“Striker” To Represent Horseracing In Sun City’s Water Bike Challenge

Cala Muretta To Start Campaign In Diana Stakes

Sovereign State Makes It Two From Two

Gareth van Zyl Gets Off The Mark In Hot Class 4 Event

A New QuickMix Option Added

Corinne Bestel Honoured At Hollywoodbets Greyville

Yeni And Wright Continue Hot Form With Treble and Double Respectively

Fourie/Stewart Double, Orffer Double

Vaal Fields – Thursday

Today’s Question

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

The Oft-Forgotten ‘Great Race’ At Pimlico That Wasn’t A Preakness

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