Randjesfontein’s grass track is ready to open again after scarification
JUST ABOUT READY: The Randjesfontein grass track is in superb condition and will re-open next week. (Pic: Sean Tarry Racing).
Trainers at Randjesfontein are excited about the grass track at the North Rand Training Centre, set to be re-opened after being closed for the process of scarifying that has taken a bit longer this year due to lack of rain. The “grass gallops” – as referred to by trainers who use them as a sharpening of their runners and to give them some extra confidence going into races – will resume soon.
Scarification is the intense, deep cutting of grass layers to expose surface areas and reconditioning it with topdressing; over-seeding or fertilizing requirements. It also removes and controls the build-up of organic material, encouraging new growth. The result is a greener, denser, healthier carpet of lawn.
“I think this is the best grass track in the country,” said trainer Adam Azzie. He praised the track maintenance teams managed by Msizi Kubeka and Klaus Mothapo and said: “Before the end of last season the trainers here had a vote on whether to scarify half the track and leave the other half open, or whether to scarify the entire track and leave us with the sand tracks only.
“We decided to do the whole track and while we have lost some needed work on grass, it will prove to be beneficial in the long run. They did an exceptional job. I haven’t seen the track this good in a long time. I hope they’re aiming at the same for the standside track at Turffontein, which doesn’t look like this at present.”
Sean Tarry posted photos of the track on his social media platforms and also gave compliments to the track team. He said: “The grass at Randjesfontein sets the standard in the country and we are privileged to train from here. We’ve been getting our horses fairly fit on sand but grass is always needed. We’ll be able to work on the new grass from next week and this will especially benefit horses going to the ASSM Onamission Chairty Mile meeting at the end of October.
“Horses being prepared for the features in November would have had enough grass work. We were fortunate to receive 16mm of rain just a few days ago, which has helped a lot, certainly with the way the track looks right now.”
Mike de Kock commented: “This track has long been the most resillient grass tracks in South Africa. They’ve done a good job again this year.”
Mrs Geriatrix back in action on Turffontein’s hot Saturday card
UNBEATEN STAR: Mrs Geriatrix is back, Saturday! (JC Photos).
As Joburg heats up and hots up, Turffontein Racecourse is the perfect place to usher in Spring this weekend, as the Betway Spring Challenge offers a fantastic, action-packed family day at the races.
One of the City of Gold’s biggest race days, the Betway Spring Challenge this Saturday 7 October is a chance to see some of the country’s finest thoroughbreds in action up close, with a bumper field of 16 top-class horses lining up in the main race on the day.
Stakes for the Grade 2 Betway Spring Challenge have increased from R400 000 to a whopping R550 000, as operators 4Racing and Betway literally raise the stakes on the Highveld horse racing season, as they look to amplify the on-track experience and elevate the industry.
Punters and all in Gauteng looking for a fantastic day out in the sun can look forward to a free, fun-filled family day with world-class hospitality, sensational racing and fun kids activities on the track at Turffontein.
Some of the Highveld’s most exciting racing stars, such as Anfields Rocket, William Robertson, Bingwa, Dave The King, MK’s Pride, Thunderstruck, Quantum Theory, Main Defender and Miss Daisy are all lining up in the Betway Spring Challenge field, as punters get a first chance to look at the prospects and contenders for the massive R5 million Betway Summer Cup, taking place at Turffontein on Saturday 25 November.
And all of the country’s biggest jockeys will be on show too, with the likes of S’manga Khumalo, Gavin Lerena, Richard Fourie, Muzi Yeni, Calvin Habib, the maestro Piere Strydom and rising Soweto star Kabelo Matsunyane all set to compete in the Betway Spring Challenge.
Also on the card the Grade 2 Betway Joburg Spring Fillies & Mares Challenge has seen stakes rise from R300 000 to a remarkable R450 000, with fantastic horses such as Lady Of Power, Gimme A Shot, Good Queen Bess, Feather Boa, Marigold Hotel, Mrs Browning, Emirate Gina and Humdinger all in the powerful final field for this cracking race.
Another thrill for punters to look forward to is the return to the Highveld track of superstar filly, Mrs Geriatrix, lining up in the R400 000 Bloodstock SA Sales Cup for three-year-old fillies, as trainer Sean Tarry and jockey Richard Fourie look to build on their sensational breakout season last year for the Magical Lady Syndicate.
“The Betway Spring Series has truly been a game-changer for South African horse racing in generating huge early excitement at the start of the Highveld season, with the increased stakes on offer a big boost for the country’s top horses and their connections. We are thrilled with the positive impact the collaboration with Betway has had and greatly appreciative of the support the Betway team has shown in considerably increasing stakes and raising the quality of the racing experience. Their sponsorship has enhanced the competitiveness on the track for the benefit of all in the horse racing industry.
“We are delighted to see the high-quality bumper final fields for Betway Spring Challenge Day, competing for big stakes and prestige on a great race day, as we continue the build-up to what is sure to be an incredible R5 million Betway Summer Cup this year,” said Gabriel Soma, 4Racing Head of Racing Operations.
As the 13-part Betway Spring Series culminates with the Betway Joburg Spring Challenge this Saturday, all roads lead to Turffontein, as the best thoroughbreds, jockeys, and trainers all compete for the day’s big prizes.
The day’s racing starts at 12h00, the main race is at 14h45 and the last race is at 16h30.
Catch the action live on Racing 240 on DStv Channel 240. To take part on the day and have a stab at the big pools on offer, take a bet with TAB in-store or online at www.tab4racing.com – or even better yet make your way to Turffontein for what’s sure to be a great day out in the Spring sun.
Michael Clements, not the happiest, exits Singapore racing
THE END OF A 25-YEAR SPELL: Michael Clements has handed in his trainer’s licence. (TNP File Photo).
Michael Clements, champion trainer of Singapore, in 2020, has relinquished his trainer’s license and has exited Singapore racing. The Zimbabwe-born naturalised Singaporean, also well-known in South Africa, is the first to exit after the announcement of Kranji’s closure.
In a statement, Clements said: “I have decided to close my racehorse training stable in Singapore and I hereby tender my resignation as President of ARTS (Association of Racehorse Trainers Singapore).”
Clements, who plied his trade for 25 years at the Singapore Turf Club, further stated that he is “grateful for the success I have had during this time, derived from the opportunities that my owners and the STC have afforded me.
“I have supported the Singapore Turf Club (STC) as a Trainer for the last twenty- five years. I am grateful for the success I have had during this time, derived from the opportunities that my Owners and the STC have afforded me. Since the announcement of horse racing’s imminent closure, I have been disappointed by the way in which the STC has treated all participants in the industry, especially Trainers.”
With Clements’ departure imminent, just over 40 horses have been transferred to other trainers.
Clements trained 814 Kranji winners. His championship-winning season of 61 winners included the $1 million Singapore Gold Cup with Falcon Racing No. 7 Stable’s Big Hearted, while he won many other features, including five Group 1s, seven Group 2s and 12 Group 3s.
What’s next for Clements remains unclear. “I am undecided as to what I will do going forward. I intend taking a few months’ break into the new year to consider my future”, his statement read. –irace.com.
Remembering the great Secretariat!
CELEBRATING SECRETARIAT: The ‘Big Red’ died on this day in 1989.
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who was the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three of its constituent races. He is considered by many to be the greatest racehorse of all time. He became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and his record-breaking victory in the Belmont Stakes, which he won by 31 lengths, is widely regarded as one of the greatest races in history.
During his racing career, Secretariat won five Eclipse Awards, including Horse of the Year at ages two and three. He was nominated to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Secretariat was second only to Man o’ War.
At age two, Secretariat finished fourth in his 1972 debut in a maiden race, but then won seven of his remaining eight starts, including five stakes victories. His only loss during this period was in the Champagne Stakes, where he finished first but was disqualified to second for interference. He received the Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old colt, and also was the 1972 Horse of the Year, a rare honour for a horse so young.
At age three, Secretariat not only won the Triple Crown, but he also set speed records in all three races. His time in the Kentucky Derby still stands as the Churchill Downs track record for 1+1⁄4 miles (2000m), and his time in the Belmont Stakes stands as the American record for 1+1⁄2 miles (2400m) on the dirt. In 2012, his actual time of 1:53 in the Preakness Stakes was recognized as a stakes record after an official review.
Secretariat’s win in the Gotham Stakes tied the track record for 1 mile, he set a world record in the Marlboro Cup at 1+1⁄8 miles (1800m) and further proved his versatility by winning two major stakes races on turf. He lost three times that year: in the Wood Memorial, Whitney, and Woodward Stakes, but the brilliance of his nine wins made him an American icon. He won his second Horse of the Year title, plus Eclipse Awards for champion three-year-old colt and champion turf horse.
At the beginning of his three-year-old year, Secretariat was syndicated for a record-breaking $6.08 million (equivalent to $40.1 million in 2022), on the condition that he be retired from racing by the end of the year. Although he sired several successful racehorses, he ultimately was most influential through his daughters’ offspring, becoming the leading broodmare sire in North America in 1992. His daughters produced several notable sires, including Storm Cat, A.P. Indy, Gone West, Dehere and Chief’s Crown, and through them Secretariat appears in the pedigree of many modern champions. Secretariat died in 1989 as a result of laminitis at age 19. – Extracts from Wikipedia.
Two yearlings top gns1-m on opening day of Tattersalls October Book 1
EXPENSIVE HORSE FLESH: Lot 151: Ghaiyyath (IRE) / Tickled Pink (IRE).
A colt by GHAIYYATH topped the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, one of two lots to sell for one million guineas or more. The average and median were both up on the corresponding session last year whilst the turnover was narrowly down.
Ghaiyyath Half-Brother to Victoria Road Sells for 1,050,000 Guineas
The GHAIYYATH half-brother to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner VICTORIA ROAD was one of two lots to top seven figures on the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The son of first crop sire GHAIYYATH is out of the Group 3 winner TICKLED PINK and was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for 1,050,000 guineas, despite a determined effort by underbidder MV Magnier.
The sale produced a battle between the two European powerhouses with the Coolmore battalion taking on Sheikh Mohammed’s operation for the son of the young Darley stallion, with both teams standing outside the ring, but it was Anthony Stroud who was successful at the seven-figure sum.
Breeder Trevor Stewart was understandably all smiles at TICKLED PINK, who is a daughter of the Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes winner CASSANDRA GO and a half-sister to the Classic winner HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, the dam of the Group 1/Classic winners MAGICAL and RHODODENDRON, once again keeping the family’s name in the headlines.
Stewart bought the wonderful CASSANDRA GO for 200,000 guineas as a yearling at the Tattersalls Houghton Yearling Sale in 1997.
“I am so lucky, it is the fourth over a million that I have got from the family. I did not expect it, but he was a gorgeous horse and it is wonderful that he is going to Godolphin,” smiled Stewart. “The family seems to go on, we were very lucky with Victoria Road and I could not be more thrilled.”
Clive Cox saddles 1000th winner
Clive Cox enjoyed his 1,000th winner as a trainer when Sergeant Pep landed the 5½f handicap at Bath on Monday.
Cox, a former jump jockey, started training briefly in the early 1990s and took over from his then-boss Mikey Heaton-Ellis in 1999 at Barbury Castle before moving to Lambourn a year later.
From Beechdown Stables, a premises owned by John Francome, the trainer has forged a reputation as a talented and ambitious operator who has enjoyed Group 1 success with world champion Harry Angel and star two-year-old Supremacy among others.
His winners include 972 in Britain on the Flat, 12 over jumps in Britain, two in Ireland and 14 in France.
“It means the world to me and I can’t thank enough people for their help along the way as I haven’t just done this by myself,” he said.
Apprentice jockeys at Clifton Stud
Peter and Jenny Blyth of Clifton Stud, Rosetta, enjoyed their annual visit from the apprentice jockeys of the SA Jockeys Academy last Friday and Saturday night, to see how a stud farm operates.
“Here they are after AZINZA foaled an ACT OF WAR filly at 1:00am,”: said Peter Blyth.
Today’s Question
Name the horse and jockey in photo above: The jock should be easy to all – his name is on his breeches, but he rode 1000s of winners and the one on the photo may be a little tricky to remember.
Today’s Question Answer
LUCKY FIND, RIDDEN BY KEVIN SHEA
Lucky Find, a game South African-bred by Rich Man’s Gold, was a true international trooper, winning 8 races and approximately R3,6 million in stakes. His biggest success came at the 2008 Dubai Racing Carnival, when he won the Gr 3 Al Maktoum Challenge (Round 2), over 1800m under Kevin Shea. Lucky Find went on to take sixth place behind Curlin in the 2008 Dubai World Cup.
