Fundi Sithebe is a member of the Magical Lady syndicate who had good cause to be happy at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Fundi Sithebe Out To Promote Syndication

Fundi Sithebe intends to use her station in the industry as CEO of 4Racing and as a member of the syndicate who own the Sean Tarry-trained superstar filly Mrs Geriatrix to attract new owners into racehorse syndication.

Fundi is one of the two latest additions to the Magical Lady Syndicate and considering her clout in the industry she joined at a most appropriate time.

She said, “Sean, in his wisdom, figured this is a ladies syndicate horse. I had been consulting on a few racing matters with Sean and we all came together through Garth Towell (Racing Association director). Garth figured this would be a great opportunity to showcase how different people can own a horse. I came in and then brought a friend of mine in. My friend Kanye is actually a polo player and she got interested in horseracing. I think as one of the newest members of the syndicate I am actually the lucky charm here! There are ten of us and it has just been magical.”

Fundi has owned horses before.

She said, “I had shares in Track Commander and Chariot Master with Sean and a share in Follow The Flow, who was with Mike de Kock and is now with Alan Greeff. So this is my fourth stint.”

Mrs Geriatrix is obviously on a different level to the previous three, being unbeaten in five starts including one Gr 1, two Gr 2s and a Listed race.

That was despite not reaching her reserve at the BSA National Yearling Sale, at which point Sean Tarry was approached and bought her for R200,000.

Asked how exciting it was to own such a horse, Fundi replied, “I just need to sit down sometime and analyse it. Yes, she’s a Vercingetorix, who is very, very strong. But I think the fact she went unsold at the sales, people underestimated her. I don’t know if it was her size, or the breeding on the female side. But now she is showing people up and saying I was a winner all the time! It is an amazing story.”

She continued, “But I am loving it, absolutely loving it. Part of my story owning this horse is, yes, of course it is for the fun and enjoyment of it, but is is also to show people of all colours and all ages and all genders that it doesn’t matter, you can own a horse whoever you are. And you don’t have to own a whole horse. You can own a portion of a horse and it is equally exciting. And that is what we need. We need a lot more syndicates in South African racing to really put that invigoration back into horseracing. Syndicate ownership is important.”

Asked whether dollar signs had begun flashing before her eyes considering the burgeoning value of Mrs Geriatrix, Fundi said, “Not yet! People are throwing these figures around and there are also of course the insurance figures but for now we just absolutely love her. I usually take my daughter out to Randjesfontein and Mrs Geriatrix has just got the most amazing temperament! I actually just enjoy being with her. We are also just loving the racing experience. It was never about the money so we are not entertaining offers yet!”

For the Hollywoodbets Durban July weekend the ladies took turns to appear in the pink outfits they usually wear at all race meetings in support of Mrs Geraitrix, whose racing silks are pink, purple stars, pink sleeves, purple seams, pink cap, purple stars.

Fundi wore a pink outfit on the Friday, it was the turn of one or two others to dress in pink at the big race meeting and one or two even dressed in pink on Sunday.

Natalie Turner, who is the CEO of the Racehorse Owners Association, is the nominee for the Magical Lady Syndicate.

Tarry said racing Mrs Geriatrix in the Gr 2 Zulu Kingdom Golden Explorer Golden Slipper at the Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting on Saturday had been a bit of a risk because before the race she was the incumbent favourite to land the Equus Champion Two-year-old filly award.

However, he was glad he did because he knows that much more about her now, including that she stays beyond sprints and handles racing around the turn like a professional and handles soft going.

The Clifton Stud-bred filly won by a commanding 3,70 lengths, so has also strengthened her position as the best two-year-old filly in the land.

She did get a bit worked up after the race with the presence of the big crowds and razzmatazz.

It will be interesting to see whether she runs in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes on Gold Cup day, although it will be no surprise if she does not take her place.

Tarry is confident she will stay the mile of the Thekwini, but he said it might be time to back off, because she had done a lot this season already.

However, he was going to monitor how she had come out of Saturday’s race before making a decision.

The Stuart Pettigrew-trained Betula just gets there in time under Diego De Gouveia (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Danon Platina’s Star Brightened By Sales Race Exacta

The Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting started with a thrilling finish in the R400,000 BSA Sales Cup for fillies over 1300m.

The Duncan Howells-trained Oriental Bouquet appeared to be the winner everywhere except the line as the Stuart Pettigrew-trained Betula put her head down at just the right time.

A late bump caused Howells to lodge an objection but the stipendiary stewards adjudged it to have occurred after the line.

Both protagonists were by the exciting new season sire Danon Platina, who is based at Mauritzfontein Stud.

The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein-bred Betula is out of an unraced Fastnet Rock mare who is a half-sister to Duke Of Marmalade filly Venus de Milo, who won a Group 3 in Ireland and was placed in four Group 1s in England and Ireland.

Betula went for a bargain R160,000.

The astute Pettigrew had bought her half-sister Tulip Tree (What A Winter) at the BSA Cape Yearling Sale the previous year, also for R160,000, and that three-year-old is already a four-time winner and is merit rated 101.

Oriental Bouquet, who was bred by Riethuiskraal Stud, was bought at the BSA National Yearling Sale for R120,000.

Betula is a typically progressive daughter of Danon Platina and Pettigrew said, “I didn’t pick out Danon Platina specifically as a stallion, but I like the mare line on this filly. I have got a few Danon Platina’s though and they are turning out to be very nice horses. I think he is the future stallion of South Africa.”

He added, “I think you will only see the best of the Danon Platina’s when they turn three. The ones who are racing now as two-year-olds are doing well, but when they turn three they are going to be proper horses.”

Stuart was asked whether Betula would run again this season and he said, “I don’t think so, she is a bit on the weak side, immature, and she is going to be a nice three-year-old, so we will just chuck her out now and leave her alone until the Summer comes. She is going to go 1600m-1800m, that is going to be her proper distance.”

Betula was not well away from draw two on Saturday, but made up some ground along the rail before turning for home just backward of mid-pack.

She produced a strong run under Diego De Gouveia, who negotiated an intelligent path through the traffic, and she was a deserved winner.

She is owned by Gary Player, T Kung, B A Lane, Paul Marks and A D Marx.

Danon Platina would be the leading freshman sire if sales race stakes counted, but they do not.

She has had 15 winners of 19 races, compared to the 14 winners of 16 races of the late Lancaster Bomber.

However, Lancaster Bomber’s stakes earnings of R1,974,550 put her R440,675 clear of

Danon Platina.

The Pettigrew yard has also done well with Flower Alley’s, but he said he did not go to the sales with the intention of only buying classic pedigree horses.

He said, “I love the Flower Alley’s, they’ve done so well for me, they really have, especially the fillies, but when I buy a horse I just try to buy a good horse, whether it is a sprinter, a classic horse, staying horse, I just look at a horse and say I like this horse and whether it’s a sprinter or stayer doesn’t influence my decision to buy.”

Stuart Ferrie leads in his first Graded stakes winner (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Stuart Ferrie Flew The Lone KZN Flag

Stuart Ferrie was the odd man out on Hollywoodbets Durban July day as the only trainer of a winner on the day whose victor was not trained out of Gauteng.

That winner Gladatorian has a good story behind him, because the cause of the chief issue that bothered him was discovered this season and he has consequently begun to fulfil his potential.

Punters of Ferrie’s three-year-old Vercingetorix gelding would likely have felt their tickets were worthless halfway down the straight.

He still had a lot of ground to make up and looked to be going nowhere.

However, a change of whip hands by stable jockey Sean Veale at the 200m mark had the desired effect.

Gladatorian changed legs and took off.

He reached the favourite Thunderstruck in the shadow of the post and won going away by a quarter of a length, prompting a celebratory salute by Veale.

It was the eleventh victory of Ferrie’s fledgling career as a licensed trainer and those eleven wins already include to stakes victories, both by Gladatorian.

Ferrie said, “That’s the way he likes to run, he likes to run at them. When he won the (Listed) In Full Flight Stakes he ran at them and when he won in Cape Town he did the same thing.”

However, he admitted his hopes were not high at the 200m mark.

“I thought we were going to run a decent race, maybe not win, but at least not finish out the back!”

When Gladatorian started flying Stuart still did not know whether he would get there.

Stuart is one of racing’s more phlegmatic characters and there would likely have been an inner feeling of satisfaction rather than a wild display of emotion when his charge crossed the line first.

Gladatorian won second time out as a juvenile and followed up with a decent second in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb over 1100m and then finished fifth in the Gr 1 Gold Medallion.

However, he has been lightly raced as a three-year-old.

Stuart’s former boss and original trainer of Gladatorian, Dennis Drier, explained how the horse kept on colicing.

A scope was done and although 90% of racehorses are affected by gastric ulcers due to exposure to the normal acid in their stomach, Gladatorian’s ulcers were shown to be abnormally severe.

Treatment has worked the oracle and he is now both a Listed and a Gr 2 winner.

He finished unplaced in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint between those two wins, but Stuart felt he was perhaps too handy that day.

On Saturday Gladatorian ran off a 110 merit rating and carried 56kg.

He did well to win, because under the merit rated band conditions he was 1,5kg under sufferance with the Gr 1-winning Thunderstruck.

He has consequently been raised to a 114 merit rating.

Stuart said he would probably enter him in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, but felt he was unlikely to run because facing the like of Gimme A Prince on weight for age terms would be too tough an ask.

He said if he did not run there he would be rested and given his African Horse Sickness vaccines.

Gladatorian is one of 29 stakes winners for the boom sire Vercingetorix.

The latter is the most sort after sire in the country at present and he was already a Gr 1-producing sire at the time of the 2021 BSA National Yearling Sale, so Drier had to go to R400,000 to secure Gladatorian.

The three-year-old bay gelding was bred by Erasmus Thoroughbreds CC and sold by Varsfontein as agents.

He is owned by the Late Agasthamuni Gujadhur, E G Hart de Keating, M L Jean Hardy & Michel Nairac.

There should be more to come from this progressive speedster.

Picture: Sean Veale celebrates as Gladatorian denies Thunderstruck and Christophe Soumillon in Saturday’s Gr 2 Post Merchants (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Highveld’s July Performers are Out Of This World

4Racing

The 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July lived up to its “out of this world” billing this weekend and it was a particularly memorable race meeting for Highveld-based trainers, jockeys and owners, with eight out of the nine races won by Highveld-based horses.

The 127th running of the Hollywoodbets Durban July attracted an excited crowd of 45,000, and it was a day of high-quality racing headlined by Soweto jockey Kabelo Matsunyane’s sensational Hollywoodbets Durban July main race win for trainer Brett Crawford with Drakenstein Stud’s Winchester Mansion.

Winchester Mansion has been based on the Highveld this season under the tutelage of trainer James Crawford, who has a permanent yard at Randjesfontein, and it was a fantastic maiden July win for jockey and trainer and a brilliant homebred win for Gaynor Rupert and her Drakenstein Stud Farm.

As altitude and distance make it difficult for Cape and Highveld horses to meet on equal terms, Greyville is where the titans clash. Every year Durban forms the confluence of the best horses and industry talent in the country and only the best are called to battle on the Greyville turf.

4Racing on Tuesday hosted a special celebration for all the Highveld’s July Day champions ahead of racing at Turffontein.

On July Day Stuart Pettigrew drew first blood in the Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies) with Betula brilliantly powered home by Diego De Gouveia, Tony Peter was victorious with Main Defender in the Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (C&G) with Craig Zackey in the saddle, and Brett Crawford’s Randjesfontein satellite saddled Crimson King took the Gr3 Splashout 2200 to deliver Kabelo Matsunyane’s 100

Sean Tarry charge Future Pearl produced a 2.80-length victory in the Gr3 DSTV Gold Vase with Richard Fourie, and the Tarry and Fourie combination went back-to-back with the scintillating Mrs Geriatrix maintaining her unbeaten record to make it 5 from 5 in the Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper for the Magical Lady Syndicate.

Tarry and Fourie also teamed up with the classy Princess Calla to dominate the Gr1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes.

Turffontein-based David Nieuwenhuizen swept the Gr2 Durban Golden Horseshoe with Sandringham Summit and Calvin Habib and the crowning glory was Brett Crawford’s Randjesfontein resident Winchester Mansion producing a battle for the ages with local hero See It Again, to sweep the 2023 July sash, an unforgettable career first Gr1 for Kabelo Matsunyane.

“The Highveld domination of the 2-year-old contests stands testament to the 4Racing programming team’s strategically designed Juvenile calendar, which has the most juvenile races annually on the racing calendar. Secondly, special acknowledgement must be made of the hard work and dedication of 4Racing’s operational team, from the groundsmen and track staff for their efforts in maintaining our racing and training tracks to standards that allowed Highveld horses to bring home 8 out of the 9 July day titles,” said 4Racing Horseracing Operations Executive, Gabriel Soma.

4Racing would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gold Circle and Hollywoodbets on a fantastic race day and to also thank our tremendous team and congratulate all our incredible Highveld horses, horsemen and horsewomen for their successes on July Day.

Half brother Sandringham Summit wins the same race Eden Roc did in 2019. He runs for owner Rakesh Singh, whose colours look similar to the familiar ones of Mario Ferreira but the difference is the green is dayglo green not light green and there is a red fleur de lys on the front as opposed to a maltese cross. Image: Candiese Lenferna

Sandringham Summit Pedigree Update for Eden Roc

KZN Breeders

The KZN Breeders Club’s newest stallion addition, Eden Roc, saw his half brother Sandringham Summit (Gimmethegreenlight) add to Eden Roc’s already impressive pedigree to win the same race his Var brother did in 2019 – however back then, it was a Grade 1, the Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

Sandringham Summit defeated feature winner Gimmeanotherchance in the process, as well as Guy Gibson who has placed twice behind the talented Lucky Lad.

A R1,7-million yearling by Gimmethegreenlight, Sandringham Summit has now won twice and placed second twice from four starts for trainer David Niewenhuizen and owner Mr Rakesh Singh and doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon based on his form and good looks.

Clifton Stud, who stand Eden Roc on behalf of the KZN Breeders Club, will be hosting a stallion day on July 12th to introduce him publicly to breeders.

Eden Roc was purchased through the incentive of the Stallion Premiums from the KZN Breeders Premium Scheme, the first of its kind in South Africa.

The son of Var has an enviable race record and pedigree; out of Captain Al mare Townsend, a Gr2 winner herself who has produced 5 winners to date, this is also the family of Zapatillas.

Eden Roc is a coup for the KZN Breeding ranks, and the very handsome son of Var who fills your eye raced consistently and soundly until age 6.

His race record courtesy of www.raceform.co.za:

6 wins, 1160-1400m, at 2 to 4

Rated MR 119

At 2

WON Gr1 Gold Medallion (1200m)

WON Gr2 Golden Horseshoe (1400m) (formerly a Gr1)

At 3

WON Gr2 Merchants S. (1200m)

At 4

2nd Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint (1200m)

2nd Gr3 Merchants Hcp (1160m)

Tapit

Tapit Lit Up The USA Last Weekend

Racers from the four most recent crops of racing age by the legendary sire Tapit (by Pulpit) lit up the winner’s circles across North America over the weekend.

In Kentucky, the 5-year-old Pauline’s Pearl won the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Ellis Park, racing the nine furlongs in 1:49.59 and bringing her earnings to $2.1 million. In Canada, the 4-year-old Tyson won the G3 Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine, running the nine furlongs in 1:48.32 and bringing his earnings to US$145,972. In New York, the 3-year-old Fort Bragg won the G3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont, running the mile in 1:35.37 and bringing his earnings to $321,300.

The Dwyer was the first stakes victory for Fort Bragg, who cost $700,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale and who finished second in the G2 Pat Day Stakes in his last previous start and had placed third in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity last season.

The Dominion Day was the first stakes victory for Tyson, who races for the breeders – Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run Ventures – and who has won three of his four starts. His only loss to date was a third in the G2 Eclipse Stakes a month ago.

In contrast to the more lightly raced Fort Bragg and Tyson, Pauline’s Pearl is a long-time stakes performer for owner-breeder Stonestreet. The gray mare has been a graded stakes winner at 3, 4, and 5, including the G1 La Troienne Stakes last year. She has won four G3 stakes, in addition to her G2 success this weekend.

Back in Kentucky, the 2-year-old Edified represented his crop by Tapit with distinction and won his debut at Ellis Park with authority, paying $21.70. A $650,0o0 yearling last year at Keeneland September, Edified is a half-brother to G1 winner Constellation (Bellamy Road), stakes winner Truth Seeker (Into Mischief) and to a trio of stakes-placed runners (Upper Room, Queen Mum, and Back Flip).

All of these are out of the stakes winner For Royalty (Not for Love). The producer herself is out of stakes winner Taft Little Queen (Irish Open), who is a full sister to stakes winner Irish Cherry, the dam of G1 winners Spun Sugar and Daaher, both by Awesome Again. Although she didn’t produce a G1 winner, Taft Little Queen is the dam of four stakes winners, including G2 winner Kiss to Remember (Big Brown) and the listed winners For Royalty, Pete’s Play Call (Munnings), and El Viento (El Corredor).

So far, Edified has only won his debut in good company, but it would be no surprise if he progressed into a black-type performer. This family gets stakes horses, and Tapit is no stranger to quality juveniles.

Considered in the light of his well-established reputation for siring classic performers, Tapit first made his mark of high distinction with a champion 2-year-old. A filly from the now 21-year-old gray’s first crop put her sire on the map as a stallion to reckon with, and that race filly was Stardom Bound.

Bred in Kentucky by Fletcher Gray, Carolyn Gray, and John Youngblood, Stardom Bound was out of the stakes winner My White Corvette, a robust daughter of Tarr Road (Grey Dawn). My White Corvette won a stakes in her second start and subsequently placed third in the G2 Golden Rod at 2, as well as the G3 Honeybee the following season.

Stardom Bound was the fourth foal of her dam and was notably the best. A $50,000 Keeneland September yearling, Stardom Bound returned to the sales at 2 and made $375,000, selling to Christopher Paasch at the OBS March auction of juveniles in training.

At 2, Stardom Bound began her career with seconds in a maiden in July and in the G3 Sorrento Stakes in August at Del Mar. A staying 2-year-old, Stardom Bound hit her proper form with successive Grade 1 victories in the Del Mar Debutante, Oak Leaf Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Shortly after the Breeders’ Cup, Stardom Bound went through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November sale and sold for $5.7 million to IEAH Stables.

Named champion of her division after those performances, Stardom Bound ran her streak of G1 successes to five with her first two starts at 3: the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks. She finished third in her next start, the G1 Ashland, and was then off for seven months. She never regained her best form, did not win from a campaign of three starts at 4, and was sold privately to Shadai Farm in 2010, in foal to Big Brown.

As a result, all of Stardom Bound’s foals have been bred in Japan and are relatively unknown here in the States. Bred to some of the best stallions in Japan, Stardom Bound has five foals of racing age, with four winners. Her second foal, Lord Kanunu (King Kamehameha) and third foal, April Mist (Deep Impact), were both stakes-placed during their careers on the turf.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the produce record of Stardom Bound is that she has been very unlucky. She was twice barren to super sire Deep Impact, and for five of the last six years, the mare has not produced a live foal. The 17-year-old does have a yearling filly by Orfevre, and Stardom Bound’s two older daughters are both producers, with both of their first foals being 2-year-olds of 2023; so there remains a ray of hope that Stardom Bound, or one of her daughters, may yet produce a racer of quality similar to the champion herself.

Somerset Maugham (Trippi), who is a full-brother to superstar Charles Dickens, clinched meeting trebles for both Justin Snaith and Grant van Niekerk today when winning the World Sports Betting Bet With The Best Winter Mile, despite starting odds of 25/1 (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Van Niekerk, Snaith Trebles, Steyn, Bass-Robinson Doubles

Justin Snaith scored a treble at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today, two of them ridden by Grant van Niekerk, who also scored a treble on the day.

Candice Bass-Robinson and Piet Steyn both scored doubles.

Van Niekerk goes to 44 wins and has done it at a strike rate of 13.41%.

Snaith is on 134 wins at 12.77%.

Bass-Robinson is on 73 wins at 11.91%.

Steyn is on ten wins at 11.36%.

Vaal Fields, Thursday

A picture of the horse in question winning The Arc. (Picture: Trevor Jones)

Today’s Question

Mrs Geriatrix’s grandam sire is Model Man who was by Elliodor who was by Lyphard. Which legendary USA-bred British-trained horse by Lyphard was born in May 1983 i.e. 40 years ago.

Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter

It is said there has never been a better winner of the King George since Dancing Brave beat a vintage field in 1986. (Picture: Mark Cranham).

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION

wikipedia

Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave was the outstanding European racehorse of 1986, when he won the 2000 Guineas, the Eclipse Stakes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. His only defeats came in the Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Turf. A successful sire of winners in Europe, he was later exported to Japan, where he died on 2 August 1999.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 5 July, 2023