Princess Calla cruises to victory and clinches Sean Tarry and Richard Fourie a Gr 1 treble together on Saturday (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)..
Tarry’s Day The Best In SA History?
Has there ever in SA history been a more dominant multiple Gr 1-winning performance from one stable in one day than that produced by Sean Tarry at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday.
The Festival Of Speed meeting is the only meeting in SA these days that features four Gr 1 events and they are usually ultra competitive.
However, the first three of them on Saturday were one way traffic. Tarry charges Mrs Geriatrix, Lucky Lad and Princess Calla all won easing up by wide margins.
Tarry was within spitting distance of landing a historic Gr 1 Grandslam as his Gold Medallion winner of last season, Thunderstruck, was caught late in the Golden Horse Sprint while dueling with Surjay. He just got the better of the latter to finish a 0,90 length second, so it was the nearest possible set of results to a Grandslam.
Lucky Lad is out on his own in the Gr 1 Gold Medallion and remains uinbeaten (Chase Liebenberg).
Is Lucky Lad Something Special?
It is a dangerous game to start labelling horses too early, especially as a two-year-old, because most future superstars only come out as late two-year-olds or as three-year-olds.
An example can be seen from last season when Cousin Casey drew high accolades, deservedly, but he was soon knocked off his perch this season by Charles Dickens and is now also behind See It Again in the pecking order.
Lucky Lad is a Varsfontein-bred colt by Gimmethegreenlight, a former champion stallion who leads the national sires’ championship this season.
The colt appeared at last year’s BSA National Yearling Sale as Rudolph The Founder and was knocked down to Antony Beck for R850,000.
His dam Imperial State is by stamina influence Caesour and she won twice over 1600m and was second in a Listed event over 1800m.
Imperial State is a half-sister to Jet Master dual Listed winner State Coach, who is the dam of Gr 2 Betting World Derby winner Silvano’s Jet.
Imperial State’s dam, State Treasure (Free State), won the Grade 1 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas and she is a half-sister to the classy Grade 1 winner Priceless Asset (Averof), who became a sire.
On debut Lucky Lad jumped from the worst draw by trends over 1160m on Turffontein Standside, draw one, and hesitated as they jumped. This allowed Richard Fourie to take him behind horses. However, he did not take any chances and switched him to the inside for a run and went on to beat the well regarded Sandringham Summit by a quarter of a length, having jumped at odds of 33/20.
He started second favourite second time out as he was up against a filly who had been reportedly catching the proverbial pigeons at home, Amber Rock, and he had to give her 5,5kg. He was all out throughout in the 1100m contest at Turffontein Standside and having had a lot of ground to make up on the runaway leader Amber Rock he caught her late to win by 0,40 lengths.
Next up in the Gr 2 SA Nursery supporters of a normal horse would have been concerned early in the contest. He looked to be biting the side of the stalls just before the off, such was eagerness for them to open, and he lost a length. He was then caught with fresh air in front of him in the centre and he was already six or seven lengths off the leader, who was on the favourable standside. However, when Fourie got to work the picture changed dramatically and at the 300m mark it was clear there was only one horse in it. He went on to win by 2,75 lengths.
On Saturday, Lucky Lad seemed too far out of his ground as the entered the final 500m, having jumped from the highest draw of all in the eleven horse field. However, the picture changed even more dramatically than it had in the Nursery as his devastating turn of foot propelled him to a 5,30 length win easing up!
He did hang left which led to a ten day suspension for Richard Fourie as mentioned in article one of the newsletter today.
Lucky Lad has a classic pedigree, so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
He will be remembered already for an amazing two-year-old campaign, but can he train on into a superstar classic horse?
Time will tell.
Gimme A Prince gets up after a strong finish from off the pace, despite carrying topweight under leading jockey Keagan de Melo (Pciture: Chase Liebenberg).
Gimme A Prince Proves Big Spending Can Also Realise Dreams
Outsiders to racing must wonder why people spend big money buying horses, because there are a plethora of stories about cheap buys who became champions and a plethora of stories about mega-million buys who could not get out of their own way.
Mrs Geriatrix Puts Vercingetorix Up In Lights
Princess Calla In A Class Of Her Own
Maine Chance Farms-bred Flower Alley mare Princess Calla was one of a vintage crop of fillies, but few would have thought she would one day make her name as a sprinter.
She might also be the best female miler in the country too at present, but her sprinting record this season reached a new level as she waltzed home in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday under Richard Fourie, winning easing up by 3,20 lengths.
She has won three Grade 2s over sprints this season and one Gr 1.
Since joining Sean Tarry her only defeats in six starts have been in two Gr 1 wfa sprints over 1000m, the Pongracz Cape Flying Championship and the Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint.
She will likely face Saturday’s SA Fillies Sprint runner up Desert Miracle in the Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes over 1600m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.
She might then bid for the Equus Champion Sprinter award by taking on the other two contenders, Gimme A Prince and Isivunguvungu, in the Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint over 1200m on Gold Cup day. She will have a chance of exacting revenge on them over the more suitable 1200m trip.
Al Muthana defends his crown in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge on Saturday, albeit for new owners and a different trainer (Picture: Wayne Marks).
Quality HWB Gold Challenge Field
Jack Milner (tab4Racing)
Charles Dickens and Al Muthana, at 132 the two highest rated runners in the country, are set to do battle again in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
The field for this R1.75-million event is potent and contains the best milers in the land.
There are three Grade 1 races over 1600m around the country that are open to all horses and the winners of the first two legs are set to line-up in this event.
Al Muthana, who won this race last year when trained by Mike de Kock, then went on under the mentorship of Ricky Maingard to claim the Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in January. In doing so, he became the first horse to lower the colours of Charles Dickens.
Trip Of Fortune was in that race but was not at his best and finished down field. However, the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained gelding made the journey to Joburg for the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes for the second Grade 1 feature over 1600m and won it in style.
Charles Dickens has won two highly regarded races over 1600m, the Grade 1 Cape Guineas and the Grade 2 WSB Guineas. The results of both races were never in doubt and despite his surprise loss to Al Muthana, this son of Trippi, trained by Bass-Robinson, will be the runner to beat.
In fact, he has been priced up at 9-20 to notch up his first Grade 1 victory in open company. Aldo Domeyer has been given the ride once again.
Trip Of Fortune has come on in leaps and bounds since being gelded and showed his wellbeing when winning the Grade 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m last month.
Gareth Wight will take the ride this time.
Al Muthana may have found 2000m in the Cape Met a touch too far, but he has since run fourth in the Listed Jet Master Stakes over 1600m and was only 0.90 lengths back in third behind Trip Of Fortune in the Drill Hall Stakes.
The Australian-bred son of Deep Field could be peaking at the right time for the defence of his title. Grant van Niekerk has the ride.
Cousin Casey has yet to get the better of Chares Dickens, but will have the benefit of No 1 draw and S’manga Khumalo in the irons this time.
Safe Passage ran a shocker in the Drill Hall Stakes, but improved when third at Turffontein next time out and could do even better this time. This is a very strong field but De Kock’s charge cannot be underestimated.
Do It Again might be almost nine years old but in 14 runs at Greyville he has yet to finish out of the places. Richard Fourie is in pristine form currently and he takes the ride.
Also run at the meeting is the Grade 2 East Coast Radio Tibouchina Stakes for fillies and mares over 1400m.
Current betting
9-20 Charles Dickens
17-2 Trip Of Fortune, Al Muthana
13-1 Cousin Casey
14-1 Rascallion, Safe Passage
18-1 Do It Again
25-1 Zapatillas
33-1 Royal Aussie
50-1 Bingwa
Final field for the R1.75-million Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (Grade 1)(For Horses at Weight-For-Age) over 1600m.
1 – 1 COUSIN CASEY (G S Kotzen) S Khumalo 58.5 – 122
2 – 2 RASCALLION (V H Marshall) C Orffer 60.0 – 122
3 – 3 TRIP OF FORTUNE (C Bass-Robinson) G Wright 60.0 – 127
4 – 4 CHARLES DICKENS (C Bass-Robinson) A Domeyer 58.5 – 132
5 – 5 AL MUTHANA (R Maingard) G van Niekerk 60.0 – 132
6 – 6 SAFE PASSAGE (M F De Kock) C Zackey 60.0 – 124
7 – 7 ROYAL AUSSIE (J S Snaith) J P v’d Merwe 58.5 – 116
8 – 8 BINGWA (J J van Vuuren) G Lerena 60.0 – 122
9 – 9 DO IT AGAIN (J S Snaith) R Fourie 60.0 – 124
10 – 10 ZAPATILLAS (B Crawford) L Mxothwa 60.0 – 122
Same Trainer: (3,4) (7,9)
Charles Dickens has two Equus awards in his sights
Stablemates Trip Of Fortune and Charles Dickens — trained by Candice Bass-Robinson — are set to clash in Saturday’s Gold Challenge
8th Race: (9) The Chosen One (4) Total Surrender (2) Silvano’s Song (1) Knights Table
Kranji Racecourse (racenet.com.au)
Racing Shock: Singapore To Cease Racing, Revert Land To Government
“We hope to leave a lasting impression of the Club that will be fondly and proudly remembered by Singapore and the world.”
The subject of the question winning the Derby by a record margin of ten lengths.
Today’s Question
Which Derby winner was kidnapped 40 years ago in February 1983?
Shergar in 1980 (Getty Images)
Mystery of Shergar, the champion horse who was kidnapped in Ireland
In February 1983, Shergar was kidnapped from his stable in Kildare, held for ransom, and brutally killed by his captors who haven’t been identified.
Kayla Hertz (Irish Central)
Feb 09, 2022
In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved.
Shergar, a beloved thoroughbred racehorse worth over $15 million, was kidnapped from his stable in County Kildare by a gang of machine gun-wielding men in balaclavas. After failed attempts to demand money for the stallion, gentle Shergar was brutally killed and his body was never found.
The most famous and valuable racehorse in the world, Shergar had won the 1981 Epsom Derby by ten lengths, which is the longest winning margin in the race’s more than 200 year history. Following this triumph, he had four more major wins and was named European Horse of the Year.
When he retired after that first season, racehorse owners paid up to $120,000 for shares in his services impregnating mares, eager to have young horses from his bloodline to train for races.
The stallion had a white blaze mark on his face, four white “socks” and a distinctive racing style of running with his tongue hanging out – he was gentle, calm and kind.
On the cold, muggy evening of February 8, 1983, Shergar was kidnapped by a gang of men in balaclavas, thought to be part of the IRA.
The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims. When he was returned to Ireland after her first winning season, he was syndicated for $15 million between 34 people – each share was worth around $382,000, six of which were kept by the Aga Khan.
Shergar was just five years old when he was snatched in the middle of the night from the Ballymany Stud in Co. Kildare. He had been preparing for his second season as a breeding stallion, the BBC said.
It was shortly after 8 pm when the son of Jim Fitzgerald, Shergar’s head groom that lived at the stud, heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find two men wearing balaclavas wielding guns – one of them said, “We have come for Shergar. We want $3 million for him.”
Jim Fitzgerald, a father of six, was forced at gunpoint to Shergar’s stable where they were joined by six more masked gunmen. He loaded Shergar into the horsebox the men had brought with them. Fitzgerald was then forced into their car at gunpoint.
Among others, one reason the investigation was so difficult for authorities was because the kidnappers had chosen the day before Ireland’s big Goff’s racehorse sale to abduct Shergar, when many horseboxes were being driven across all of Ireland’s roads, thereby making it hard to differentiate him.
“I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. All sorts of thoughts were racing through my head about what they might do to me. One of them, with the revolver, was very aggressive,” Mr. Fitzgerald told the Telegraph about his ride in the kidnappers’ car.
After driving him around for three hours, the kidnappers dumped Fitzgerald out of the car. He found his way to a telephone and rang his brother – this phone call led to a series of phone calls between Shergars’ shareholders, his vet, racing associates and several Irish Ministers. This process is referred to as “a caricature of police bungling,” as the actual police weren’t notified until 8 hours after Shergar was taken and the men were long gone from the area.
Using coded phrases, the kidnappers soon began negotiations with a representative of the Aga Khan over the telephone but made sure to hang up before 90 seconds passed so that authorities couldn’t track their location.
Collectively it had been decided not to pay the ransom because they figured if they had, every racehorse in the world would be in danger, as many of them were worth over a million pounds (1.5 million dollars) and Ireland had lacked adequate security.
The hunt for Shergar created a huge media storm – everyone in the UK and Ireland were hell-bent on getting him back, and the Dublin police had offered an over $150,000 reward for his return.
The kidnappers had agreed to negotiate with a man named Derek Thompson who had worked for ITV’s racing team. He flew to Belfast to negotiate at the Europa Hotel.
He said the scene that greeted him at Belfast airport was unreal: “It was like being a film star. There were cameras all around.” About 100 cameramen and journalists were in or outside the Europa Hotel as Thompson and his co-negotiators arrived.
The men never reached an agreement. Thompson received a phone call the next day from the kidnappers – they said, “The horse has had an accident. He’s dead.” He then hung up.
There are several ideas pertaining to what happened to Shergar. One idea is that the horse did have some sort of accident while in a frenzy, and the men killed him because they couldn’t handle his crazed manner.
Senior IRA leader Kevin Mallon is thought to be the man who devised the plot. A convicted killer from Co. Tyrone, he eventually became part of IRA folklore after shooting his way out of one prison and being lifted by helicopter from another.
What has been discovered almost definitively, according to a close course, was that two handlers, one clutching a machine gun, went into the remote stable where the horse was being held and opened fire.
A former IRA member told the Sunday Telegraph: “Shergar was machine-gunned to death. There was blood everywhere and the horse even slipped on his own blood. There was lots of cussing and swearing because the horse wouldn’t die. It was a very bloody death.” It was several minutes before Shergar bled to death.
It is also widely believed his kidnappers buried him in a bog in Co. Leitrim, though some think they dumped him into the sea of Ireland’s south coast.
Shergar’s former jockey Walter Swinburn, who rode Shergar at his famous race, was distressed by the findings. “No horse deserves an ending like that – let alone one as special as Shergar.”
Shergar’s body was never found, and the case remains a mystery. The IRA has never officially claimed responsibility for stealing the beloved horse. The incident has inspired several books, documentaries, and a film starring Mickey Rourke.
Originally published 2015.
