Soma Speaks About Masterful Strydom Ride And His Approach To Training
Joe Soma is pleased to have been the one to have given the legendary jockey Piere Strydom a new lease on life and spoke of the masterful ride given to his filly Lady Of Power in the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.
He has no doubt the Master Of My Fate filly will stay the 1800m trip of the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic.
He said, “We were worried the 1600m would be too short for her. Piere said she will be better over 1800m, although he will probably have to ride her a bit differently.”
Soma said over the mile the tactic beforehand had been to gallop the field into the ground.
Joe said, “I could not believe the other jockeys were allowing Piere Strydom a four or five length lead in a Group 2 race! There is no doubt that he allowed her a breather coming up the hill. This might be something the younger jockeys don’t know, how demanding the Turffontein Standside climb up to the straight is, and the going was on the soft side too (officially good to soft). You can see as he is coming into the straight off the false rail Piere momentarily looks around, because he is probably asking himself can this be happening? It was a masterful ride.”
Strydom got the filly to skip the moment she entered the straight and it soon became apparent that the rest of the field, including the hot favourite Gimme A Shot, had underestimated the pacemaker and were going to battle to catch her.
In the typical style of a great rider Strydom left just a little bit in reserve as he kept the filly rolling down the long 800m straight.
When the field reached his filly he was able to extract the necessary extra to get her up by a quarter of a length from the Stuart Pettigrew-trained Feather Boa with the Brett Crawford-trained outsider Reny next best from Emirate Gina and Gimme A Shot.
Soma was amazed to arrive at the yard the next morning to find Lady Of Power’s manger was clean … she had eaten every single scrap of food.
He said, “It is fascinating for a trainer to see this and I think that is the key to a great rider. I thought she might have had a hard race, but that she polished off her food was proof that the jockey had allowed her to breathe throughout the contest. I have found this with all of the great jockeys. Kevin Shea was another one. He was one of the most underrated jockeys of all time, up with the best ever, and a charateristic of the big race horses he rode was they came out of the race well. Jeff Lloyd was also world class. It was the same with others like Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech, Weichong Marwing and Robbie Sham. Even S’Manga Khumalo. They say he is hard on a horse, but the horses he rides in big races come out of the race well. With these top riders you can phone the owner the next day and say ‘You still have a horse.’”
Soma spoke of how top jockeys and trainers of yesteryear are often forgotten and said he had recently found it sad to see a legend like Strydom not being given good rides.
He said, “He was supposed to retire on Met day and I would have liked to have seen him carry on riding, so I phoned him and said come and ride this filly and some others before retiring and if it goes well you can carry on for a bit longer. Gabby ((Soma) Joe’s nephew and an assistant and owner in his yard) agreed with me and I think it was a master stroke by us. Piere has so far ridden four for us this season and has three wins and a second. I have known him for about 35 years, since the days I was assistant to Mike Azzie. We have always got on well, we joke and laugh a lot, and we joked this was chapter 34 in our partnership. I have always been hard on jockeys, because whilst I do praise them for good rides I always feel it is right to tell them when they have not ridden to their best or have ridden a bad race. They sometimes get upset by the criticism. I am a small yard and they are usually affiliated to big yards, so sometimes I have been fired by them, although sometimes I fire jockeys,. With Piere it is now about chapter 34! I think this is the final chapter and I hope it is a happy one.”
Joe only has 30 horses and has never had much more than that, so has an incredible record, having won what he believes to be about 11 or 12 Grade 1s.
He sent out five runners on Saturday, which is about 17% of his yard, and returned with three wins, a second and a sixth.
The 6th place was by Rule By Force (Pomodoro) in the Grade 2 WSB Gauteng Guineas. He said from a tricky draw he had come from too far back, so had run a fine race and he believed he would prefer the 1800m of the Grade 1 WSB SA Classic.
He said a horse to follow was his winner of the second race, William Longsword three-year-old colt Back In Business, who was slowly away and then made up two or three lengths in the final furlong. That was a fine feat for one making his debut and this big, rangy sort looks the part.
He pointed out the yard could have had four wins had it not been for the 1,5kg claim of Rachel Venniker in the last race, whose mount Gimmealight pipped his filly In The Beginning (Captain Of All).
He said Rachel had probably even asked herself, “Why are the doing this to me?”
After all, she had earlier got up without the claim in a ding dong tussle with S’Manga Khumalo in the WSB Gauteng Guineas.
Joe said it was not a question of who was right or who was wrong, but he believed a debate about the female claim should be opened between the NHA and industry players.
Joe said his small numbers were probably due to him never having being been one to “blow smoke up people’s backsides” and admitted he never actively asked owners to join his yard.
He explained, “It was always my dream to be around horses and train horses, so when I get up in the morning I am happy with the hand I have been dealt and I do my best for all the horses we have. I would welcome new owners, but it doesn’t worry me because I haven’t got the time to fight with owners or speak on the phone for hours. We also have a very happy vibe in the yard, the grooms are like my family, and I wouldn’t want to disrupt that. If you ask an owner for a horse it is up to you, it’s added pressure, but If an owner gives you a horse you can do the best for the horse itself. I have always been true to myself at the sales, I can buy any horse I want to from any stud. I love going to the sale to buy the horses I believe are champs and I don’t need to please anybody else.”
Joe can’t buy at the top end of the market, but said he had nevertheless been blessed to have a good horse in his yard every year he had trained.
Lady Of Power was a good example of a good buy. He had viewed this now big and powerful filly, who stands at 16-and-a-half hands and weights 490kg, as beautifully balanced at the sale and liked what she “appeared to possess.”
He landed her for R175,000 (at the BSA National Yearling Sale).
Joe has a share in about 75% of the horses in his yard and has advised Gabby to do the same in his role as a bloodstock agent.
He said, “I buy on spec and put the partnership together, but if you also take a share the patron knows then you are also prepared to put your money down and take a chance with the horse.”
Striker Confirms He Is Postponing Retirement After Fillies Guineas Win
I can’t stop now, says veteran champion jockey after big win at Turffontein
David Mollett (Business Day)
Veteran jockey Piere Strydom has put his retirement on hold after winning Saturday’s Wilgerbosdrift Fillies Guineas at Turffontein on 25-1 chance Lady Of Power.
In the post-race interview after the grade 2 race, 56-year-old Strydom said: “I am retiring at some stage, but can’t stop now.” This indicated he was keen to partner Joe Soma’s filly again in the second leg of the Triple Tiara on March 4.
Strydom employed front-running tactics on the R175,000 daughter of Master Of My Fate and they paid off as the filly plugged on gamely to Feather Boa and Reny.
An avalanche of money arrived for the favourite, Gimme A Shot, who was sent off at the short odds of 5-4. She had to settle for fifth place, about two lengths behind the winner.
It proved a red-letter day for trainer Joe Soma for not only did he win his first Guineas, he also saddled the winner of the first two races on the card.
If Gimme A Shot’s defeat wasn’t a hard enough pill for punters to swallow, worse was to come 35 minutes later when this column’s selection, Royal Victory, was snared on the line by Eye Of The Prophet in the WSB Gauteng Guineas.
Trained by Paul Matchett and sent off at 33-1, Eye Of The Prophet and Royal Victory had a battle royal over the final 200m with Rachel Venniker just prevailing on her mount, thus putting another nail in punters’ coffins.
It’s doubtful that any tipster selected the winner of both Guineas races to finish in the first four so it was understandable the Pick Six wasn’t won and R2.7m has been carried over to a future meeting.
Bookmakers countrywide probably couldn’t believe they got an upset result in the WSB Guineas as the field contained so many fancied runners including Shoemaker, Royal Victory, East Coast, Anfields Rocket, Money Heist, Le Morne and Jimmy Don.
Eye Of The Prophet — a son of Gimmethegreenlight bred by Patricia Devine — cost R200,000 as a yearling and earned more than three times that figure with his winning effort on Saturday.
Trainer Nathan Kotzen and jockey S’manga Khumalo will be gutted that they lost out by the narrowest of margins, but are likely to be back for the second leg of the Triple Crown — the SA Classic over 1,800m.
While third-placed Electric Gold was friendless in the market and started at 25-1, there was support for 10-1 shot, Jimmy Don, who earned the fourth cheque for the Erico Verdonese stable.
Big Burn was another hot favourite to bite the dust on a forgettable day for backers with Sean Tarry’s seven-time winner having to settle for third place behind 12-1 chance Rollwiththepunches.
This was an excellent feat of training by Roy Magner as his Act Of War gelding hadn’t been seen out since winning at the Vaal at the end of July.
Bred at Summerhill Stud, the R160,000 buy Rollwiththepunches lived up to his name, holding off all challengers with Big Burn coming home third.
The winner of the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes wins an invitation to the Breeders Cup and hence Make It Snappy’s program for the rest of the season is still up in the air.
Hollywood/Barnane Stud Have One Of The Favourites For Cheltenham’s Supreme Novices Hurdle After Grade 1 Win
The Willie Mullins-trained Il Etait Temps Il Etait Temps was a shock winner yesterday of the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown over two miles running in the colours of the Hollywood Syndicate.
Hollywood lease Il Etatit Temps in partnership with Barnane Stud, which is owned by the Kieswetters of Ridgemont Highlands.
Il Etait Temps’ stablemate Facile Vega was widely expected to triumph as the 4-9 favourite.
However, Facile Vega faded quickly after turning for home, whereas Il Etait Temps was able to accelerate under Danny Mullins to stun onlookers with a nine-and-a-half-length success at 14-1.
Facile Vega is the daughter of the legendary Mullins-trained Quevega, who created a Cheltenham record by winning the Grade David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle an incredible six times in succession.
Both Il Etait Temps and Facile Vega are bound for the Cheltenham Festival.
The most likely race they will contest is the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle over two miles and 87 yards.
Il Etait Temps is a best 6/1 fourth favourite for that race, while Facile Vega is at a best 5/1 second favourite.
Both horses are also in the betting for the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs, but their career record to date suggests they will go for the shorter race.
On Saturday Hollywood and Barnane Stud had a Grade 1 fifth place finish with the Mullins-trained Gust Of Wind in the Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle.
He is a best priced 40/1 for the Cheltenham Festival’s Triumph Hurdle.
Rockpool beating Without Question (hidden) in the Grade 3 Politician Stakes over 1800m. The pair are two of five entries in the Cape Derby who run in the colours of Nick Jonsson. (Wayne Marks).
The Eric Sands-trained Master Of My Fate filly Busy Lizzie runs in the 8th race tomorrow, her first race out of the maidens (Wayne Marks).
Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Preview For 7th February, 2023
Cape Racing (Mark van Deventer)
Blue Holly is improving rapidly now and appeals as the best bet on Tuesday’s card at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. Glen Kotzen’s Gimmethegreenlight filly may have been outrun at her second start by The Charleston, but that was in a smart time for juveniles, and she was miles ahead of the other placed horses.
Ace jock, Keagan de Melo now takes control of the steering, and they are selected to open the P6 in Race 3. There are five unraced babies in the 15-runner field, so a market watch is advised. The speedy, Savic (finished next to Blue Holly on debut), Oni San, Siddeley and Strata have shown enough early promise to be involved in the shake-up, yet that fine second try by Blue Holly is clearly the best form of those with experience.
Making accurate “short selections” is always useful when constructing horizontal wagers – it helps to contain costs and enables bettors to spread in more difficult legs where wider cover is needed.
Race 4 presents just such an opportunity as using Kebonalesedi and Hawk Circle could be sufficient to get through Leg 2 of the P6, a 13 runner Maiden Plate.
Kebonalesedi made dramatic improvement at his second outing (as horses are apt to do) – statistically that’s when thoroughbreds make the most one-start-to-the-next progress. The Glen Puller trained half-brother to big-earning, Illuminator, chased home heavily punted, Noble City, in the process edging out subsequent easy winner, Rosh Kedesh so the form has a nice shape to it.
Hawk Circle has already run good enough numbers to shed a Maiden tag – his penultimate behind Holy Orders when kicking on swiftly catches the eye. Assuming Justin Snaith has him cranked up after a nine-week break, (blinkers go on – a positive sign) then this well-bred son of Silvano should go well, even if 1200m is possibly on the short side.
Mighty Mac (eligible to wake up making that key 2nd start) and well-exposed older filly Simply Beautiful might be added by wary bettors going four- deep. But with tricky Maiden Special Weight races and difficult Handicaps filling the rest of the P6 sequence, sneaking cheaply through a 1 x 2 start would be neat.
Cookie Amos (right) pictured with his brother Stanley, rode the horse in question.
Today’s Question
Who is the only horse in history to do the Met/Cape Derby double as a three-year-old?
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Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Fields, Tuesday, CLICK HERE
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Stanley Amos, Cookie Amos, Syd Garrett and Freddy Heyman (photo: Form Organisation)
