Saturday at Turffontein sees the running of the Senor Santa Stakes, so it is a good time to reminisce about this great racehorse, with particular reference to the famous match race he took part in with his paternal half-sister Northern Princess.
Michael “Muis” Roberts, South Africa’s only Hall Of Fame jockey, was not only known for his peerless horsemanship but also as a master tactician. Such was his reputation for tactical nous that the opposition jockeys always tried to work out what he was going to do ahead of a big race. He, on the other hand, would, where possible, always try and do what they least expected … and he often succeeded.
His tactical mastery was never better illustrated than in that unforgettable match race between his mount Northern Princess and Senor Santa, who was ridden by Gavin Howes.
The race took place on a Saturday at Greyville in 1989 during the Christmas holidays in front of a jampacked atmosphere-charged grandstand.
Senor Santa was best known for his sprinting prowess but he was also good at a mile.
Among this Willie Pieters-trained gelding’s victories were the Grade 1 Gold Medallion, the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint X 2, the Grade 2 Star Sprint (1990), the Grade 2 Chairman’s Stakes, the Grade 1 Natal Flying Championship, the Grade 1 First National Bank 1600, the Grade 2 Keith Hepburn Stakes over 1400m and the Grade 1 Star Sprint (1993).
I recall being awestruck when watching his second Computaform Sprint victory at Gosforth Park. He was a strongly built horse with an action which could be likened to a hovercraft because his body hurtled above the ground with tremendous momentum and the hooves appeared to make minimal contact with the ground.
The match race was born of controversy.
The handicapper had omitted the four-year-old Senor Santa from the Grade 2 Germiston November Handicap on the grounds he would not stay the 1600m distance.
This seemed ridiculous to trainer Willie Pieters, because apart from Senor Santa’s sprint wins, the gelding had finished second in the Grade 2 SA Invitation Stakes over 1600m as a three-year-old.
Pieters had the support of virtually the entire race-going public, including Winning Form’s proprietor, Owen Heffer.
After the Paddy Lunn-trained Northern Princess had won the Germiston November, Heffer came forward to sponsor a R150 000 winner-take-all challenge at Greyville between the two chestnut paternal siblings of Northern Guest, thus giving Senor Santa the chance to prove a point.
The event, run on December 30 1989, captured the imagination of the public, who had not experienced a match-race for 20 years.
I was one of a few who temporarily abandoned my seat at a provincial cricket match at Kingsmead and made my way over to the racecourse just to witness this rare event.
Michael Roberts recalled the tremendous build up to the race.
Everybody was talking about it and by the time of the off the atmosphere above the packed grandstand was electric.
It is the closest to the July atmosphere I have experienced at Greyville and the ensuing race did full justice to it.
Michael recalls in the build up being asked over and over again by various media outlets what he was going to do in the race.
“Muis” of course was never going to give his tactics away … or at least not truthfully!
He gave varying answers and to some even said he was going to sit behind Senor Santa. However, his general answer was he was going to have to sit in the early stages because he felt his horse was at her best over 1400m.
However, everybody, including Senor Santa’s jockey, Gavin Howes, knew that Northern Princess would have to make stamina pay if she hoped to beat the proven speed-horse, Senor Santa.
Therefore, Roberts’ talk was dismissed as mere psychological warfare.
However, stating his intentions was a master-stroke by Roberts, because it got Howes second-guessing.
That tell-tale spine-tingling feeling, reserved usually for the July, arose in the packed grandstand as they loaded and what followed was dramatic.
Northern Princess fell out of the pens going at a mere hack canter … but Muis had a trick up his sleeve.
Howes eased his mount back to ensure that if Muis’s plan was indeed going to be to sit behind him, he was going to make it difficult for him.
However, at that precise moment Muis shot forward, leaving Senor Santa flat-footed.
It was another master-stroke, because going through the 1400m mark the filly had opened up a gap of some six lengths.
The first 400m was covered in 27,1 seconds but the second quarter was quicker. Bowling along well clear, Northern princess hit the 800m mark in 49,6 seconds.
Muis then gave Northern Princess a breather coming up the hill.
Roberts was sitting still as they approached the straight and Senor Santa had by now closed the gap.
However, as they came to the false rail, Muis dived for the inside, stealing a march.
This forced Howes to begin chasing his mount immediately.
However, as they approached the 200m mark it looked all over because Senor Santa was eating up the ground down the centre and he duly hit the front.
But the maestro had left a little in the tank.
With the grandstand roof almost being lifted off by the roaring crowd, Northern Princess fought back.
She got up by 0,5 lengths in 1:35,40.
Nevertheless, a point had been proven as Senor Santa was by no means disgraced.
In fact it was probably only Roberts’ mastery which had won the day.
Senor Santa proved the point emphatically about eleven months later when winning the Grade 1 First National Bank 1600.
Michael, recalling the match race today (Thursday), admitted, “To be honest with you if he had just sat behind me up until the 200m mark, I don’t think I could have beaten him … he panicked. It is what I always say to Rachel (Venniker) … don’t press the button too soon.”
Michael recalls Mick Goss summing up the event perfectly after the race.
Goss used his renowned linguistic skills to compare the build up of the event and the atmosphere on the day itself to the July.
The success of Goss’s multiple breeders championship-winning Summerhill Stud was built on the potency of Northern Guest as a stallion.
