Royal Victory has been a lifechanging horse for two families as was well documented after his two Gr 1 victories (JC Photos)
Nathan Kotzen was pleased with Royal Victory’s run in an important Conditions Plate race over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday, despite him finishing a 3,75 length sixth.
This was the first of two Betway Summer Cup preparation races for the six-year-old Pathfork gelding and Nathan said all he had wanted to see was him running on well in his usual style after being dropped out from a tricky draw of seven.
He did just that under Chad Little, whom Nathan confirmed would be his rider for the Summer Cup.
Royal Victory will run next in a Conditions Plate event over 1600m at Hollywodbets Greyville on on November 7.
Nathan pointed out the twice Gr 1-winning stalwart had been in a better space than ever after six sessions with “horse whisperer” Glyn Redgrave.
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Royal Victory had ended last season under a cloud.
He was seen by all an sundry to “stick up” at the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops, stopping at the 1600m mark and refusing to budge.
It took a long time to coax him to gallop and other horses behind him in the gallop order had to go before him.
However, that had not stopped him from running an excellent fourth in the July after jumping from draw 17 and coming from way back in the running.
However, in the Gr 1 Champions Cup on World Pool Gold Cup day he stopped in the back straight on the way to the start and refused to go any further, so had to be scratched.
Rumours had begun circulating that Royal Victory was tired of racing.
This is firstly not backed up by his race record as he must be one of the most consistent horses in training with only three unplaced runs in his last 15 starts.
Nathan said, “He never had any issues, but one night, it was on July day (July 2023 which was before he became famous by winning two Gr 1 on the Highveld) he was cantering down to the start when the lights went out. He came back, it was pitch dark and he was distressed and dripping with sweat. The jockey was moaning the horse had just wanted to run away from him and he had been unable to see in front of him and he could not hold him, so he must have been fighting the horse the whole way back. I took that jockey off after that. But I had never before seen Royal Victory like that before. So that is what made him the way he became i.e. every now and then he would stick up, because he wanted to look. But he has never ever shown me any signs of sourness. I know what a sour horse looks like. Royal Victory’s ears are never pressed back, he is always alert with ears pricked before the race in the preliminaries and in the race itself.”
Part of Royal Victory’s schooling to get him over his sticking up habit was to take him to Hollywoodbets Greyville for a night meeting where he could approach the stalls and jump in between races. Ionically it was that night that for the first time in his life he did not want to jump, so as it was under the lights it might have been related to that night on July day 2023.
He was later taken to Hollyoodbets Scottsville during a meeting and went down fine and jumped fine.
In fact Nathan believes he is better than ever since completing his six sessions with Glyn Redgrave.
He said, “You could see on Sunday he was fine in the parade and the canter down and they put him in the gates fine, they took him out fine and put him back in fine and he jumped fine.”
Royal Victory was also seen bucking and rolling after a workout at Summerveld recently and looked a picture of well-being and contentedness.
See It Again’s last four starts at Turffontein Standside have been a win in the 2023 Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup, a win in the 2023 Gr 1 weight for age World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge, a three length sixth in the Summer Cup and a 0,25 length second in the Champions Challenge in which his objection was overruled.
He has proved he is up to his 125 merit rating and being in such a good space he could offer some value at 14/1 ante-post odds for the Summer Cup.
