Master Redoute wins the Gr 3 Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap over 1800m (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Sabine Plattner has a chance to land her first Hollywoodbets Durban July and the horse who is out to do it is fittingly an Andre Nel-trained homebred called Master Redoute, who has a fascinating pedigree.
Nel is quietly confident about his horse’s chances and said at yesterday’s Hollywoodbets Durban July Final Field and Draw ceremony, “I haven’t really been here that long but he is looking great. The draw (14) is not great, but we feel the way the race might pan out will be in our favour. Our horse does like quite a dirty race and likes running at horses and pushing his way through gaps. So from that draw, he’s got very little choice other than to do that. So we’ll take it.”
The six-times July-winning trainer Terrance Millard used to say one needs a mile-and-a-half horse to win the July and after being reminded of this Andre replied, “Well, that’s a good thing. We know our horse stays. Plus he’s actually got a really good turn of foot.”
He added, “On collateral form, at the weights, he shouldn’t be discounted.”
One bit of interesting collateral form is that when Master Redoute won the Gr 3 Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap over 1800m he gave 1kg to the 0,40 length runner up Future Swing.
They now face each other at level weights of 54kg apiece and yet Future Swing is 11/2 third favourite with the sponsor and Master Redoute is 50/1.
Master Redoute is 2kg under sufferance off his 115 merit rating and Future Swing’s price makes no sense on paper as he is 4,5kg under sufferance. However, Future Swing is is the choice of the peerless Richard Fourie and is an impressive type, so the price is obviously based on him being highly progressive.
Andre was asked what he will do with Master Redoute at the Hollywoodbets Durbam July gallops on Thursday morning replied, “He’s the type of horse that doesn’t take a helluva lot of work. That’s the reason why we didn’t prep him too hard for this. He’s not the type of horse that needs racing to get to his best. If we can get him to a race feeling fit and happy, we’re probably better off than trying to over-race him going into a race. So the gallop will probably be over 1200m and we will just let him stride and then pick him up nicely.”
Master Redoute is by Querari out of a mare called Lady Redoute, who is by the three times Australian champion stallion Redoute’s Choice out of a mare called Macedon Lady, who won the Gr 1 Melbourne Racing Club 1000 Guineas.
Lady Redoute was bought for Aus$250,000 at the 2011 Australia Easter Yearling Sale.
She won two races in South Africa from 1400m to 2000m and her worth as a broodmare was soon evident as Master Redoute is her first foal.
Master Redoute, now a five-year-old gelding, won two of his first four starts, both over 1600m, and has generally been highly tried since.
This resulted in two Gr 3 wins this season, the Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap over 1800m and the Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers over 2800m.
He came off a layoff of three-and-a-half months to run a 1,70 length third in the Gr 2 WSB 1900 in his only Champions Season run. He once again performed better than Future Swing in that race. The latter won but Master Redoute was giving him 4kg this time and, furthermore, Master Redoute jumped from draw eleven while Future Swing jumped from draw three.
Master Redoute not only has those two Gr 3 wins this season to his name. but also a 0,75 length second in the Gr 3 Politician Stakes as a three-year-old, a 2,50 length second in the Listed East cape Guineas, a 0,50 length second in the Gr 3 Drakenstein Stud Cape Summer Stayers Handicap over 2500m as a four-year-old, a 0,40 length second in the Listed Durbanville Cup over 2400m and a 0,50 length second in the Gr 3 WSB Legal Eagle Stakes over 1800m.
He has been a fine servant for Plattner.
If ever there was a person who deserves to win the country’s most famous horse race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, it is Sabine Plattner as she has poured an immense amount into the South African racing industry.
She looked to have the race won in 2002 with the Brett Crawford-trained Angus only for the great fillly Ipi Tombe to burst through and deny him by a head.
Her chances don’t look as good this year, but nobody would begrudge Master Redoute if he came through to win at long odds in the familiar grass green and indigo colours.
