Striker Strydom and the horse who delayed his retirement, the Michael Roberts-trained See It Again (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Piere “Striker” Strydom is thrilled to still be part of the plans for the dual Gr 1-winning Michael Roberts-trained star See It Again and said his contract to ride for the ASSM Racing Syndicate would not interfere with his partnership with the Twice Over five-year-old, who has recently been gelded.
Strydom also hopes to keep the ride on another potential Gr 1 winner, the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Dyce, whom he rode to victory in his reappearance at Turffontein Inside on Saturday.
See It Again is being targeted at the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup.
Strydom said there was unlikely to be an ASSM horse whom he would be able to make the weight for.
Furthermore, it was part of his contract with ASSM that See It Again would take precedence over any of their horses.
See It Again is a particularly special horse to Strydom because it was this horse who delayed his retirement, not to mention the two Gr 1s he has won on him together with other big race places.
Owner Nick Jonsson said recently when asked who would be riding See It Again in the Summer Cup, “I don’t see any reason why Striker shouldn’t ride him. He’s running in Johannesburg and frankly, unless Striker retires between now and then, I think it would be foolish to not put him on the horse … Turffontein is his home ground.”
Jonsson was asked whether he believed See It Again would be suited to the galloping Turffontein Standside track with its long straight and he replied, ““I’m undecided whether he will or he won’t, he’s got quite a turn of foot, but let’s see.”
However, Striker is adament he will enjoy the course.
He said rather than having to go for home at the top of the straight as he had had to be doing at Hollywoodbets Greyville he would be able to build up his momentum. This was the way he had done it in two of his best wins, in the Gr 1 Splashout Cape Derby over 2000m and in the Gr 2 WSB Green Point Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, which has a relatively long straight.
Striker likened Dyce to See It Again, saying like the latter he was a big strong horse and yet athletic with a good turn of foot.
“Like See It Again he has it all,” he said.
The Houdalakis-Strydom combination produced one of the most famous results in South African racing history when J J The Jet Plane overcame seemingly impossible odds to win the Gr 1 Hong Kong Sprint, just days after an arduous three-and-a-half month journey across three continents.
Striker and Lucky have been friends for a long time and Striker said when asking Lucky for rides the latter would often turn him down on the grounds of not being suited to a horse … so Striker knows when Lucky does give him a ride it will be on a sort he will be able to bring the best out of.
Dyce seems to be such a horse.
Striker felt at one stage Dyce was not going to give him an effort when he seemed to throw his head upwards and sideways and he thought he would have to draw the stick. However, he soon realised the horse was indeed giving it his all and so put the stick away.
If Striker had not known about Dyce’s unusual style of running with his head carried high, on top of an arched neck, he now knows.
He is clearly impressed with the six-year-old William Longsword gelding and would like to stay aboard.
Of The ASSM horses he is looking forward to he mentioned the Brett Crawford-trained New Predator filly Fatal Flaw, whom he rode four times as a juvenile for a win and three seconds, including runner up finishes in both of the Gr 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m and the Gr 1 Douglas Whye Thekwini Stakes over 1600m.
He also mentioned the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Silvano six-year-old gelding Sugar Mountain as a decent sort.
The Mike de Kock-trained Zinovi (Heavenly Blue) is also useful.
