VARIETY CLUB STRIKES GOLD CHALLENGE DOUBLE

Watch Variety Club winning the Rising Sun Gold Challenge
(Image : Gold Circle - Footage : Racing International)

RISING SUN GOLD CHALLENGE (Garde 1)
Clairwood, Turf, 1600m
8 June 2013

Mike Moon
TAB NewsThe script was followed to the letter. Brilliant Variety Club won the R750,000 Rising Sun Gold Challenge easily Saturday at Clairwood, with second favourite Beach Beauty second and third favourite Pomodoro third.

Throughout the preliminaries and the 1600m race itself there didn’t seem to be flicker of doubt that things would go according to plan at Clairwood. Variety Club looked in magnificent nick, as did the big-hearted filly Beach Beauty and the rangy Pomodoro.

For those who enjoy seeing favourites toppled, it might all have seemed a bit boring. But a champion racehorse winning a Grade 1 race in scintillating style could never be boring to true racing fans. A huge crowd on course cheered Variety Club to the heavens as master jockey Anton Marcus steered him home to an eighth win in a row, his 14th in 19 starts, his sixth career Grade 1 and his second Gold Challenge.

Many thousands of people turned up at the Garden Course, with a car giveaway and Bollywood stars as added attractions. But the star of the show was undoubtedly Equus Horse Of The Year Variety Club and the main prize was seeing a phenomenal horse in action.

Ice Machine and Pierre Jourdan were sluggish leaving the gates - but not the Joey Ramsden-trained Variety Club, who shot straight into the lead and dictated a leisurely pace for the 10-strong field. Lake Arthur took up the second spot as they headed down the back stretch, followed by Hill Fifty Four, Beach Beauty, Festival Of Fire, Pomodoro on the inside rail, Whiteline Fever, Ice Machine, Master Plan and Pierre Jourdan. Jockey Sean Cormack eased the diminutive Beach Beauty into second position, ready to strike, as they rounded the left-hand bend. Lake Arthur remained prominent, with Pomodoro also edging forward, some 2.50 lengths of the coasting leader.

As they hit the straight, Beach Beauty made an early challenge, the intention clearly being to put Variety Club under pressure to see if he would buckle. No such luck. Marcus shook up the champ and he shot two lengths clear. About 350m out the contest was over. Variety Club (4-10) looked as cool as a cucumber as he strode to victory by two lengths. The Dennis Drier-trained Beach Beauty (9-2) once again showed what a courageous and consistent horse she is, plugging on to take second from Pomodoro (9-1).

Randjesfontein trainer Sean Tarry will have been very pleased with the form shown by both his charges, Pomodoro and Whiteline Fever (15-1). The latter ran on strongly into fourth place from near the back of the field. For these two, this was primarily a preparation run for next month’s Vodacom Durban July at Greyville and their odds for the big one might now slim down.

Tibouchina Stakes (Grade 2)

If the Gold Challenge lacked surprises, there were plenty in the second feature on the card, the Grade 2 R250,000 Rising Sun Tibouchina Stakes. Hot favourite Princess Victoria failed to make the first four placings as 28-1 chance Louvre won a good race from the front. Louvre has won two in a row since moving down from the Highveld to Duncan Howell’s yard in KwaZulu-Natal. The five-year-old Doowaley mare took up the running soon after the 1450m start, stretching into a two-length lead from Espumanti, Earth’s Orbit, Comtesse Dubois and King’s Temptress.

Princess Victoria travelled some five lengths back around the turn, just ahead of Happy Archer, Negev, Amur Affair and Halfway To Heaven, who was about 10 lengths off the pace. In the straight, Louvre maintained her advantage despite challenges from Espumanti, Earth’s Orbit, Happy Archer and Comtesse Dubois. Halfway To Heaven was starting to unwind a dangerous-looking challenge down the outside. Alec Forbes kept Louvre well balanced and stretching out in the final strides and she claimed it by half a length. Espumanti (11-1) just edged out Earth’s Orbit (16-1) for second, while the fast-finishing Halfway To Heaven (11-2) claimed fourth, just ahead of the disappointing Princess Victoria. Louvre has now won eight times from 31 starts.

Cup Trial (Grade 3)

The Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m saw veteran jockey Kevin Shea get the Charles Laird-trained Astro News (16-1) home with a smart ride, ahead of Bulsara, Territorial Waters and Punta Arenas.

BLUERIDGE MOUNTAIN CRUISES TO SWEET CHESTNUT WIN

Watch Blueridge Mountain winning the Sweet Chestnut Stakes (L)
(Image : Sporting Post - Footage : Tellytrack)

SWEET CHESTNUT STAKES (Listed)
Kenilworth, Turf, 1400m
5 May 2013

Grade 1 winner Blueridge Mountain lived up to her big reputation and prohibitive starting price when cruising in to win the R125,000 Listed Sweet Chestnut Stakes run over 1400m at Kenilworth on Sunday. The 3-year-old chestnut flyer looks a worldbeater, and left her opposition for dead.

Export red tape has stymied the planned efforts of the Markus Jooste team to continue Blueridge Mountain’s racing career in the United States, and she is part of the seemingly ‘never never’ travelling party that includes het stablemate and South African Horse Of The Year, Variety Club, and the Glen Kotzen star filly Princess Victoria. The Yanks loss is our gain for now though, and the manner of her win on Sunday spoke of plenty more to come.

On the level weight terms of this first leg of the female Cape Winter Series, Blueridge Mountain should have won, and she duly confirmed everything we imagined and already knew by leading from the jump and extending clear in the home run, to win as she liked. Anton Marcus rode the first leg of his Cape feature double, but frankly the worst jockey on earth would have struggled to lose this on a filly that is patently superior to most of her age group over the trip. Blueridge Mountain won by 3,50 lengths in a time of 87,50 secs. She beat Justin Snaith’s filly Captainofmysoul, while the Mike Bass-trained Fly By Night ran a promising third at her first try beyond 1200m.

Winning trainer Joey Ramsden admitted a measure of tongue in cheek greed by running his charge in this event. “She is a top filly and this was just too good an opportunity to pass by,” he said.

Blueridge Mountain is by the Coolmore Storm Cat stallion, Giant’s Causeway. She was consigned by Summerhill Stud to the 2011 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale where she fetched R2million. She has now won 5 races with 2 places from her 8 starts for earnings of R656,550 and will hopefully get the opportunity to boost that figure with some foreign currency in time to come.

Extract from Sporting Post

ADMIRAL'S EYE OPENS ADMIRE MAIN'S ACCOUNT IN STYLE

Watch Admiral’s Eye winning her maiden
(Image : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

ADMIRAL’S EYE
2012 SUMMERHILL READY TO RUN GRADUATE

ADMIRAL’S EYE
Admire Main (JPN) - Surfers Eye by Elliodor (FR)
2 Year-Old Bay Filly

Owner : The Fire Racing Trust (Nom : Mr Alesh Naidoo)
Trainer : Paul Lafferty
Jockey : Anton Marcus
Breeder : Honourable Judge Alan Magid and Summerhill Stud

ADMIRAL’S EYE is a graduate from the Summerhill draft of the 2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

ALL TO COME MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE
For Maiden 2-Year-Old Filles
Scottsville, Turf, 1200m
9 April 2013

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	ADMIRAL’S EYE	58.0	0	1	A Marcus	Paul Lafferty
2	2.00	CHELSEA	58.0	0	5	A Forbes	Duncan Howells
3	2.50	TAMAYIM	58.0	0	8	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
4	4.75	PROVERB	58.0	0	3	I Sturgeon	Doug Campbell
5	5.25	SPORTTORIO	58.0	0	7	M Byleveld	Mike Bass
6	7.25	IVORY PEARL	58.0	0	6	*J Dladla (4.0)	Deon Visser
7	8.25	AIRBENDER	58.0	0	9	*C Zackey (4.0)	Duncan Howells
8	10.50	RUBY’S CHOICE	58.0	0	2	M Yeni	Kumaran Naidoo
9	19.75	RED AND WHITE	58.0	0	4	S Cormack	Michael Miller
		Late Scratching
10	0.00	AQUATIC ANGEL	58.0	0	n/a	J Samuel	Deon Visser

Enquiries :
Tarryn Liebenberg +27 (0) 83 787 1982
or email tarryn@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

THE SA CLASSIC : LOVE CAN BE BLIND

Watch Love Struck winning the SA Classic (Grade 1)
(Photo : JC Photos - Footage : Tellytrack)

R2,000,000 SA CLASSIC (Grade 1)
Turffontein, Turf, 1800m
30 March 2013

A prominent racehorse trainer, disgruntled by a failure to heed his instructions, recently accused jockeys of being illiterate. One thing you cannot say about jockeys though, is that they’re innumerate: put two million bucks on the line, as Phumelela did on Saturday, and pandemonium reigns. There were all kinds of conjecture in the popular press about the prospects for Saturday’s SA Classic (Gr.1), and the fact it was a likely stepping stone for the Gauteng Guineas ace, Tellina, on his march to the Triple Crown. As matters turned out, his vanquisher on Saturday was Love Struck, a R260,000 Summerhill Sales graduate of a Classic generation that has already yielded four Group One performers off the farm.

At least one eminent scribe was puzzled at Love Struck’s participation in the Classic, on the basis of Anton Marcus’ defection to Gitiano for the day. Apparently the champion jockey had suggested, after Love Struck’s victory in the Politician Stakes at Kenilworth on L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day, that 1800m might be the limit of his range. “Taking on the big boys in their own back yard over the trip might be stretching matters” the scribe claimed, and he may have had a point. We’ve always said the 800 metres of the Turffontein straight is the toughest four furlongs in the world, and getting there at the end of nine furlongs takes more than raw ability. It takes courage, honesty as well as “BMT”, and let’s not forget, a good dose of upbringing.

We have to confess though, that while we harboured hopes for all four of our runners, the press and Anton Marcus had us wondering about Love Struck and his stamina. His father, Kahal, versatile as his record suggests, has largely been an influence for speed, and neither his mother nor grandmother won beyond a mile. Yet somehow, on Saturday, Love Struck came grinding up the Turrfontein straight like the genuine brawler he is, raising two fingers at the pedigree theorists and how far a runner is supposed to stay. This is horseracing, not quantum mechanics.

In the Classic, we saw the raw soul of racing; two horses running for their lives, crashing through one pain barrier after another, wild and brave. The Classic field swings for home, fanning ever wider, centrifugal force in its crudest form, a blur of colour and bussles. Horses weaving and wobbling. Jockeys slashing and urging. Everywhere you look, acts of panic and derring-do. As near as a race can be to pandemonium. From being right out of it at 20-1, Love Struck is suddenly right in it.

Amid the pandemonium on the turn, Sean Cormack the veteran, sends the “Lover” for home. With that one decision, he wins the Classic. Trainers are forever telling jockeys to use their judgment, as though all hoops are born with a triple cross of Solomon. Jockeys then go out and use something that, whatever it is, isn’t judgment. Love Struck won the Classic because Cormack’s intuition was flawless. Joey Soma, standing in for his absent trainer, Paul Lafferty, timed the horse’s preparation to within a few hours. Cormack timed the horse’s run to within a few seconds. A punter who’d yelled unprintable abuse at Cormack in the race before, now hailed him “a champion”. A week may be a long time in politics, but thirty-five minutes is an eternity on a racecourse.

The return to scale made the running of the bulls in Pamplona, seem dull. The veteran journeyman was ecstatic, the owner euphoric. Spare a moment here, for the owner. Alesh Naidoo deserves everything he gets from the game. At the KZN Racing Awards last season, he was acknowledged as the province’s leading investor. The horse’s participation in the Classic was an act of faith. His trainer had doubts on the back of Anton Marcus’ reservations: who wouldn’t? Yet the owner insisted. Now he was clambering and clattering his way down the grandstand, his eyes a mystery behind his sunglasses, as he slipped into the winner’s circle, and called out to the jockey. The colt came across to him. The owner, who’d invested his faith, rubbed him and kissed him on the forehead. Emotions are alright, it seems, but only behind sunglasses.

And then there was the agony. The objection hooter sounded, and suddenly the owner slipped into that country all racing fans know, the twilight zone between hell and hope. On a racecourse, the line between fame and pain is ever so fine. Somewhere in the race, the Triple Crown pretender and the horse with so many doubts over his head, had come together at a critical time. It was now in the lap of the gods.

Depending on where you sit on the issue, it’s good to know there is a God; it helps to have the Almighty in the saddle. The objection was overruled.

Spare a thought now, for Love Struck’s trainer. Lafferty is a tease. These days, the one-time professional football star is more a comedian than a celebrity, a master of dry wit and dubious tales. Big on desire, but short on good horses. A contender and a crock living in the same body. On this, his biggest of days, he was in Dubai doing duty at the World Cup. Those nearby will tell you, too: emotions are alright, but better in private. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Saturday was a big day at Turffontein, not quite as big as the World Cup in Dubai, but a big day nonetheless. The fans turned up in their droves to see Tellina and Cherry On The Top win their respective classics. In the end, Cherry On The Top won the Fillies Classic, but Love Struck won the hearts.

Enquiries :
Linda Norval +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email linda@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

BLUERIDGE MOUNTAIN ALL CLASS IN KLAWERVLEI MAJORCA STAKES

Click above to watch Blueridge Mountain winning the Majorca Stakes (Grade 1)
(Image : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

KLAWEVLEI MAJORCA STAKES (Grade 1)
Kenilworth, Turf, 1600m
2 February 2013

Michael Clower
Gold CircleBlueridge Mountain (Arg) (Giant’s Causeway (USA) - Skyline Drive View (USA) paid tribute to the combined training talents of Gary Alexander and Joey Ramsden in the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, with jockey Anton Marcus muttering about “divine intervention” when quizzed about his awesome starting skills on J&B Met day at Kenilworth Saturday.

The race looked open 200m from home, but Blueridge Mountain got her head in front and stayed on to win by 0,5 lengths from last year’s runner up, the Brett Crawford-trained Frequent Flyer.

The Mike Bass-trained favourite Hammie’s Hooker was next best ahead of Jet Aglow and Razzle Dazzle Rose.

According to Derek Brugman, the Ingrid and Markus Jooste-owned winner may go with Variety Club to the States.

Blueridge Mountain was consigned by Summerhill Stud to the 2011 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale where she fetched R2 million, the second top filly of the sale. Her career record now stands at 3 wins and 2 places from 6 starts.

FINAL RESULT

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	BLUERIDGE MOUNTAIN (ARG)	56.0	96	14	A Marcus	Gary Alexander
2	0.50	FREQUENT FLYER	60.0	102	5	G Hatt	Brett Crawford
3	1.50	HAMMIES HOOKER	56.0	103	4	K Neisius	Mike Bass
4	2.50	JET AGLOW	56.0	104	10	G van Niekerk	Glen Kotzen
5	3.25	RAZZLE DAZZLE ROSE	60.0	99	16	B Fayd’Herbe	Yogas Govender
6	3.55	ALL IS SECRET	56.0	100	11	M Byleveld	Vaughan Marshall
7	3.60	REFLECTIVE IMAGE	60.0	92	6	R Fradd	Brett Crawford
8	4.00	THUNDER DANCE	60.0	105	12	K Teetan	Brett Crawford
9	4.40	HALFWAY TO HEAVEN	60.0	87	9	M Odendaal	Eric Sands
10	4.80	VIVA MARIA	60.0	105	8	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
11	6.80	BELOVED BETTY	60.0	100	7	C Puller	Glen Kotzen
12	7.30	HURRICANE KATRINA	60.0	102	1	F Coetzee	Justin Snaith
13	7.40	HAPPY ARCHER (AUS)	60.0	104	2	P Strydom	Sean Tarry
14	8.65	BAMBINA STRIPES (ARG)	60.0	95	13	S Cormack	Dennis Drier
15	9.05	CASH REGISTER	60.0	91	15	B Lerena	Glen Kotzen
16	25.30	BUTTERFLY GIRL	56.0	93	3	M Guyon	Mike Bass
		Late Scratchings
17	0.00	SUPER ELEGANT	60.0	99	12	F Anthony	Piet Steyn
18	0.00	EUROPE TO AFRICA	60.0	94	2	Reserve 2	Greg Ennion

Extracts from Gold Circle

Enquiries :
Linda Norval +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email linda@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za