REMEMBERING FAMILY : YEATS ET AL

Ice Axe and Castlethorpe - MR 96 Divided Handicap
(Photo : Gold Corcle)

KWA-ZULU NATAL BREEDERS’ 1600
Clairwood, Turf, 1600m
19 June 2011

It was the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats, that once proclaimed “I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

The Irish have always had a sense of the romantic, and their premier racing outfit, Coolmore, have never been short of imagination when it comes to the naming of their best racehorses. They regularly “reserve” great names, and when a youngster tells them on the gallops, that he may be worthy, he is assigned an appropriate title.

So it was with the two brothers, Yeats and Solskjaer, the one named for their poet laureate, the other for their best footballer at their club, Manchester United, in a European Championship year.

In a weekend when both might be remembered, it’s appropriate that a statue was unveiled at the Royal Ascot meeting, commemorating the greatest stayer of all time, Yeats, for his four consecutive Gold Cup victories.

On Sunday, Solskjaer gets his turn, with his son the short priced favourite for the R250,000 KwaZulu-Natal Breeders’ 1600 at Clairwood. Now 4 wins from 5 starts (including a disqualification when defeating major Vodacom Durban July hopeful, Castlethorpe,) Ice Axe is a late December foal from his Sire’s first crop.

Dangers? There are a few, none more so than a fellow Summerhill-bred dual Group winner of 2011 and a Guineas heroine of last season, Fisani.

We’ll know more on Sunday afternoon.

KwaZulu-Natal Breeders’ 1600
Final Field

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	FISANI	60.0	104	11	G Lerena	Mike de Kock
2	SEAL	58.0	107	7	M Odendaal	Gavin van Zyl
3	SMANJEMANJE	58.0	97	2	S Brown	Tyrone Zackey
4	DANCE WITH MIKEY	58.0	87	10	M Yeni	Colin Scott
5	ICE AXE	56.0	98	5	A Marcus	Charles Laird
6	THE MOUSEKETEER	56.0	87	6	A Delpech	Sean Tarry
7	SHIELD THE SHEIK	56.0	72	4	S Randolph	Des Egdes
8	ABINGTON	54.0	94	9	G Hatt	Greg Ennion
9	KINGS CALL	54.0	83	3	R Danieslon	Paul Lafferty
10	FOURTH ESTATE	54.0	82	1	C Orffer	Colin Scott
11	LAS RAMBLAS	51.5	95	8	*A Mgudlwa	James Goodman

FIRST FOAL FOR CHAMPION YEATS

Click above to watch a tribute to Yeats’ fourth Gold Cup victory
(Photo : Independent - Footage : TVG)

“HALF BROTHER TO SOLSKJAER”

The seven-time Gr.1 winner Yeats, half brother to Summerhill resident, Solskjaer, sired his first foal at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. The bay colt is out of the unraced Rock Of Gibraltar mare Suma Flamenca and is from the family of Luas Line, Kingsfort and Prince Arch, all of whom are Gr1 winners of recent years.

Coolmore manager Christy Grassick commented: “We are delighted with Yeats’ first foal, he is a correct bay with plenty of quality, just like his sire. Yeats won more Gr1 races than any other son of Sadler’s Wells and he covered an excellent book of mares last year, so we hope to see many more classy foals by him this season.”

Yeats was one of the most popular stayers in recent times, winning 15 races including four consecutive Gr1 Ascot Gold Cups. His seven Gr1 wins also include victories in the Coronation Cup, the Irish St Leger and the Prix Royal-Oak, and he was twice crowned European Champion Stayer.

Extract from European Bloodstock News

CANON GOLD CUP : SATURDAY 26 JUNE 2010

Winning Leap - 3000m Gold Bowl (Grade 2)
(Photo : JC Photographics / Summerhill Stud)

LE COUP D’OR : CONFUSION REIGNS

For the first time in living memory, the two Gold Cups that really count are being staged within the same week. Yesterday saw the running of the Royal Ascot version, highlight of the greatest week in European racing, and for the past four years, domain of Solskjaer’s younger brother, Yeats. Because of the upheaval the World Football Cup has imposed upon local racing, our own Gold Cup (sponsored by Canon), is to be staged on the 26th June, as opposed to the first Saturday in August, where it’s been since time immemorial. It is the staying championship of South Africa, and its winner is almost invariably crowned the Equus Awards Stayer of the Year. This year’s renewal is remarkable for the fact that for the first time (ever, as far as we can make out), there’s the potential of a three year old winning it.

There was a time when the English Derby, staged over 1,5 miles in June, was considered the sternest of tests for a three year old, and it was never thought advisable to run a horse much further in his classic year. More recently, the Australians have taught us it’s possible to run three year olds in their greatest staying race, the Melbourne Cup as early as November.

And so it’s happened that this year, we have our own top three year old engaged in the event in the form of Winning Leap. Ordinarily, we’d be concerned about his ability to get the trip, being the son of a world class miler in Labeeb, out of a Northern Guest mare descending from one of the Aga Khan’s oldest families, the one which produced Nasrullah and Royal Charger as well as the flying filly, Mumtaz Mahal. Another really good sort to come from this family was the European Champion Miler, Kalamoun, like Nasrullah and Royal Charger an outstanding stallion in his own right, but unfortunate to die prematurely.

Winning Leap’s credentials over the trip are well known, as he charged off with the laurels in Johannesburg’s Gold Bowl (Gr.2), over 3000m in May, so there’s every reason to expect that he’ll get the trip next Saturday, unless the handicapper has “fixed” him with weight once and for all. Winner of his last three starts by a combined 9.75 lengths, he is up there at the top of most bookmaker’s boards, as matters stand.

We quote from a recent article posted by Charl Pretorius on Racingweb.

His trainer, Dominic Zaki said “He’s not much to look at - he resembles a little camel, but he’s got a big stride and some acceleration and he stays forever and a day. He’s improved with maturity and there is much more to come. We’ll restrict him to long distances; there is no reason to change what is clearly his game. Yes, the Gold Cup is his mission, he’s a top horse and we may go for the Gold Vase on 3 July over 2800m on his way to the Cup.”

“Another impressive graduate of the winner factory at Summerhill Stud, Winning Leap fetched R85,000 at the 2008 Ready To Run Sale. Breeder Mick Goss would call him a horse “stolen” from the sales ring”.

CANON GOLD CUP (Grade 1)
Greyville, 3200m, 26 June 2010
Final Field 

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	MOKARO	60.0	112	17	R Fourie	Stephen Page
2	OMAHA BEACH	57.5	105	16	B Fayd’Herbe	Joey Ramsden
3	SANTA	57.5	105	5	A Marcus	Ormond Ferraris
4	STRATEGIC NEWS (AUS)	57.0	103	1	J Geroudis	Herman Brown
5	ANCESTRAL FORE	56.0	108	12	K Shea	Mike de Kock
6	VERTICAL TAKEOFF	56.0	101	8	P Strydom	Sean Tarry
7	SPEED FOR GOLD	56.0	100	6	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
8	WINNING LEAP	55.5	106	14	B Lerena	Dominic Zaki
9	GOLDEN PARACHUTE (NZ)	55.5	99	9	K Neisius	Mike Bass
10	ROBINSON CRUSOE	55.0	99	11	I Sturgeon	Glen Kotzen
11	STARZENE (USA)	55.0	99	20	G Lerena	Weiho Marwing
12	SANGRIA GIRL	55.5	98	4	R Danielson	Greg Ennion
13	THANKS JOHN	55.0	9	18	M Byleveld	Mike Bass
14	BOLD WONDER (AUS)	54.5	96	13	S Randolph	Duncan Howells
15	REFINED IN FIRE	54.5	96	7	P Whitmore	Yvette Bremner
16	HOSPITALITY	53.5	93	19	F Coetzee	Mike Stewart
17	LA FOCE	52.5	91	3	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
18	PREDESTINATION (AUS)	52.0	89	10	K Teetan	Joey Ramsden
19	SPORTS FACTOR	52.0	89	15	*A Domeyer	Paul Lafferty
20	RECONCILE	52.0	88	2	D Daniels	Glen Kotzen

IT’S NOT ONLY THE FOOTBALLER

Yeats in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot
(Photo : Getty Images)

THE POET’S COME TO THE PARTY, TOO

We all know that Solskjaer was named for the best footballer in the world. Coolmore have a habit of reserving the names of famous people for their horses, and allocating them when they find one worthy of the honour. At the time, they happened to own more than 30% of Manchester United, and they named their two best juveniles after the two best players at the club. Solskjaer was one of them, and while he suffered with every malaise there was, he never let them down. When Ormond Ferraris, Charles Laird, Mike de Kock, Herman Brown Snr, Barry Irwin and Mike Bass put their hands up for his first yearlings at the National sales this year, it was apparent that they too, knew how good he was, with his daughter Victory Garden, emerging the highest priced South African filly of 2009.

Friday night witnessed Europe’s Racehorse Owners’ Championship awards in London, and Solskjaer’s kid brother, Yeats, named for the famous poet, earned an unprecedented fourth consecutive Stayer Of The Year award, for his fourth consecutive and equally unprecented Ascot Gold Cup (Gr.1) victory.

The Thoroughbred Daily News reported this weekend on the gala affair, noting that Sea The Stars was named Horse Of The Year, adding further lustre to a stellar career.

MORE ACCOLADES FOR STARS Sea the Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}—Urban Sea, by Miswaki) has received further honors when named Horse of the Year at the annual Racehorse Owners’ Association awards in London. Also awarded the title of Outstanding Three-Year-Old Colt, Christopher Tsui’s homebred sensation enjoyed the same attention as he had at the recent Cartier Awards and his owner was also the recipient of the 2009 Owner of the Year prize. In the other categories, Khalid Abdullah’s G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy) and G1 Nassau S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) picked up the Two-Year-Old Filly and Three-Year-Old Filly awards respectively; the Two-Year-Old Colt division was headed by Derrick Smith’s G1 Racing Post Trophy hero St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Ballymacoll’s G1 King George and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf scorer Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was named Outstanding Older Horse; James Edgar and William Donaldson’s G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Borderlescott (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) clinched the Outstanding Sprinter title and Susan Magnier and Diane Nagle’s now-retired four-time G1 Gold Cup hero Yeats (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) picked up yet another award when named Outstanding Stayer.

YEATS : The Ultimate Heavyweight Champ

 Yeats
Ascot Gold Cup 2006 - 2009
(Photo : Horsephoto/Press Association/Sporting Life)

 “YEATS THE IMMORTAL”

 That was Friday’s headline in the American Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN), following YEATS’ historic fourth victory in the world’s greatest staying race. We suspect the authors have been reading our “propaganda” on his slightly older brother, resident Summerhill stallion SOLSKJAER, who was named for immortality in honour of the world’s best footballer of his time.

The publishers of both the TDN and the Thoroughbred Times obviously know where SOLSKJAER resides, as they were very quick to send their congratulations, as though we might have been an active party in this remarkable dream.

Amazingly, we have discovered in the course of the weekend that YEATS’ fourth consecutive victory was the first in the 202 year history of the Gold Cup (Gr 1), and that he was the first horse in more than a hundred years to win the race as an eight-year-old. The question now is, do the Coolmore team have a crack at a fifth consecutive victory? No doubt knowing the principals, they’ll be dying to have a go, but already jockey Johnny Murtagh is hedging his bets: “He can’t go on for ever, and I don’t want to be the one on top when he loses; he’s the ultimate heavyweight champ and it’s the greatest day in my riding career”.

A final word from trainer Aidan O’Brien:

“Horses like Yeats don’t come along more than once in a lifetime and I’ve never seen scenes like it before – all the cheering and those posters and flags for him – that’s what it’s all about. It’s more than money and value with him, it’s something really special. We knew we had a wonderful horse, but usually fairy tales don’t come true, even though you dream and dream”.