TALES OF BRAVERY SMOKES OPPOSITION IN DRILL HALL STAKES

Click above to watch Tales Of Bravery winning the Drill Hall Stakes…
(Photo : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

DRILL HALL STAKES (Grade 2)
Greyville, Night, Turf, 1400m
5 May 2012

TALES OF BRAVERY
(Kahal (GB) x Emperor’s Warning by Caesour (USA))
5 Year Old Bay Gelding
Owner : Roy Eckstein (late)
Trainer : Vaughan Marshall
Jockey : MJ Byleveld
Breeder : Victory Moon Breeding Syndicate (Pty) Ltd
Win Time : 83.05
Career Record : 9 Wins, 8 Places, 25 Starts
Career Earnings : R1,316,770

RACE RESULTS

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	TALES OF BRAVERY	60.0	113	11	M Byleveld	Vaughan Marshall
2	1.75	CHESALON	60.0	110	3	P Strydom	Mike Bass
3	1.85	BULSARA	60.0	104	9	R Danielson	Gavin van Zyl
4	1.95	REBEL KNIGHT	60.0	106	13	A Marcus	Gary Alexander
5	2.70	DEPARDIEU	58.0	108	4	K Neisius	Dean Kannemeyer
6	2.80	LAKE ARTHUR	60.0	102	14	S Veale	Yogas Govender
7	3.05	KAVANAGH	60.0	112	8	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
8	3.10	THE SHARK (ZIM)	60.0	100	10	S Randolph	Dean Kannemeyer
9	4.10	MOROCCAN (ZIM)	60.0	103	2	K Latham	Weiho Marwing
10	4.85	CAPTAIN’S SECRET	60.0	107	6	B Fayd’Herbe	Mike Bass
11	4.95	LION IN WINTER	60.0	108	12	S Cormack	Joey Ramsden
12	5.95	KISS AGAIN	60.0	107	1	K Teetan	Mike Bass
13	7.70	SPLASH GOLD	60.0	109	7	B Lerena	Dean Kannemeyer
14	99.99	BIELORRUSO (ARG)	60.0	96	5	N Roebuck	Kumaran Naidoo

www.summerhill.co.za

DUBAI FLASH : ANOTHER BIG NIGHT FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Mike de Kock and Christophe Soumillon
(Image : SA Pride/HKJC)

MIKE DE KOCK
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL RACING CARNIVAL

Mike de Kock is a legend in Dubai, but that probably also applies to most parts of the world. It was here that he first really made his international mark, having been the Champion Trainer in the Emirates on several previous occasions. By any of his best standards though, five winners in the first two meetings this year, including both the Guineas Trials (for fillies and colts), would have to be rated alongside his best.

Chatting to him about Imbongi’s condition for this evening’s Jaguar XJ Trophy, he mentioned how pleased he was at the Trial victories, suggesting Musir could well be up with the best three-year-colts currently in Dubai, while Raihana could be something special. That’ll warm the hearts of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa’s team, for sure.

Multiple champion French jockey, Christophe Soumillon, takes the ride on Imbongi, whom De Kock says has been working well on the Tapeta surface, though it remains to be seen what he’ll be like under race conditions. He does say though, that the horse is only 85% fit, and having to give up to 7kgs to the field, his performance is going to hinge to a fairly significant degree, on his fitness.

He runs over seven furlongs, the trip at which he demolished five Grade One winners in the Drill Hall Stakes (Gr.2) as a three year old during the Durban season, so that’s not a problem; we’ll have our eyes glued on Tellytrack (Channel 232) at 19:10 pm this evening.

IMBONGI : THE WARRIOR'S RETURN

Imbongi
John Bovington Memorial Criterion Stakes Gr3
(Photo : Daily Mail)

“IMBONGI takes England’s biggest race of the weekend”

All week, Mike de Kock has been tipping Imbongi as the horse who thrived most since his string arrived in the UK. When Imbongi had done and dusted the Criterion Stakes (Gr.3) in facile fashion his pilot, Kevin Shea dismounted with the announcement that this was just the beginning. He felt the horse could step up from here, and while he was non-committal about where he would go in the next month or so, knowing Mike de Kock, he’s likely to make the progression to Group 2 level, and then cast his eyes towards something like the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr.1) at Ascot in September.

Like so many others in Mike de Kock’s yard, Imbongi really battled in Dubai, and was nowhere near his best, but Saturday he put all the ghosts away, and his form at last, approached the spectacles South African racegoers became accustomed to in his dual Guineas sagas and his demolition of four Grade One winners, including Horse of The Year, Pocket Power, in last year’s Drill Hall Stakes (Gr.2).

Don’t forget though, this was a horse that was turned out of the ring unsold at the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run, and it took a man of Ronnie Napier’s decades in racing to recognise his potential on a frosty Saturday morning at the Summerhill gallops. So much for the unwanted child!

P.S. There was a double celebration in this one. Imbongi’s was the first winner from Sheikh Mohammed’s newly acquired Abingden Place yard, Mike’s English headquarters. If it weren’t for the Sheikh’s enterprise and his love of the game, we’d not’ve been in England.

 

Watch the John Bovington Memorial Criterion Stakes (Gr3)

IMBONGI : A performance fit for a King

In a fashion not far removed from the aftermath of his Guineas victory, Imbongi’s “fireworks” in the Drill Hall Stakes on Friday evening elicited any number of congratulatory responses from all over the world. Not to demean any of those who where generous enough to share their praises and congratulations with us, one source which really touched us in the light of his commitments to his state duties, was His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho.

His Majesty’s call came early Monday whilst we were away at the Indaba International Travel Show, and so our contact came later on, but being the avid racing fan that he is, Lesotho’s current monarch had not only watched the race, but expressed his awe at Imbongi’s performance.

The Ruling family’s connectivity with racing goes back several generations to the original King Moshoeshoe l, who is credited with galvanizing the Basotho nation into what it is today. The abaSotho, as they were otherwise known, from what started out as a collection of refugees drawn from the broader spectrum of Southern African clans, all fleeing from what was known as the ‘Mfecene’, a series of tribal wars whose origins lay principally in the disturbances which commenced in modern day Kwa Zulu Natal, under King Shaka. The BaSotho today are as influential and respected among African nations as any, and among their curiosities are a centuries old involvement with horses. The Basotho pony is a breed of its own, and it is as adept in its agility, honed on the game and animal paths of the Mountain Kingdom, as any horse anywhere. Many a Springbok polo player has sat astride such a pony!

His Majesty has a National Emblem two year old filly in training with Dennis Drier at present, and when we last knew her on our own tracks, she looked a capable sort. While the last known runner in the Royal colours, Zagie, winner of the Van Riebeck Day Handicap at Bloemfontein, was owned and trained by King Letsie’s father, King Moshoeshoe II himself, Jockey Club records reveal that His Majesty had six winners in the 1963-64 season, including Prince Fox, a horse of some talent.

Unsurprisingly, there is considerable anticipation at the palace in Maseru at the racecourse debut of the two year old, Uzimi (National Emblem ex Beauty Queen by Jallad).

Uzimi (National Emblem ex Beauty Queen by Jallad)

IMBONGI drills them in the Drill Hall Stakes

Imbongi (meaning a traditional poet of the Zulu or Xhosa people who composes poetry in praise of a leader) led the ultra competitive Drill Hall Stakes field to a merry dance when he reconfirmed his status as the best 3 year old miler in the country at Greyville on Friday night. He has simply gotten better with each run since being gelded and the son of Russian Revival notched up his third Gr 2 victory in his last four starts when seeing off stablemate Bold Ellinore, outsider Red Flyer and champion Pocket Power over 1400m at Greyville.

Red Flyer was quickest out of the pens and once the field had settled into some semblance of order, had established a clear lead over Something Else with Thunder Key and Imbongi handily placed. Lord Of The Sea and Bold Ellinore were next best with Rebel King on the inside. Floatyourboat and Light Spectrum were further back with Pocket Power, as usual, giving plenty of start and Tropical Empire even further back.

Brandon Lerena made a bold bid for honours in the straight, stealing a march and going some four lengths clear on Red Flyer and almost incredibly, it became clear that not too many of the more vaunted runners in the field were making an impression on him. The exceptions were the Mike de Kock pair of Imbongi and Bold Ellinore who finally collared him inside the final furlong and proceeded to fight out the finish, with Imbongi almost inevitably packing just too much of a finish for the game mare.

This was an impressive performance by Imbongi, who has already established himself as one of the better 3-year-old around and to beat the older horses under these weight-for-age conditions was no mean feat. After Eddington’s victory in Saturday’s Gomma Gomma Challenge, the current generation of sophomores is looking a lot stronger than one might have thought a few months ago and Imbongi is a horse who looks to have plenty of options ahead of him.

Bold Ellinore excelled in defeat as this was a rare appearance outside the female ranks for her and it was no disgrace to be beaten by a horse who is clearly on the upgrade even as she enters the closing phase of her career. She loves this track and thoughts must surely be turning to the Garden Province Stakes on July day.

Imbongi is a 3-year-old gelding by Russian Revival (USA) out of Garden Verse (SAF) by Foveros (GB). Bred by Summerhill Stud, he is owned by Messrs MD Fleischer, OV Leibbrandt, BS Clements RS & BA Napier & Summerhill Stud Syndicate (Nom: M J B Goss).

Winning trainer: Mike de Kock

Extract from SA Horseracing

Race 9 - R300K - DRILL HALL STAKES (Grade 2) Horses at Weight-For-Age - 1400m
No	Horse	Jockey	Al/Bl	Kg	Dr	Fin	Dist	Time
13	IMBONGI	Anthony Delpech	A -	56.0	9	1	0.00	84.85
14	BOLD ELLINORE	Kevin Shea	A P	55.5	15	2	1.25	85.08
12	RED FLYER	Brandon Lerena *0.0	A -	58.0	4	3	2.75	85.36
1	POCKET POWER	Bernard Fayd’Herbe	A -	58.0	10	4	3.50	85.50
11	TROPICAL EMPIRE (AUS)	Ian Sturgeon	A -	58.0	11	5	3.75	85.55
2	FLOATYOURBOAT	Karl Neisius	A B	58.0	3	6	5.00	85.78
8	HILGROVE	M J Byleveld	A -	58.0	7	7	5.15	85.81
4	REBEL KING	Anton Marcus	A -	58.0	1	8	7.15	86.19
5	APPELATE COURT	Corne Orffer	A -	58.0	13	9	7.90	86.33
10	LORD OF THE SEA	Raymond Danielson	A -	58.0	6	10	8.15	86.38
17	LIGHT SPECTRUM	Sean Cormack	A -	58.0	5	11	8.90	86.53
6	SILVER MIST	Andrew Fortune	A -	58.0	2	12	9.00	86.55
15	OUTCOME	Robbie Hill	A B	55.5	16	13	9.25	86.59
9	THUNDER KEY	Stuart Randolph	A -	58.0	14	14	10.25	86.79
7	SOMETHING ELSE	Gavin Lerena	A B	58.0	8	15	10.50	86.84
3	EQUAL IMAGE (ARG)	Kelvin Jupp	A X	58.0	17	16	25.00	89.73