GREYVILLE 1900 : AULD LANG SYNE

Please click videos above to watch a memorable weekend in Summerhill history
Hear The Drums, Pierre Jourdan, Fisani and Imbongi
(Footage : Summerhill Stud)

BETTING WORLD 1900 (Grade 2)
Greyville, Turf, 1900m
20 May 2011

Mick Goss
Summerhill CEOIn the old scheme of things, the 31^st May was a public holiday, recalling the first act of Union in 1910. In Summerhill parlance, we remember the first Prime Minister, Louis Botha, who took the reins over the Boer forces on our farm in November 1899. Racing fans flocked to Greyville racecourse that day every year since, where the last big event before the Durban July has been run, and the field usually attracted a number of the July’s major protagonists. I especially remember the 1960 renewal, when Syd Laird’s Left Wing, walked off with the laurels, and followed up in the July under saddlecloth No. 13. The All Blacks were on tour in South Africa, and this was a portent to the first test, where left wing Hennie van Zyl, wearing jersey No 13, scored the winning try among South Africa’s score of 13 points. There must have been many good horses to have won the race in between, but the next distinct memory I have is of Mazarin completing the double again for Syd Laird, who made a ritual of sprinting his horses over six furlongs first, taking them through the Union Day (or Gordon’s Gin, as it came to be known), and then on they went to the big one on the first Saturday in July. It worked for him, as he snared seven July wins, on an all-time record.

This weekend, the race is the country’s principal feature, and is renewed under the guise of the Greyville 1900 (sponsored by Betting World), and our interest is piqued by Fisani’s acceptance for the race. She’s in cracking form right now, having just come off consecutive Group victories and a 1,5 length win under 60kgs in the Gerald Rosenberg Stakes (Gr2). She carries Sheikh Mohammed, Ronnie and Bev Napier and the farm’s colours against stablemate, Alderry. The latter was a facile winner of one of the country’s top handicaps, the Germiston November, a few months back, and at her best, she’ll give the Summerhill-bred a bit of a rev. That said, in their last two meetings, Fisani has been clearly the better of the two, though it’s no two horse race, given that the manly sex has a few smart performers in its ranks, and that Fisani has never performed at her best in KZN.

Pedigree buffs will want to know a bit more about our Guineas heroine, whom race fans will remember contributed to a memorable weekend for the farm last season when Pierre Jordan took the colt’s version of the Guineas on the same day, Imbongi won the Zabeel Mile in Dubai, and Hear The Drums became the winning most racehorse in South African history. Fisani comes from an old White Lodge Stud family in the UK, and is related to three Classic winners of the same year, Teenoso (English Derby), Old Country (Italian Derby), and Give Thanks (Irish Oaks). Little wonder she’s as good as she is, and stays as well as she does.

She is a half sister to millionaire, Catmandu, and to ten-time time winner, Ecole Militaire, so her Coastal mum, Gypsey Spirit, was something of a blue hen. It’s topical to remember that it was Coastal who spoiled the remarkable Spectacular Bid’s 1979, American Triple Crown aspirations in the final leg. And Coastal lived to a ripe old age of 30 here at Summerhill, and at one time was the oldest surviving American classic winner in the world.

BETTING WORLD 1900 (Gr2)
Final Field

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	TROPICAL EMPIRE (AUS)	60.0	112	10	S Randolph	Duncan Howells
2	ALDERRY	56.0	104	12	K Shea	Mike de Kock
3	FISANI	56.0	104	3	G Lerena	Mike de Kock
4	IN WRITING (ARG)	55.5	103	5	K Neisius	Dean Kannemeyer
5	WE THREE	54.5	101	2	R Danielson	Justin Snaith
6	CASK	54.0	100	8	C Orffer	Stephen Page
7	HAMMIE’S BOY	53.5	99	9	A Domeyer	Mike Bass
8	HAWK’S EYE (GB)	53.5	99	1	G Hatt	Joey Ramsden
9	SAFWAN (AUS)	53.0	99	7	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
10	GOLDEN CHARIOT	53.0	98	4	M Yeni	Sean Tarry
11	DANCE AT DAYLIGHT	52.0	96	11	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
12	MAHOGANY	52.0	86	6	S Veale	Weiho Marwing

VANGELIS : FAIRVIEW MILE 2010 VIDEO

Click above to watch Vangelis in the Fairview Mile
(Footage : Tellytrack)

FAIRVIEW MILE (Non-Black Type)
FAIRVIEW 1600m
12 FEBRUARY 2010

VANGELIS (Kahal x Northern Singer by Northern Guest)
6 Year Old Bay Gelding
Owners : Mr and Mrs Robert Muir, Summerhill Stud Syndicate
Breeder : Summerhill Stud
Career Record : 11 Wins, 10 Places, 25 Starts
Career Earnings : R629 250 (Prior to this result)

RACE RESULT :

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0	VANGELIS	60.0	107	10	S Khathi	Gavin Smith
2	2.75	SECRET CHAMBER	60.0	100	1	R Fourie	Justin Snaith
3	3.25	PIRATE’S GOLD	60.0	95	2	M Byleveld	Alan Greeff
4	3.5	CHOU CHOO WOOGA	60.0	99	7	S Randolph	Gavin Smith
5	3.6	ECOLE MILITAIRE	60.0	101	6	A Forbes	Des McLachlan
6	4.10	SUDDEN TIME (Aus)	60.0	87	4	F Herholdt	Barry Steenkamp
7	4.20	MAZAR-E-SHARIF	60.0	101	5	N Rapson	Alan Greeff
8	4.45	NOBLE LEOPARD	60.0	97	11	M Yeni	Nic Claassen
9	5.20	MOSCOW CIRCUS	60.0	100	9	D Bogaleboile	Gavin Smith
10	6.95	FREECELL	60.0	99	3	W Agrella	Des McLachlan
11	16.10	COUNT DO ALL	60.0	90	8	K Minnie	Jacques Strydom

COURAGEOUS MEMORIAL MILE VICTORY FOR VANGELIS

Click above to watch Vangelis in the Memorial Mile (Listed)
(Footage : Tellytrack)

VANGELIS
2009 MEMORIAL MILE (L)

Regular followers of these pages will be familier with the tale of Vangelis; the strapping 6-year-old Kahal colt out of the Northern Guest mare, Northern Singer, who at just two months of age revealed a distinct lameness in his shoulder which he carried right through his yearling year.

Bred on the same lines as Emperor Napoleon (the deadly cross of Kahal on a Northern Guest mare), Vangelis would undoubtedly have been one of our top commercial prospects of his year at the sales, but he was scratched from all his engagements, including the later Ready To Run Sale, while we were contemplating his future.

The answer came in the form of a folklore character here at Summerhill, Michael Booysen, a Zulu gent who was abandoned on the farm at the age of six or seven, who suggested that we treat Vangelis’ condition as a “mechanical” lameness, and that we “ride” him through it. In the end, his advice was prophetic, and within two months of us starting with the horse, he began to move with only a hint of lameness.

That he still carries this condition to a small degree, is as much a testimony to his courage and will to race, as it is to Michael’s instincts as a horseman.

On Friday at Arlington, we again witnessed this profound courage as Vangelis took a fighting victory in the R125 000 Memorial Mile (Listed) under jockey Warren Kennedy for trainer Gavin Smith.

Going into the race, Surfin’ USA topped the betting boards in his bid for a third successive feature win, with Vangelis seriously backed to challenge.

Breaking quickly, Hurricane Silver went into an early lead and turned for home with a two-length advantage over Mazar-E-Sharif and West Coast Gold, while Vangelis was held up on their heels and Surfin’ USA outpaced at the rear, seven lengths off the speed.

In the final dash to the line, Hurricane Silver quickly shrugged off Mazar-E-Sharif and West Coast Gold, but Vangelis fought through fully extended to nab Hurricane Silver by a neck, with fellow Summerhill-bred, Ecole Militaire, powering home for third.

Congratulations must go to our old mate Robert Muir, who five years ago happened to be staying at Hartford House on one of his frequent visits from the United States. Robert caught sight of Vangelis on an early morning exercise session and promtly purchased a half share from the late Colly Fram.

With this victory, Vangelis takes his career statistics to 10 wins and 10 places from 24 starts, proving that patience really does pay.

The Summerhill runners... they just keep on winning.

Ntabankulu
(Gold Circle)

MEGAN ROMEYN - Just because the boss is away enjoying a well deserved break doesn’t mean that the rest of the farm, or the Summerhill runners, get a day off. This last week our Ready To Run graduates proved yet again the merit and value of the Ready To Run programme, with wins around the Nation.

Getting the week off to a great start at Scottsville on Sunday was the Dennis Drier-trained Ntabankulu, or “The Big Mountain” if translated from isiZulu, in the Maiden Plate over 1000m. This promising son of Summerhill super sire, Muhtafal out of Cousin Linda, and half-brother to Rebel King, quickly got into his stride and kept pace with the rest of the field. He then surged and held onto a narrow but impressive win from the rapidly approaching Greenspan.

Tuesday at Arlington saw Jamarahin, a daughter of Albarahin out the Harry Hotspur mare, Jamaican Summer, recording her first win in the Maiden Plate for Fillies and Mares over 1800m. Maintaining a steady pace throughout the race, she sneaked up in the straight, and at the 200m mark was in the clear. She recorded any easy win from a fast finishing Barinia who made a remarkable come-back from the rear of the field.

Then it was the turn of Catmandu’s half-brother, Ecole Militaire. This graduate of the 2007 Ready to Run, by Deep Sleep out of  Gypsey Spirit, recorded his 5^th win when he mowed down the field in the MR 96 Handicap over 1400m at the same course. Biding his time and hanging just off the pace initially, he openend up to cut down the brave Chopsticks at the 100m mark, winning comfortably going away.

So while the boss is away our horses do not play – they win!