COOKING IN MELBOURNE

Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale
(Photo : Inglis Bloodstock)

INGLIS MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
Oaklands Junction
3-6 March 2013

Mick Goss
Summerhill Stud CEOMake no mistake, these guys have got it right. Thirty-two South Africans at the Melbourne Premier Sale tells you the marketing efforts of Team Inglis are working, and in terms of our country at least, they’re working better than anywhere else. That’s just about as many as the total attendees we used to attract to the Ready To Run in the early years, and it may pay to borrow the services of the much-liked man behind it all, Simon Vivian, to help us get our own back at the National Yearling Sale. It’s not just a matter of propaganda though; when it comes to service, these guys measure up to the best practice of any industry anywhere.

Of course, it helps when the treasures we’ve taken home include the likes of Igugu, Le Drakkar, Hollywoodboulevard and Rio Carnival. But when you think that this week alone, our countrymen splurged more than R20million on Aussie bloodstock, you understand: these fellows have unlocked the code to our wallets. Another way of looking at it, is that with the horses we’ve picked, Summerhill has become the victim of its own successes.

To compound matters, it’s become increasingly competitive down under, not only with the sale itself reaching new heights, but because we have an appetite for much the same horses, South Africans are competing among themselves. Pile on an exchange rate which has moved from the mid “fives” when we initiated our programme a few years back, to beyond nine to the Australian dollar today, and you begin to ask whether there remains a margin in your endeavours. On the evidence of this week’s sport, it is apparent there are still many who clearly believe there is.

On another topic altogether, but in a field just as close to our hearts, last evening Cheryl and I were treated to a meal for the ages. Capetonians already know the sensual pleasures of a visit to the One And Only’s Nobu restaurant, and we sampled the Melbourne version right here in the excellent Crown Hotel. On a rare visit to Australia, the Japanese icon, Nobu Matsuhisa was on hand to autograph his cookbook for the Hartford restaurant. And in a goodwill gesture many of you will recognise, he signed it off “From one champion team to another”.

www.inglis.com.au

IT'S OFFICIAL : R2.5 MILLION

Umngazi leads the charge in the 2007 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup
(Photo : Summerhill Stud Archives)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE
TBA Sales Complex, Gosforth Park
2nd and 4th November 2012

It’s quite astonishing how quickly the prize money for the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup has catapulted to its new level of R2,5 million. We need to remember that just five years ago it made headlines at R500,000, and today there is only one race in South Africa for more money, and that’s the Vodacom Durban July at R3 million.

It’s something of a compliment to the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale and its graduates that it has escalated so dramatically, particularly as it started out as little more than a graduation plate contested by one and two time winners, and in its first year, by the odd promising maiden, or so its detractors thought. That the inaugural field for the Ready To Run Cup, included such luminaries as Imbongi, Umngazi, Phunyuka, Art Of War and Galant Gagnant, was testimony to the old adage, invented by the outstanding graduates of the sale themselves over time, that this, pound-for-pound, is the best sale of quality racehorses on the continent. By the time the fourth renewal came around in 2010, Hollywoodboulevard and Igugu led home another procession of high achievers, lending a measure of credibility to Summerhill’s chant that it might eclipse all sales in the world for value, particularly as running had included in its field a stream of Group and Listed winners.

Let’s not forget, Igugu was not only Horse of the Year in 2011, but she led all-comers by prize money that year, and followed up with a stirring victory in the J&B Met (Gr.1) in January of this year. Twelve months before, her predecessor in the Ready To Run Cup, the R60,000 graduate Pierre Jourdan, was again the nation’s top earner when his immediate victim in the Cup was the subsequent Gerald Rosenberg and Gauteng Fillies Guineas heroine, Fisani, and in the slip stream that day was this year’s “nearly” horse in the Vodacom Durban July, Smanjemanje.

That the race has earned its stripes then is beyond doubt; that it is likely to achieve even greater heights going forward is on the cards, even though the record suggests it’s a hard act to follow. This year’s entry is the deepest on paper, not only in terms of its numbers, but especially in the ink on the catalogue page. Speaking to consignors, there is a quiet air of expectation among them in what they’re seeing on their work tracks at this early stage.

The message here, for aspirant buyers wanting to scoop the prize (and it’s worth noting, they pay all the way down to tenth place, where the money is still as much as R50,000) is they should remember when the hammer falls in their favour, to “tick the box”. That way, you buy yourself a ticket for the game, knowing that you only have to have a win under your belt and a little bit of luck, to get yourself a run for R2,5 million. By contrast, the only other race carrying this sort of prize money is the J&B Met (Gr.1,) and we all know what it takes to have a runner at the start for that one.

2012 NATIONAL YEARLING SALES SPOTLIGHT

Duke Of Marmalade (USA)
(Photo : Racing NSW)

Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale
TBA Sales Complex, Germiston, South Africa
27 - 29 April 2012

Market-watchers in the racing world would’ve noticed that the session-topper on the first day of Australia’s most prestigious yearling sale in Sydney, was an Encosta De Lago daughter of the highly performed Absolut Glam, at Au$910,000 (in the region of R7,5 million.) It’s been a habit of Summerhill’s in the past six or seven years, to include in our draft the progeny of some of the world’s top stallions, and of course these graduates have included Horse of the Year Igugu (by Galileo), and her conqueror in the R2million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, Hollywoodboulevard (by Street Cry). This year’s consignment is no different, punctuated by three stand-outs, one of whom is especially topical today for the fact not only that he’s a colt by Galileo’s outstanding son, Teofilo, but because he’s from a close relative to Absolut Glam, dam of the session-topper.

Teofilo was an unbeaten Champion European Juvenile whose victory over Holy Roman Emperor counts as one of history’s epic duels in England’s juvenile jewel, the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr.1). Teofilo’s first crop successes include his own Dewhurst hero, Parish Hall, propelling him to the top of the freshman sires class’ in Europe last year, an achievement which prompted the Darley advert that he’s already outstripped his illustrious sire, Galileo, in his first year. Teofilo’s haul included a healthy four Stakes winners, among 22 individual winners overall.

Then there’s a daughter from the first Southern Hemisphere-bred crop of the world champion racehorse, Duke Of Marmalade. The “Duke” wasn’t just a champion though, he was bred to be one, a son of the only stallion in history to win sires’ championships in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Danehill, from the female line of the Emperor of American stallions, A.P. Indy, and our own champion stallion, Al Mufti. But this filly has got more than just a quality sire in her top line; she’s a granddaughter of a famous Melbourne Cup (Gr.1) winner in Jezabeel. She won’t be short of admirers, because she’s a good sort into the bargain. That’s a good reason for any self-respecting South African trainer to have a crack at this one. According to the latest Coolmore propaganda, not all the leading trainers have his first 2 year olds in their yards but most of them do :

Leading trainers in Britain in 2011 :

Trainer	Earnings (£)
Richard Hannon (x4) *	3,485,327
Aidan O’Brien *	2,894,457
Sir Henry Cecil *	2,730,438
John Gosden (x3) *	2,442,259
Mahmood Al Zarooni	1,829,899
Richard Fahey *	1,516,925
Sir Michael Stoute *	1,501,267
Mark Johnston	1,365,628
Kevin Ryan *	1,198,285
William Haggas (x3) *	1,167,428
Mick Channon (x3) *	1,037,688

* denotes “Dukes” in the yard.

Other trainers in Britain :

Trainer
Marco Botti (x3) *	David Elsworth *
Brian Meehan (x2) *	John Quinn *
Kevin Prendergast (x2) *	Michael Bell *
David Wachman (x2) *	David Simcock *
Tommy Stack (x2) *	Elie Lellouche *
Paul Cole (x2) *	Freddie Head *
Dermot Weld *	John Hills *
Sir Mark Prescott *	Jean Beguigne *
David Lanigan *	Alan Jarvis *
Peter Schiergen *

* denotes “Dukes” in the yard.

To top it all, the leading first season sire in Australia right now (and the numero uno by winners on the general Juvenile Sires’ log) is the South American champion Husson, who has already chalked up nine individual winners including a Stakes winner. Like most of our colleagues, we didn’t know much about Husson when we agreed to consign his good looking athletic son, but we took him on trust, because we know the guy who bred him, and besides being a looker, he is a brother to Ill Saggiatore, last year’s KZN Derby (Gr.2) ace.

So besides the usual quality offering from the champions, there’s a touch of class in the exotics on display. Our horses leave the farm this Saturday for their date with destiny. We’ve got a busy old week ahead though, with visits from Dennis Drier, Tony Rivalland, Charles Laird and Mary Liley, and the daily spontaneous bypassers whose curiosity is prickled either by the mystique of the game in general, or out of a specific interest in finding the next champion off the farm.

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

IGUGU OUT OF PADDOCK STAKES

Igugu - Ipi Tombe Challenge (Gr2)
(Photo : JC Photos / Summerhill Stud)

TBA PADDOCK STAKES (Grade 1)
Kenilworth, Turf, 1800m
7 January 2012

Champion filly Igugu has been withdrawn from the Gr1 TBA Paddock Stakes to be held at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Mike de Kock reports on his website that the star pulled up coughing after an exercise gallop on Monday and mucopus was found in her trachea.

Mike commented : “Igugu has developed a respiratory infection which is not serious, horses normally recover quickly. We’ve treated her with antibiotics and she won’t be running on Saturday.”

Traditionally critical of early acceptances, Mike said : “We’re now left with a field of six runners in the Paddock Stakes, which doesn’t do the race justice at all. More runners would have stood their ground if Igugu wasn’t accepted last week.”

“If trainers were allowed to accept for the race during this week like they do in most jurisdictions overseas, this would not have been an issue. Those who pulled their runners out because Igugu was in the race would have left them in to contest the event.”

He said that plans to contest the J&B Met with Igugu would remain on track and added : “We’d still love to run her in the Met, but we have to take caution at the same. We will make a decision at the end of the week because her participation will have a big impact on the betting. We will make sure that punters know exactly where they stand.”

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	WE THREE	60.0	100	7	B Fayd’Herbe	Justin Snaith
2	IGUGU (AUS) - SCRATCHED	59.5	117	3	n/a	Mike de Kock
3	BEACH BEAUTY	59.5	108	2	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
4	EMERALD COVE	59.5	106	4	F Coetzee	Justin Snaith
5	HOLLYWOODBOULEVARD (AUS)	59.5	99	5	K Neisius	Mike Bass
6	SUPER ELEGANT	54.0	104	6	* G van Niekerk	Piet Steyn
7	THUNDER DANCE	54.0	97	1	K Teetan	Brett Crawford

Extract from www.mikedekockracing.com

JOHN MESSARA : EUREKA! A REALISATION

John Messara
(Photo : The Telegraph)

“Chairman of the
New South Wales Racing Board”

There’s no-one in racing who doesn’t know the name Igugu, certainly not in this country, and there are very few abroad who have a connection with the game, that don’t know the champion daughter of Galileo. Real fans are also aware that the first time she was beaten, was by Hollywoodboulevard, both of them graduates of the Australian sales.

We make the pilgrimage to Australia every year, principally to provide variety for our Ready To Run drafts, and to ensure that when it gets down to the R2million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, the parade ring doesn’t resemble a Summerhill benefit day.

On our last trip to Melbourne, as is our custom, we were lunch guests of John Messara’s Arrowfield Group in their hospitality tent, where you can count at any serving, on the best prawns for the bays around the Mornington Peninsula. It so happened that whilst in their company, Australia’s TVG racing channel, dedicated a 40 minute interview to one of Australia’s best known radio and TV personalities (and former Wallabies coach), Alan Jones, who happens to be a major investor in the Arrowfield stallions, and who keeps his mares on the famous spread in the Hunter Valley. There was a point in the interview at which Jones was asked what it meant, even for a man of his immense reputation, to be associated with a farm like Arrowfield, and especially with an industry leader of John Messara’s calibre. Jones’ response was not what you’d call predictable. “At the personal level, I rate John Messara the industry’s outstanding thinker and innovator, yet it seems that Australia just doesn’t appreciate what they have. He’s not represented on a single industry body right now, and that’s an indictment on the game”, or words to that effect.

Just this past week, that was put right. At last, the Minister responsible for the racing industry in New South Wales appointed Messara as Chairman of the New South Wales Racing Board, which means that the country has at last harnessed one of the world’s most fertile minds. Messara is surrounded by some eminent individuals, (Naseema Sparks, Ken Brown, Russell Balding, Tony George Hodgson, Alan Brown and Hon. Kevin Greene), capable of remoulding the fortunes of racing in the Sydney environs, and with the Arrowfield boss at the helm, you can look forward to something of a revolution.

Incidentally, Arrowfield is a fellow investor in the Summerhill-based stallion, Way West, who carried that farm’s black and yellow check colours to glory on his big day in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr3).