CELESTIAL HOPE

Mary Slack
(Image : Sporting Post / Mike de Kock Racing)

CHAMPIONS DAY AND
THE NATIONAL YEARLING SALES

There were a few spots in racing’s firmament that shone brightly this weekend. One was the excellent competition at Turffontein on Saturday, where Group events kicked off with a David and Goliath cameo in which, of course, David comes out on top. It was the Juvenile Fillies Nursery, in which an unknown Kimberley trainer of an untried horse by an unproven (or supposedly failed) stallion, knocked over the hitherto unbeaten daughter of the sire of the moment, belonging to one of the nation’s most celebrated owners. We’ll post a choice piece on that and the Colts Nursery in tomorrow’s script, but for now we don’t want to detract from what was as good a day as Mike de Kock and Mary Slack have enjoyed at the races in careers which recall some of the sport’s stellar moments.

De Kock saddled no fewer than five Group winners on the day, four of them sporting the Slack’s black silks and cherry cap originally made famous by the diamond magnate, Jim Joel. Looking at the margins of victory, it was as if De Kock had instructed his jockeys to avoid the traffic (and the objection hooter) by staying well clear of the field.

There are emerging parallels between the performances of the Slack string and those of other larger owners, and the dominance abroad of Coolmore over Godolphin, which remind us again of the glorious uncertainty of the turf, and the sheer democracy of it all. Money is undoubtedly a major factor, but the one thing you can’t do without in this game, is the intuition of the great horseman.

For sure you’ll have your “on” days, but in the end, all the money in the world can’t alone guarantee your success. Mary Slack was born into the game, and in De Kock and the other two “wise men”, Jehan Malherbe and the “lion tamer”, Dr John McVeigh, she has surrounded herself with a team to take on the world.

We were in De Kock’s box which gazes out appropriately across the gold mines of early Johanneburg, when the world’s number one trainer turned up once the business was done. I asked him if he’d like a drink, “or is that a silly question?” It was a silly question.

The other bright spot was the level of activity at the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, where the trade was undoubtedly more bouyant than on the opening Friday. Whether it was the catalogue or the public holiday that influenced outcomes, there was certainly more emotion in the ring from bidders, and while that didn’t necessarily convert itself into bigger statistics, it was a sign that the smaller players were getting in a stab, even if it was at lower levels. Vendors were game in lowering their sights and in the end, given the foreboding with which so many approached the sale, it had to be seen as a satisfactory result.

We’ve been saying it for a while now, but we’ve felt it since the Ready To Run in November and again at our inaugural sale on Summerhill in February, that the worm is definately turning. With stakes increasing in KZN and the prospect of R100,000 maiden prizes next year in that jurisdiction, there’s new hope out there for a steaming up.

MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE : THE SA CONNECTION

Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale - Oaklands Parade Ring
(Photo : Inglis)

MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
27 February - 1 March 2012

One of the early features of the 2012 Melbourne Premier Sale was the large contingent of South African owners, trainers and agents in attendance. Simon Vivian has had some sleepless nights in organising travel arrangements but is delighted with the results already.

“Mike de Kock and his agent Jehan Malherbe have flown in from Dubai with their vet Dr John McVeigh. Dean Kannemeyer and Geoff Woodruff are also here and all have been active at varying levels today so it is satisfying,” Vivian said. “Markus Jooste bought three lots under his Mayfair Speculators banner, including colts by Encosta de Lago and Danehill Dancer, so it has been a good start on day one.”

The logistics of getting everyone to Melbourne has been daunting. “The government bodies overseas have been very helpful, the Austrade office in Dubai was fantastic and we’re obviously delighted to have got them here. They are enjoying their accommodation at Crown and enjoying Melbourne and all it has to offer.”

Vivian feels that there will be more purchases to come from the South African visitors. “There’s a lot of horses over the next two days that suit them, they have come to buy, they have indicated to me that they are very happy with the quality of horse on site, they have specific things they look for, they very much like to buy proven sires and they are all shopping at different levels so there is something for everyone. Mick Goss who is a great supporter of the sale has not bought yet but I’m sure he will at some point over the rest of the week.”

“Given the fact that the Australian dollar is so strong right now, considering that the South Africans are here and spending is a very serious thing, not just for us but for the Australian industry,” Vivian said. “The South African buyers have not made a significant impact at the major sales so far this year so the fact that they are here in Melbourne and spending can only be a good things for us all.”

The impact of multiple Group One winner Igugu (Galileo) in South Africa, sold by Mick Goss’ Summerhill Stud on the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, has had a positive impact in promoting the Melbourne Sale within South Africa and, along with Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), the results out of the Melbourne Sale have definitely worked in the auction house’s favour. “We at Inglis have been building to this for four or five years. Mike de Kock has a client base now that allows him to buy at any sale around the world and the impact that Igugu and Black Caviar have had certainly cannot be underestimated.” Vivian was also at pains to point out the help of Victorian-based agent Paul Guy in helping establish the South African connection. “Paul works tremendously hard. He and I share the workload, we make two dedicated trips a year there to get them here and it is a real team effort to make this happen.”

Extract from ANZ Bloodstock News

SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING TRUE

Turn up your volume and watch above
to remember Stronghold…

STRONGHOLD (GB)
Danehill (USA) - Insinuate (USA)

Mick Goss
Summerhill Stud CEOYou’ve got to give it to the Ready To Run judging panel : it was the collective experience of more than three hundred years in the game that identified the Strongholds and Mullins Bays as South Africa’s “second coming”. While you wouldn’t expect the progeny of a classic horse like Mullins Bay to be precocious two-year-olds, in general terms, you might have thought it of the grandchildren of Danehill. Yet Stronghold himself never ran at 2, and he was even a little late in arriving at three. Anything that turned up for him in the first three or four months of 2012 then, had to be a belated Christmas bonus. And so it has been.

January was still in full swing, when Stronghold’s Tealion put a bit of daylight between himself and his pursuers on only his second visit to the races. A week later, Joey Ramsden sent She’s Got It out against an odds on daughter of Trippi, and at the 200 metre mark, our recollections of her as a bit of a latish, somewhat spare individual, were looking like being confirmed. Something must have reminded her she was a daughter of a European champion, and she took off like she’d been shocked by a cattle prodder. By then the exacta had gotten away, but she closed in a manner that suggested there’d be no next time for the first two, and that she’d be the even money chalk (or better) when she faced the starter again.

The juvenile season in Gauteng is hotting up now, as we approach their big autumn two-year-old contests, and there was plenty of interest in the line-ups for the two “baby” races on Tuesday evening. While there were better fancied candidates when the starter called the fillies’ roll, notably Mike de Kock’s 3-10 shot (by Captain Al), the biggest market-mover was number 5, a first-timer by you guessed, Stronghold. From the Muhtafal mare Perfect Lady, Qui Bonita (“pretty girl”) was a R110,000 purchase by Ivan Snyman from the Summerhill draft at the November version of the Ready To Run. Let it be said, she was on Jehan Malherbe’s shortlist at the gallops; just shows what 25 years of racecalling has done to sharpen the wits of a man who’s recognised today as the best judge of an aspirant racehorse in Africa.

Qui Bonita ran like she knew she had nine paternal siblings in this Wednesday’s Mark 2 version of the Ready To Run Sale at Summerhill, and she understood her responsibilities. At the favourite’s throat from the jump, she quickened away in stunning style while wobbling ‘to and fro’ across the track, a clear signal to the market that the farm’s adage “get a grip, before they get away,” has weight attached.

Stronghold’s now the horse they’re tipping for line honours for the freshman sires’ title in 2012.

Talking of judges, we remember a visit to the rolling gallops of Manton in the south of England some years back. John Gosden is nothing if he’s not one of the world’s top trainers, and a night with him, his wife Rachel and the rest of their household can be educational, not that it’s ever short of a bit of life. Sheikh Hamdan had asked if we’d take a Group One-winning son of Kingmambo for the forthcoming season, and it was for the inspection of Malhub that we repaired to the gallops in the lifting mist. There’s always a touch of style to a string of Gosden horses wherever you find them, and there’s no finer setting than the backdrop of Manton. If you’re wanting to show off the virtues of a racehorse, toss him up amidst all that history, and put him at the head of a Gosden “first lot”.

That’s where Angus Gold and I met Stronghold, right at the head of affairs. We had no clue of his ancestory, but there he was, as strapping a two-year-old as you’d laid your eyes upon. A giant already among his elders. “Presence” is an indefinable attribute. It’s not just a matter of good looks; it’s to do with attitude, class and the “X” factor. I wasn’t the only one that reached for his notebook.

Two years later, I was in England as part of a Trade Council delegation for a meeting at Newmarket. It’s an arguable proposition that the best seven furlong race in the Queen’s realm, is the Challenge Stakes (Gr2) at that meeting. By now, they knew how good Stronghold was, and you could see it in the bookmakers’ quotes. I made my way to the parade, when I noticed the bloodhounds from Northfields Bloodstock, Robin Bruss and Kevin Sommerville, sniffing the same path. I knew instantly that we were on the same beat, and they knew it of me.

The rest is a long story, but it’s probably fair to say that as one of the best remaining sons of Danehill in world racing, he’d have been impossible to buy were it not for a career-ending injury suffered in the Challenge. It wasn’t only career-ending, it was life-threatening, and that made studmasters in the Northern Hemisphere nervous. Indeed, it made everyone nervous. That was the signal to strike.

In the end, we were beaten too, but not before he’d left a second book of mares securely in foal. There’s an old saying in racing that “they have to die to make sure they’re good,” and the prophesy looks like being fulfilled again.

Losing a man like Stronghold so early in life is a mortal blow to any stud, so we have to find the consolations. On the evidence so far, it looks like we have them. “Get a grip, before they get away”.

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

THE MOST FORMIDABLE BENCH IN RACING

READY TO RUN GALLOPS AT SUMMERHILL STUD
Friday 14th October 2011

The distinguished “bench” : Craig Peters, Graeme Hawkins, Jehan Malherbe, Dean Kannemeyer, Mike de Kock, Joey Ramsden, Sean Tarry and Michael Roberts, suitably attired in their judges’ graduation caps. Kip Elser is the invited international judge this year.

There’s a reason why these men travel so far to the Ready To Run. They know its history, and its capacity to surprise. Some of them have been associated with its stellar runners, others have been on the receiving end of their “medicine”. The one thing they all share though, is they’re masters of their own game.

When it comes to a “good thing”, they know it as soon as they see it. That’s why they’re at the top of their professions. Excellent quality, great dependability, outstanding value. The Summerhill racehorse.

And then there’s their own capacity to surprise. Where in the world will you find a gathering of “giants” in any form of endeavour, willing to share the fruits of their observations? Yet that’s what the “Judges” have been doing for years, for the fans of our sport. It’s a measure of the men, and the size of the Ready To Run.

A R2million race, the trophies in racing, and legacy of legends.

It’s your turn now to make your own history. Just dial the Champions.

The Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale
Sunday 6th November

*Six cheque payment scheme for qualifying buyers.

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

IF THE GALLOPS ARE ANYTHING TO GO BY...

Emperors Palace Ready To Run Gallops at Summerhill Stud
(Photo : Gareth du Plessis)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN GALLOPS
Summerhill Stud, South Africa
14 October 2011

We’re just a week from one of the unique events in the South African sales calendar: the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Gallops at Summerhill. Friday 14^th marks the day, 11am is the time, and if you can believe our fellows, for all the heroics of their predecessors, this is the best crop of youngsters we’ve had the privilege to consign. The Ready To Run has a distinguished history, going back twenty-three years to when it became only the second sale of its kind in the world. In those days, it served as the backstop for what was left on people’s farms: today, from a Summerhill perspective at least, it’s probably fair to say it’s the showcase of what we stand for.

Only yesterday, we counted up the millionaires to have emerged from the sale in recent times, and there were fourteen of them, six of them multi-millionaires. If their owners weren’t already there, they became millionaires through their association with their Ready To Run graduates, and some of them have gone on to reap multiple fortunes through the sale or the campaigning of these horses overseas.

The Summerhill version of the Ready To Run is altogether unique, as it is connected to another initiative of the farm in the R2 million Ready To Run Cup, the richest race of its kind in the world, and the joint third richest race on the South African racing calendar after the Vodacom Durban July and the J&B Met. That’s some statement, and for good measure, it’s celebrated with the finest trophy in racing, a beautifully embossed gift from King George V’s sister-in-law Princess Alice.

Perhaps its most extraordinary feature though, is the introduction four years ago of a panel of judges comprising some of the nation’s finest horsemen, whose function it is to select the horses they believe most likely to win the following year’s Cup, or alternately go on to become the biggest names in the game. For what it’s worth, their collective experience covers almost three hundred years; this oddity compounded by the fact that they also comprise some of the sale’s biggest investors, notwithstanding that it’s their function to betray their “picks” of the sale to an audience which last year exceeded more than 250! Visit counts to the Summerhill website after the gallops reveal that the judging panel’s selections and their commentaries on the horses are the most viewed of all items on display, so clearly there is appreciation among the sale’s fans for the views of these men. Let’s not forget, this is the sale that produced the first two past the post in this year’s Durban July, Igugu and Pierre Jourdan, but just to prove that the judges are not infallible, none of them put their fingers on Pierre Jourdan at the 2009 version.

Here are some pen pics of the judges for your interest :

MIKE DE KOCK
	He’s the man everyone wants to know. He’s become the idol of a social set to which he never belonged, and to which, you suspect, he never wanted to belong. De Kock knows the rich and famous, he has himself become rich and famous. Yet fame has not changed him, not outwardly anyway. He doesn’t conform. He can’t; he isn’t like anyone else.

JOEY RAMSDEN
	Has a pedigree as deep as the game itself. On his way to the mountaintop. Takes a few scalps en route. His CV includes “Picked Igugu”. His obituary will say the same.

DEAN KANNEMEYER
	Horses from his toes to the top of his head. Nothing left to prove. One of the best. Dean’s charges do the talking for him. They speak well.

MICHAEL ROBERTS
	Taught the British how to ride. A legend long before his time, from Japan to the United States.

GRAEME HAWKINS
	Simply put, ‘Mr Racing’. Commentator, auctioneer and administrator, he sees them coming, while others search for clues.

JEHAN MALHERBE
	Serves some of the biggest names in racing. When he wants to, he can say absolutely nothing with a stare that would guarantee him high political office if ever tired of his commentary rituals at Kenilworth.

SEAN TARRY
	National Colour, Mythical Flight, Successful Bidder to name a few. A meteoric rise through the ranks, this rocket’s got momentum, and it ain’t stoppin’ here. The powder’s dry, and the bullets are blasting.

CRAIG PETERS
	Master of his profession, and a walking encylopedia on the game. His binoculars bring a special dimension to the gallops.

KIP ELSER

Special international guest Kip Elser is one of the leading exponents of the art of prepping Ready To Run horses in the USA. Kip’s triumphs include 2011 Kentucky Oaks (Gr1) heroine, Plum Pretty, and Garden City (Gr1) ace Winter Memories, as well as champions Smoke Glacken and Alphabet Soup, Sharp Cat, Royal Anthem, Memories of Silver, and a further two Kentucky Oaks winners in Keeper Hill and Gal In A Ruckus. His Kirkwood Stables has several times sold the top priced horse at the American Breeze-Ups.

The Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale
Sunday 6th November

*Six cheque payment scheme for qualifying buyers.

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