EMERGING STALLIONS : EMERGING FORCES

Admire Main
(Photo : Greig Muir)

“One of the better young generations of
emerging stallions we’ve known”

Mick Goss
Summerhill Stud CEOThere’s a lot being written at the moment in the financial press about the role of emerging countries as the only hope for the world’s ailing economy. While the South African stallion scene is far from lacking in its established stars, there’s real hope among what could turn out to be one of the better young generations of emerging stallions we’ve known. Reports from the physical inspection for the Cape Premier Yearling Sale speak highly of the progeny of A.P. Arrow, Admire Main, Argonaut, Jay Peg and Kildonan, while the foaling crew at Summerhill will tell you that the Brave Tin Soldiers are up there with anything we’ve seen. They’re big, strongly made, and they all carry the magnificent head which was obviously an element of what made Demi O’Byrne part with $3million for him as a foal of just a few months. Besides “big”, you can count on the rest as well. Brave, and brilliant.

Encouraging too, was the money investors were willing to pay for the first crops of Mullins Bay and Stronghold at the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale. While it was to be expected that they would have their admirers when they went through the ring, following the healthy endorsement they received from the gallops inspection panellists, few would’ve anticipated the Mullins Bays would average alongside Kahal and Muhtafal, and that Stronghold would come away with a top price of R330,000, in this climate. Equally pleasing though, is the fact that this sale elicits healthy bidding for a horse, no matter his origins. The Ready To Run is designed for buyers to draw their conclusions from what they see, not what they think they see, and the gallop in the end, is the ultimate test.

Over the years, we’ve seen the likes of Gold Cup hero, Cereus, R8million earner, Imbongi, and Jo’burg’s “love-child”, Pierre Jourdan, all by unfashionable sires, attract a healthy proportion of bids simply because they could run.

While they’re quietly off the commercial boil at the moment, Solskjaer and Way West are another pair who still seem to have a bit of puff in their sails. Solskjaer’s top price was R225,000 for Battle Of Hastings, while Way West justifiably averaged R90,000 (with two “centurions”), given that he’s had two Group One performing fillies in his first two small crops, and that Extra Zero put up such a grand performance in the R2 million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup the day before.

Enquiries :
Linda Norval 27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email linda@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

Mythical Flight Defends Unbeaten 1000m Record

Mythical Flight (kerckhaert)Sean Tarry’s gelding did have his problems during the Durban season, where he suffered his only two lifetime defeats. In fairness, though, those were both over 1200m, one of them in a handicap where he failed by a neck to give top class Kildonan 2.5 kgs in the Golden Horse Casino Sprint at Scottsville, so Mythical Flight still performed with plenty of credit. There nevertheless is little doubt that 1000m is his preferred trip, and the son of Jet Master made a splendid seasonal debut when he shouldered 62 kgs to an impressive start-to-finish success in a Gr3 handicap over the minimum trip at Turffontein in December. Mythical Flight showed almost surreal speed to win last year’s Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, and he did also capture the Cape Flying Championship a season ago. Unless something goes seriously awry, he will surely be winning the Cape’s only Gr 1 sprint for a second time this weekend.

Should Mythical Flight somehow contrive to be beaten then it may be fellow Gauteng visitor, and Summerhill-bred, Rebel King who will pick up the pieces. This 4yo made a grand start to his Cape campaign when he ran on well from some way off the pace and beat Blue Tiger by 1.25 lengths over 1200m in the Gr 3 Diadem Stakes last month. The former Gr 2 SA Nursery winner has plenty of talent, but while he has won twice over 1000m he certainly doesn’t have the sheer speed of Mythical Flight. Rebel King will be doing his best work late and has an excellent chance of finishing in the money, but he will find it mighty tough to reel in Mythical Flight on 6 kgs worse terms than would apply in a handicap. Indeed, Rebel King finished 2.5 lengths further behind in the Golden Horse Casino Sprint, over a distance which arguably suits him better than Mythical Flight, and now has to meet the latter on 2.5 kgs worse terms.

PE visitor Hear The Drums is the second highest rated horse (another Summerhill-bred racehorse) in the race. Some would debate whether he deserves that, the argument being bandied about with considerable frequency that PE horses are rated too high in relation to those from other centres. There is some foundation for this point of view, and purely on handicappers’ assessments, for instance, Hear The Drums’ stable companion Paris Perfect should have fared a whole lot better than he did in the Gr1 Cape Guineas a fortnight ago. When all is said and done, though, it is both unkind and unfair to try and tarnish the fact that Hear The Drums has managed to win 15 races from 31 starts, no matter where he has been competing. He is a very good sprinter indeed, and one who has shown terrific heart under 63 kgs in his last couple of starts. He has won six times from ten tries over 1000m, and he certainly has a lively chance of at least earning place money on WFA terms here.

The pace will be fast and furious, even if the south-easter is pumping. Mythical Flight is as fast as any horse we have seen for a very long time, while the likes of Ice Wine and Hear The Drums have plenty of early dash in their armoury as well. It is stating the obvious to remark that Mythical Flight is the horse to beat, but we really have no choice. Rebel King, Hear The Drums, Something Else and Ice Wine are selected to follow him home.

Extract by Matthew Lips from Sporting Post 18 January 2008

Kildonan out of Hong Kong Mile

Kildonan (freeracer)THE Rich Man’s Gold Syndicate’s star four-year-old, Kildonan, has been injured at Newmarket, UK, in preparation for next week’s US$1.2 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile at Sha-Tin.

Mike de Kock commented: “This is devastating for us. We believed he had a winning chance. But that is the reality of racing. Horses are flesh and blood like normal athletes. These things happen.’’

He added that Klidonan did not suffer a career threatening injury. “He will be shipped to Dubai next week and we’ll start his preparation for Carnival 2008 as soon as he has recovered.

“Kildonan could be a nice horse for the Duty Free and of course there is the English season in 2008. He’s a young horse, he has his career ahead of him. A few years ago Irridesance had to be scratched just minutes before the running of the Duty Free. That was similarly shocking, but she went on to greatness after that. We’ll sit this one out too!’’

Extract from Mike de Kock Racing

The Vodacom July - Everything and a whole lot more than you could have expected...

Saturday’s racing was one of most spectacular meetings we’ve had the pleasure to attend. The racing was thrilling, competitive, and just reward to Gold Circle for everything they put into it. This was a great display, not only of the organizational talents of racing in this country, but it was also a great compliment to the horsemen involved. The horses were turned out spectacularly, they were ridden by some of the best jockeys in the world, and they were prepared to the minute by some of the finest conditioners anywhere.

In the end, we (Summerhill) didn’t have a great time in the July itself with our three runners, with Pick Six joining his Three Year Old compatriots, Kildonan & Jay Peg, in proving once again to the handicappers that you can’t expect three year olds to carry 55 kgs against their elders at this time of the year under Group One handicap conditions. These three horses were set what history tells us to be a nigh impossible task, and it showed in the end. The truth is, Buy & Sell’s exceptional run for second place in receipt of 2 kgs from the other 3 year olds, was the best indication of the impact of weight, and the old adage that “weight stops trains”, was never more evident than it was on Saturday.

Hunting Tower - triumph for Mauritzfontein Stud (Photo Gold Circle)In the end, the race was a triumph for Mauritzfontein Stud and the Oppenheimer family, as their gallant horse Hunting Tower came from the back of the field to mow down a wave of aspirants right on the line. There was less than a length covering the first six home, as the race unravelled precisely as most people had predicted. This was a high class gathering of horses, and there were more than a few people who said that there were a dozen horses with a chance. The Mauritzfontein team were on hand at the Summerhill Stallion Day on Sunday to celebrate their historic win, and everyone here joins in congratulating them on their fifth home-bred winner of this fantastic event.

Most of us spend a lifetime trying to breed one winner of the July let alone five, and this was a great achievement on the home-breeding front. Yet it wasn’t the end for the Oppenheimers, as they won the race for the sixth time with a horse they bought in the form of Spanish Galliard.

Africa's Greatest Horserace: The Vodacom Durban July

As big as the events at Royal Ascot might be, the announcement of the field for the Vodacom Durban July at noon today, overshadowed (for South African’s at least) anything that may have been taking place under the stewardship of Her Majesty The Queen across the water.

Pick SixWith last year’s winner, Eyeofthetiger, in inexplicably poor form, his withdrawal facilitated the hopes of a few marginal entrants, yet the quality of this field, with few exceptions, represents the best middle distance form in the nation, and explains why it retains its credo “The Greatest Horserace in Africa”. Among the older horses, J&B Met winner Pocket Power heads the class, though he and his peers will have their hands full with the Three Year Olds. With the Fred Crabbia - Owner of Veiled Essencenotable exceptions of Summerhill-bred Emperor Napoleon (one-time favourite who was withdrawn with a “breathing” issue) and Divine Jury, all the principal suspects are there: Kildonan, Pick Six, Jay Peg, Buy & Sell, Dynamite Mike, Ravishing, Biarritz, and while there’s a belief (arguably justified) that they just cant win it with the weights they’ve been allocated, this crop was proclaimed “vintage” while they were still in their infancy, and they’re a long way from done.

Veiled EssenceGood news from a Summerhill perspective (following the disappointment of “The Emperor’s” scratching) is that we have three left (or 16%) of the final 20, and while we didn’t fare that well in the draws (Pick Six 13, Veiled Essence 18 and Dynamite Mike 5), people are beginning to realize where they come from – you cant count us out till the fat girl has sung!

Dynamite MikeOne astute punter’s observation of the outcome of last week’s big trial (The Gold Challenge over 1600 metres) was that the first 5 or 6 home all looked like genuine milers, and could be gasping for breath come the last furlong or two of the eleven of the Vodacom.

In that event, the likes of Pick Six (a start-to-finish leader over the punishing 2000m of the Gomma Gomma ), Derby winner Ravishing & Oaks heroine, Veiled Essence could well be looking for a scrap come the business end of the 2200 metres . One thing’s common to most July’s, and that’s a searching early pace, so the heat should be on.