ZAKI RACING'S WINNING LEAP MAKES IT WIN NUMBER 5

Click above to watch Winning Leap winning the Racing Association Pinnacle Stakes
(Image and Footage : Tellytrack)

RACING ASSOCIATION PINNACLE STAKES
Turffontein, 3000m, Turf
27 December 2010

WINNING LEAP (Labeeb (GB) x Summersault by Northern Guest (USA))
4 Year Old Bay Gelding
Owners : Messrs R Kay, M Maloon, D Michael and Miss L Gordon
Trainer : Dominic Zaki
Jockey : Sherman Brown
Breeder : Summerhill Stud
Win Time : 191.93
Career Record : 5 Wins, 1 Places, 14 Starts
Career Earnings : R578,750

Winning Leap is an R85,000 graduate from the Summerhill draft of the 2008 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

RACE RESULT :

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	WINNING LEAP	60.0	104	1	S Brown	Dominic Zaki
2	5.75	VERTICAL TAKEOFF	60.0	100	7	B Lerena	Sean Tarry
3	6.25	MIRAGE DRIVE	57.0	97	6	S Khumalo	Tyrone Zackey
4	8.25	NUDGE NUDGE (ARG)	50.0	77	8	*E Pheiffer	Mike de Kock
5	10.75	FROZEN FIRE (GER)	60.0	109	2	*T Appie (1.5)	Mike de Kock
6	18.00	AFRICAN GIANT	50.0	67	3	L Nhlapo	Joe Soma
7	99.99	VALOR NATIVO (BRZ)	50.0	71	5	*JP v’d Merwe	Ernst Oertel
8	99.99	FENERBAHCE	57.0	94	9	A Delpech	Gary Alexander
9	99.99	CLAMENCO	52.5	80	4	F Naude	Lance Wiid
		Late Scratching
10	0.00	VOLATILE	50.0	59	4		Spike Lerena

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

KZN BREEDERS AWARDS : REWARDING EXCELLENCE

 

KZN Breeders Awards 2010
(Photos : Summerhill Stud

Please click above to enlarge…

KZN BREEDERS AWARDS 2010

Megan RomeynFriday night saw the past racing season’s hard work being rewarded when the KwaZulu Natal Breeders honoured their own for racing excellence at the prestigious KZN Breeders Awards.

Pierre Jourdan, whose racing performances have enthralled the public during the past year, walked away with the laurels in the categories of Outstanding Three Year Colt and Horse Of The Year, while Salutation (by Requiem) garnered the Outstanding Stayer Female and Winning Leap (by Labeeb) grabbed the Outstanding Stayer Male award. Hear The Drums (who made it 34 wins on Friday in the Glendore Sprint), was honoured with the Individual Achievement Award. Garden Verse (dam of the illustrious Imbongi and Mahubo) was awarded Broodmare Of The Year and man-of-the-moment stallion, Way West, grabbed a deserved Stallion Prospect Of The Year award with super sire Kahal once again crowned Stallion Of The Year.

The highlight of the evening undoubtedly was when Summerhill Stud was once again named the Leading Breeder Of The Year.

Award	Horse	Breeder
Outstanding 2 Year Old	CHOCOLICIOUS	Backworth Stud
Outstanding Sprinter Female	NOBLE HEIR	Connington Stud
Outstanding Sprinter Male	THUNDER KEY	C Baitz
Outstanding Middle Distance Female	SPICED GOLD	Greenhill Farm
Outstanding Middle Distance Male	ORBISON	Scott Bros
Outstanding Stayer Female	SALUTATION	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding Stayer Male	WINNING LEAP	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding 3 Year Old Filly	SPICED GOLD	Greenhill Farm
Outstanding 3 Year Old Colt	PIERRE JOURDAN	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding Older Female	NOBLE HEIR	Connington Stud
Outstanding Older Male	MAGICAL	RJ & Mrs Clarkin
Individual Achievement	HEAR THE DRUMS	Summerhill Stud
International Achievement	GYPSEY’S WARNING	Rathmor Stud
Broodmare Of The Year	GARDEN VERSE	Summerhill Stud
Stallion Prospect	WAY WEST	Summerhill Stud
Stallion Of The Year	KAHAL	Summerhill Stud
Leading Breeders	SUMMERHILL STUD	n/a
Breeding Achievement	CONNINGTON STUD	n/a
Horse Of The Year	PIERRE JOURDAN	Summerhill Stud

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

WINNING LEAP RARING TO GO

Winning Leap
(Photo : JC Photographics / Summerhill Stud)

CANON GOLD CUP (Grade 1)
26 June 2010

A chat with trainer Dominic Zaki early this morning, revealed that our Gold Cup aspirant, Winning Leap, has travelled well, and is ensconced at his Summerveld stables, from where he will launch his assault tomorrow.

Dominic says there’s only one “stopper”, as far he’s concerned, and that is his 21 points in penalties that he’s picked up for his last two striking victories. Winning Leap has grown to almost 17 hands, he’s stays all day, and Dominic says his acceleration grows as he matures.

“He’ll be a formidable four year old, and I have unending faith in the challenge of the progeny of Labeeb”.

The circumstances of the purchase of his grandmother, Karafa, from His Highness the Aga Khan, were amusing. Mick Goss, elder brother Pat and erstwhile Summerhill general manager, Anton Procter, were attending the Tattersall’s December Sales in England in the mid 80’s, and they had devised a secret code for their agent, the late and famed Joss Collins, whereby Joss would keep bidding for as long as Pat kept his deerstalker hat on his head. Understand, it was mid-winter in the UK, snowing and hats were imperative.

When the bidding approached the 80,000 Guineas mark (around a R1 million today, and already well beyond where Summerhill normally shops), Pat, who for all intents and purposes was the trio’s banker, decided to call it enough, and raised his hand to remove the deerstalker.

The mare, however, was descended from the most famous of Aga Khan’s family’s, the one which produced the legendary stallion Nasrullah, Royal Charger and Kalamoun, and Mick and Anton would have none of this stopping. To the complete bewilderment of the auctioneer, they thrust their hands on Pats head to keep the deerstalker in place, so that Collins would not give up the pursuit.

“Was that a bid, sir?” enquired the auctioneer, and Mick Goss was quick to reply “and how, sir”, and so, at a 100,000 guineas, Summerhill became the proud owner of this wonderfully bred mare. The brothers proceeded to breed an Italian 2000 Guineas winner from the mare, before her importation to South Africa, and while the family’s been a little slow in getting going here, Summersault, dam of the Gold Cup fancy, has shown signs of a serious revival. Victory in tomorrow’s time-honoured event, could signal its greatest moment in South Africa.

THE READY TO RUN AND THE CANON GOLD CUP

Winning Leap
(Photos : Summerhill Stud) 

THE CANON GOLD CUP
26 June 2010 

The events of this past week, and the anticipation of next weekend’s national stayers championship, the Canon Gold Cup (Gr.1) are a poignant reminder of the potency of the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale. No fewer than nine graduates of the sale occupied racing’s most valuable piece of real estate, the Number One box between Monday and Sunday, including a four-timer at the Vaal, and a stunning debut by Ridethebreeze for Joey Ramsden. For some, that’s a six month tally, yet it happened in a week here, and all from a single sale (we’ve listed them at the bottom of this note).

They may have rescheduled the Gold Cup to a spot with which this historic event is completely unfamiliar (26^th June, as opposed to the first Saturday in August), and while that may have played some havoc with the programmes of a number of entries, its nonetheless quite a field, headed up by last year’s Champion Stayer, Mokaro. He’s not at the top of the boards though, as that honour belongs to Santa at 3-1, followed by three joint favourites, Ancestral Fore, Thanks John, and the three year old Summerhill-consigned Ready To Run graduate, Winning Leap.

Not too many three year olds are entered for these marathon events, yet this fellow already has the Gold Bowl (Gr.2) on his C.V, which he won as long ago as the first weekend in April. But here, in the Gold Cup, he’s bidding to rewrite the history books, as the first and only three year old to win the event. No doubt, the bookmakers know that history is against him; otherwise he could well be clear at the top of the boards, given his recent record. What they seem to have forgotten, is where he came from!

Winning Leap was an R85,000 graduate of the 2008 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, a somewhat angular, gawky individual at the time, but a horse with an immaculate pedigree and his father, Labeeb’s economy of movement, as well as his style.

There’s no doubt he has the stamina: the question is, the 55.5 kgs he has to carry against the nation’s best stamina runners. Can it be realistically expected of a three year old, that he can lump such an impost to victory?

We’ll bring you more news of Winning Leap’s march to the Gold in the course of the week.

Winners Monday 14 June 2010 - Sunday 20 June 2010

#	Horse	Trainer
1st	BELLAGIO	Mark Dixon
1st	UBIZO	Glen Kotzen
1st	RIDETHEBREEZE	Joey Ramsden
1st	KRUGER GOLD	Heather Adamson
1st	MANNEQUIN	Paul Matchett
1st	WATCHFUL	Michael Azzie
1st	MYSTIC	Sean Tarry
1st	ETERNAL GLORY	David Niewenhuizen
1st	CHEN YIN HO	Coerie Lensley

CANON GOLD CUP : SATURDAY 26 JUNE 2010

Winning Leap - 3000m Gold Bowl (Grade 2)
(Photo : JC Photographics / Summerhill Stud)

LE COUP D’OR : CONFUSION REIGNS

For the first time in living memory, the two Gold Cups that really count are being staged within the same week. Yesterday saw the running of the Royal Ascot version, highlight of the greatest week in European racing, and for the past four years, domain of Solskjaer’s younger brother, Yeats. Because of the upheaval the World Football Cup has imposed upon local racing, our own Gold Cup (sponsored by Canon), is to be staged on the 26th June, as opposed to the first Saturday in August, where it’s been since time immemorial. It is the staying championship of South Africa, and its winner is almost invariably crowned the Equus Awards Stayer of the Year. This year’s renewal is remarkable for the fact that for the first time (ever, as far as we can make out), there’s the potential of a three year old winning it.

There was a time when the English Derby, staged over 1,5 miles in June, was considered the sternest of tests for a three year old, and it was never thought advisable to run a horse much further in his classic year. More recently, the Australians have taught us it’s possible to run three year olds in their greatest staying race, the Melbourne Cup as early as November.

And so it’s happened that this year, we have our own top three year old engaged in the event in the form of Winning Leap. Ordinarily, we’d be concerned about his ability to get the trip, being the son of a world class miler in Labeeb, out of a Northern Guest mare descending from one of the Aga Khan’s oldest families, the one which produced Nasrullah and Royal Charger as well as the flying filly, Mumtaz Mahal. Another really good sort to come from this family was the European Champion Miler, Kalamoun, like Nasrullah and Royal Charger an outstanding stallion in his own right, but unfortunate to die prematurely.

Winning Leap’s credentials over the trip are well known, as he charged off with the laurels in Johannesburg’s Gold Bowl (Gr.2), over 3000m in May, so there’s every reason to expect that he’ll get the trip next Saturday, unless the handicapper has “fixed” him with weight once and for all. Winner of his last three starts by a combined 9.75 lengths, he is up there at the top of most bookmaker’s boards, as matters stand.

We quote from a recent article posted by Charl Pretorius on Racingweb.

His trainer, Dominic Zaki said “He’s not much to look at - he resembles a little camel, but he’s got a big stride and some acceleration and he stays forever and a day. He’s improved with maturity and there is much more to come. We’ll restrict him to long distances; there is no reason to change what is clearly his game. Yes, the Gold Cup is his mission, he’s a top horse and we may go for the Gold Vase on 3 July over 2800m on his way to the Cup.”

“Another impressive graduate of the winner factory at Summerhill Stud, Winning Leap fetched R85,000 at the 2008 Ready To Run Sale. Breeder Mick Goss would call him a horse “stolen” from the sales ring”.

CANON GOLD CUP (Grade 1)
Greyville, 3200m, 26 June 2010
Final Field 

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	MOKARO	60.0	112	17	R Fourie	Stephen Page
2	OMAHA BEACH	57.5	105	16	B Fayd’Herbe	Joey Ramsden
3	SANTA	57.5	105	5	A Marcus	Ormond Ferraris
4	STRATEGIC NEWS (AUS)	57.0	103	1	J Geroudis	Herman Brown
5	ANCESTRAL FORE	56.0	108	12	K Shea	Mike de Kock
6	VERTICAL TAKEOFF	56.0	101	8	P Strydom	Sean Tarry
7	SPEED FOR GOLD	56.0	100	6	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
8	WINNING LEAP	55.5	106	14	B Lerena	Dominic Zaki
9	GOLDEN PARACHUTE (NZ)	55.5	99	9	K Neisius	Mike Bass
10	ROBINSON CRUSOE	55.0	99	11	I Sturgeon	Glen Kotzen
11	STARZENE (USA)	55.0	99	20	G Lerena	Weiho Marwing
12	SANGRIA GIRL	55.5	98	4	R Danielson	Greg Ennion
13	THANKS JOHN	55.0	9	18	M Byleveld	Mike Bass
14	BOLD WONDER (AUS)	54.5	96	13	S Randolph	Duncan Howells
15	REFINED IN FIRE	54.5	96	7	P Whitmore	Yvette Bremner
16	HOSPITALITY	53.5	93	19	F Coetzee	Mike Stewart
17	LA FOCE	52.5	91	3	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
18	PREDESTINATION (AUS)	52.0	89	10	K Teetan	Joey Ramsden
19	SPORTS FACTOR	52.0	89	15	*A Domeyer	Paul Lafferty
20	RECONCILE	52.0	88	2	D Daniels	Glen Kotzen