GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT WINS L'ORMARINS QUEEN'S PLATE

Click above to watch the 2012 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (Grade 1)…
(Photo : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE (Grade 1)
Kenilworth, Turf, 1600m
7 January 2012

The Breeders’ Cup beckons for Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) (More Than Ready (USA) - Yes She Can Cancan (AUS)) who got up in the last 20 meters to beat home 5-2 favourite Variety Club (SAF) (Var (USA) - La Massine (SAF)) and a charging Tales Of Bravery (SAF) (Kahal (GB) - Emperor’s Warning (SAF)) giving trainer Justin Snaith his first L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate win.

This year’s Queen’s Plate carries an automatic free Breeders’ Cup entry for the winner and, although there is a current ban on South African horse exports - due to a percieved African Horse Sickness threat - this comes to an end on 3 May 2012. Opposition from other countries is expected, but owner Hassan Adams has received assurances from the South African government that it will push hard to open the markets.

Snaith said: “Our priority is now to be able to accept that Breeders’ Cup invitation. It’s fantastic to think that the Americans want to see our horses race over there. Gimmethegreenlight has always had the class to win a Grade 1 but he was repeatedly slow out of the gates. That normally means a back problem so we worked on it and that made the difference.”

Jockey Piere Strydom, who returned from a broken jaw two weeks early to take the ride on the 13-1 chance, said: “There was a mad scramble for position early and I got squeezed out. But just under two furlongs out they were coming back to me and I thought I would get close. My worry was that I would get to Variety Club but not pass him but close to home he had no more.”

Extract from Racing Post

RACE RESULTS

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS)	55.0	108	6	P Strydom	Justin Snaith
2	0.40	VARIETY CLUB	55.0	118	10	A Marcus	Joey Ramsden
3	1.40	TALES OF BRAVERY	60.0	112	7	M Byleveld	Vaughan Marshall
4	1.80	BRAVURA	60.0	113	11	G Hatt	Joey Ramsden
5	5.80	CHESALON	60.0	110	1	K Neisius	Mike Bass
6	5.90	EBONY FLYER	57.5	107	9	F Coetzee	Justin Snaith
7	6.20	KISS AGAIN	60.0	108	5	A Domeyer	Mike Bass
8	8.45	GIBRALTAR BLUE (IRE)	57.5	109	3	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
9	10.45	LION IN WINTER	60.0	110	4	B Fayd’Herbe	Joey Ramsden
10	12.95	FABIANI	60.0	107	8	S Cormack	Glen Kotzen
11	16.45	LINK MAN	60.0	111	2	W Marwing	Mike de Kock

www.lqp.co.za

L'ORMARINS QUEEN'S PLATE : ALL SET FOR A HUMDINGER

Ebony Flyer
(Photo : Action Racing Online)

L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE (Grade 1)
Kenilworth, Turf, 1600m
7 January 2012

Karel Miedema
Sporting PostSouth Africa’s most ‘elegantly sophisticated royal and regal triple feature raceday’ takes place at Kenilworth Racecourse this Saturday 7 January. The afternoon’s bumper bill is headed by the R1 million Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (Grade 1) to be run at weight-for-age over a mile, with the R1 million TBA Paddock Stakes (Grade 1) weight-for-age over 1800m and the R125,000 Politician Stakes (Listed) also over 1800m making up the features.

The traditional theme of the L’Ormarins sky blue and snow white will dominate the Kenilworth landscape on a day that has grown in stature and offers a premier celebratory cocktail of world-class horseracing, fine food and wine and the opportunity, if it so tickles the fancy, to rub shoulders with an international cast that includes African society’s social movers and shakers.

And what a field go to post! Two champion roses in Justin Snaith’s Ebony Flyer and Mike de Kock’s Gibraltar Blue take their place amongst the nine thorns that comprises the star-studded eleven strong line-up for the 151^st renewal of South Africa’s premier mile contest.

The young dynamo and rising star of the South African horseracing training ranks, Justin Snaith, sends Team Valor International’s Ebony Flyer to post here after a dazzling third as an immature three-year-old in last year’s race. She is peaking at the right time and looks a huge runner with internationally experienced jockey Felix Coetzee in the saddle. For the lucky number studiers, she runs from a 9 draw with a 9 saddle-cloth.

Justin Snaith also sends the imported Australian-bred Gimmethegreenlight to post for J&B Met winning owner Hassen Adams. Top South African jockey Piere Strydom returns from a broken jaw recuperation to partner the top three-year-old.

Mike de Kock’s daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Blue, is very fast and the Joburg Spring Challenge winner will be flying from her 3 stall-gate to ensure a red-hot gallop. She has a proven turn of foot and could be the dark horse of the race. Link Man is a talented son of Toreador and jumps from a 2 stall-gate under Weichong Marwing. As the only grey in the race, he will be the most photographed horse in the feature.

Joey Ramsden is enjoying the season of his life and he sends Guineas winner Variety Club out from the widest gate, with the services of South African Champion jockey Anton Marcus. Joey Ramsden’s onslaught is backed by Derby winner Bravura and Gr2 Peninsula Handicap winner Lion In Winter. Let’s not forget Vaughan Marshall’s recent Jet Master Stakes winner, the ever-consistant Tales Of Bravery.

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	BRAVURA	60.0	113	11	G Hatt	Joey Ramsden
2	TALES OF BRAVERY	60.0	112	7	M Byleveld	Vaughan Marshall
3	LINK MAN	60.0	111	2	W Marwing	Mike de Kock
4	CHESALON	60.0	110	1	K Neisius	Mike Bass
5	LION IN WINTER	60.0	110	4	B Fayd’Herbe	Joey Ramsden
6	KISS AGAIN	60.0	108	5	A Domeyer	Mike Bass
7	FABIANI	60.0	107	8	S Cormack	Glen Kotzen
8	GIBRALTAR BLUE (IRE)	57.5	109	3	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
9	EBONY FLYER	57.5	107	9	F Coetzee	Justin Snaith
10	VARIETY CLUB	55.0	108	10	A Marcus	Joey Ramsden
11	GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS)	55.0	98	6	P Strydom	Justin Snaith

www.lqp.co.za

Extract from www.sportingpost.co.za

BIRTH OF A NEW DIMENSION IN SOUTH AFRICAN HORSERACING

L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate
(Photo : LQP)

151^stL’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE…
A TRULY INTERNATIONAL EVENT

The presence of Genesis band leader, Mike Rutherford, at Saturday’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, might have been prophetic. When Gary Player announced in the wake of the race that the way had been paved for next year’s 151^st renewal to be a truly international event, he recalled a moment of rebirth dating back to a defining day in November 1995, in Paris. That was the occasion of the striking of the “Black Bush” accord, which laid the foundation for South African racing’s re-entry to the world of international competition.

The implications are these, and while they are ambitious, they are eminently within our grasp :

1. By special consent of our protocol partners in other parts of the world, it’s been agreed that horses will be able to enter the “free zone” (we speak of quarantine issues her) for a limited period, which will enable them, from their base at the Kenilworth Quarantine Station, to maintain a normal exercise regime, and participate in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

2. Clearly, in order to attract a field worthy of the status of a race of this sort, a stake in the region of US$2million (bearing in mind the race’s proximity to the competing international events in Hong Kong and Dubai) will have to be raised. Equally, we will need to provide the usual incentive for subsidisation of the transportation and accommodation of horses, owners, trainers and jockeys.

3. This is a costly undertaking, and it will demand at the very least, some contribution from government, and possibly the City of Cape Town, along the lines of the participation in the Summer Cup of the City of Johannesburg.

These things don’t happen without effort, and here we need to thank Peter Gibson and his team at Racing South Africa, Professor Alan Guthrie of the Research Centre in Pretoria, Gold Circle, and the lynchpins, Gaynor Rupert and her team at L’Ormarins.

They have made the Queen’s Plate worthy of its appellation, and that’s demanded foresight, energy and critically, strategic savvy and leadership. Without her at the helm, nothing of this sort would’ve eventuated and an even bigger event will require just as much, and some. The news had scarcely broken, and by lunchtime on Monday, Gaynor had her cohorts around her, several of them representing international media organisations, event organisers etc. Whatever this year’s was, look out for 2012.

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L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate

150TH RENEWAL OF THE L’ORMARINS QUEENS PLATE

Fashion at the 2010 L’Ormarins Queens Plate 2010
(Photo : www.lqp.co.za) 

The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate 150th Anniversary

Make a date. Saturday 8th January witnesses the 150th anniversary of the greatest weight-for-age contest on the African continent, the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. Unrivalled for its tradition and prestige, the Queen’s Plate is the oldest horseracing event in the land, and grew out of an obsession with racing among the British garrison on the old Rondebosch Common. In its more formal guise, the event was first staged in 1861 in honour of Queen Victoria, and became the King’s Plate during the reigns of Edward VII and George VI, only to revert to its current name in 1953 following the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II. To this day, The Queen retains a keen interest in the race, and there is talk on the grapevine of the possibility of royal attendance at this year’s renewal.

Clearly, the race’s most famous contestant is Pocket Power, reigning king of the local realm who has strung together four consecutive victories, and lines up again in January 2011. he’s not the only horse in the race’s illustrious past to have won it four times though, as he shares that distinction with Riley, who took the laurels four times in the space of five years, though it’s said that he did so under handicap conditions and over different distances.

Five consecutive victories for Pocket Power would constitute a world record, but he has his work cut out for him this year with the challenger of Kahal’s son, Tales Of Bravery and Mike de Kock’s Gibraltar Blue. Winner of five of his seven starts last year, including the Matchem Stakes (Gr.2) in which he lowered Pocket Power’s colours, Tales Of Bravery is another smart advertisement for Kwa Zulu Natal breeding, Gibraltar Blue is an Irish lass who previously raced for the Irish folk hero, Tommy Stack, the man responsible for selling Summerhill its most famous resident, Northern Guest. Fortune smiled on Tommy as the rider of the triple Grand National winner, Red Rum, arguably the greatest ever winner of the world’s steeplechase.

2010 L'ORMARINS QUEEN'S PLATE VIDEO AND RESULTS

Click above to watch the 2010 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate
(Footage : SuperSport)

R1MILLION L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE (GRADE 1) 1600M
KENILWORTH RACECOURSE
9 JANUARY 2010

Pocket Power shattered the history books at Kenilworth on Saturday with an awe inspiring fourth consecutive victory in the 149th L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. Congratulations to Mike Bass, Candice Robinson and team at Mike Bass Racing; Marsh Shirtliff, Arthur and Rina Webber, Zandvliet Stud and Pat and Henry Devine.

FINAL RESULTS

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	POCKET POWER	58	119	1	B Fayd’Herbe	Mike Bass
2	KAPIL	58	115	3	MJ Byleveld	Stan Elley
3	BIG CITY LIFE	58	111	10	K Teetan	Glen Kotzen
4	FABIANI	58	103	2	R Fourie	Glen Kotzen
5	STRATEGIC NEWS	58	107	8	P Cosgrave	Dylan Cunha
6	IVORY TRAIL	58	111	5	R Danielson	Joey Ramsden
7	THUNDER KEY	58	106	4	S Cormack	Glen Kotzen
8	FOREST PATH	58	107	7	G Schlechter	Stephen Page
9	BLUE TIGER	58	109	9	K Neisius	Mike Bass
10	GAULTIER	58	107	6	G Hatt	Mike Bass