RELATIONSHIPS BUILD VALUE

Ravishing
(Photo : Leigh Willson)

“Friendships Mean Everything”

Summerhill is one of those places where friendships mean everything. The world is a big place, and the only way to make it smaller is to make friends. It is true that transactions build turnovers, and none of us can do without them, but in our case, relationships build value. Today we have the pleasure of greeting some of our oldest friends, and by that we speak in generational terms. Just recently, Igugu became the fourth horse known to these pastures, to take Africa’s most famous prize, the Vodacom Durban July, and she did so from an erstwhile paddock-mate, Pierre Jourdan. Our connection with this enormous event goes back 65 years however, to the victory of Pat Goss Snr’s diminutive St Pauls, still the smallest horse ever to wear the blue sash. He did so from draw 20 and came home in record time, some achievement for a horse who started out in pony and galloway handicaps (races reserved for horses under 15 hands), and went on to stardom.

In 1952, Raymond Ellis’ Mowgli got up in the dying strides to deny Irradiate, in one of the races greatest displays of courage, and his feats that year guaranteed his place among the immortals.

The 1993 renewal fell to Dancing Duel, who added the great race to a resume which included that year’s South African Guineas and the Daily News 2000, guaranteeing him the Champion Three-Year-Old title. He carried the silks of our old mate Luke Bales, of Singita fame. Then of course, there was Igugu, in the colours of one of our first customers, Andre Macdonald and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, whose family association stretches more than two decades.

You might ask what this has to do with relationships, and all of them have their own story, none more so than little St Pauls. Pat Goss was the eternal optimist, and after his horse had completed a spell on his farm The Springs, in the remote reaches of East Griquland, he told all who would listen that he had just loaded the July winner onto the Durban-bound train.

His optimism extended to booking out Durban’s most famous hospitality landmark, The Kew Hotel on the city’s Berea, almost three months before the starter would call them into line. The manager of the hotel was a young “deb” by the name of June Macguire, and she made the reservation. In the aftermath of the race, every Durbanite, whether he knew Pat Goss or not, who share the winning owner’s reverence for the Durbn July, was invited to the party, and its reputed to have raged for two days. Shortly afterwards the Kew burnt down, but its said it had nothing to do with the July party.

The point of this story is that June Maguire’s daughter, Robin Coller, married an American by name of Robert Muir, today one of South Africa’s landmark racehorse owners, and Robin and the boss go back as mates to their schooldays. They are visiting today, and Robert will tell you that when his first foal arrived here he was told his four day old foal, “Hot Guard would win the Smirnoff (Gr1)”. Just like Luke Bales was told the day Dancing Duel was born, that he win the July. Of course, we’ve made other prophecies here before, and they haven’t all been right, but we got these two right.

Robert and Robin have kept their mares at Summerhill for many years, and whilst their band has been relatively small, they’ve bred stand-outs Rambo’s Jewel, (Horse of the Year in KZN), Sleek Braashee etc, as well as standing the celebrated racehorses, Cataloochee and Ravishing at the Midlands nursery. Few things are more worthy than good friends, and these are among the best.

SOUTH AFRICA'S RACING GRAND SLAM

Please click above to watch a little Durban July history.
The presentation can be paused at any point using the navigation controls, bottom left.
It can be viewed full-screen by clicking the view button, bottom right.

(Photos : Summerhill Stud Archive)

A NEW THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS ASSOCIATION INITIATIVE

The term “Grand Slam” evokes all sorts of emotions, particularly when it’s applied to golf, tennis and northern hemisphere international rugby tours. There is another context though, in which South African racing sees it, and a new initiative by the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of South Africa, intends to bring racing’s Grand Slam back to life.

What is meant by racing’s grand slam? Well firstly, there’s never been an official identification of the events, but under the direction of its chairman, Altus Joubert and through the enterprise of Alan Roux, they’ve identified the three big “majors”, the Vodacom Durban July, the J&B Met and the Sansui Summer Cup as the jewels in the crown. How many people; owners, trainers or jockeys, how many horses and stallions have ever achieved victory in all three. For starters, no one horse has ever done so, which is almost understandable when you recall the fact that they’re up to 1000 miles apart, in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg, two of them are run at sea level and one at almost 6000 ft.

Only four trainers have ever been there, Syd Garrett, Terrance Millard, Syd Laird and Mike de Kock. The mere mention of their names helps to understand why. In the post-war era, the progeny of only two stallions, both of them champions, Royal Prerogative and Foveros, have achieved the grand slam, though obviously through different horses. Just one other pre World War II stallion, the French-bred Cape Metropolitan winner, Asbestos II, did it through his sons Feltos (Met & Summer Cup) and Pat Goss’ diminutive St Pauls (the Durban July). In the modern era, all of Silvano, Fort Wood and Jet Master have two legs under their belts, and it’s a fair bet one or more of them will achieve the grand slam in the not too distant future.

The breeders are another story. Thirty four grand slam victories for the Birch Brothers is an astounding achievement, even considering there were three different farms between them, with an awful lot of mares. No wonder they dominated the Breeders Championship for so many decades. Old man Nourse, who won his first July in the early 1900’s with Nobleman, bred nine grand slam winners, while the Koster Brothers between them have seven. You might well ask how we’ve done. The old Hartford produced three Summer Handicap winners (read Summer Cup), a July winner in Mowgli, the only race of any importance on the calendar to elude them, being the Metropolitan. We put that right when we came here, with two horses off Summerhill; La Fabulous and Angus taking the J&B Met, Luke Bales’ Dancing Duel was a July winner born on the farm, and Pick Six and Emperor Napoleon “exacta-ed” the Summer Cup.

The history books tell us this is as tough as grand slams get, and it’s worth working for. Salutations to Alan Roux, Altus Joubert, Robin Bruss and everyone else behind the project.

BIRTH OF A CHAMPION

Sea The Stars with mother Urban Sea
(Photo : Supplied) 

SEA THE STARS

A question that pops up with regular frequency, is if we know at birth whether a horse is destined for greatness.

While it’s true you can tip the odd one (we told Luke Bales that Dancing Duel would win the July the day he was born,) it doesn’t always follow, and we’ve had the occasional “ugly duckling” (Fillies Guineas winner, Mystery Guest) go on to fame and fortune.

One you wouldn’t have figured there and then, is the best horse in the world in 2009 (maybe the best ever?). Here’s what Sea The Stars looked like the day he popped out. And you’d certainly not’ve spotted his mother, Urban Sea, as an “Arc” winner in her time, nor as the dam of another legend, Galileo, who claims the mantle of the best stallion of his era.

The Big Day Beckons

When it comes to big weeks in racing terms, they don’t get much bigger than this in South Africa. Without doubt, the continent’s biggest horserace, if not its biggest sporting event period, takes place at Greyville Saturday, as its done since Campanajo took the first running of the Durban July in 1897. Victory etches the names of the winners, the horse, the owner, the trainer and the rider not only into the history books, but it embeds them into the memories of racing fans across the length and breadth of the nation.

St Pauls races to victory (1946)There’s scarcely a granny or a nanny that hasn’t had a tilt at the tote come the first Saturday in July, and with one of the best fields in many years, the 2007 edition promises new records in every sphere. For the folk at Summerhill, the event evokes nostalgia, and our association goes back to 1946 when Pat Goss Snr’s diminutive St Pauls (still the smallest horse ever to win it) broke the track record from the outside draw before 120 000 fans.

Mowgli - Winner 1951In 1951, the first Hartford-bred winner, Mowgli, claimed the honours in spite of a chronic wind infirmity which not only led to his collapse after the winning post, but eventually put an end to one of the most brilliant racing careers in our history. Mowgli strung together a total of six Grade One victories in the space of eleven weeks (from 1200 to 2200 metres) establishing a world record in the process, and was the only horse to receive two votes (among the exalted likes of Sea Cottage, Colorado King, Hawaii and Horse Chestnut) when the country’s handicappers met at the turn of the millennium to decide the Horse of the 20^th Century.

Truth is, whether he was the best horse or not – these things are apt to promote inordinate debate and generate great heat – it’s an undeniable fact, he was the most courageous. Three times (and always over distances exceeding a mile) he collapsed as he passed the post, clinging on desperately after he’d had to race the length of the straight on a single breath.

Sea CottageWhatever your inclinations, this was some horse. For what it’s worth our vote, despite our sentiments, would’ve been for Sea Cottage, who ran behind Hartford-bred Ajax in the big race at his first attempt in 1966, following an assassin’s attempt on his life twelve weeks before the event. A lapse of two and a half decades ensued before the Summerhill born Dancing Duel did the trick in the 1993 renewal for our great friend, Luke Bailes, following victories in the S.A.Guineas and the Daily News 2200, as we know them today.