COOKIE MONSTER OUTFOXED IN SECRETARIAT STAKES

Click above to watch the 2012 Secretariat Stakes (L)
(Image : Sporting Post - Footage : Tellytrack)

SECRETARIAT STAKES (Listed)
Turffontein, Turf, 1400m
8 December 2012

The Right Approach gelding Fantastic Mr Fox showed himself to be well above average when registering a gutsy win in the R135,000 Listed Secretariat Stakes run over 1400m at Turffontein on Saturday.

Piere Strydom took Sean Tarry’s Serissa up to lead early from King’s Bridge and Istiqraar. The eventual winner Fantastic Mr Fox and the second-placed Cookie Monster were well back at this stage.

Serissa faded disappointingly early (he was to run a shocking 37 lengths tailed off last) as Muzi Yeni took Istiqraar to the head of affairs at the 400m marker, with Victory Call and Cookie Monster unleashing their challenges

In a driving finish Fantastic Mr Fox finished with a flourish and went on best to just beat Summerhill Ready To Run graduate, the Roy Magner-trained Cookie Monster by 0,35 lengths in a time of 85,35 secs.

Fellow Summerhill Ready To Run graduate, the Gary Alexander-trained Waka Waka, stayed on well for third, while Istiqraar was one-paced in fourth.

The favourite Virtuosity jumped from the best of the draw, but could only run fifth and 2,50 lengths behind after looming up dangerously.

Secretariat Stakes (L)
Final Results

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	FANTASTIC MR FOX	60.0	86	10	F Herholdt	Paul Matchett
2	0.35	COOKIE MONSTER	57.0	80	7	JP van der Merwe	Roy Magner
3	2.25	WAKA WAKA	58.0	82	11	M Mienie	Gary Alexander
4	2.30	ISTIQRAAR	57.0	80	9	M Yeni	Mike de Kock
5	2.50	VIRTUOSITY	56.5	79	1	S Brown	Leon Erasmus
6	3.25	REGAL STRIDE	60.0	86	3	C Little	Gavin van Zyl
7	7.00	SAMMY SILVER	56.5	79	6	S Khumalo	Chris Erasmus
8	7.25	VICTORY CALL	53.5	73	5	* J Greyling	Leon Erasmus
9	9.00	TURNSTONE	56.5	79	4	R Simons	Paul Matchett
10	18.00	KING’S BRIDGE	59.5	85	2	R Danielson	Greg & Karen Anthony
11	37.00	SERISSA	59.0	84	8	P Strydom	Sean Tarry
		Late Scratching
13	0.00	PEANUTS	59.5	85	5	S Chambers	Roy Magner

Extract from Sporting Post

READY TO RUN GALLOPS : FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

John Motaung aboard Igugu - 2009 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Gallops at Summerhill Stud
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN GALLOPS
Summerhill Stud, Mooi River
Friday 19th October 2012

We penned a piece yesterday on those “magnificent men and their flying machines”, and we were talking about our judges panel for next week’s Emperors Palace Ready To Run Gallops (at Summerhill on Friday 19^th October 11am). Summerhill’s inauguration of the Ready To Run was initiated by the belief that it’s difficult enough to pick a horse on the way he looks and the way he walks on a conventional sale, but because this game is about running rather than walking, there’s an obvious advantage for the would-be investor if he can see his choices in their quicker paces.

That the sale has been an unqualified success is beyond debate, as it has consistently thrown up a greater proportion of Stakes winners and Stakes performers, pound-for-pound, than any other sale on this continent, perhaps the world. There are not too many exceptions to the rule that those who’ve found the best prospects, have been influenced by the way the horses galloped.

That’s how Gary Alexander found Pierre Jourdan, it’s the way Paul Matchett unravelled Mannequin. Ronnie Napier and Michael Fleischer discovered Imbongi through trust and a lifetime of observation; Peter Fabricius leant on integrity when he bought Hear The Drums. Sean Tarry drew on his street smartness with Extra Zero, and Tyrone Zackey on his gut-feel for Smanjemanje. Tony Moodley followed his heart for Checcetti.

Obviously, the opinions of any panel comprising Mike de Kock, Sean Tarry, Jehan Malherbe, Joey Ramsden, Michael Roberts, Craig Peters, Dean Kannemeyer and Graeme Hawkins are going to be invaluable to anyone needing either assistance or reassurance in what they’re looking to buy, yet there are many stories of great horses being bought on the advice of those that are closest to them, our jockeys and grooms.

In many respects, like any other luxury goods business, the customer’s loyalty is built around good faith and the element of trust that flows from a relationship, and it’s in our best interests that whatever we share with a customer is on that basis. Some years ago, Bill Strydom enjoyed the confidence of one of our grooms, who urged him to buy a horse called Fanyana. At R95,000 in the ring, you might say the horse cost a little more than we anticipated (it might not sound like a lot of money now, but in those days it was a tidy sum). That was on the Sunday of the sale; two Thursdays later, Fanyana lined up at the Vaal and skated home by 3.5 lengths on the bit. He went on to win 11 races including three Group One performances under the expert tutelage of the late Buddy Maroun. He was game, he was durable (you had to be, if you were going to survive in Buddy’s yard) and he was fast, and he sparked the beginning of a regular stream of customers who sought the counsel of John Motaung, one of our top jockeys and graduate of our American scholarship programme at Becky Thomas’ incomparable Sequel Stallions Farm.

Read more about the
2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale

For more information please visit
www.tba.co.za

FOUR MORE WINNERS. THREE GROUP PLACES. THE READY TO RUN.

Black Wing misses by a shorthead in the Champions Cup (Gr1)
(Photo : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

R2,5 MILLION
EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN CUP
3rd November 2012 

1st Mannequin for Paul Matchett
1st Winter Desire for Stuart Pettigrew
1st Set To Strike for Roy Magner
1st Music Affair for Stephen Moffatt
2nd Black Wing shorthead Champions Cup (Gr1)
2nd Checcetti shorthead Gold Bracelet (Gr2)
3rd Love Struck in the Premier’s Champion Juvenile (Gr1)

“If you don’t have a ticket,
you can’t win a prize.”

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

READY TO RUN : ALL SPRUCED UP

Ready To Run Graduate Mannequin
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

The Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale
4 November 2012

The Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Sale has long been touted as the best sale of racehorses, pound-for-pound in the world, and racegoers who attended the meeting at the Vaal on Thursday, can attest to the truth of that statement. The main billing on the card fell to the remarkable Mannequin, who was chalking up her 11^th career victory under 64kgs, to take her earnings to R997,650. The high class graduates of the Summerhill draft at that sale who’ve become millionaires at the races, number in their legions, but for the record, Mannequin cost a modest R80,000, and has provided Pat McGee, his partner J.J van Niekerk, and trainer Paul Matchett with more pleasure than many of us can count in our lifetimes. 

This year’s sale on the 4^th November coincides with the sixth renewal of the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup, contested the day before at Turffontein over 1400m for a new prize money record of R2,5 million (which places it alongside the J&B Met as South Africa’s second richest horserace). The grapevine has it that Mannequin will shortly be heading for the paddocks, and she will make a spectacular broodmare prospect for anyone wishing to establish themselves as producers at the top end of market.

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

MANNEQUIN GOES DOWN HALF A LENGTH IN LEBELO SPRINT

Click above to watch the 2012 Lebelo Sprint (Gr3)…
(Photo and Footage : Tellytrack)

LEBELO SPRINT (Grade 3)
Turffontein, Turf, 1000m
3 January 2012

RACE RESULTS

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	GOLD SITE	52.0	88	6	D David	Paul Peter
2	0.50	MANNEQUIN	58.5	102	4	M Mienie	Paul Matchett
3	2.75	POLAR MOON	56.5	98	3	R Fradd	Sean Tarry
4	3.25	WINKING JACK	58.0	101	7	G Wrogemann	Lance Wiid
5	3.50	TETELESTAI	60.0	105	1	* K de Melo	Duncan Howells
6	4.75	BURAGH	53.5	92	5	* JP van der Merwe	Yogas Govender
7	7.00	LEGAL ACTION	52.0	85	2	* J Greyling	Chris Erasmus
		Late Scratchings
8	0.00	RENEGADE	54.5	94	2	R Fourie	Louis Goosen

www.summerhill.co.za