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

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SITHELA : STREET URCHIN COMES WELL

Sithela wins the Sophomore 1000
(Photo : JC Photos / Summerhill Stud)

THE EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE
Sunday 6th November 2011

If you’re old enough, you’ll remember Anthony Sher’s wonderful rendition of the role of Fagan in the Oliver Twist of the 1960’s, before the South African actor went on to even bigger things in Shakespeare’s Richard III, which played for extended seasons in London’s West End.

Oliver Twist was an unwanted urchin of the London streets, though he did once have a sprinting namesake in the racing world, who like Oliver, could run like hell.

At Summerhill we’ve known our share of unwanted urchins, though ours were different, as they were rejects of the salesring. R8 million plus earner, Imbongi, who made the 2010 Dubai Racing Carnival his own as their biggest earner; Amphitheatre, who went on to become a millionaire, Paris Perfect, Bold Ellinore and Emperor Napoleon are just a few that spring quickly to mind. You could’ve bought everyone of them for as little as R60,000 at some point or other, and several of them were turned away by the market at two sales, never mind one.

The latest “victim”, is Sithela, who romped off with the spoils in the Sophomore Sprint at the big meeting at the Vaal on the weekend, putting down a highly competitive field, including a Group One performer or two in the process. He was engaged in last year’s Emperors Palace Ready To Run sale, failed to make his money at R60,000, and then was the subject of a failed sale in the Ready To Run section of Michael Holmes Horses In Training sale at Shongweni in February, where the final money as a paltry R50,000.

His trainer, Roy Magner, relates that he was as “dumb” as could be in his first two starts, and that he didn’t know what the game was about when the gates opened on him. He was left trailing as a result, but ran on resolutely in the closing stages for place money on both occasions. Last time, over an extended 1200m he came rattling home by 3,75 lengths, giving Roy the pluck to make him an entry in the Sophomore.

This time, Piere Strydom got him out smartly, and for a horse that can “heat up” a little, rode a perfecting waiting race just off the pace. When the chips were down, and the sticks came out, the “Master” simply steered him home to a comfortable going-away victory.

His next assignment? All being well, he’ll be lining up for R2 million at the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup on Saturday 5^th November. Rags to riches? That’s the story of so many Ready To Run horses. For previous bargain buys that have gone onto fame and glory, CLICK HERE.

For more information please visit :
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NOORESH JUGLALL PILOTS THE MOUSEKETEER TO AUGUST WIN

The Mouseketeer with Nooresh Juglall aboard
(Photo : JC Photos)

AUGUST STAKES (Grade 3)
Vaal, Sand, 1200m
27 August 2011

Whenever apprentice Nooresh Juglall rides a winner, a photograph of that victory is posted on his bedroom wall writes Jack Milner for Tab Online. When he piloted home The Mouseketeer (Kahal (GB) - Look Sharp) from the Sean Tarry yard to win the August Stakes over 1200m on the Vaal sand on Saturday, he recorded his 56th winner.

“How many winners will you need to have before you stop putting the picture on your wall?” inquired Tellytrack presenter Julie Alexander.

“When I retire,” came the quick response from Juglall.

At the rate he is going the 20-year-old will need his own private gallery in which to hang them as he is certainly riding with both dexterity and confidence.

“It was always my dream to be a jockey and when I was younger I used to put pictures of top jockeys on my bedroom wall,” explained Juglall. “Then my mother asked me ‘when are you going to put pictures of yourself on your wall’, so that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Another wall on which Juglall will appear is that of television personality Neil Andrews, who is joint owner of the four-year-old colt.

The Mouseketeer, who went off at 6-1, was the best-weighted runner in the Grade 3 August Stakes but the question remained as to whether he would have a successful debut on the sand. He was carrying just 52.5kg and had the advantage of a No 1 draw. Juglall got him out in a flash and always had him up with the pace as Piere Strydom took the lead on Master Blaster, who was surprisingly backed in to start as 7-2 favourite.

As Strydom stated in his column in Saturday morning’s Racing Express: “I ride Master Blaster who is drawn well and has a lot of speed. But on merit rating he’s out at the weights and he is held on form by Bouquet-Garni. He would prefer 1450m and, in all honesty, a lot has to go wrong for the others for him to win here.”

He proved spot on as 300m out Master Blaster was a spent force and The Mouseketeer burst into the lead with Prime Mover challenging on his outside. In the meantime Across The Ice, Tarry’s second runner, started progressing in the centre of the track and was running on best of all. The line came in time for The Mouseketeer who finished a neck clear of his stablemate with Prime Mover another 1.50 lengths back in third.

Secret Life, who lost his chances when slow out the stalls, ran on to take fourth place from Master Blaster.

Clearly, after such a successful run, The Mouseketeer is likely to be aimed at the Grade 2 Emerald Cup at the end of next month. “Yes, definitely,” said Juglall. “He was very comfortable on the sand and I think he will be better suited to 1450m anyway. I just hope Mr Tarry will give me the ride again. I must say a big thanks to Mr Tarry because, when I asked for a ride, I asked for Tilbury (in Race 6) and he put me on The Mouseketeer - I think he made the right decision. The horse was working very well at home and we said, if he loves the track today, he will definitely win the race. We jumped well; I gave him every chance. The horse gave me a nice feeling and he won a very decent race. Mr Tarry spoke to me in the morning and asked if I can do him a favour and win this race. Here we go Mr Tarry, this one is for you!”

One must also not ignore the Emerald Cup chances of Across The Ice who had to overcome a bad draw. He was making up ground steadily at the end and was one of the only horses to run on comprehensively. 

The race once again proved the advantage of a good draw around the turn on the sand and a similar piece of fortune is what connections of The Mouseketeer will be hoping for in the Emerald Cup.

Extract from Tab Online

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J J THE JET PLANE PINCHES THRILLING HONG KONG SPRINT

Click above to watch J J The Jet Plane winning the Hong Kong Sprint…
(Photo : Form Guide - Footage : Hong Kong Jockey Club)

CATHAY PACIFIC HONG KONG SPRINT (Gr1)
Sha Tin, Turf, 1200m
12 December 2010

The aptly named JJ THE JET PLANE pinched a thrilling victory in Sunday’s Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin racecourse, and the manner in which the South African speedster prevailed had the vast crowd applauding on their feet.

South African jockey, Piere Strydom, brought the six-year-old Jet Master gelding, a 17-1 chance, fast and late down the outside to thwart Singaporean superstar Rocket Man, piloted by fellow South African jockey Felix Coetzee, by a short head, always looking likely to get there once he’d begun his final descent but prevailing only narrowly when the camera clicked.

The first two home ably defused Sacred ‘Hong Kong Bomb’ Kingdom, whose fan club were scenting victory as he drove forward halfway down the straight. However, his run petered out in the closing stages and he was ultimately denied his third victory in the race.

Sole British challenger Kingsgate Native, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore, never showed towards the front end but kept on valiantly in a race run at lightning speed - the clock stopped in 1m 08.84s, just over a second outside the track record - to fill sixth place.

Local sprinter Let Me Fight took fourth place and Australian mare Ortensia filled fifth spot.

J J The Jet Plane, of whom British racegoers never saw the best in a lacklustre campaign last year, has returned to his very best back in South Africa under the handling of trainer Lucky Houdalakis.

This victory marked the first time in eight years that a horse trained outside of Hong Kong had prevailed in the in the Hong Kong Sprint.

The irony will not be lost on Rocket Man’s trainer Patrick Shaw, also a South African, but he was looking forward rather than wondering what might have been.

Shaw had stated all week that J J The Jet Plane was the horse he feared most and now Dubai beckons for his sprinter, Rocket Man, narrowly beaten for the fourth time in an international Group 1.

FINAL RESULT

#	Draw	Horse	Time	Jockey	Trainer
1	8	J J THE JET PLANE	1.08.84	Piere Strydom	Lucky Houdalakis
2	6	ROCKET MAN	1.08.84	Felix Coetzee	Patrick Shaw
3	2	SACRED KINGDOM	1.08.96	Brett Prebble	Ricky Yiu
4	11	LET ME FIGHT	1.09.08	Darren Beadman	John Moore
5	5	ORTENSIA	1.09.13	Craig Williams	Tony Noonan
6	1	KINGSGATE NATIVE	1.09.18	Ryan Moore	Sir Michael Stoute
7	12	LUCKY NINE	1.09.22	Gerald Mosse	Casper Fownes
8	3	LITTLE BRIDGE	1.09.36	Zac Purton	Danny Shum
9	9	DIM SUM	1.09.36	Olivier Doleuze	John Moore
10	7	GREEN BIRDIE	1.09.38	Douglas Whyte	Casper Fownes
11	13	JOY AND FUN	1.09.61	Tye Angland	Derek Cruz
12	10	CERISE CHERRY	1.09.71	Frankie Dettori	Derek Cruz
13	14	ONE WORLD	1.09.91	Jeff Lloyd	John Moore
14	4	ULTRA FANTASY	1.10.16	Hoi Wing Lai	Ricky Yiu

Extract from Racing Post

THE CITIZEN INTERNATIONAL JOCKEYS CHALLENGE 2010

TURFFONTEIN FRIDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2010
AND KENILWORTH SUNDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2010

South Africa’s best jockeys will go head to head with some of the top riders in the world in Leg 1 of The Citizen International Jockeys Challenge at Turffontein Racecourse in Joburg this Friday night. The six riders in each team will clash in four Challenge races - Races 3, 4 7 and 8 - and will accumulate points according to the finishing positions of their mounts. To equalise the chances of the two teams, the runners in all Challenge races were seeded beforehand by a panel of racing experts and there was then a draw for mounts. The overseas team drew for horses seeded 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 in the first of the Challenge races and for seeds 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 in the second and so on. The second leg of the competition takes place at Kenilworth on Sunday and the winning team and leading individual rider will be decided by the total points scored across the two legs.

TEAM INTERNATIONALS

CHRISTOPHE SOUMILLON

Christophe SoumillonBelgium-born CHRISTOPHE SOUMILLON (29), champion jockey in France in 2003, formed part of the international team in South Africa in the 2008 International Jockeys Challenge in which he booted in two seconds for his team. On the same day he won the Dingaans on Oracy and finished second on Smart Banker in the Summer Cup. Comes to South Africa fresh off a win on Buena Vista in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) in Tokyo, one of seven G1 wins this year. In 2010 he has won G1 races in Japan, Canada, England, France, Dubai (he won the UAE Derby for trainer Mike de Kock on Musir) and Hong Kong. He also won a G1 hurdles race in France.

KIEREN FALLON

Kieran FallonKIEREN FALLON (45), six-time champion jockey in the UK, has won nearly every top feature race in his native Ireland and Great Britain, including the Investec Derby three times, the 1000 and 2000 Guineas four times each and the King George VI. He has been associated with some of the top racehorses of recent times, including Dylan Thomas who won the Champion Stakes before taking the Arc de Triomphe in 2007. Having spent 18 months suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, he returned to race-riding in September last year and has won three G1 races since. They included riding Gitano Hernando to victory in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita in October last year.

MARTIN GARCIA

Martin GarciaBest known for his association with Preakness Stakes and Haskell Invitational winner Lookin At Lucky this year, MARTIN GARCIA (26) is one of the most promising young riders in Southern California. After arriving in the USA from Mexico in 2003, he was spotted working in a deli near Pleasanton Racetrack by a patron who asked him if he had considered becoming a jockey. His first win came aboard Wild Daydreamer at the Bay Meadows Fair in August 2005 and early the following year he beat brilliant Russell Baze for leading jockey honours at Golden Gate Fields before they tied for the title at Bay Meadows. Garcia won the Preakness this year in only his second ride in the USA Triple Crown.

HALIS KARATAS

Halis KaratasHALIS KARATAS, nicknamed “The Wizard”, has been champion jockey in his native Turkey since 2002. He has won over 3,000 races during his 25-year career including three Gazi Derbys (Turkey’s premier race) and six Prime Ministry Cups. His international riding experience includes the 2009 International Jockeys Challenge when he boosted his team’s points tally with a third. He was also second to Mick Kinane in the internationals versus young riders’ event. Was one of the European riders at the Shergar Cup in 2008 and won the 2005 Cape Verdi in Dubai aboard Ribella. He has ridden 241 winners on both thoroughbred and Arabian horses in Turkey this year for a 30% strike rate and has accumulated nine G1 victories.

UMBERTO RISPOLI

Umberto RispoliItalian UMBERTO RISPOLI (22), who rode in his first race on 5 February 2005, notched his first win after just 14 days and four years later smashed Gianfranco Dettori’s long-standing record of 229 winners in a season, winning 245 races to take the champion jockeys’ title in his home country. His record-breaking mount was Sugarland at Pisa on 21 November. He worked in Britain for Marco Botti in 2007-08, has a victory in Germany to his credit and has ridden in Mauritius. He scored his first win at the highest level last month, when winning the Premio Lydia Tesio in Rome aboard Aoife Alainn. Born in Naples, he has more than 900 victories to his name and his career highlights include a five-timer at Livorno in 2009.

HAYLEY TURNER

Hayley TurnerOnly the fourth woman jockey to graduate from the apprentice ranks in Britain, HAYLEY TURNER (27) tasted success for the first time when booting in Generate at Pontefract. Lady Deauville gave Turner her first Group winner in the 2008 Lando-Trophy in Germany. Champion apprentice in 2005, she was voted Channel 4’s Racing Personality for 2008, riding 100 winners, but was badly injured in a riding accident in March 2009. Her successes this year include a win on Barshiba in the G2 Lancashire Oaks. It has been said: “She is a brilliant jockey, as strong in a finish and as tactically astute as any man. She has the added advantage of not having the usual weight struggle that most male jockeys have. At five foot two inches and 48kg she has no such concerns.”

TEAM PROTEAS

ANTON MARCUS

Anton MarcusSouth Africa’s ruling champion jockey ANTON MARCUS (40) captained the Proteas to victory in last year’s International Jockeys’ Challenge. He accomplished an immensely high 30% strike rate in taking last season’s Jockeys’ Championship. It was his second title following a win in 2000-01. Big-name horses he has partnered this year include Warm White Night (Cape Flying Championship), Bravura (Investec Cape Derby), Mother Russia (Empress Club Stakes and TBA Paddock Stakes) and Smart Banker (Horse Chestnut Stakes). Marcus has ridden with distinction in Dubai, Hong Kong, Mauritius and Singapore and led the Rest of the World team at the 2010 Shergar Cup at Ascot.

ANTHONY DELPECH

Anthony DelpechWith three big-race wins on Vodacom Durban July day this year, including partnering Bold Silvano to victory over stablemate Irish Flame in the big race, Seychelles-born ANTHONY DELPECH (31) is a name few will forget in a hurry. Last Saturday he won the Charity Mile aboard Alderry. He finished third behind Anton Marcus and Felix Coetzee on the national jockeys’ log last season, when his 133 winners included Gluwein (Majorca Stakes) and Here To Win (SA Fillies Classic and Garden Province Stakes). He has ridden with great success in Mauritius, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai and this will be the third time running he has ridden in the International Jockeys Challenge.

ANDREW FORTUNE

Andrew Fortune2008-09 South African champion jockey ANDREW FORTUNE makes his International Jockeys Challenge debut - he was team manager last year. Out of the saddle for much of last season, he moved to the Highveld in August to ride for trainers Gary Alexander and Alec Laird, vowing to regain his title. He is currently in good form, having ridden 47 winners so far to be second on the national jockeys’ log. Those successes have been achieved at every racing centre in the country barring Port Elizabeth. A heavy-weight jockey, he has still won several graded races, including the Peninsular Handicap (Ivory Trail), Diadem Stakes (Blue Tiger), Odessa Stud (Mother Russia) and Tibouchina Stakes (Ethereal Lady).

GAVIN LERENA

Gavin LerenaGAVIN LERENA (24), who set a record for the number of wins during an apprenticeship (283), has ridden successfully in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mauritius. He won the Bronze Saddle at last year’s International Jockeys Challenge after coming into the team at the last minute to replace Kevin Shea. He won two of the Challenge races and finished third in another. He comes into the team as a substitute again this year. Lerena has ridden 545 winners in his career, including the SA Classic and SA Derby on Kings Gambit, and other graded stakes wins include this year’s SA Oaks (Arcola) and Gauteng Fillies Guineas (Fisani). He showed last year that he is not overawed by a big occasion.

PIERE STRYDOM

Piere StrydomFive-time SA champion jockeys, PIERE STRYDOM (44) has also ridden with success in Hong Kong, Australia, Dubai and the UK. Having won more than 4,000 races in his career - and being one of only a few jockeys in the world to have booted in six winners at a meeting - his 113 winners this year include champion sprinter JJ The Jet Plane (Mercury Sprint and Golden Horse Casino Sprint) and Big City Life (Gold Challenge). Strydom has been a member of the Proteas at the last two Jockeys Challenges and finished a neck second to Christophe Soumillon on Oracy in the Dingaans two years ago. He quipped recently: “I’m not scared of any overseas jocks - the only one I’m scared of in a race is Anton Marcus.”

MUZI YENI

Muzi YeniWell-liked Durban-born jockey MUZI YENI (24), who won his first race (Storm King) in November 2003 and came within two winners of his century last season (his best yet), scored the biggest win of his career on Sweetie Pie in the 2010 Gold Circle Oaks at Clairwood in July. He will be partnering Sweetie Pie again in the Victory Moon Stakes, to be run at Turffontein on the same night as the International Jockeys Challenge. He is a favourite of champion trainer Mike de Kock, who is quoted as saying: “Muzi has a good work ethic and is in the team on merit.” He was chosen to ride in an international jockeys’ invitational in Korea and rode a winner there earlier this year, his only international experience.

Extract from Tab Online