PHUNYUKA : AUTUMN SAND SPRINT

Click above to watch Phunyuka winning the Autumn Sand Sprint
(Image and Footage : Tellytrack)

AUTUMN SAND SPRINT (Non-Black Type)
VAAL RACECOURSE 1200m SAND
9 MARCH 2010

PHUNYUKA (Slew The Red x Catch Me by Argosy)
5 Year Old Bay Gelding
Owner : Wally Brits
Trainer : Roy Magner
Jockey : Guillermo Figueroa
Breeder : Summerhill Stud
Win Time : 71.08
Career Record : 6 Wins, 12 Places, 25 Starts
Carrer Earnings : R849,755

Phunyuka is a graduate from the Summerhill draft of the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

RACE RESULTS

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	PHUNYUKA	61.0	102	1	G Figueroa	Roy Magner
2	0.25	SANDY BEACH	62.5	105	4	S Brown	St John Gray
3	1.50	FUZZY CUZZY (AUS)	55.5	91	7	G Wrogemann	Roy Magner
4	1.75	DEEP WATER	58.5	97	12	A Marcus	Charles Laird
5	6.25	RYAN’ A LION	53.5	87	10	S Chambers	Erico Verdonese
6	7.75	LOCHLORIEN	55.0	95	5	G Lerena	Mike Azzie
7	9.00	NORQUINCO (ARG)	59.0	98	6	M Odendaal	Geoff Woodruff
8	9.50	FEARLESS GUN (AUS)	59.5	99	3	C Orffer	Lucky Houdalakis
9	10.00	COPPER TRADER	56.5	93	2	F Naude	Corne Spies
10	11.25	PROCURER	54.0	88	8	S Khumalo	Dominic Zaki
11	11.75	FAIR BRUTUS	61.0	102	11	M Mienie	George Scott
12	14.00	WAITANGI	56.0	97	9	P Strydom	Geoff Woodruff

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

WALLY BRITS : RACING ASSOCIATION OWNER OF THE MONTH

Wally Brits and Roy Magner at the 2007 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale
(Photo : Heather Morkel)

SUMMERHILL BREEZE-UP GALLOPS
16 OCTOBER 2009

The Racing Association’s “Owner Of The Month”, Wally Brits, had an uncommonly good September so writes Mike Moon.
 
Not only did his horse, Phunyuka, take the 1450m R600,000 Emerald Cup last Saturday, but his pigeon, The Chief, won him a Nissan bakkie when it flew to victory in a big race from Cradock to Joburg – the second year in succession that he’s scooped the vehicle prize.
 
The affable Wally is well known for his twin racing passions of horses and pigeons.
 
Phunyuka’s win at the Vaal was hugely satisfying. Not only was it the owner’s third Grade 2 success, it also affirmed his judgment over many years of astute buying, breeding and dedication to carefully selected thoroughbred families.
 
Wally raced Phunyuka’s dam Catch Me (by Argosy), who, from just a handful of races, won once and was second in top company before suffering serious injury. Going against advice that the filly be put down, Wally nursed her back to health.
 
Catch Me eventually went to Summerhill Stud in a first-foal exchange deal. Wally bought her second foal – by Slew The Red – for R90 000 on the Ready To Run Sale.
 
Although he was interested in the family, it was the two-year-old Phunyuka’s sale breeze-up gallop in heavy going at Summerhill that turned Wally’s head. “All the other horses were floundering in the mud, heads going up and down, but his head stayed rock steady; he ploughed through like a truck. I had to buy him.”
 
That sharp observation had its reward on Saturday when the gelding, after losing position from a handy draw in blistering early pace, powered through the worst of the kickback and some particularly soft sand to mow down the strong field in the straight.
 
Wally now also owns Catch Me’s two subsequent foals – Bambelela (by Russian Revival), who won in Durban recently, and Baleka (by Labeeb), an unraced three-year-old that Wally says is “the best of the lot”.
 
Catch Me is a half-sister to the stallion Damage Is Done (by Rakeen) that Wally stands at Golden Acres and whose first foals he raves about.
 
Phunyuka will be given a break from the sand, where he has a lofty merit rating, for a campaign on the turf, where the rating is generous.
 
There seems no reason he won’t do well on grass. The fitting of blinkers has been a key factor in him picking up a gear or three.
 
What is racing man Wally Brits’ next target?
 
“I haven’t won a Grade 1 yet. But it’s coming, don’t worry,” he says. You wouldn’t bet against it.

NO END IN SIGHT FOR GUILLERMO "WILLIE" FIGUEROA

Click above to watch
Guillermo “Willie” Figueroa aboard Phunyuka in the 2009 Emerald Cup
(Footage : SuperSport)

GUILLERMO “WILLIE” FIGUEROA
EMERALD CUP 2009 

Andrew Harrison writes for Gold Circle that at the age of 54, there seems to be no end in sight to the career of Peruvian-born jockey Guillermo Figueroa.

Injury prone in recent years, there are still few better judges of pace around and “Willie the Wizard” drew on all his experience to land the R600 000 Emerald Cup aboard the Roy Magner-trained Phunyuka on the Vaal sand on Saturday.

Caught off the pace in the early stages as Renegade and Sandy Beach set an almost suicidal gallop, the 2007 Ready To Run graduate Phunyuka moved smoothly down the centre in the home stretch under a typical no-fuss ride from Figueroa to collar the leaders inside the 300m mark and then run on strongly to hold late challenges from outsider Fearless Gun and joint second favourite, and last year’s winner, Alimony with Sandy Beach staying on for fourth.

Phunyuka, a five-year-old gelding by Slew The Red and bred at champion breeders Summerhill Stud, is something of a sand specialist as all five of his victories have come on the Vaal surface. 

The field jumped smartly but Norquinco lost any chance he had as he became the meat in the sandwich shortly after the start and was badly cramped for galloping room as Sandy Beach cut across his bows from his outside draw.

Phunyuka was well enough out of the gate but Figueroa was hard at him to hold his early position.

“The pace was very fast, said Figueroa in his dodgy English post race. “I had to ride a little to keep position. But the horse relaxed and I came on slowly, slowly from the 500m.” The challenge was short lived, however, and Phunyuka, under a hands and heels ride from Figueroa simple cruised into the lead with a furlong to run. Fearless Gun and Alimony made up quick ground on his inside but Phunyuka responded to the challenge and won rather comfortably.

“He’s a real street fighter,” said Roy Magner in the winner’s enclosure. “My goodness they went fast. Lucky’s (Houdalakis) horse came alongside and he kept on fighting. He’s a very good sand horse.”

Owner Wally Brits, was philosophical about the win. “All the hype was about Charlie Laird’s horse but we beat him fair and square. “Galahad’s a champion and we probably wouldn’t beat him at level weights, but handicapping is handicapping.”

“Figgy said before the race that if you’ve got him the same (as he was when beating Galahad at his last start) then he’ll definitely win. What more can I say.” 

PHUNYUKA POWERS TO EMERALD CUP VICTORY

Please click above to watch
Phunyuka in the Emerald Cup and post race presentations
(Footage : SuperSport)

EMERALD CUP (GR2)

The Emerald Festival of Racing at the Vaal culminated Saturday in the running of Africa’s richest race on sand, the R600,000 Emerald Cup over 1450m.

Jockey Guillermo “Willie” Figueroa was in superb form aboard Phunyuka, a son of Slew The Red, charging home for a thrilling victory from pursuers Fearless Gun, Alimony, Sandy Beach and Galahad.

Trainer Roy Magner was most impressed with his charge and dubbed him a “Little Street Fighter”.

Phunyuka is a R90,000 graduate of the 2007 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale and is owned by Wally Brits and partners.

The Magnificent Seven (Sorry, eight!)

It wasn’t only the weather that shone brightly over Summerhill this past week, it was the results as well. Eight winners including three of the four races at Greyville on Friday evening, and you can’t ask for more than that.

For the record:

Horse                                                  Trainer

Ketchup (Slew The Red)                          Gavin van Zyl

Field Rose (National Emblem)            Tracey Woolard

Cape Tango (Kahal)                                       Mike de Kock

Wave Dancer (Rambo Dancer)             Dennis Drier

Thandolwami                                                     Craig Eudey

Lloyd Africa (Albarahin)                           Mark Dixon

Baharain’s Jewel (Albarahin)                   Dennis Drier

No Limits                                                              Wally Tolmay

Thandolwami (Gold Circle)Barahin’s Jewel (Gold Circle)Wave Dancer (Gold Circle)Cape Tango (Gold Circle)