The former pair are two of Drakenstein Stud’s most prized recent purchases and look to be the perfect match.
Beach Beauty, known sometimes as the Pocket Rocket, was evergreen and won three Gr 1s last season as a six-year-old to increase her career tally to five.
Her suitor, who is by Danehill and is now ten-years-old, earned worldwide fame as a four-year-old in 2008 when winning five Gr 1s on the trot in France, Ireland and England.
These included the prestigious Prince Of Wales Stakes over ten furlongs and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over twelve furlongs, both at Ascot, as well as the Juddmonte International Stakes over ten furlongs which was run at Newmarket that year.
One of his wins was on firm ground and two on good to firm, so he should be ideal for South Africa’s general fast conditions.
Furthermore, the progeny of Danehill’s offspring, bought mainly from Australia, have done very well in South Africa. This year for example two daughters of his son Rock Of Gibraltar, Alboran Sea and Rich Girl, finished first and second in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship and less than an hour later Guiness, who is by Rock of Gibraltar’s son Seventh Rock, won the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion.
Beach Beauty is by the top local sire Dynasty, who received the “Outstanding Stallion” prize at the recent Equus Awards, having also produced the Horse Of The Year, Legislate, as well as Gr 1 winner Futura. His progeny won seven Gr 1s between them this season.
John Bescoby, a member of the Shanks syndicate that raced Beach Beauty, paid tribute to the great mare recently, saying, “What I will remember most about her is that whenever she lost, she never lost by far and she also must be the only horse in history to have defended her crowns in all of the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes, the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes and Gr 1 Garden Province Stakes. She just never let her supporters down and whenever she had “meeting banker” status she delivered.”
Drier said that the build up to her last event, the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on Vodacom Durban July day this year, had been nerve-wracking and will always be the race he most remembers. He revealed, “I was told that Hammie’s Hooker was unbeatable.” Drier had obviously wanted her to go out on a high note and victory had also been particularly important because the decision had been made by the connections to avoid the July. Furthermore, whether it was due to Drier’s nervousness being mis-interpreted or just one of those inexplicable racing phenomenons, a rumour had spread like wildfire on the Friday before the race that not all was well with Beach Beauty.
Drier recalled, “Gill (his wife) and I were both at the Sales and within a few minutes of each other we received phonecalls enquiring whether Beach had a problem. The rumours were completely false. She had never been better, but it added to the pressure, especially when she began drifting in the betting and Hammie’s Hooker began shortening.” She proved the rumours wrong by putting in one of the performances of her career, finding another gear to repel Hammie’s Hooker’s threatening challenge and jockey Sean Cormack could afford to wave to the crow before the line.
She won by 0,75 lengths with two Guineas winners beaten 5,75 and 8 lengths respectively. Drier’s post-race words in her final season usually included the phrase, “She was just too good”, because by the end of her career there were no more superlatives left to describe her. She had a perfect racing temperament, as gentle as a lamb in her stable, but one that always relished her work and her races. She was bred by the late Trevor Armitage and his practice of letting them loose on the farm no doubt contributed to her always being tough and as sound as a bell. However, she will most be remembered for her early speed, her devastating turn of foot and her ability to fine another gear when challenged.
Another phenomenon has been occurring at Drakenstein in the paddocks as Schiffer has for some reason become fiercely protective of the tiny Beach Beauty. They never stabled together at Drier’s Summerveld yard, but Drakenstein’s stud manager Ross Fuller put them in a paddock together when they arrived at the farm. When they were later moved into a more populated paddock, Schiffer would chase any other mare that came close to Beach Beauty off before returning to her side.”
Schiffer, who has just turned five, is by another outstanding stallion in Var and was retired for the reason that Drier said he felt he would not be able to keep her sound for yet another season. She was at one stage thought to be the successor to her great stablemate and paternal half-sister Val De Ra, but chipped a knee as an early three-year-old, which put her out for nearly a year. She ended up being a five-time winner from just ten starts and achieved deserved bold black type in her last race when winning a Listed event over 1000m at Greyville on Gold Cup day.
