There will be many racing stalwarts involved in the Super Saturday meeting at Greyville at the end of the month, but the toast of the town will be possibly the finest of them all, the great Cape Town-based trainer Mike Bass.

Bass will be officially retiring at the end of the season and the Gr 1 Champions Cup will be fittingly named in honour of him and his wife Carol.

Bass took a moment to reflect on his career yesterday and his most prominent owner of recent years, Marsh Shirtliff, also paid heartfelt tribute.

Bass said it would be the end of a long chapter, but he did not expect much to change as he would still spend plenty of time around his beloved horses down at the family’s Milnerton yard.

Officially he hands over the reins to his daughter Candice Robinson and the rest of the yard’s loyal and “tremendous” staff”, who include his son Mark (Marketing and Website) as well as Carol (Accounts and Personality).

Mike said with typical modesty, “They will probably do a better job than me.” If that does become the case it will only be due to the lessons they have learnt from one of the country’s finest horseman.

Shirtliff’s familiar blue, pink and white colours have become associated with the Bass yard. Both the colours and the yard were taken to a new level by the great Pocket Power.

Shirtliff recalled his entry into the yard. He had been at a Cape Sale and approached Mike about training a horse he had been advised on and duly bought. Shirtliff confessed he had also liked one of the horses Bass himself had bought, but explained his advisor had been of the opinion the horse would knock his hocks at full gallop. Bass dismissed the latter opinion and thus Tobe Or Nottobe became the first Shirtliff-owned runner in the Bass yard. The Caesour colt won his first seven starts, including the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships over 1000m at Kenilworth. His first defeat was over a trip a touch too far in the Winter Guineas, when finishing third to the subsequently named Equus Horse Of The Year Winter Solstice. At stud from limited opportunity Tobe Or Nottobe produced 37 winners from 85 runners.

The advisor who had nearly cost Shirtliff the chance of owning Tobe Or Nottobe made up for it at a subsequent sale by singling out Pocket Power. Bass also loved the horse immediately and so began the career of one of the all-time greats of the South African turf.

 

Pocket Power was from the first crop of the late great Jet Master and could not have found his way into a more suitable yard, because as Shirtliff pointed out, “You know when you have a horse with Mike you are in for the long haul. He is the ultimate horseman, he gives them time and tends to know what they need and they don’t break down early. Even Pocket Power with all his niggles could have gone on to win more races, but we felt he deserved to retire at the age of eight.” Pocket Power’s nine Gr 1s included the Vodacom Durban July and Rising Sun Gold Challenge as well as a record four Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plates in succession and three Gr 1 J&B Mets in succession.

His Bass-trained and Shirtliff part-owned full-sister River Jetez defeated Pocket Power in his fourth Met when she was a six-year-old. She went on to win a Gr 2 in Dubai and run second in a Gr 1 in Singapore and third in a Gr 1 in the USA. Mike de Kock was in charge of her overseas and he also helped the former Bass-trained Sun Classique win a Gr 1 and two Listed races in Dubai. Sun Classique remains the highest earning South African-trained filly in history.

Bass means a lot more to Shirtliff than just being a trainer. He recalled his first impressions of the people-shy Bass being as one who was much more at home with his horses than his patrons, although he said he had “loosened up” latterly and he himself had never found him difficult to talk to.

He said, “He is only about four years older than me but has become almost like a father figure because he reminds me so much of my own father. He is a thorough gentleman, a mensch, you will never hear him swear, never has a bad word to say about anybody, and he never loses his rag.”

The press also felt at ease with Bass. Three things were usually assured when visiting his ring at either Clairwood or Milnerton; firstly you would be made to feel welcome; secondly you would come away knowing a little more about the most fascinating and complex of all animals, the horse, as he loved to share his immense knowledge; thirdly you would usually leave chortling, partly due to his dry sense of humour and also due to his inimitable quirks. He gave away his old school tutorship in the game by knowing young horses only by their pedigrees and this often extended into their racing careers. A typical interview could have gone as such: Bass: “I think the grey horse will run well, what’s his name?” Journalist, “Blue Tiger.” Bass: “Yes, that horse is doing very well.”

Bass said there were plenty of memories and outstanding horses to look back on in his 40 years as a licensed trainer and he added, “It has been great fun.”

He has to date trained 32 Gr 1 winners and between them they have won 50 Gr 1s, including three Julys and five Mets.

Bass paid tribute to his wife Carol, who is loved by all her meet her and hence her title as yard “Personality”. He said, “She has been very supportive and is always enthusiastic, I don’t think she’s missed a meeting in all my years training.”

The popular couple’s farewell at Greyville on July 30 will have sincere emotions attached from everybody in the industry and it would be most fitting if Marinaresco can convert likely favouritism.

David Thiselton