Trainer Mike Azzie said the racing public would not understand the magnitude of Abashiri’s Gr 1 SA Derby win until they had walked the Turffontein track and seen for themselves how frighteningly steep the hill from the 1400m mark up to the 800m long straight is.
On top of being thrilled for owners Adriaan and Rika Van Vuuren, Azzie said the landing of the SA Triple Crown by Abashiri was particularly pleasing due to the impact it would have on South African racing.
Azzie has helped turn around the career of jockey Karl Zechner by remaining loyal to him and deserves huge credit for this decision, which is not something many top trainers would have done.
Abashiri (Liesl King)
Zechner has responded by producing rides of consummate professionalism throughout and now deserves his place among the country’s top echelon jockeys.
However, Azzie felt Zechner had asked Abashiri to do it the hard way on Saturday by dropping him out to the tail of the field from a wide draw and would have preferred to see him slotting the horse in, especially considering the good pace stablemate Scheme Of Things had set had been discussed beforehand.
Azzie felt Zechner had then panicked and sent him for home coming up the hill and had asked him to do too much too early in the straight.
These are understandable sentiments coming for a man who had done a magnificent job in preparing the horse for the Triple Crown goal from day one of the season.
However, many would jump to the defense of Zechner and here is an example of the differences of opinion which make racing the great sport it is.
Zechner appeared to make a snap decision to drop Abashiri out after he was slow out the gates and in some eyes this could have been a race winning move. He was on the best horse in the race and Abashiri had never gone the 2450m trip before.
Dropping him out after the slow start ensured he did not waste energy being moved up and then more energy attempting to slot in.
Furthermore, the last three in the running, Abashiri, Rocketball and Smaurai Blade, were the first three home, which emphasises how strong the pace was.
Rocketball, who was beaten only 0,2 lengths in the end, was also sent for home earlier than Abashiri. Zechner remained patient until the last few metres of the hill, but with Rocketball scything through the well strung out field like a knife through butter, it was understandable he moved early. He also found a Standside rails run and the sprint races appeared to show this to be the favourable side.
Had he waited longer would Rocketball have moved to the rail, forcing Abashiri to switch inside of him?
Zechner admitted yesterday he had hit the front too soon and for a moment or two felt Rocketball might catch him.
He said, “I think Abashiri knew I was in trouble and he responded.”
Zechner said in the post race interview, “He’s a champion and you’ll never see good horses beat, they always put their heads down at the right time.”
Abashiri (Nkosi Hlophe)
In the end the only thing which counted was Abashiri had won and the dream of the connections, the operators and the public had been delivered.
Azzie said, “We are blessed to have a horse like this. Racing needs champions.”
The public’s new hero was feeling “a bit stiff” yesterday.
Azzie said this was to be expected and added, “Campaigning a horse in The Triple Crown is a very tedious and tough task.”
He added, looking back, the pressure during the series had not been as big as he had expected. “He is a very straight forward, easy horse to train. He is so laid back.”
Azzie has always been known for his bold pre-race predictions, but took a different approach throughout the series and allowed the horse to do the talking.
He said, “I’m keeping it low key, if you shout your mouth off you can have egg on your face. In the end it is only winners that pay for the whisky.”
Looking at the previous Triple Crown winner Louis The King’s subsequent career it would be understandable if Abashiri was rested and brought back for a crack at next year’s J&B Met. However, it has been a lifelong dream of Adriaan Van Vuuren to win the country’s premier race, the Vodacom Durban July.
Azzie will therefore be sitting down with the Van Vuurens to discuss this target.
However, he did add Abashiri would definitely not be taking part in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and would not even be entered for this big classic event.
Abashiri would either take part in a Pinnacle Stakes race or have a racecourse gallop before going straight into the July, if it is indeed decided to have a tilt at the big one.
Azzie said, “He is the sort of horse who can win the July and an owner in such a position would wonder if the opportunity would ever arise again.”
There are no plans to send the giant-striding horse overseas, which is good news for South African fans.
His victory would have also been celebrated by his breeders Lammerskraal Stud as this should put their always underrated sire Go Deputy, who was completely snubbed by breeders last season, back in favour.
By David Thiselton
