David Thiselton

GODOLPHIN’S American-based homebred Mystic Guide, the impressive winner of Saturday night’s US$12 million Dubai World Cup,  has the great South African thoroughbred Hawaii in his pedigree.

Former Durban racing journalist Robbyn Ramsay was quick to pick this up and remark on it.

Mystic Guide is by Ghostzapper (Awesome Again) and Hawaii is the sire of the latter’s third dam Sailaway. 

Mystic Guide’s previous biggest win was last September in the Group 2 Jim Dandy over a mile and one furlong on Saratoga’s dirt track and he prepared for the World Cup by winning a Group 3 on the Oaklawn Park dirt over a mile and half-a-furlong.

On Saturday night under Luis Saez he was up with the pace and had the field beaten a long way out, displaying a good kick on the final turn and keeping up a relentless gallop all the way to the line. The Breeders Cup Classic will likely be his next big target. 

The 1964-born Hawaii, bred by Archie Dell at his Platberg Stud in the Karoo, was by Utrillo II (Italy). He was out of the matriarch Ethane, who was also dam of Hawaii’s famous half-brother William Penn, among others, and whose legacy has continued through the like of recent Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle.

Hawaii, trained by George Azzie, was champion colt as a two-year-old and three-year-old. He won 15 of his 18 starts in South Africa before being sent to the USA, where he won six of ten starts and was named Champion Grass Horse in North America.  All three of his defeats in SA happened at Greyville, including in the 1968 July in which he started 6-4 favourite as a hitherto winner of all nine of his three-year-old starts. He could only manage a 2,05 length fourth in the July although he did carry a welter burden for a three-year-old in those days of 55.5kg and gave the five-year-old winner Chimboraa 7.5kg. However, he seemed invincible at all other tracks, which included Turffontein, Germiston, Clairwood and Milnerton. He started favourite for every race he contested, and on each occasion was ridden by Raymond Rhodes. 

Journalist Alan Breck’s assessment of him was, “Up to 9 furlongs Hawaii would take rank with Sea Cottage, but the fact that he failed in the only two races he contested, as a three-year-old, beyond that distance must cause him to be rated a little inferior in all-round ability.”

Hawaii developed more stamina with age and won up to 12 furlongs in the USA. 

He was syndicated for over a million dollars to the famed Claiborne Farm. 

He went on to sire Henbit, who raced in England and won the 1980 Epsom Derby. His other outstanding progeny were Hawaiian Sound who was second in the Epsom Derby and winner of the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup in 1978, and Hunza Dancer who was third in the 1975 Epsom Derby and went on to win the Manhattan Handicap and the American Handicap in 1977.  

This is the second recent big winner who has benefited from Hawaii’s influence. The 2018 USA Triple Crown hero Justify, who was by Scat Daddy out of a Ghostzapper mare, was inbred 5×6 to Hawaii.   

Andrew Harrison

IF anyone had tuned in to the Gold Circle Podcast last Thursday, they would have picked up that Duncan Howells had labelled yesterday’s Kings Cup as a race to win for Trip To Africa.

It all panned out well for Howells and rider Thabiso Gumede, always well supported by Howells, to get the young apprentice his first Back Type win.

Favourite Silver Operator was out of the back door early in the straight as Trip To Africa barrelled through up the centre of the Hollywoodbets Greyville straight to win rather comfortably.

A few days of heavy rain during the week had put the turf meeting under threat to a switch to the poly track, but all was good yesterday

Trip To Africa had a light weight but the manner of his win suggests that he does have a little more to come and the Drill Hall Stakes might be an ideal option.

Vaughan Marshall fired the first shot across the bows for South Africa’s Champion season, opening his account with Captain Of Stealth.

He may not be the best named horse in history – there is nothing stealth-like about the way he races. Captain Of Stealth stretches his rider’s arms from the jump, but in the polished hands of Anton Marcus, he kept firing to get the better of Cape Guineas winner Russian Rock in a much anticipated contest.

In spite of his tearaway tactics, Marcus was able to give his mount a breather coming up the hill and anticipating the challenge from Russian Rock, waited until the bait had been swallowed before kicking away to a smart win.

Of some concern to locals hoping for a glimmer in the Classics, it was four-year-old Ralph The Rascal that filled the shallow end of the purse.

“He always tries to get you off his back but in a race he’s a different horse” and ‘horse whisperer’ Mike Shaw, who has done work with the gelding, was on hand to lead Mystery Boy off to a well-earned shower after a facile win in the third.

Every horse has a history. It’s often tough on punters who wonder how a horse improves from one race to another, but they are not always privileged to what happens behind the scenes.

Mystery Boy is obviously a handful as Gareth van Zyl revealed post-race. “He’s got the blood and physically he’s a specimen too. He’s got what it takes. Bet he’s a handful and when he started, he got the better of us.”

“At his second start he turned it off, but we seemed to have found the ‘on’ switch, ” said van Zyl with fingers crossed.

Tony Nassif is ‘old school’ and one of the nicest people that you will ever meet. He is also one of the shrewdest trainers in the game. He does not have a big string, seven at his last count according to him, after Gypsy Magic put her opposition to the sword.

The filly had shown recent improvement and as Nassif explained post-race that she had had a few setbacks. Gypsy Magic cruised home in what had mapped out as a useful maiden field so she may well pay to follow.

David Thiselton 

THE Equus Horse Of The Year Summer Pudding continued her dominance of the Highveld on Saturday when beating two of her stable companions and three of the usual suspects with ease in the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m. The Paul Peter-trained Silvano filly’s racing style is ideally suited to the Standside track at Turffontein as she is able to relax in the running and has a high cruising speed and she can then pick off her rivals one by one in the long straight with her powerful and resolute finish.

However, it is unlikely that the Rainbow Bridges and Line Backers of South Africa are going to travel up to Johannesburg to take her on in her own backyard so the question remains whether she can perform to as high a level at away centres which all have tighter tracks. On current evidence a change in tactics is going to have to be employed if she is going to entrench her place among the greats by winning the  Vodacom Durban July.

She has only run away from home twice, winning the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Hollywoodbets Greyville and finishing unplaced in the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m. In the former race she looked in trouble at the top of the straight due to her lack of instant acceleration but after eventually finding topgear she hauled in her rivals in her normal resolute manner and won going away. In the Paddock Stakes she had a nice position in midfield behind a good pace but could only stay on at one pace while the horse she had sat behind in the running, Queen Supreme, accelerated away to a cosy victory.

That was undoubtedly the best field Summer Pudding has faced and she was beaten 4,95 lengths but there was also little doubt that she was not her usual self. She was duly found to have a nasal discharge and there was a lot of mucous in her airways. The horse she beat in the Woolavington by 0,90 lengths, Driving Miss Daisy, finished 2,75 lengths behind her in the Paddock Stakes which creates some leverage for her detractors.

However, Driving Miss Daisy was beaten 4,90 lengths by Running Brave over the same course and distance as the Woolavington when receiving 1,5kg from the latter in the subsequent Gold Bracelet and Summer Pudding gave Running Brave 2kg and a 2,50 length thrashing in the Summer Cup over the Turffontein Standside 2000m.

Anyway, Summer Pudding will be able to prove how good she is in her ideal conditions in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m on Turffontein Standside on May 1 as she looks likely to face the Vodacom Durban July runner up and Equus Champion three-year-old male from last season Got The Greenlight.     Unlike her Got The Greenlight is ideally suited to tighter tracks like Hollywoodbets Greyville as he has superb acceleration and he then tends to idle after hitting the front, so the Champions Challenge is going to be an intriguing tactical affair.

That pair might also have to face the top class three-year-old Malmoos in that race, which will add to the intrigue. Summer Pudding’s worth as an Equus Horse Of The Year is not in doubt.

Her nine run unbeaten streak was the best such sequence since Bush Telegraph made it nine from nine when winning the 1987 Durban July and she was never in doubt of winning any of those starts.  However, the question is whether Summer Pudding will be viewed in history as a Turffontein specialist?  The seed of hope that might enable to do just as well at Hollywoodbets Greyville can be found in her comeback run this season,  when sitting in second place behind a genuine pace in a 1600m event at Turffontein Standside. There was no sign of her usual flat spot and she instead quickened well and had soon put the race to bed.  So, she is likely going to have to be in the lead or close to the pace to have a chance in the Vodacom Durban July, if that race is her ultimate target.

It just seems likely from current evidence that she will run out of straight in the July if she sits in midfield and then attempts to overhaul the like of Got The Greenlight, Malmoos and the big guns from the Cape in the short Hollywoodbets Greyville run in, especially considering she is going to be asked, as things stand, to carry 57.5kg.    

David Thiselton

EQUUS HORSE OF THE YEAR Summer Pudding makes her comeback at Turffontein Standside tomorrow and having previously proven she runs well after a layoff she should win the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m. 

Trainer Paul Peter said the four-year-old Silvano filly had enjoyed her break in Cape Town after running below par in the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes and was currently “exceptionally well.”

She has the whole field held on previous form with the exception of Portico whom she has never faced before but the latter is 8.5kg out at the weights with her so is unlikely to trouble her.

Zillzaal is a former Summer Cup winner over this course and distance and went way to fast in this year’s renewal when beaten 37 lengths by Summer Pudding. He signaled a returned to his best last time when running on strongly to win over the too sharp 1400m in a Progress Plate. He is usually in front or up with the pace and in this small field he will be dangerous as he might be able to dictate. However, under the conditions he has to give 2,5kg to Summer Pudding which makes him officially 8kg under sufferance with her.

Youcanthurrylove is distance suited and in good form and he could make up the trifecta.

Earlier the Grade 3 Protea Stakes over 1100m for two-year-olds should be an intriguing contest.

It is quite easy to predict how the race will pan out for the chief protagonists Under Your Spell and Heavens Girl who are drawn ten and eleven respectively in the eleven horse field. 

Heavens Girl led last time and was mowed down late by Under Your Spell over 1000m so she should be in the lead on the Standside rail with Under Your Spell sitting in her slipstream.

Heavens Girl has proven she stays 1200m before and is now 2kg better off with Under Your Spell for a 1,25 length beating. 

However, Under Your Spell should appreciate this step up in trip and is likely to mow her down late again.

They look to be the exacta pair.

Under Your Spell’s stable companion Social Image bumped a good one in Sheela last time over 1000m but before that she was a commanding winner over 1000m and should stay the extra 100m. Formlines also point to her as the most likely of the rest to chase the leading pair home.

The best of the day could be the up and coming sprinter Mind Reader who gets better and better as she strengthens. She runs in the fifth race, a MR91 Handicap over 1000m for fillies and mares. She started the season rated 69 and after four wins two seconds and two thirds is now rated 90. However, her transformation in the looks department suggests she is still ahead of the handicapper as she has become a powerhouse of a filly she has a big heart to match. All Of Me and Muleta look to be the chief dangers.

In the last race over 2000m Senescence makes appeal. Lyle Hewitson rode her last time and came into the straight over this trip on the tight Inside track with a double handful but could not find an immediate way through and after diving for the inside two others had stolen a march. Senescence was unable to catch them but it should be a different story on this galloping course with its long straight and she can make amends.

Last Song should also be hard to beat in the first race. She pulled a lot on debut over 1450m yet still stayed on well and only just got touched off. She looks to have a big engine and speed to burn so the 1160m trip should suit at this stage. 

AFTER launching their “Best Dressed Groom” campaign during the Cape Summer Season, Jonsson Workwear have committed to extending this initiative to Champions Season and will reward the best dressed groom of each race in KwaZulu Natal from 4 April to 31 July with a R500 Jonsson Workwear voucher.

“Our aim is to reward grooms and encourage them to take pride in how they dress and the work that they do. We believe when you feel good at work, you perform at your best”, said Nick Jonsson, CEO of Jonsson Workwear.

Covering 35 KZN race meetings over the period, this campaign will inject approximately R150 000 into uplifting grooms in the province. In addition to this, Jonsson Workwear will also reward the trainer, jockey and groom of the horse that wins the 2021 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes, run on Vodacom Durban July day, with a R5000 voucher each.

“We are very fortunate to have passionate stakeholders like Mr. Jonsson who look at new ways to support the industry during these very challenging times”, said Steve Marshall, Events & Marketing Executive of Gold Circle. “We will be announcing each winner on course where they will be presented with their R500 voucher and pictures will be published of all the winning grooms on Gold Circle’s social media platforms.