Jockey Ian Sturgeon has never quite received the support he deserves and last Thursday at the Vaal proved this point when picking up three rides originally booked to two of the country’s most sort after riders, Piere Strydom and Anthony Delpech, and bringing all of them home, plus another, to clinch his first career four-timer.

However, the ride everybody was talking about was aboard Kanonkop, whose mere participation was saved by Sturgeon’s act of selflessness as he clung to the rein and managed to stop the horse after it had burst through the stalls and dropped him.

Sturgeon said, “The handler was still holding on to the rein … that is why I usually ask them to rather let it go … so he burst through awkwardly. Luckily I landed on my feet and started hopping next to him. Thank goodness he responded when I asked him to slow down. You can stop a horse, it’s not like it hasn’t happened before, although he is a big horse. He had a little graze on his nose but thank goodness the vet allowed him to race.”

Sturgeon had thus preserved the favourite’s participation in the race.

He continued, “I then thought he might be concussed because he wasn’t really getting into the race. From halfway he got into it and then I couldn’t get a split. Luckily S’manga’s horses rolled off the rail and he went through it and won a good race.”

Kanonkop gave Sturgeon a quick double, after he had won on the second favourite Shelly from an unfavourable low draw in the first. He then clinched a quick hattrick in the third, when getting the  favourite Musical Romance up from another unfavourable low draw.

Later, he made it a four-timer when powering clear on the third favourite Nesspresso in the fifth.

He had won more ride to come, but unfortunately the last two races were abandoned.

In analysing the mild mannered Sturgeon’s relative lack of big yard support, he has perhaps been unfortunate to have a phlegmatic demeanour, whilst on the inside being by nature the exact opposite.

However, he has now curbed his habit of being excessively critical of his own riding and said, “It dents your confidence. I am learning not to think about things too much and no longer over analyse. I am talking myself up instead of down.”

Sturgeon still has a burning desire to be Champion Jockey and would like to reach a stage whereby he can be more selective about the rides he accepts.

He is currently forced to take as many rides as possible to covers costs and this has dragged his strike rate down. Whilst he is calculating how a specific race will pan out in order to give him his best chance, a top jockey is doing the same thing with the aim of choosing which ride he is going to take.

Sturgeon also revealed something very interesting regarding “the going” and the false perception among armchair critics that only the best jockeys seem to take special notice of it.

He said virtually all jockeys watch the replays in the jockeys’ room of the races just run, so were acutely aware of where the best going was. However, he added if a jockey was “sitting with a lot of horse you can usually manipulate the situation easier and be where you want to be.” Therefore the more fancied horse usually find the better going. Weaker horses on the other hand are often unable to hold their favourable positions in the running. Armchair critics will invariably blame the jockey for this and it is probably another factor which keeps the lower ranked riders suppressed.

As Felix Coetzee said earlier this week, jockeys find themselves in a catch 22 situation because they need to be rated to be given good rides, but need good rides to be rated.

However, Sturgeon, who is lying in 12^th place on the current log with 51 winners, said, “You also have to make opportunities for yourself. The guys who have risen make fewer mistakes, that’s why they get the chances. But if you are confident you do make less mistakes, so you have to try and generate that confidence.”

Sturgeon, who had his first race ride in 2001, gave an inkling of just how deep his resolve is in 2010 when booking himself for a month into the renowned Kenako Golf and Sports Academy in George in order to learn both physical and mental techniques to improve himself as a professional sportsman.

Sturgeon was once stable jockey to Michael Roberts, whom many regard as South Africa’s greatest ever rider, and he still attributes a lot to him.

He said, “Michael basically taught me how to ride. He liked my style and taught me everything about pace. I can’t count like the Hong Kong Jockeys learn to, so do it all on feel, and I have found I get it 99% right.”

Sturgeon feels he has improved since moving to Johannesburg.

He has an astute and passionate racing man on his side in the form of jockey agent Bradley McHardy. Bradley is the son of Rathmor Stud owners Mike and Tanya and is now assistant trainer to Duncan Howells, having previously been a sort after pre-trainer as well as being an accomplished showjumper.

Sturgeon has twice gone close to achieving the breakthrough he desires, finishing runner up in the Vodacom Durban July on Sushisan in 2006 and on Punta Arenas last year.

“Success breeds success,” he concluded and last Thursday he certainly proved he is ready to fill the boots of the top echelon riders.

By David Thiselton

On Saturday the highly regarded Abashiri will face the first leg of his bid for Triple Crown glory, but down in the Cape his sire Go Deputy has virtually been abandoned by breeders despite his continually good statistics.

Abashiri’s trainer Mike Azzie has called the magnificently long-striding bay gelding the best he has trained since National Currency, a three-time Gr 1-winning sprinter who finished second in the Gr 1 Hong Kong Sprint to the great Silent Witness.

Abashiri has a genuine chance of landing the Triple Crown, although the first leg on Saturday, the Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas, will probably be his toughest  obstacle as he would prefer further.

Yet, Go Deputy only covered two mares this past season. Both were sent by the stud which own and stand him, Lammerskraal Stud.

Lammerskraal’s long-time stud manager Sally Jourdan said, “His sire Deputy Minister was a champion racehorse, a champion sire and a champion broodmare sire. Breeders just don’t recognise him for what he is and it is hard to resurrect a stallion. But, if Abashiri does really well we will try and promote him again.”

Jourdan added Lammerskraal’s new owner Pieter Graaff only races two or three horses from each crop, otherwise Go Deputy would have received more mares.

She also spoke of her keen anticipation of the progeny of Go Deputy’s daughters, as she believes like his father he will be an outstanding broodmare sire.

Among his daughters with nice looking youngsters to date is the three-time Listed-winning stayer Adobe Pink, who has a foal by What A Winter, the champion sprinter by Lammerskraal’s late great Western Winter.

Abashiri comes from Go Deputy’s 2012 crop, the season in which he covered 50 mares, and was purchased for R400,000 at the National Yearling Sales.

Also among his 2012 crop is Flying Ice, a Listed winner who finished second in Saturday’s Gr 3 Prix du Cap, beating a few significant four-year-old members of what many believe to be  the greatest female crop in South African history.

Significantly, Go Deputy’s progeny improve notably with age. Following progeny of this sire after they have turned four years of age always reaps dividends, so his excellent 2012 crop still have plenty to come.

As it is he has the highest percentage of black type winners to runners in the country this season at 6,8%.

The other Black Type winner among them is Current Event, who won the Gr 3 Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers Handicap over 2500m. Go Deputy has a high figure of about 41% winners to runners this season and they have average earning of R45,552 per runner.

Abashiri’s deserving owners are Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren. The couple are among the biggest spenders at the Sales in the country and as Abashiri is likely the best they have purchased there must still be hope for Go Deputy.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Abashiri (Nkosi Hlophe)

Futura has been retired to stand at Drakenstein Stud but fellow quadruple Grade 1 winner Legislate is to race in Durban before joining him before the end of the season. The Rising Sun Gold Challenge (June 11), which he won last year, is a possible objective.

The office of part-owner and stallion manager John Freeman issued  the details on Friday afternoon, saying that most of the shares had been sold overnight and adding: “The plan is to send Legislate to Durban for another attempt at Grade 1 glory in either or both of the two Grade 1 weight-for-age events there.”

Justin Snaith paid tribute to Futura, saying: “He was a very good and very impressive racehorse. He has everything a stallion needs, including temperament and soundness, and he is by a great sire.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Futura (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on June 4 – and a possible rematch with Carry On Alice – is next on the target list for Cuvee Brut who convincingly justified Brett Crawford’s stamina convictions in the Vasco Prix Du Cap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

The 18-10 favourite came within the thickness of a racecard of beating the Sean Tarry star in the Southern Cross (admittedly receiving 2kg) and here she had no difficulty in holding the strong-finishing 33-1 shot Flying Ice. But seemingly it wasn’t as straightforward as it looked.

Anton Marcus reported: “She never wanted to corner all that well and up the straight she hung out quite badly.”

However Crawford added: “She has had an outstanding season and, after having a little break on the farm, we will take her to Durban [for Champions Season]. We will campaign her first in the Gr1  SA Fillies Sprint (now City of Pietermaritzburg) and then we will see whether to go for the Gr1 Garden Province.

“We will do the same sort of thing with Alexis who missed the kick and got a bit further back than I wanted but finished her race well to take fourth.”

Crawford did even better in the Calulo Cape Mile when Big Cat led a furlong out under JP van der Merwe to spring a 25-1 surprise, beating stable companion Sail South by a length. The former Stan Elley-trained gelding spent six months with Dennis Drier before joining Crawford who said: “I am still learning about this horse so I’m not yet sure about Durban. But Sail South was a touch unlucky – he got carried out by the horse in front (Hard Day’s Night).”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe told the stipes that there was something wrong with 4-1 second favourite Heartland who finished last and the vet reported the colt not striding out in front as well as making an abnormal respiratory noise. But a similar check on 33-10 market leader Night Trip (ninth) revealed nothing.

King Of Pain opened up some intriguing distance options when given a chance to show long-suspected stamina by making all in the CTS Chairman’s Cup at 8-1.

Fayd’Herbe plotted his moves, and the expected counter ploys of the opposition, like a grand master at the World Chess Championship – “It was always my game plan to lead. The last thing I wanted was Anton Marcus (on 11-20 hotpot Coltrane) dictating it in front.

“When you swing round the corner here nobody wants to commit until after the junction. If they wanted to go round me then I knew they were probably going to kill themselves.

“I was going a decent pace. Not too fast but not slow enough to give Anton a chance of coming round me.

“When King Of Pain puts it together he is a hard horse to beat. The only problem he’s got is that in a race he thinks even more than I do!”

This was Joey Ramsden’s eighth Chairman’s Cup this century and he introduced a smart-looking newcomer in the Mauritzfontein colours in the Nima Consulting Maiden. Miranda Frost was backed from 20-1 to 11-2 and led from pen to post under Donovan Dillon.

Assistant trainer Ricardo Sobotker said: “She is very stocky and powerful, she showed natural speed from day one and she has a bright future.”

But perhaps the most significant winner for punters was Line Break. He might have only just got home in the Kepu Pinnacle Stakes – indeed Grant van Niekerk feared he was beaten – but apparently he is considerably better than his present 97 merit rating.

He lost valuable ground at the start in last month’s Betting World Cape Flying Championship and from then on his rider had to repeatedly switch this way and that looking for an opening. He covered more ground than Jan van Riebeeck and, while he finished halfway down the field, he was only beaten two and a quarter lengths.

Candice Robinson said: “He was unlucky not to win that day. He is exceptionally talented and has all the ability in the world but we have to get it out of him. He is not the easiest of horses to train, or the soundest, and he has lots of problems.

“I am not 100% sure he will go to Durban – it might not be the right place for him – but, that said, there might not be that much for him here.”

> The course’s fourth prawn festival was an even bigger success that the previous ones and attracted the best crowd outside Met day. Phumelela estimated it at 7 000 and they consumed 2.5 tonnes of prawns. That works out at over 350 grams each!

  The organisers reckon to sell three tonnes at this Saturday’s Turffontein version and, in case anyone thinks racing is single-handedly emptying the ocean, the prawns come from a special farm in India.

Michael Clower
Picture: Cuvee Brut (Liesl King)

Following 40mm of rainfall over the past few days in the KwaZulu-Natal region and with further rain forecasted for the weekend, Gold Circle has taken a decision to change racing venues for Sunday, 21 February 2016, from Scottsville to Greyville Racecourse.

Please note that race times remain unchanged and all races will be run on the polytrack.  Race 5 distance has been amended to 2000 metres.

Ends