South Africa
SANSUI SUMMER CUP
(R2,000,000) Turffontein G1 1¼m 3-y-o and upwards
South Africa's richest race was reintroduced in 1999, with El Picha winning, after having been first run in 1887. Previous winners include Delta Form (2000), Ingleside (2001), Eventuail (2002) and Wolf Whistle (2003). Tyson was the four and a quarter length winner in 2004 while Ilha Da Vitoria, trained by Mike De Kock, was successful in 2005. Malteme landed the 2006 renewal for trainer Alec Laird and jockey Brett Smith. The three-year-old Rakeen gelding wore down Likeithot inside the final furlong to clinch the valuable prize by a head. A year later, Strategic News secured the 2007 event for trainer Dylan Cunha. Ridden by Glyn Schofield, the four-year-old Australian-bred colt galloped away from his rivals inside the final 300m to win impressively by three lengths. Trainer Mike De Kock returned to the winner’s enclosure again in 2008 with Rudra. The 4-y-o South African-bred colt, ridden by Kevin Shea, stormed home in the final 400m to win in domineering fashion. The 2009 renewal was won by the Sean Tarry-trained Aslan in a four-way photo finish. Ridden by Feliz Coetzee, the 4yo dug deep in the closing stages of the race to secure Johannesburg’s premier horseracing event.
J & B METROPOLITAN
(R9,500,000) Kenilworth G1 1¼m 3-y-o and upwards
The winner in 2003 was Angus, named after H.H. Sheikh Hamdan's racing manager Angus Gold. Yard-Arm was successful in 2004 while the 2005 renewal went to Alastor, who prevailed by half a length to earn his first Group One success. Zebra Crossing, racing in the colours of his breeder Robin Bruss, was the convincing winner in 2006. While in 2007, Pocket Power captured the ten-furlong event in front of a crowd of 48,000 people and temperatures of over 30 degrees for trainer Mike Bass. Ridden by Jeff Lloyd, the four-year-old gelding hit the front just over half a furlong from home to beat Lion Tamer by a length. The 2008 renewal saw Pocket Power victorious for a consecutive year, becoming only the second horse in 125-year history of the race to do so. Under Bernard Fayd’Herbe, the Jet Master gelding pulled away effortlessly from the rest of the field to score easily by one and a quarter lengths over Our Giant in a time of 2m 04.43s. It was a case of three times a charm for Pocket Power a year later as he out battled Dancer’s Daughter to take the race for an unprecedented third straight year. It was not to be in 2010 for Pocket Power, who was trying to win the race for the fourth successive year. The eight-year-old was struck into from behind and managed only to take third to stable companion River Jetez. Ridden by Glenn Hatt, River Jetez collared the Mike de Kock-trained Mother Russia near the line to win by half a length.
VODACOM DURBAN JULY
(R3,000,000) Greyville G1 1m 3f 3-y-o and upwards
Ipi Tombe, the sensation of South African racing, beat Angus in the 2002 renewal of this famous race first run in 1897. El Picha won in successive years, 1999 and 2000. Greys Inn earned his third Group One victory in 2004 when winning this race for owner/breeder Bridget Oppenheimer. The outsider Dunford was a convincing winner of the 2005 race when he weaved his way through a wall of horses to get the better of Silverpoint close home. Dunford, ridden by Anton Marcus who is often referred to as 'Superman' for his jockey skills, was the first foal and first group winner for his dam, the winning Piaffer mare Pelican Brief. While in 2006, Eyeofthetiger, trained by Dean Kannemeyer and ridden by Gerrit Schlechter won the Group One event in good style. The four-year-old Royal Academy colt chased his rivals into the final furlong and kicked for home with authority to capture the eight-furlong contest. The 2007 renewal went to the Charles Laird-trained Hunting Tower. In a race that saw an all-out battle to the wire, jockey Anton Marcus rode like a demon to get home by a neck from Buy And Sell. The 2008 event resulted in a dead-heat for the second time in the race’s history. Pocket Power and Dancer’s Daughter both came with a tremendous late run on the stand’s side to share the spoils. Big City Life gave trainer Glen Kotzen “the highlight” of his 18-year training career when taking the 2009 renewal by three quarters of a length. When jockey Greg Cheyne kicked just under a furlong out, the three-year-old son of Casey Tibbs duly responded to hold off the Mike de Kock trained Zirconeum. Bold Silvano gave local trainer Mike de Kock and jockey Anthony Delpech their third Durban July victory when fighting out the finish with Irish Flame to give de Kock a one-two in the country’s greatest race.