Doors swing open for Stripe and Slam

Among the throng of glamorous people at glamorous Kenilworth at the weekend was racehorse trainer Graham Motion, who’d jetted in from his home in the US to check out Cape Town’s racing scene at its glamorous best.

Motion was the man who saddled South African horses Beach Bomb and Isivunguvungu at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in California in November. Motion has been admiring of thoroughbreds from this neck of the woods and would have had an eye out for emerging talent.

Saturday’s highlights, the L’Ormarins King’s Plate and the Cartier Paddock Stakes, are automatic qualifying races for America’s ultra-important Breeders’ Cup meeting. The two winners, One Stripe and Double Grand Slam, are guaranteed a place in the line-up at Del Mar racecourse in 11 months’ time – if they can make it across the Atlantic and get prepared in time.

With Motion now a “go-to guy” to guide South African exports through the demanding export and acclimatising process, his opinion will have been eagerly sought by the victorious owners.

‘Black Knight’

Another notable figure among the great and the good – all dressed in the thematic blue – was one Gary Player, part-owner of aptly named filly Double Grand Slam.

In the flush of Paddock Stakes victory, the Black Knight was in no mood for coyness. After introducing to the crowd his “new American girlfriend” – a dignified, elegant lady who’d never been to a racecourse before – Gary declared that he and his co-owners were keen to see their brilliant filly heading Stateside.

As one of those partners is Gaynor Rupert of Drakenstein Stud, owner of aforementioned Beach Bomb, proprietor of L’Ormarins wine estate and wife of Johan, the wherewithal to get the beast on a westward-bound plane is no issue.

(The third partner is Dave MacLean, in whose dayglo orange and green colours the daughter of Vercingetorix gallops and who is a prolific horse owner in his own right – indeed, leading in two more winners on a memorable King’s Plate day for him.)

One Stripe

If Double Grand Slam looks a BC slam dunk, what of One Stripe, who is arguably an even more special talent?

Only a handful of three-year-olds have won the King’s Plate in its 164 years, so great things are now expected of the Vaughan Marshall-trained colt.

His KwaZulu-Natal-based owner Rikesh Sewgoolam has invested heavily in horseflesh to make lifelong dreams come true and one of those dreams is to win the Hollywoodbets Durban July in his own backyard.
But glittering prizes overseas might also appeal. Which way to jump? A conversation might be held with Mr Motion.

It was a first King’s Plate victory for veteran Marshall – as it was for jockey Gavin Lerena – and the avuncular conditioner expressed relief at “ticking off another” on his big-race check list. “There are only a couple more; but they are inconsequential really,” he added, presumably tongue-in-cheek.

One of those outstanding targets happens to be the Durban July.