Louis becomes king of the turf

The Geoff Woodruff-trained runner had already won the first two legs – the Gauteng Guineas and the SA Classic – and completed his mission with a one-length victory over As You Like in the R2 million SA Derby over 2 450m at Turffontein.

The horse is owned by Louis van der Vyver who also named the colt. “I watched his other runs and the way he ran on at the end convinced me he would see out the distance. I was pretty positive he would win,” said Van Der Vyver.

“But at this moment it hasn’t quite sunk in.”

In addition to the R1.25 million, he earned another R2 million bonus for winning the Triple Crown. Louis The King has now run seven times for six wins and a second place and has earned R5.34 million in prize money – not bad for a horse who cost a mere R60 000.

Louis The King was ridden by Robbie Fradd, who returned from Australia to ride the son of Black Minnaloushe. “I told the owners I would swim back if they wanted me to ride him in the Derby,” said Fradd.

The amazing story of Louis The King adds to the quality of the victory. He was the horse nobody wanted. Bred at The Alchemy stud farm in Robertson, both the Premier Cape Sales and the National Yearling Sales rejected him because he was too small.

“We eventually took him to the Durban sale just before the Vodacom Durban July, but we didn’t get one offer. I bought him back for R55 000,” said breeder Phillip Kahan.

As fate would have it, Woodruff was at the sale – not to buy – but to give Durban July tickets to a client. He saw Kahan and asked him why he was looking so glum.

“I explained I couldn’t sell my best horse so Geoff asked me about the breeding and how much I wanted for him. When I told him R60 000, he said he would take him, without even having seen the horse,” said Kahan.

“Later he just peeped over the stable door and said he was happy.”

It could have all been a matter of destiny because, as Van der Vyver points out: “If I hadn’t got him he wouldn’t have been named Louis The King!”