Newsletter THURSDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2017 www.turftalk.co.za As always, what’s really in the draw?

DRAW ceremonies are part and parcel of all the world’s biggest races and eve- ryone desires a “good” draw, but what is that exactly? One has to consider the regularity of winners from wide draws, especially over features over 1800m and further. While there were sad and happy faces at the 2017 Sansui Sum- mer Cup draw on Wednesday and some outcries of “bad luck”, MC Neil Andrews summed it up at the end: “The best horse will win, from any draw!” We’re all prone to form bias, so let’s not talk you in, or out, of a horse drawn deep, but don’t pay much GABI (left) and Joe Soma were delighted having drawn 8 respect to the draw in the Cup. Final (Master Sabina) and 1 (Wind Chill) for the Sansui Summer Cup. field for the 25 November race below.

R2-MILLION SANSUI SUMMER CUP (Gr1), 2000m

Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B /A/T Jockey Trainer

1 NEW PREDATOR 60.0 113 9 B A B Lerena J J van Vuuren 2 ABASHIRI 58.0 109 19 A K Zechner M G /A A Azzie 3 MASTER SABINA 58.0 109 8 A T B Fayd’Herbe Joe Soma 4 FRENCH NAVY 57.5 108 17 A T S Khumalo Sean Tarry 5 BRAZUCA 57.0 107 14 A G Lerena J J van Vuuren 6 FORT EMBER 56.0 105 3 A C Maujean Paul Peter 7 MAC DE LAGO 54.5 102 7 A M V’Rensburg Weiho Marwing 8 MASTER SWITCH 54.0 101 16 A T P Strydom Geoff Woodruff 9 ORCHID ISLAND 53.5 101 10 A A Delpech Mike de Kock 10 WIND CHILL 53.5 101 1 A T C Murray Joe Soma 11 HERMOSO MUNDO 53.5 100 18 A W Marwing Weiho Marwing 12 CROWD PLEASER 53.0 100 6 A K de Melo J J van Vuuren 13 BANNER HILL 53.0 99 13 A G van Niekerk Geoff Woodruff 14 LIEGE 53.0 99 2 A T R Danielson Sean Tarry 15 PAGODA 52.5 99 11 B A J P v’d Merwe Geoff Woodruff 16 GIRL ON THE RUN 52.5 98 5 A D Mansour J J van Vuuren 17 CORAL FEVER 52.0 97 20 A M Yeni Robbie Sage 18 TILBURY FORT 52.0 97 4 A T C Zackey Sean Tarry 19 SOCIAL ORDER 52.0 96 12 A *L Hewitson Sean Tarry 20 LET IT RAIN 52.0 95 15 A R Munger Weiho Marwing MASTER SABINA, 2016 Summer Cup Couplings: (1,5,12,16); (3,10); (4,14,18,19); (7,11,20); (8,13,15) winner.

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SUMMER CUP ARCHIVES

Eventuail, the first of Geoff Woodruff’s Cup winners in November 2002. EVENTUAIL (ARG), trained by Geoff Woodruff earned a trip to the rich World Cup meeting in Dubai in March 2003 by winning the 2002 renewal of the Summer Cup at Turffontein.

Jockey Piere Strydom, always handily placed on the Argentinian-bred colt, had cleverly kept some- Jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe with African Night Sky. thing in reserve on the four-year-old, as the well- supported Wolf Whistle closed in with a menacing challenge in the 2000m contest. Big comeback run for ANS

Wolf Whistle was 1.25-lengths adrift at the line, AFRICAN Night Sky made a good comeback when followed three lengths further back by Eventuail’s a close fifth to Edict Of Nantes in a Pinnacle Plate stable companion Fantastic Horse and the smart over 1400m last weekend and trainer Justin Snaith filly Kournikova. told Gold Circle: “It was a very good comeback run. He was still big in the parade ring and will strip Eventuail, a bay gelding by Candy Stripes from fitter next time.” He said the Green Point Stakes Evidenciable, by Equalize, raced in the silks of would come too soon for African Night Sky and he Laurie and Jean Jaffee. Woodruff has saddled was targeting another race instead. another five Summer Cup winners since amd will be looking for his seventh big win when he saddles Stablemate Black Arthur needed the run badly, a trio of runners on 25 November. - tt. needs more work and will improve.—tt.

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GRANT Knowles’ Tractor Syndicates include one for ‘Ladies Only’ and the Pink Tractor Syndicate celebrated a winner at Kenilworth on Wednesday when Shades Of Pink dead-heated in Race 1 for trainer Brett Crawford and jockey Greg Cheyne. The happy ladies in this syndicate are Micaela Cross, Gwen McGregor and Jill Warner (back); Belinda Kieswetter and Amanda Carey (front). (Wayne Marks).

bought by Manie Pillay.

Promising sprinter Captain My Captain fetched R180,000 knocked down to Michel Nairac Bloodstock, and Hot Curry was bought back for R150,000 and will remain in Mike de Kock’s yard.

Heversham Park Stud, on the hunt for good broodmares, pinched an Antonius Pius filly for R7,000 and Nico Van Niekerk will feel quite chuffed with R32,000 paid for Houston Rocket, a winning son of Ideal World.

Mutawaary, top seller at R220,000. In all, 25 lots were sold at an aggregate of R1 253 500, with an average of BSA’s Mixed Sale turns over R1,25-m R50 140.

THERE were plenty of bargains at BloodStock SA’s Mixed See price list here. Sale held at Randjesfontein on Wednesday. Lots were sold from as low as R3,000 to R220,000, with several GET THE JUICE FIRST! in-betweeners for buyers across the bench. Join us on Twitter

The top seller was Lot 3, Mutawaary (AUS), a well-bred import @turftalk1 who has six places to his credit and is bound to win soon. He was

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It’s not over till it’s over!

THE great won 12 of 14 races in Europe before he fractured his leg and would never race again. His career at stud was saved, however. It was decided that an operation would be performed in a building in trainer 's yard. Over a span of six hours, a simplified stainless-steel compression plate held by 3 screws was used to pin the broken pieces to his near-fore cannon bone. The injuries on the sesamoid bone or the rim of the pastern were avoided. The operation was successful. Mill Reef went on to sire the likes of , , , , , , , , , and . - tt.

SANDY (above), was the only one of 169,000 war horses who made it back to after WW1. He’d been as- signed to the commander of the Australian 1st division, the first ashore at Gallipoli. It was the dying wish of General Sir William Bridges, shot by a sniper, that his horse be returned to Melbourne at war’s end in 1918. Sandy, who returned via Egypt, France and the UK, died in 1923. – tt. 5