Mike Bass Racing
Issue 24

In this issue we look at:

Sun Classique dazzling as South Africa rises / Dunford Retires
Tipping Corner
Mike Bass Winners
Joke of the Month

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Sun Classique dazzling as South Africa rises / Dunford Retires

02/04/2008
Author : Mark Bass

 

Sun Classique dazzling as South Africa rises

 

World Cup night, United Arab Emirates – Was the day South Africa rose to stardom. A country distant from racing’s international hierarchy doused some big reputations with three glittering victories on the World stage and collected just under half of the total nights purse of $21million on offer.

While it was Curlin’s devastating act in the feature race of the World Cup meeting which dominated the headlines, it was local hero Mike De Kock that emerged the man of the moment. A one-two with Honour Devil and Royal Vintage in the UAE Derby, A third place with Archipenko in the Duty Free, victory with Sun Classique in the Sheema Classic and second with Asiatic Boy in the World Cup, has made him the second most successful trainer in Dubai History. Trainer Herman Brown’s brilliant training feat with Jay Peg in the Dubai Duty free is most certainly the highlight of his career and will have catapulted his reputation as one to be reckoned with on the International arena.

A day that will live long in the memory of all South Africans.

 

For us - Family and owners gathered to watch the spectacular days racing, and particularly race 6 on the star studded programme, where Sun Classique carried our hopes in the Sheema Classic.

Exemplifying masterful confidence, Kevin Shea burst clear of a talented field three furlongs out and for a brief moment Viva Pataca looked threatening but when the Sun gained momentum those thoughts were soon forgotten as she drew away to triumph by two lengths. Her winning time of 2.27.45 was just .05 seconds outside the track record.

Her assault in Dubai has turned heads from all corners of the world and she has now asserted herself amongst the very best grass Fillies in the world, infact she is officially ranked second best on the world rankings. A special word of commendation to trainer Mike De Kock who has taken her to such great heights, he has had her spot on for every race and we are tremendously proud of his achievements for our country. For owners Lionel and Caroline Cohen and Warne and Wendy Rippon, a plan of enormous magnitude has come together and words cannot express our happiness for you.

The normally cool and collected Lionel, held back tears in his interview as he dedicated this moment to his family and late father Colin and just five minutes after the race phoned Mike Bass to thank him for his role in this journey.

It must be said that he richly deserves this honour.

And so the journey shall continue, De Kock had mentioned a tilt at the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, but that plan could be side lined with the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket appearing to take priority.

De Kock said: "She's absolutely fine. We will probably take her to Sha Tin for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. She'll then spend the summer in the UK, with the rest of my string from Dubai, and we'll think about Royal Ascot, although that might be a big ask as we won't have much time."

Mike will pack his bags again next month, as he did last year, when he stables around 20 horses with Geoff Wragg at Newmarket. He did much the same with a smaller team last year, only this time he has a string to die for!

Cape Hero and Champion 3yo Jay Peg took center stage in possibly the ride of the night in the Dubai Duty Free. Anton Marcus set a scorching gallop up front but was soon challenged from all sides and looked a beaten Horse two furlongs out. Displaying his trademark relentless courage under an absolutely brilliant ride from Marcus, he found an extra gear to grind down and break the hearts of the worlds best milers. Despite a heart wrenching saddle slip in the closing stages, Marcus kept his cool and proved he is among the Worlds best. Previously trained by Basil Marcus in Cape Town, and part owned by brother Marcus it was a another great moment for the family. However the accolades this time should fall to trainer Herman Brown, A truly magnificent training achievement and one which he will  savor as his best. Often in the shadows of his more accomplished compatriot Mike De Kock, this fine accomplishment will have cemented his presence in Dubai and doors will open fast and furiously for him now.

 

Co Owners Marsh Shirtliff, Etienne Braun, Selwyn Marcus and Paul Loomes were quietly confident in their son of the now deceased Camden Parks ability, but at the bottom end of the betting boards at 50-1 they surly would not have expected him to romp home in the new course record of 1:46 20. Hearty congratulations to all the connections on a Historic victory. The five year old colt will now have his options wide open and a stallion probability must surly be high on the agenda.

The feast of racing was capped by Steve Asmussen's Curlin running out a thoroughly convincing winner by 7 and half lengths over De Kock's Asiatic Boy in the US$6million Dubai World Cup. In doing this the son of Smart Strike confirmed his status as the best horse on the planet and is now just 6-4 to defend his Breeders' Cup crown later in the year

One cannot digest the enormity the results of this night will impact on our local market. The timing is perfect with the countries National Yearling Sale taking place this weekend. Interest will boom and breeders, trainers and all players in our industry should benefit greatly. They will have realised that not only can we compete with the worlds best but we can beat them too! It took the likes of Mike De Kock and Herman Brown to attract the worlds attention to our abundance of talent, and now its time we all get stuck in and reap the rewards!!

 


Dunford Retires

 

It is a rare occurrence to find a Trainer’ allow themselves to get emotionally attached to their Horses. The nature of the game dictates this. But Dunford has been something special to us, not only for his brilliant achievements, but more so for his display of deafening courage he has leant to us through his 6 years of outstanding service to our yard. It is with great Sadness we bid farewell to our hero Dunford !

 

 

 

He was never labeled a Champion, and rightly so, however one just needs to glimpse across his race record to understand the gist of what a fine Race Horse he really was. No outstanding pedigree and certainly no picture to look at, but once called upon for duty he gave his very best every time and always in the fashion of a true gentleman.

 

 

 

No one will forget the pint size underdog in his orange silks, dicing down the Greyville stretch to cause the upset in the 2005 Durban July at 33-1, nor will we forget his trademark explosive finishes we all became so accustomed to in all of his 10 victories and 19 places. Always a pleasure to train and any owner’s dream to race, we commend and thank him for his loyal service, and for bringing all of us associated with him such great pleasure.

 

 

 

 

Co-Owner Robert Bloomberg writes a small tribute:

 

 

TRIBUTE TO DUNFORD

 

Although he was being beaten with regular monotony he had been given a number of rather injudicious rides and his turn of foot was rather impressive.  I had to eventually go to R220k to secure him which most thought was somewhat ridiculous for a horse who had only won a solitary race from 8 career starts. The majority of vets would have instantly failed him as the head of his femur pushed outwards against his stifle giving the impression of an orange like lump. It was not dissimilar to our not having a knee-cap, but amazingly it didn’t seem to bother him. John McVeigh remarked to me at the time that although he had this structural defect and he was very small that he was surprisingly well put together.

 

He was always destined for the yard of Mike Bass, but due to an outbreak of AHS in the Cape he had a further 2 runs with Tony Rivalland before finally reaching his destination with a far from impressive track record. He debuted locally for us on Met day 2004 and ran out a most impressive winner which he quickly followed up on a few weeks later. He always gave the impression of having been a decent purchase and a horse that would go through the divisions, but one who was a good few lengths short of being top class. This was amplified by him being beaten into 3rd, albeit from a horrendous draw, in the EP Derby and although constantly being placed in the Cape Winter Series was no match for the likes of Winter Solstice and Set to Music. Even when he won the GR3 Peninsula Handicap in the last stride to gain a ticket to the Met in 2005 he carried only 52,5 kgs and certainly gave no inkling at that stage of what was to transpire.

 

Just prior to leaving for the Natal season he had a pipe-opener over 1400m a distance we thought would be far to short for him. He came from the back of the field and won in breathtaking fashion eased down by 5L. This was a different horse. His next start in Durban over 1450m was quite brilliant as he came from last to be beaten 3/4L by future Met winner Zebra Crossing conceding him 7,5 kgs and he was actually unlucky not to have won. A 3L 5th in the Astrapak followed and we entered the July after an impressive final workout quietly confident. With only 52 kgs to shoulder, a 4 draw and Anton “superman” Marcus in the saddle we just needed luck in running to be in with a shout. Superbly turned out as always by the master Mike Bass and ridden with unbelievable patience and nerve by Anton he won going away by 3/4L. Lest one think that this was not a meritorious victory consider the fact that the likes of Irridescence, Winter Solstice, Ilha Da Vitoria and Tyson to name but four all ran unplaced!

 

It was never going to be easy winning again after that incredible day and we always said that anything else would be a bonus, but 3 more wins came in time culminating in his swan song victory in the GR3 Algoa Cup as a 7 y.o a race that had eluded him as a 4 y.o. Dunford retires to a life of bliss on our partner, Grenville Wilson’s farm in the Eastern Transvaal as a winner of 10 races and earnings of R1,884,628 not a bad return on our initial investment. More importantly, he will forever retain a place in the history books as the winner of the ultimate jewel in the crown, the Durban July. He was by no stretch of the imagination a world beater nor was he a champion, but if they handed out medals for having heart he would be top of the class. Horses like Dunford come along but once in a lifetime and he will never be forgotten by all those who had the privilege of being involved in his memorable career.

 

ROBERT BLOOMBERG

 

 

Tipping Corner

02/04/2008
Author : Tammi Eastland

 

 

 Proudly brought to you by South African Equine Investments  

Turffontein 30 Value Bet (Mpumelelo) Paid R 3.20

Turffontein 29 PA Returned R 588.00

Durbanville 28 Value Bet (Judged Excellent) Paid R 3.60

Fairview 28 Best Bet (Ecole Militaire) Paid R 2.90

Vaal 27 Best Bet (Salome) Paid R 1.70

Greyville 26 PA Returned R 721.20

Greyville 26 Best Bet (Generous Colt - AUS) Paid R 2.20

Clairwood 23 Value Bet (Ser De Carrera - ARG) Paid R 7.70

Clairwood 23 Best Bet (Sweet Lemon) Paid R 1.70

Durbanville 22 Best Bet (Noble Act) Paid R 1.60

Turffontein 22 Pick 6 Returned R 7167.20

Turffontein 22 Jackpot Returned R 480.60

Turffontein 22 Value Bet (Brother Bear) Paid R 4.40

Vaal 20 Value Bet (Advanced Duel) Paid R 5.40

Vaal 20 Best Bet (Finance Minister) Paid R 1.80

Fairview 18 Value Bet (Knockout Gal) Paid R 3.10

Fairview 18 Best Bet (Treasured Emblem) Paid R 2.50

Durbanville 15 Pick 6 Returned R 4237.60

Durbanville 15 Jackpot Returned R 319.40

Fairview 14 PA Returned R 4825.60

Fairview 14 Best Bet (Rumba Rhythm) Paid R 1.70

Vaal 13 PA Returned R 1281.60

Scottsville 12 Best Bet (Marula Magic) Paid R 1.40

Vaal 11 Best Bet (Cerise Cherry) Paid R 1.30

Vaal 11 PA Returned R 679.20

Clairwood 9 Best Bet (Cool Shadow) Paid R 2.20

Kenilworth 8 Value Bet (Via Della) Paid R 5.90

Kenilworth 8 Best Bet (Rose Reserve) Paid R 1.60

Turffontein 8 Best Bet (Animated) Paid R 1.50

Vaal 6 Best Bet (Senor Versace) Paid R 1.40

Scottsville 5 Best Bet (Cause For Hope - AUS) Paid R 1.80

Scottsville 5 Pick 6 Returned R 3915.70

Durbanville 4 PA Returned R 571.20

Durbanville 4 Value Bet (Joan Of Arc) Paid R 7.00

Durbanville 4 Best Bet (Imperial Cossack) Paid R 2.00

Durbanville 2 Exacta (Ice Eagle and Al Baaqir - AUS) Paid R 9.20

Durbanville 2 Value Bet (Man Ray) Paid R 2.80

Durbanville 2 Value Bet (Ice Eagle) Paid R 4.40

Durbanville 2 Jackpot Returned R 534.80

Scottsville 2 Best Bet (Spiritmiss) Paid R 1.50

Turffontein 1 Jackpot Returned R 934.40

Turffontein 1 Best Bet (Captain Hercules) Paid R 1.40

 

 

Subscribe for SMS tipping by purchasing 20 race meetings for R350.00 and the tips will be sent directly to your phone. For more information click here

 

 

SMS CAPE, KZN, PE, , or GAUTENG to 42003

 

Mike Bass Winners

02/04/2008
Author : Tammi Eastland

Mike Bass Winners for March

ICE EAGLE   02-Mar-08 KENILWORTH GEORDOBA MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE; 1000M  DONOVAN HEGLAND ; K STEAD ; B STRYDOM

MAN RAY   02-Mar-08 KENILWORTH HIGHLAND NIGHT MR 78 HANDICAP; 1800M  M BASS ; LIONEL COHEN ; DEON NEL ; MARSH SHIRTLIFF ; LUKAS THERON

JOAN OF ARC  04-Mar-08 DURBANVILLE  THE MILERS FM 82 HANDICAP; 1600M   G ARMITAGE

ROSE RESERVE   08-Mar-08 KENILWORTH EQUIMARK FILLIES STAKES; 1200M  ANTHONE RESSEL ; B RILEY ; M SHIRTLIFF

VIA DELLA   08-Mar-08 KENILWORTH SUN CLASSIQUE FILLIES HANDICAP(Listed); 2400M  M SLACK

SUNSATIONAL  15-Mar-08 DURBANVILLE  MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE (FILLIES); 1000M  GRAEME JOFFE ; PHILLIP KAHAN ; S MCKENZIE ; WENDY & WARNE RIPPON

WHITE OLEANDER  15-Mar-08 DURBANVILLE FM 69 HANDICAP; 1800M  MARSH SHIRTLIFF ; V WILLIAMS

NOBLE ACT  22-Mar-08 DURBANVILLE  MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE (2 YEAR OLDS); 1000M  DEON NEL ; LUKAS THERON

NEVVAY   28-Mar-08 DURBANVILLE NOVICE PLATE; 1400M A DE VILLIERS ; JP DU TOIT ; M JOOSTE ; J MOUTON

JUDGED EXCELLENT  28-Mar-08 DURBANVILLE MR 79 HANDICAP; 1600M  The late L JAFFEE

click on the horses to view their updated stats

Joke of the Month

02/04/2008
Author : Tammi Eastland

Joke of the Month:

 

Separated at Birth??

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  Mike Bass                                                        Jim Carey

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