Fighting talk from connections
July 1, 2011JP invited to Australia
July 5, 2011STAR filly Igugu scored a sensational win in Saturday’s R3 million Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July in front of a capacity crowd, giving Mike de Kock’s stable its fourth ‘July’ success in the last ten renewals of South Africa’s greatest horse race.
It was a triumph too, for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, who owns Igugu in partnership with Andre Macdonald and also owned last year’s winner, Bold Silvano, in a partnership with Gill Thompson.
Igugu’s cucumber cool jockey, Anthony Delpech, chalked up his third July win for the stable – his fourth in total after opening his account on David Ferraris-trained Classic Flag in 1998 and winning on Grey’s Inn (2004) and Bold Silvano in 2010.
Igugu did it in style, setting the early pace herself and then easing back into second behind Happy Landing, who took up the running going into the far bend. Emerald Cove showed up in third ahead of Bravura and Big City Life.
Igugu was travelling smoothly as they approached the home turn, poised to strike, and she quickly regained the lead as they swung into the straight and went charging for home.
Delpech, as confident as they come, tapped Igugu on the shoulder and showed her some more of the stick when Doug Whyte on Pierre Jourdan moved up with a good looking run on her outside and English Garden ran on well near the rail.
“They came to within half a length of her but she gave me more. She’s a superstar, she’s the best filly I will ever ride in a race,” enthused Delpech.
Igugu kept going gamely to hold Pierre Jourdan at bay by a length, with English Garden taking third ahead of The Apache, who produced a game run in fourth.
Mike commented: “We haven’t got to the bottom of Igugu yet and I said before the race that she was probably better than her rating. Well done to the owners and my training team. They put a big effort into our July runners and we were quietly confident going into the race.”
Asked if Igugu would leave the country for a campaign in Dubai in 2011, Mike said: “I don’t know if I want to put her through the prevailing export protocol. What the world is doing to us because of African Horse Sickness is a disgrace. Our trading partners should hang their heads in shame.”
Under prevailing export conditions, Igugu would be required to spend 156 days en route to Dubai, including quarantine periods in Cape Town, Mauritius, Europe and Dubai itself.
“That’s a lot of travelling for a horse to do and factors like changing weather conditions and the risk of injury on different flights come into the reckoning, let alone the fact that she will have little or no time at all to be prepared for the 2011 Dubai Carnival,” said Mike.
Igugu, by Galileo from Zarinia (x Intikhab), was raised at Mick Goss’ Summerhill stud after being imported from Australia, and sold at the 2009 Ready To Run Sale. Summerhill also bred the second-placed Pierre Jourdan, who ran a tremendous race after suffering a serious injury early last year, a feat for which trainer Gary Alexander and his team deserve compliments.
Photo: Igugu (Delpech), wins the 2011 Durban July from Pierre Jourdan. (Gold Circle).
4 Comments
Igugu is a great filly. Well done to the whole team.
It’s a shame to have such export protocols. I would love to see her in Dubai.
Well done to all at the Mike de Kock yard. Igugu is a star and what a pity if she cant show her true potential
to the world because of the draconian quarantine demands against our horses. Lets hope the powers that be see the light and improve the situation. Congrats and keep that fire burning.
Best Regards
Ashley
Congrats Mike and Anthony for another superb ride. Like we said last week, she was going to fry them and so she did. She won pulling away at the end and still was not in top gear. She’s certainly not a sprinter in the straight but her massive stride and relentless galloping kills them off very quickly. An MR of 109 for 4 consecutive wins, surely she’s much higher than that but how high, we still don’t know. I am excited about the prospects of her 4 year old career and even 5 for that matter. Igugu is the making of the a new champion that will supercede all previous champions of SA racing. 55kg’s against older male horses were the doubters main “debate”, that was still less then when winning the triple Tiara in mostly soft to heavy going. Do these guys not understand anything about horses, form and talent. I believe Mr Bloomberg said she wouldn’t finish in the top 6. Hmmm…..If she ventures abroad through these challenges, please use Ants for but not just for her because we need him here to ride home the other winners. Well done to the entire team and for your transparency Mike, that’s why you will remain a success.
well done to mike de kock and the team.
a world class trainer,and a world class jockey.a
pity about the quarantine regulations.
we hope you can come over to australia and compete
against the world’s best.