Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (Group 1)

MIKE de Kock is convinced that the Shadwell Stud operation will continue to have horses in training in South Africa even though they are down to only one at the moment.

This is the Australian-bred Al Muthana who booked his Durban July ticket by springing an 8/1 surprise in the famous blue, white epaulettes in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over a mile at Greyville last Saturday.

“This is the last one in training for the late Sheikh Hamdan and his family but I think that, once they regroup, I am sure it will happen again,” said the eight-time champion trainer.

“They have been super patrons and they still have four stallions here as well as broodmares.”

Al Muthana, an 8/1 shot by Deep Field out of a mare by Redoute’s Choice, made up a lot of ground on the stands side in the straight to hit the front just inside the final furlong and score by half a length from Linebacker.

Hot favourite Jet Dark was less than a neck away third after being given a lot to do – he was the last away and he was still right at the back going into the final turn.

Strydom to ride on

THE legendary Piere Strydom has been booked for 2020 winner Belgarion in the Durban July and, as a result, has shelved provisional plans to retire.

Strydom, 56 earlier this month, has not ridden since April last year because of problems with a semi-detached retina that led to medical advice to stop riding. But the approach to partner Belgarion has changed all that and he plans to return at Turffontein tomorrow.

Six times champion, he became the first to ride 5,000 winners in South Africa when winning the Selangor Cup on the Joey Ramsden-trained Act Of War in 2014. He is only 11 winners short of 5,500 and has won the July four times.

Outsider

The winner was promptly cut from 50/1 to 13/1 for the big one in a fortnight’s time but he remains the outsider of De Kock’s trio – Safe Passage is 7/2 favourite and Sparkling Water third in the market at 13/2.

Al Muthana enabled Richard Fourie to equal Jeff Lloyd’s South African riding record of seven Group 1 winners in a season. “And I’m not done with yet,” he declared. “I’m going to try and beat it – and then extend it!”

Fourie, 36, has had a long association with Justin Snaith but he never seemed happy being tied down to a first jockey job.

Now he has managed to have the best of both worlds – continuing as Snaith’s main choice but free to take rides for other trainers in the top races and in the process he has forged a supremely successful relationship with Sean Tarry as well as with De Kock.

Tribute

The latter paid tribute to both Fourie (“full credit to him – he rode a fantastic race”) and to Jet Dark’s trainer Justin Snaith: “He made sure there was a proper pace on (with Jet Dark’s stable companion Crown Towers). So many races in South Africa are run at sedate gallops and so you don’t get genuine results.”

THE legendary Piere Strydom has been booked for 2020 winner Belgarion in the Durban July and, as a result, has shelved provisional plans to retire.

Strydom, 56 earlier this month, has not ridden since April last year because of problems with a semi-detached retina that led to medical advice to stop riding. But the approach to partner Belgarion has changed all that and he plans to return at Turffontein tomorrow.

Six times champion, he became the first to ride 5,000 winners in South Africa when winning the Selangor Cup on the Joey Ramsden-trained Act Of War in 2014.

He is only 11 winners short of 5,500 and has won the July four times.