One Stripe on his way to victory in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate at Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town earlier this year. Picture: Peter Heeger/Gallo Images It might have been an inconsequential allowance-cum-claiming race at the US’s Gulfstream Park racecourse on Boxing Day, but for the thoroughbred breeding industry of South Africa it was a mighty big thing. The mile event was won by One Stripe – a bay colt who first drew breath in the Franschhoek Valley – in such impressive fashion that faith in SA-bred racehorses was restored after having ebbed slightly in recent times.
One Stripe demolished his opposition by nearly six lengths, just failed to break the famous course’s record for its turf mile and had US analysts commenting that South African equine imports might not be as moderate as they had started to murmur. Some pundits pointed to a “riding masterclass” by jockey John Velasquez, who had his mount neatly covered from the widest draw of 7, rounded the leaders on the final bend and streaked clear. But, seriously, any palooka could have won on that animal that day.
Nonetheless, breeders in the Western Cape, Karoo and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands will be thankful to Mr Velasquez for not flopping it as badly as one of his countrymen did in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November when One Stripe finished stone last after being forced to make the running against his galloping instincts and in defiance of his record. The image of SA-breds was patched up to resemble something like that established by trainer Mike de Kock’s merry band a few decades ago. The local breeding industry had been praying for the day that equine export protocols were loosened to allow for easier travel for their product.
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But, just as that happened, with the European Union, in particular, easing their draconian rules, South African horses started disappointing abroad. One Stripe fixed that. Any local racing aficionado who hasn’t watched theYouTube video of the Gulfstream Park victoryshould do themselves a favour and seek it out. If you thought the colt’s L’Ormarins King’s Plate performance was good, you’ll be blown away by this galloping masterclass.
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