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UK-based hedge fund trader Bjorn Nielsen, whose star colt Stradivarius won last weekend’s Yorkshire Cup, was a first-time buyer of South African bloodstock at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale in January and again at April’s National Yearling Sale.
Nielsen is the type of investor breeders and racing administrators hope to attract in droves once the restrictive export protocols are lifted.
This could well happen soon, as the SA Equine Health and Protocols (SAEHP) stated in a media release last Friday: “The South African government is now actively engaged in negotiating the reinstatement of direct exports to the EU. SAEHP is excited by the international attention and commitment to the development of a new African horse sickness vaccine.”
The opening of trade routes will allow for much expedited shipping of horses between SA and the rest of the world, and an exchange of better quality bloodstock.
A filly by internationally renowned stallion Frankel will make her debut at the Vaal meeting on Tuesday. Named Risk Taker, she is stabled by Mike de Kock and was quoted at 22-10 (second favourite) when the betting opened on Monday.
Assitant trainer Mathew de Kock, reported: “Risk Taker will benefit from this outing. She shows good pace in her work and has a chance on that, but we’d like to see how she handles her debut.”
De Kock’s Silver Thursday (13-10) is another that opened on the short side, but her form is well exposed and she could be a betting prospect, re-united with in-form jockey Gavin Lerena and with the benefit of an inside draw.
Lerena, who rode five winners at the country course a fortnight ago, teams up with trainer Paul Peter in races 6 and 7 with good form runners. Peter’s smart filly Vistula (4-10) should make her high rating count in an Assessment Plate over 1,600m, while Copenhagen has shown a liking for 1,200m and rates good value at her opening odds of 7-1.
Vaal selections:
Race 1: (10) Solar Fire (7) Risk Taker (6) Little Rain (1) Allmyloving
Race 2: (2) Silver Thursday (5) Jamra (3) I Like It (1) Perfect Tigress
Race 3: (9) Tiger’s Rock (3) Dancing In the Rain (2) Dad’s Roots (1) Alibi Guy
Race 4: (1) Destiny’s Game (10) Extravert (2) Sparkling Gold (6) Wilkes County
Race 5: (10) Binky (4) Marshall Foch (1) Lemon Drop Shot (2) Fort Carol
Race 6: (1) Vistula (2) Fariha (4) Westwing Belter (3) Lady Val
Race 7: (7) Copenhagen (9) Neng Kapa Neng (2) True Words (6) Baahir
Race 8: (4) Hartleyfour (6) What A Poet (10) Master Boulder (1) Tsitsikamma Bush
Race 9: (13) Montreal Mist (1) Truth Or Dare (2) Miss Samurai (3) Midnight Top
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
New vaccine can open way for equine exports
UK-based hedge fund trader Bjorn Nielsen, whose star colt Stradivarius won last weekend’s Yorkshire Cup, was a first-time buyer of South African bloodstock at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale in January and again at April’s National Yearling Sale.
Nielsen is the type of investor breeders and racing administrators hope to attract in droves once the restrictive export protocols are lifted.
This could well happen soon, as the SA Equine Health and Protocols (SAEHP) stated in a media release last Friday: “The South African government is now actively engaged in negotiating the reinstatement of direct exports to the EU. SAEHP is excited by the international attention and commitment to the development of a new African horse sickness vaccine.”
The opening of trade routes will allow for much expedited shipping of horses between SA and the rest of the world, and an exchange of better quality bloodstock.
A filly by internationally renowned stallion Frankel will make her debut at the Vaal meeting on Tuesday. Named Risk Taker, she is stabled by Mike de Kock and was quoted at 22-10 (second favourite) when the betting opened on Monday.
Assitant trainer Mathew de Kock, reported: “Risk Taker will benefit from this outing. She shows good pace in her work and has a chance on that, but we’d like to see how she handles her debut.”
De Kock’s Silver Thursday (13-10) is another that opened on the short side, but her form is well exposed and she could be a betting prospect, re-united with in-form jockey Gavin Lerena and with the benefit of an inside draw.
Lerena, who rode five winners at the country course a fortnight ago, teams up with trainer Paul Peter in races 6 and 7 with good form runners. Peter’s smart filly Vistula (4-10) should make her high rating count in an Assessment Plate over 1,600m, while Copenhagen has shown a liking for 1,200m and rates good value at her opening odds of 7-1.
Vaal selections:
Race 1: (10) Solar Fire (7) Risk Taker (6) Little Rain (1) Allmyloving
Race 2: (2) Silver Thursday (5) Jamra (3) I Like It (1) Perfect Tigress
Race 3: (9) Tiger’s Rock (3) Dancing In the Rain (2) Dad’s Roots (1) Alibi Guy
Race 4: (1) Destiny’s Game (10) Extravert (2) Sparkling Gold (6) Wilkes County
Race 5: (10) Binky (4) Marshall Foch (1) Lemon Drop Shot (2) Fort Carol
Race 6: (1) Vistula (2) Fariha (4) Westwing Belter (3) Lady Val
Race 7: (7) Copenhagen (9) Neng Kapa Neng (2) True Words (6) Baahir
Race 8: (4) Hartleyfour (6) What A Poet (10) Master Boulder (1) Tsitsikamma Bush
Race 9: (13) Montreal Mist (1) Truth Or Dare (2) Miss Samurai (3) Midnight Top
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