Marie Galante – still going strong at 28! (photo: Varsfontein Stud)
On 26 October 2016, Susan Rowett posted a series of photos of one of South Africa’s best-loved speedsters, Marie Galante, now 28 years young and still going strong at Varsfontein, the farm where she was born. A renowned character during her racing days, we’re told she’s still as feisty as ever!
By Varsfontein’s resident stallion Mexico II out of one of the foundation mares, Indira, Marie Galante was foaled in 1988 and her birth would prove to be a pivotal moment in the history of the stud.
Susan tells the story. “Indira was one of my father’s first race fillies. She won the Majorca and the Paddock Stakes and went on to be one of the foundation mares of the stud. The year Marie Galante was born, Carl had had just joined. The broodmare band had dwindled down and my brother and I were getting involved and had to decide whether to keep the farm or not. Indira was probably in her early 20’s by then and Mexico II was over 25, so the combined age of Marie’s parents was nearly 50! We had such a fun time racing her. She started us all up.”
Racing record
Geoff Woodruff: She could run like hell
Marie Galante raced for just three seasons, but what seasons they were. From 16 starts, she had 8 wins and 6 places, including a two Poinsettia / SA Fillies Sprint doubles and one of the most famous runnings of the South Easter Sprints at Durbanville.
The diminutive daughter of Mexico II was one of the first horses to pass through the hands of a young Geoff Woodruff, who was just starting out on his own. Geoff remembers, “We called her Turbo Takkies. She was tiny, but was just one of those wonderful little fillies and could run like hell. She was quite a character – in fact, probably too clever for her own good. But she was so easy to train and her form was unbelievably consistent – if she was out of form, she’d run fourth – that’s how good she was. It’s a real testament to Susan and Carl and all at the farm that she’s done so well and lasted this long.”
Marie Galante debuted as a late 2yo in a Fillies Juvenile Maiden Plate over 1000m at Clairwood on 11 June 1991, winning by a facile 3.5 lengths. A little over a month later, she stepped out over 1200m again at Clairwood, again winning as she liked by 1.5 lengths, concluding a perfect 2 from 2 juvenile campaign.
Her 3yo season was a triumph, starting with win in a 1000m Fillies Handicap at Milnerton on 16 October 1991, finishing 0.25 lengths second to Wine Of Origin in the Gr3 Varsfontein Sceptre Stakes on Boxing Day 1991 and then posting three wins on the trot in the Southern Cross Stakes, the Poinsettia Stakes and the SA Fillies Sprint, before taking on open company in the Durban Merchants, closing off the season the shortest of short heads second to Alter Ego.
Susan Rowett: She was just the most beautiful little thing
It’s not too often that racing owners get the opportunity to ride their own horses in training – particularly when they are as good as Marie Galante, but Susan did just that. “I was at morning gallops at Milnerton and Geoff said, go on Susan, take her for a canter on the sand. I was so chuffed, she was just the most beautiful little thing, but she was a real madam in the racing stables. She had this lovely sweet groom and Geoff would say, ‘please go and get her out’ and the he’d tuck her halter into the back of his trousers and pick up a fork and go in and pretend to be mucking out the stable until he could get round to the right side to get the halter on – it had to be a charade. She’s still got such a temper on her!”
Marie Galante opened her 4yo campaign in open company in the Natal Flying Championship, beaten 0.2 lengths into third by Senor Amigo and Rock-Candy. Back in Cape Town, the 1992 South Easter Sprint was moved from Milnerton to Durbanville which turned into one of the most memorable runnings in the history of the race.
1992 South Easter Sprint
Glen Hatt: The only time Empress Club ever ran at Durbanville and she had to come and find us!
The contest, widely expected to be a two horse race between Marie Galante and Taban, sprung something of a surprise. Susan recalls, “It was billed as Marie vs Taban. Marie was so gutsy, she would get a horse in her sights and go for it and want to win it. If you look at that film head on, she sees Taban and drifts to the outside to go for him. She got up and beat Taban, but neither of them had seen Empress Club coming up the inside. In the last 20m she sees Empress Club flying up on the inside rail and she switches and starts gunning for Empress Club to take her on, but the post came too soon. It was a great day at Durbanville.”
Geoff remembers, “Empress Club was supposed to be having a pipe opener for the Queen’s Plate and started 4-1 third favourite. Glen Hatt was on Marie Galante and Dougie Whyte was on Taban. They were so busy trying to beat each other that they drifted away from the hedge and left a path you could get a bus through. Felix happily took it and they won and set a new course record. She drilled them!”
Glen Hatt still feels the sting of defeat. “She ran a helluva race and did everything right. It was so disappointing because I really thought I was going to win it. The only time Empress Club ever ran at Durbanville and she had to come and find us!” he says ruefully.
After that memorable afternoon at Durbanville, Marie Galante was the only filly brave enough to take on the boys in the 1993 Cape Flying Championship, finishing 2.5 lengths 5th behind Signor Amigo, Taban and Gangleader and in her last start in the Cape, she finished 4th to Blushing Dove in the Southern Cross Stakes.
1993 SA Fillies Sprint
‘Miss Reliable’ wins the 1993 South African Fillies Sprint
She bookended the season in Durban, collecting a second set of Poinsettia Stakes and SA Fillies Sprint trophies. Susan reminisces fondly, “The other big memorable win was her second SA Fillies Sprint. We weren’t sure she’d got up. It was a photo finish and Carl and I were there waiting. Glen (Hatt) was on her, he knew he’d won and was waiting for us to come and lead her in. I remember him gesticulating as if to say, ‘come on, how can you doubt me?’
Glen Hatt remembers, “I won two SA Fillies Sprint on her. The first one she won pretty convincingly. The second year we won by a blimming neck, but she always had it in the bag. I was always confident that she was going to win it and she did. She was so amazing. She was a really small little filly and had those typical Mexico ears. She was probably half the size of the average horse, but just had such an unbelievable heart. She was a solid little power horse, she was just muscle. And you couldn’t go anywhere near her on the ground or she’d snap at you – she was so aggressive! But out on the track when you were riding her, she was sweet and was beautiful to ride. She was such a wonderful filly and always gave of her best.”
Another person who was on course for Marie Galante’s second SA Fillies Sprint win was Nico Kristiotis, who was a student at Pietermaritzburg at the time. He dubbed her ‘Miss Reliable’. “She was one of my favourites. She was a very consistent horse and never let me down. I didn’t know her temperatment or how to judge on looks, in those days I was judging purely on form, but it didn’t matter where or when she ran, she always produced her best. If you look at her career she did pretty well at Scottsville and in those days there was a draw bias towards the outside and if you had drawn high it was an advantage. When the book came out and she was drawn high, I said to everyone, this is like manna from heaven, you want to come racing. I told everyone that was short of cash or had money spare, or needed an extra few rand to see them through the month to come racing that Saturday and to back her because as far as I was concerned it was as near to a racing certainty as you can get. There were some doubting Thomases, but she won comfortably and became popular with half the student population in Maritzburg. The joke was none of them left the raceourse with any money – they blew it all on booze – but everyone remembers that particular day and this particular horse.”
Swansong
Marie Galante at stud (photo: Varsfontein Stud)
After that she ran in the Gilbeys. “Then it was much better,” says Susan. “They didn’t have them all on the same day the way they do now. You could run in the Fillies Sprint and come back a month later and run in the Gold Medallion – it was a full on campaign.” Marie was only bested by her old rival Taban, but went down fighting by 1.5 lengths. Her final start was in the 1993 Durban Merchants when she finished 4 lengths behind Jallad and retiring to stud at Varsfontein.
Stud Career
Marie Galante produced 8 foals, of which all ran and 6 were winners, but none of them ever matched her brilliance. She produced her last foal in 2004 after which she was turned out with to enjoy her retirement years in the company of Varsfontein’s barren mares. A few years into her stud career, a mare called Lady Celeste kicked Marie Galante in the face and fractured her jaw. Although the jaw was wired together and healed, the top and bottom jaws don’t line up the way they used to, so she eats more slowly than normal and needs a little extra TLC. Susan confirms that to pay for her sins, Lady Celeste was speedily sold and banished from the farm!
Marie Galante (photo: Varsfontein Stud)
A few years ago, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain condition and she was moved to her own paddock – still within close proximity to the pregnant matrons and yearlings – but where she didn’t have any competition for food.
Susan muses, “It was enormously sad for us that she never quite did it at stud. Because she was a little small, her fillies tended to be small. We kept some at stud, but don’t have any left. But at least she’s still here.”
