Veteran multiple champion jockey Piere Strydom looks likely to finally call it a day in the Gr1 Hong Kong World Pool Champions Cup as the curtain comes down on the current season on Sunday 30 July.
Strydom was gracious in defeat after being beaten into second on See It Again in Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Piere Strydom is introduced to the crowd on his final Durban July appearance (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
As reported this week on www.goldcircle.co.za, Strydom said that he had enjoyed the run of the race, and was in a beautiful position.
“At the top of the straight there was quite a bit of scrimmaging and they were doing one another and gaps opened on the inside. I slipped through and obviously got there very quickly and very easily. I had to then nurse him and nurse him. But when I asked him he gave me and I thought maybe we would win, but the other horse was just coming back.”
He continued that he thought that there are two things that could maybe have been better for See It Again.
“Firstly, if the pace was faster. Then I would have run at him and not tried to get there quickly. Secondly, the weight. How does a young three-year-old give an older horse weight. That is something the handicappers need to look at. I know you can only give a handicapping horse weight according to performance, but how does a young three-year-old give a lightly raced four-year-old weight? It should have been the other way around.”
In defence of the handicappers, See It Again in a ten race career went into the race as the winner of both of the most prestigious three-year-old middle distance Gr1’s in the country, whilst Winchester Mansion, in a 15 race career, went in as a twice Gr 3 winner.
So close but so far! (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Furthermore, the margin of defeat was only a quarter-of-a-length, so had the weight had been the other way around it would have seen See It Again romping home unopposed.
Nevertheless, it provided another example of the best horse in the race not winning the race everybody in the country most wants to win, and that can be a bitter pill to swallow.
That is not a suggestion the conditions should be changed, because making it weight for age would probably rob the race of the enormous intrigue surrounding it every season.
Strydom continued that he could otherwise not complain.
Asked whether he felt he was still in with a chance in the closing stages, the veteran was very forthright in his reply.
“I could feel him coming, so I thought I would try and intimidate him a bit. It didn’t work, the horse was too good for us.”
He added philosophically that if he could have chosen how he would want the race to be run, he would have opted for the way it did.
Striker was full of praise for trainer Michael “Muis” Roberts.
“I must say Muis turned the horse out beautifully. He was actually better this time than he was last time (for the Daily News 2000). He was more relaxed and less sweaty. He did a great job and the form shows it too. We beat Dave The King and Without Question out of sight, whereas with the weight turnaround they should have finished on top of one another.”
It would have been a fairytale story had Strydom managed to win the race, because the now 57 year-old rider had only come out of retirement for an eye issue in order to reach the 5500 career winners mark.
Some good big race rides were then offered to him, including See It Again. Having openly said last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July was his last ride in the big race, he was now back again to have another crack at joining Anton Marcus as a five-time winner.
“Yes it would have been a fairytale and at the 300m I actually thought, ‘can you believe it, I’m going to maybe crack that fifth one’, but to my horror something came on my outside. Then I knew it was a race and I was just hoping my horse would be better or hold on, but it was not to be.”
Piere said he believed See It Again would come back for Gold Cup day to run in the Gr 1 Hong Kong World Pool Champions Cup.
