The Flip Side of Success

Another Gr1 win for Mogok, sire of The Apache, winner in a blanket finish

The Apache would have left South African shores by now had things gone according to plan, but an outbreak of African Horse Sickness while he was in quarantine forced exports to be suspended and resulted in him staying at home.  That brought Plan B to the table, and Plan B worked out very well for him when he came from almost last turning for home to win the Daily News 2000 at Greyville on Saturday, writes Matthew Lips.

The Apache had finished an encouraging fourth in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas on his return from a 24 week lay-off in May, but he went off as a 16/1 outsider for the Daily News, KZN’s only surviving Gr 1 three-year-old contest which is open to males.  Run For It had been very badly hampered by the loose cannon named Ridethebreeze in the KRA Guineas and was heavily supported from an ante-post call of 7/2 to start as the 18/10 favourite in a field of twelve for this 2000m race.  His stable companion and KRA Guineas winner Solo Traveller was the 9/2 second favourite, with M’Lords Throat the 6/1 third choice of the market.

There was plenty of early shuffling for positions as Solo Traveller hopped out in front but then settled into third spot as Roman Wall went around horses to set a decent enough pace.  Il Saggiatore made ground to race handy ahead of Solo Traveller and Mystic Moon, with M’Lords Throat, Empenoso Henn  and Black Wing next in line.  Run For It was well off the pace, with English Garden and The Apache towards the rear as Wealthy And Wise brought up the tail.   Roman Well still led well into the straight, but 200m out the race was up for grabs.

Solo Traveller had been quick to make his move over on the far rail, but was starting to weaken a furlong from home.  Black Wing was very much in contention as English Garden arrived with a great looking challenge, but flashing up even wider out were both The Apache and Run For It.  The Apache stuck his nose in front in the dying stages and held off a furiously ridden Run For It to win by a head, with English Garden running on stoutly to finish the same distance further back in third.  Black Wing was far from disgraced in his first attempt at a Stakes race of any description and finished less than a length behind English Garden in fourth, confirming that he belongs with the big boys of his generation.

Gold Onyx stayed on well to be beaten less than 1.5 lengths into fifth, but the form of this race is not hard to criticise.  Only 3.25 lengths separated the first ten to finish and the 79-rated Wealthy And Wise was beaten just 2.70 lengths in a race where The Apache was rated 107 and top rated Run For It was on a mark of 111.  Wealthy And Wise is no doubt improving and is probably a great deal better than a 79, but depending on what line horse you use he ran at the very least 20 pounds above his merit rating if the result is taken at face value.

Solo Traveller again appeared not to see out 2000m and finished with only an equally disappointing M’Lords Throat behind him.  It is extremely difficult to see either of this pair remaining in serious contention for the Vodacom Durban July, but what of those who were at the head of the Daily News field?  The bunched finish notwithstanding, the first three had already shown themselves to be amongst the leaders of their generation, with The Apache taking care of the much-vaunted Galileo’s Destiny when winning the Gr 2 Dingaans last November.  Run For It carried the flag for his age group in the J & B Met and finished an excellent third, while English Garden won a Gr 1 and finished second in another during the recent Gauteng Feature season.  There may not be a single stand-out individual amongst the three-year-old male crop (in direct contrast to the sophomore fillies), but that does not necessarily mean that it is a sub-standard crop.  Three-year-olds have a superb record in the July these days, and any of the Daily News “trifecta” could realistically win come the first Saturday of next month.   Interestingly, The Apache had finished a long head second behind English Garden in a highly controversial finish to a 1600m maiden race on Daily News day a year ago and the turnaround in form over the space of twelve months amounted to about a quarter of a length.  Not exactly a sign of inconsistency amongst this generation of males, is it?

That said, The Apache, Run For It and English Garden are all hold-up horses who may need some luck to navigate a clear path down the straight in the stampede which the July often turns into, and Run For It especially looks to have a high enough merit rating to require that he performs to his absolute best (and possibly beyond it) to have a chance of winning the July.  He really does give the impression of a horse who would prefer a more galloping track than Greyville, but then we have made that mistake before as much the same was said of the likes of Greys Inn and Eyeofthetiger before they went and won the July as three-year-olds.

There arguably promises to be more improvement to come from The Apache than from those that finished nearest to him.  “He will come on from this run,” confirmed winning jockey Raymond Danielson, who gets on very well with The Apache and who rode him also to victory in the Dingaans.  Trainer Gavin van Zyl also intimated that there could be further improvement in The Apache, who is owned by Hong Kong resident Winston Chow.  Plans to race The Apache in his owner’s homeland have had to be shelved for now and the Vodacom Durban July beckons, but the penalty which Van Zyl’s colt will receive for this success won’t help to make his life any easier.  The Apache is relatively unexposed, though, and it would be prudent to respect his chances for the big showdown next month even if he is not the sort of horse that punters with a weak heart would be advised to back.  His style of racing will not do their tickers any favours whatsoever.

The Apache is a son of the unraced Storm Cat stallion Mogok.  He is the fourth foal of Dolpour mare Apache Rose, who won four races over 1600m and who in turn is a daughter of high class sprinting mare Bold West.  This is not necessarily the pedigree of a horse guaranteed to stay 2000m, but The Apache plainly does and an extra 200m is not likely to unduly bother him.  Bred by the Scott Bros, The Apache was a bargain R80 000 purchase from the 2009 National Two-Year-Old Sale and has won four times from eight starts for R1 053 750 in stakes.

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