The Jock. The Lady. The Trainer. Stuart Randolph, Lady Christine Laidlaw and Dean Kannemeyer in the dramatic post-race minutes
Depending where you were sitting, there were a few different angles on a what exactly happened in a scrappy Vodacom Durban July. Michael Clower found out what the jockeys had to say after the race
How I won the July and survived the objection – Stuart Randolph
“I broke the gates well and so I was able to keep in contention, and I had the favourite in front of me. Everything worked out beautifully and I hit the front going through the 300m.
“The horse on my outside (Punta Arenas) then ran on to mine. The first bump wasn’t much but the second time he gave me a nudge in the hindquarters and my horse became a bit unbalanced. I had to gather him up and he fought to the line. I was never in any doubt about the outcome of the objection.”
And how Ian Sturgeon saw it
Ian Sturgeon watches from behind as Punta Arenas runs into second
“I got to the 200m, went for my run on the outside rail but it got tight. I went towards Power King but, if you look at the slow motion, you will see that I didn’t touch him. However my horse lost his momentum and it took him about 100m to regain it.
“Then, at around the 100m, Power King bumped me and got unbalanced. I thought it was a gallant effort on my horse’s part. He gave his all.”
Sturgeon objected to the winner “on the grounds of interference in the latter stages.” The stipes deliberated for 15 minutes before over-ruling the objection and confirming the original result.
The film shown to the media demonstrated how Punta Arenas moved in on Power King, bumping the latter’s quarters. Power King’s off-hind foot slipped with the impact and he swerved in sharply on Punta Arenas.
What other jockeys said:
Sean Cormack – ‘phenomenal run’
Sean Cormack (fourth on 9-2 top weight Futura): “I would like to have had him closer early on but he was slow to get going. But it was a phenomenal run under 60k.”
Anton Marcus (fifth on 7-2 favourite Legal Eagle): “I was slightly impeded in the straight and I felt I didn’t have enough horse under me to avoid it. But it was a good run and I have no complaints.”
Anthony Delpech (ninth on 11-2 chance Majmu): “She didn’t run any kind of race.”
Bernard Fayd’Herbe (16th on 11-2 chance Wylie Hall): “I had a beautiful run until going through the 700m when he faltered. From then on he was a different horse and I expect something will show up.”
Chad Schofield (eighth on 33-1 shot The Conglomerate): “I was unlucky. I got interfered with quite badly just after we straightened.”
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