It was a memorable, and triumphant, afternoon at Borrowdale Park on Sunday afternoon for the Bridget Stidolph yard. The stable sent out the winners of both the feature races, and Mathew Thackeray rode both.
Lily Blue, to quote commentator Adrian Nydam, annihilated the 1800m Silver Slipper (L) field and has now bagged two legs of the Zimbabwe Triple Tiara. Preston, also from the Stidolph yard was second, 4 lengths back, followed by Lil Miss Gee and Centre Stage.
Bred by Geoff Armitage and owned by the Gin’ll Fix It Syndicate (nominee: Kirsty Stidolph), Robyn Macleod and Betty Prosser, one wonders where Lily Blue goes from here. The Zimbabwe Oaks and the Zimbabwe 2000?
Former Castle Tankard winner Peggson proved he hasn’t lost his touch when he won the 2000m Champion Breeders Cup (L) in fine style. Three To Tango finished 3 lengths behind him, then came Bugatti Blue and In The Mood. (Kirk Swanson runners filled all the minor placings and he also had a good day at the office having won the first four races on the card).
Peggson is owned by Messrs A Ackhurst, G De Jong, G M Littleford, S H Murray, A P Nydam, P C Rugg, S W Shutt, S N Buchan & N Evans. The Stidolph/Thackeray team scored again when top weight Christofle won the last race.
THE Swanson stable won the Breeders Champion Cup (L) with Amsterdam in 2019 and with five runners in this 2000m event at Borrowdale Park on Sunday they intend to make a race of it.
Bridget Stidolph will saddle Peggson, who will be no pushover, and Action Jackson, from Vee Racing, second to Sygone in the 2019 Zimbabwe 2000, can’t be overlooked.
Of Kirk Swanson’s runners – Three To Tango, Bugatti Blue, Horseplay, In The Mood and Arte – I quietly fancy Three To Tango but all must be in with a very good chance.
In the recent 1600m Ipi Tombe Stakes Peggson went down to Yarraman by half a length but should do better over more ground. He won the 2019 Castle Tankard over Sunday’s distance and I expect him to be involved in this finish.
The opening betting will be interesting – this is probably one of those races where there is no outright favourite.
There are seven races on Sunday and with two feature races, this should be a good meeting.
Photograph by Andrew Philip: Lil Miss Gee putting her best hoof forward.
The 1800m Silver Slipper (L) is one of the two features at Borrowdale Park on Sunday – and the question is can anyone beat Lily Blue?
The trip is unlikely to be a problem because on November 30 she won the 1800m ZNA Charity Champion Fillies Stakes, and several older and wiser, good performers, finished behind her. Since then Lily Blue has won the Fillies Classic, the first leg of the Triple Tiara, and the Zimbabwe Guineas.
Bridget Stidolph has a strong hand because apart from Lily Blue she also fields Prescott who always finishes in the money. This consistent filly finished second in the Fillies Classic and third in the Guineas. Prescott has yet to go further than the mile.
Lil Miss Gee, a daughter of Gimmethegreenlight (AUS), represents the Terzi satellite yard, Vee Racing. She won over 1700m in January, was third in the 1600m Guineas Trial, and most recently third to Grand Rapids in a 1600m Novice Plate. This yard is currently riding high. Can Lil Miss Gee put her best hoof forward?
Thomas Mason of Tomcat Racing throws a dark horse, Centre Stage, into the mix. Ex Michael Miller, this will be her first start at Borrowdale. Still a maiden, she is by Oratorio (IRE) out of a Jet Master mare. Centre Stage has run several seconds from 1400 to 1600m, and in August, at Greyville, was 2.85 lengths off the winner, Vijeta, over 2000m. Her last start was on 10 January, at Greyville.
The thing about the Pure Maths approach to finding a winner is that moderate horses tend to have inconsistent form and thus their race times are typically unreliable. However good horses perform consistently and so Pure Maths should be confined to horses with indexes above 80 – or more.
In the case of the ZimbabweGuineas, I kind of felt we had some good horses running and so it proved. The Pure Maths approach picked the winner – it said Lily Blue was a blinder and I suggested you “get on”.
I can now report this horse improved by at least six lengths on the time I expected her to run in – that is, she won in 95.62 seconds – not the 96.30 seconds I predicted. The maths on this is 0.70 seconds at 0.12 secs per length – equals six lengths.
Now the other interesting fact is that I was sceptical about the time performance of Prescott in her pointer race – my calculations said she would complete in 96.20 seconds – and on that basis should win the race. I just didn’t believe it – I thought the timekeeper had gotten it wrong!
Well, this filly ran five lengths off Lily Blue – and the maths? 5 lengths x 0.12 equals 0.60 seconds – add that to 95.62 and you get 96.20 – bang on the Pure Maths prediction.
I didn’t mean to put you off from backing her – in fact, I thought she looked well in the paddock so included Prescott in my swingers – and in future, I will believe my Pure Maths more enthusiastically.
Oh, and Wantage improved 6 lengths on his Pure Maths prediction to come second.
There is also a moral here. The timekeepers must get it right and the guys who position the stalls must get it right too or the times become a nonsense!
When the new UK flat season starts, we shall have some fun applying some Pure Maths to their top races – and try and find you some good priced winners.
Boaz Pilosoff, a Borrowdale Park stalwart, has passed on at the grand old age of 94 and will be missed.
Never one to seek the limelight, Boaz was a kind and gentle man who served on the TBA Council for many years while being closely involved with many aspects of the Turf Club. He was an enthusiastic owner and breeder, marketing under the name of Botan Stud. Some of you may remember the black type filly, Orange Flower, bred and raced by Boaz.
There will be a Memorial Service at Rumbavu Park at 3 pm on Friday, March 6th.
Sadly, so many of the “old-timers” have left us in the last 24 months, and it is good to remember them and what they achieved.
With deepest sympathy to the Pilosoff family, and to Boaz’s very good friends, Christopher and Noelene Peech.
If anyone had any doubts about Lily Blue’s ability to beat the boys, they were laid to rest at Borrowdale Park on Sunday afternoon.
Trained by Bridget Stidolph and with Mathew Thackery in the irons, the daughter of Black Minnaloushe (USA) romped off with the Zimbabwe Guineas (Gr3) having dominated throughout. and the race was done and dusted 100m from the finish.
Lily Blue is owned by the Gin’ll Fix It Syndicate (nominee Kirsty Stidolph), Robyn Macleod and Betty Prosser, and she was bred by Geoff Armitage.
Her stable companions Wantage and Prescott followed her home – a triumph for the Stidolph yard.
Fire To The Rein (Terzi/Greyling) ran fourth. During the afternoon Vanessa Birketoft, assistant trainer to Gokhan Terzi, saddled five of the winners on the 8-race card – all with Deon Sampson aboard.
Kirk Swanson teamed up with Devin Habib and won two.
The Centaurian delves into “pure Maths” for his Guineas predictions…
In considering what might win this year’s renewal of the Guineas, the prestigious first leg of the Zimbabwe Triple Crown, we do have a bit of form to exercise our pure maths on.
Remember the rules, check the times shown in the card for 1600 metre races and adjust for Sunday’s race weights.
So horse number 1 is WANTAGE
He has run twice over 1600m but in one case no time was taken, but in the second the horse ran the race in 97.30 seconds when carrying 60kg.
On Sunday he will carry 58kg which is equal to four lengths faster or half a second faster – remember half a Kg is a length, and a length takes 0.12 secs to run.
So if this form was repeated, Wantage should complete the run in 96.80 seconds.
Horse number 2 is GLADSTONE
He ran over 1600 in October and did the job in 97.79 seconds when carrying Sundays weight of 58 kg. Last race meeting he ran over 1200 in 72.80 seconds carrying 60kg – so take half a second off for a 58kg jockey = 72.30, then divide by 12 and multiply by 16 and you get 96.40 seconds but the maths can’t be reliable for a 1200 uplift to 1600. – projected to be second.
Number 3 is TREE OF WISDOM
Here the maths are: 97.14 96.60 – projected to be third 98.00 100.07
DONEGAL GLEN: 98.50 98.36
ZAMBEZI RAPIDS: 98.50
FIRE TO THE REIN: 97.60
LILY BLUE: 99.50
On 2nd February this filly carried 58kg to cover the ground in 96.93 seconds. On Sunday she carries 55.5 kg which is 2.5 kg less or 0.60 seconds faster … hence 96.30 – projected to win – fastest
PRESCOTT 96.20 (I don’t believe this time) 97.70
The big unknown here is what the going might be – my guess is that the going will be good and so Lily Blue should be a blinding bet. My guess is that Gladstone is on the improve and should run second with Tree of Wisdom third.
Get on!
Photograph: Flashback to 2019 when Sygone won, Action Jackson was second, followed by Mia Finola and Three To Tango.
The 2020 Zimbabwe Guineas (Gr3) – first leg of the Triple Crown – is the feature at Borrowdale Park on Sunday and is due off at 16 15.
Bridget Stidolph will saddle Wantage, Lily Blue and Prescott and I suspect that in the build-up to this race most speculation will be about the star filly, Lily Blue.
On form the daughter of Black Minnaloushe (USA) is the one they must beat.
In this important three-year-old Classic colts and geldings carry 58 kgs and the two fillies 55.5 kgs.
Kirk Swanson’s trio will have supporters, while the Gokhan Terzi yard is represented by two fairly dark horses – Gladstone and Fire To The Rein.
Don’t miss what is likely to be the most exciting race at Borrowdale Park for some time. There are 8 races on the card and the first is due off at 12 50.
Let’s go through the field:
1 (7) WANTAGE 58 kgs (MR81) – K Steyn – B Stidolph (R:10 W:3 P:6) Ato – Angora by Tamburlaine (IRE) Winner of the Tote Free Handicap and the Guineas Trial – both races over 1600m. He received 4.5 kgs from Tree Of Wisdom in the Tote Free, but gave weight to Tree Of Wisdom and Donegal Glen in the Guineas Trial. Can Wantage conquer stable companion Lily Blue? The filly had the upper hand in the 1200m Champion Juveniles Stakes in July. I am sure he is going to try.
2 (2) GLADSTONE 58 kgs (MR73) – D Sampson – G Terzi (R:10 W:1 P:2) Pathfork (USA) – Lupin (AUS) by Royal Academy (USA) Well fancied when winning his only start at Borrowdale Park on February 19. This was a 1200m Maiden Plate where Gladstone beat first-timer Globe Master by 1.25 lengths. It might have been different had Globe Master not lost two lengths at the start – and his saddle slipped during the running. It is impossible to judge Gladstone on such limited local form – he previously raced in RSA.
3 (6) TREE OF WISDOM 58 kgs (MR71) – N Takawira – K Swanson (R:10 W:1 P:4) Soft Falling Rain – Minerva by Western Winter (USA) Had five starts in the Cape and has won and been placed in five starts at Borrowdale. He beat subsequent winner Moxie in a 1600m Maiden on October 20 but since then has finished over the mile behind Sunday’s runners Wantage, Zambezi Rapids and Prescott. I like his breeding so not keen to dismiss him yet.
4 (3) DONEGAL GLEN 58 kgs (MR69) K Derere – K Swanson (R:3 W:1 P:2) Biarritz – Yakety Yak by Silvino (USA) Probably has to improve to beat Wantage, Tree Of Wisdom and Lily Blue over the Guineas trip but being lightly raced he might do so. Donegal Glen won a 1600m Maiden in soft going in December.
5 (8) ZAMBEZI RAPIDS 58 kgs (MR69) – D Habib – K Swanson (R:3 W:2 P:1) Dynasty – Cool River by Western Winter (USA) Has won his last two starts and could be the pick of the Swanson runners. At the last meeting Tree Of Wisdom was behind Zambezi Rapids in a 1600m Novice Plate. Has yet to meet Wantage and Lily Blue and this will be interesting.
6 (1) FIRE TO THE REIN 58 kgs (MR66) – Greyling – Terzi (R:8 W:1 P:3) Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) – Dropdeadbeautiful by Spectrum (IRE) This son of Gimmethegreenlight won his only start at Borrowdale on February 2 beating Tequila Man at level weights by a whisker. This was in a1260m Maiden Plate, but he raced up to 1800m in South Africa. Expect improvement but your guess is as good as mine.
7 (4) LILY BLUE 55.5 kgs (MR89) – M Thackeray – B Stidolph (R:11 W:5 P:4) Black Minnaloushe (USA) – Mammy Blue (ZIM) by Kitalpha (USA) In her last three starts Lily Blue has won the Breeders Fillies Mile (L), the 1800m ZNA Charity Champion Fillies Stakes and the 1600m Fillies Classic, the first leg of the Triple Tiara. She takes on the boys here but has the credentials to do so. I am impressed that her connections have accepted the challenge and wish her well. Lily Blue in the line-up makes this a special race.
8 (5) PRESCOTT 55.5 kgs (MR69) – B McNaughton – B Stidolph (R:9 W:1 P:7) Ato – Taylinlee by Brave Tin Soldier (USA) Prescott looks well held by her stable companion Lily Blue but this daughter of Ato is a consistent sort. She has finished in the money in 8 of her 9 starts, and you never can tell.
Photographs by Jenny Stock of Zimbabwe Equine News
Yarraman, with Hennie Greyling up, won the 2020 Ipi Tombe Stakes (L) at Borrowdale Park this afternoon.
The five-year-old Await The Dawn (USA) gelding is owned by Gengiz Goksel and was bred by Limpo Trading (Pty) Ltd. This race over 1600m completed a hat-trick of wins for Yarraman – and a fourth win on the day for the Goksel /Terzi combo. Well done Assistant Trainer Vanessa Birketoft, who runs the Gokhan Terzi satellite yard at Borrowdale, and hearty congratulations to all the connections.
Peggson, second, came up trumps in an exciting finish, and Three To Tango and In The Mood also gave it their best.
There are 7 races on the card including the Ipi Tombe Stakes (L). Ipi Tombe Day is held at Borrowdale Park, annually, to acknowledge and remember the great Zimbabwe-bred race mare, Ipi Tombe.
Racing at Borrowdale Park in Harare - Zimbabwe 