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The Citizen
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Farewell to Striker — Piere Strydom's historic day on the banks of the Vaal
The veteran jockey will call it a day at his favourite racecourse in South Africa — the Vaal. A bog-standard Thursday fixture at the Vaal might seem an unlikely setting for six-time champion jockey Piere 'Striker' Strydom to bid farewell to the game he has graced for four decades. However, the modest venue on the banks of the river is his favourite racecourse in South Africa and – for all his many big-race glories – it is workaday, bread-and-butter fare that has filled his bag of more than 5,600 career wins. One of the cardinal rules of effective gambling is to keep emotion strictly out of the equation. That'll be impossible in this situation. Only the perverse and mean-spirited won't be hoping the great man signs off with a winner, or two, three… He has four rides on the day, for trainers with whom he has had long associations, and all four horses have winning chances. None, though, look home and hosed. Races Strydom gets his historic day started in Race 3, a Maiden Plate named 'Striker & JJ The Jet Plane Take on Hong Kong in 2010' in honour of what everyone – including himself – regards as his greatest performance: victory at Sha Tin in the prestigious Hong Kong Sprint aboard Lucky Houdalakis's incredible speedster. Xenophon, a three-year-old filly trained by Striker's old friend Sean Tarry, isn't in the league of 'JJ', but she is a progressive sort likely to start as favourite. On Xenophon, he'll wear the famous Beck family silks of brown and white, which he carried to victory many times – including on Free My Heart in the Queen's Plate. Clinton Binda will probably not bother giving riding instructions before Race 5, in which the old master partners Nkwenkwezi. This filly is a plucky trier, having delivered six runner-up prizes and two thirds in her 11-race career thus far. Some punters are put off by a 'seconditis' record, but others will surely pile on at odds of around 3-1. The main danger comes from Babette's Feast (5-2), who looks suspiciously like a De Kock yard juvenile 'bomb'. Strydom can then have a nice cup of tea – and maybe even some cake (so long forbidden) – before going out for his penultimate assignment. After Hours, saddled by St John Gray for Race 8, is a seven-year-old veteran having his 95th run, so horse-rider understanding could be in play. The gelding (7-2) is as game as they come but – like his rider – is no longer in his pomp. A two-year-old stablemate, Palace Prince (5-2), could be too sprightly for the old toppies. Race 9 is the curtain call and there'll be a standing ovation no matter where the horse finishes. Young Adam Azzie gets the privilege of hoisting up Striker for the last time – onto one-time winner Summer Winter. There'll be sentiment aplenty, but when it comes to the crunch there'll be no standing back for a Striker victory parade. So, which rival might spoil the show? Imported filly Deal Maker would seem to be the most likely party pooper.
The Citizen
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Striker: Exit the master jockey
Peerless Piere Strydom has finally called it a day. Trainer and old friend Sean Tarry sums it up well: 'If you want to learn how to ride racehorses, just watch Piere Strydom.' Racing fans in Gqeberha nicknamed Strydom 'Striker' early in his career – when he was starting out as a jockey in his hometown in the 1980s – because of his uncommon ability to precisely judge the pace of a race and fly up from behind to win by a whisker. His father Hekkie, a former jockey and trainer in the Windy City, lectured him from an early age about a race not being won at the 200m pole but rather at the winning post. The truth is young Strydom won a lot of races by leading all the way, utilising a coastal tailwind to get away – and stay away – from rivals. Indeed, in those days frontrunning victories were a lot rarer than they are now and Strydom was influential in major tactical changes in the game – even after he moved to Joburg in 1889/90 and took mainstream racing by storm. Spectacular career For anyone who missed it, 59-year-old Strydom announced his retirement from riding this week. He has not renewed his licence for the 2026 season and will ride his last race at the Vaal next week. The stats: six national jockey championships, four Durban Julys, seven wins on a card twice and 'five thousand, six hundred and, um, nearly twenty' career wins. The legend: one of the top two South African jockeys of all time, along with Muis Roberts. The pinnacle: beating the best jockeys and speed horses in the world aboard South Africa's J J The Jet Plane at Sha Tin in the Hong Kong Sprint in 2010. Piere Strydom after winning the 2016 Durban July on The Conglomerate. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images Time to call it quits Speaking on a podcast hosted by his new employer Joao da Mata of Glistian Events, Striker said the time had come to finally hang up his saddle – after threatening to do so for a decade. 'It just came to the point where I didn't feel like getting on a horse,' he said. 'It's always nice to ride these winners, it still gives you a thrill … and knowing that you're doing the job right and to see other people happy. I've always been a competitive person, but how do I compete when I don't want to ride? 'I still do the job I need to do, but when you start thinking about the possibility of getting injured again and stuff like that you know it is time to call it.' He added that the cost of his insurance policies had also grown unsustainable. Looking ahead Strydom will keep busy in a hospitality role for Glistian – mixing with clients/guests at race days, golf days and other fun events. Racing scribes like me have written many thousands of words in praise of Piere Strydom over the decades. Racehorse owners like me have seen him win on our nags when the task looked impossible. Acquaintances such as I have always been touched by the friendliness, warmth and honesty of the man. There's not much more to say. Go well, Striker!
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Satono Reve brings Ka Ying Rising form to Royal Ascot as meeting wraps up on Saturday
Satono Reve (centre) finishes third behind Ka Ying Rising (left) and Helios Express (right) in December's Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) at Sha Tin. Photo: Kenneth Chan The Japanese sprinter will clash with a swag of other international stars in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) Satono Reve could give a hefty boost to the formlines of Ka Ying Rising when he lines up in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) at Royal Ascot on Saturday. Trained by Noriyuki Hori in Japan, the Lord Kanaloa galloper has twice chased home Ka Ying Rising this season, first when third in December's Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) before his second-placed finish in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) in April. In-between those runs was a fantastic win in the Group One Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m) at Chukyo in March and he is the joint-highest rated horse in the field. He shares that honour with Lazzat, a French raider who chased home Voyage Bubble in the Group One Hong Kong Mile (1,600m) at Sha Tin in December and has since dropped in distance to devastating effect. HE DOES IT AGAIN! 🚀 Ka Ying Rising makes it 12 straight wins, four Group 1s and a HK$5 million Speed Series bonus with victory in the 2025 Chairman's Sprint Prize... @zpurton #FWDChampionsDay | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 27, 2025 The four-year-old decimated his rivals by five lengths in the Listed Prix Servanne (1,200m) at Chantilly in May and is unbeaten in two starts at the 1,200m distance. Storm Boy – placed at Group One level in Australia last year – was the talk of the town before his stable debut for Aidan O'Brien in the Group Two Greenlands Stakes (1,200m) at the Curragh, but he trailed in last as the short-priced favourite. His trainer has subsequently suggested he 'had never been galloped or worked' before that start, so an improved effort can be expected on that evidence. The chief British hope is the Kevin Ryan-trained Inisherin, who won the Group One Commonwealth Cup (1,200m) at last year's Royal meeting. Inisherin is the real deal and lands the Commonwealth Cup at Royal @Ascot! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 21, 2024 He has struggled with injuries since that run but reappeared this year with a cosy win in the Group Two Clipper Stakes (1,200m) at York and is still lightly raced for his age. The horse he beat at York, Flora Of Bermuda, has subsequently been bought by Wathnan Racing and the Dark Angel filly has a consistent record that makes her a place danger. The supporting card is spearheaded by the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes (2,400m), where last year's Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) winner Rebel's Romance bids for a maiden Royal Ascot success to add to his remarkable CV. Godolphin's globetrotter has struck at Group One level twice since his Sha Tin romp last May, most recently in the Group One Breeders' Cup Turf (2,400m) at Del Mar in November. Rebel's Romance is just too good! The boys in blue land the @StanChart Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin... 🏆 #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 26, 2024 He made his British return with a comfortable win in the Group Two Yorkshire Cup (2,600m) at York last month and is 5lb clear of his rivals on British ratings. Charlie Appleby's star will clash with Al Riffa, who wears blinkers for the first time. The Wootton Bassett galloper landed the Group One Grosser Preis von Berlin (2,400m) at Hoppengarten last August and has been running well in defeat internationally this year, including when fourth in the Group One Prix Ganay (2,100m) at Longchamp in April. He is set to relish the extra 300m at a stiff Ascot track and looks a big danger to the likely short-priced favourite. Other dangers include Amo Racing's new purchase Ghostwriter, who is yet to strike at Group One level but posted a career-best effort when chasing home Soul Rush and Romantic Warrior in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) at Meydan in April.
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hayes family dreams of international Group One double with Ka Ying Rising and Mr Brightside
One of Australian racing's greatest family dynasties is dreaming of a famous international Group One double with superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising and nine-time Group One winner Mr Brightside at Sha Tin on Sunday. Three generations of the Hayes family have built an imposing legacy over 78 years, with the Lindsay Park name a constant force in Australia's biggest races. But on Hong Kong's second-biggest meeting of the year, Ben Hayes – who trains Mr Brightside in partnership with brothers Will and JD – said winning the Champions Mile and their father David claiming the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) with Ka Ying Rising would be an unmatched feat for the famous family. 'If we're able to get the dream and they both win, it will probably be the best day Lindsay Park and our dad have ever had together,' Ben Hayes said. 'It's very unique. We get to have a Group One runner on the same day as our dad.' The late Colin Hayes started the dynasty when he launched his training career in South Australia in 1947. In a 43-year career, he prepared 5,333 winners – including 524 Group and Listed winners – and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. His son David took the reins of Lindsay Park in 1990 at the age of 28 and made an immediate impact, which led to the opportunity to train in Hong Kong in 1996. In his first stint in the city, David won two championships, and a Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) and Hong Kong Derby (2,000m), before returning to Australia in 2005. David became the first trainer in Hong Kong's professional era to return to train in the city in 2020, with Lindsay Park left in good hands with his nephew Tom Dabernig and eldest son, Ben. In 2023, Ben was joined in a training partnership by twin brothers Will and JD, and Mr Brightside quickly established himself as the trio's flag-bearer. Mr Brightside has often been considered for a trip to Hong Kong but finally makes his international debut on Sunday, bidding to add to his strong record, which includes 19 wins and a close second to Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the Group One Cox Plate (2,040m) at Moonee Valley. 'From a travelling point of view, couldn't be happier with the way he's settled in,' said Ben Hayes, who spent many of his formative years in Hong Kong along with his brothers during David's first stint in the city. 'We feel he's heading in the right direction heading into Sunday.' In one of the strongest editions of the Champions Mile in recent years, Mr Brightside takes on the likes of Hong Kong's star miler Voyage Bubble, fellow Australian galloper Royal Patronage, Classic Mile hero and Hong Kong Derby runner-up My Wish, and Japan's Gaia Force. 'It is a strong race, but he is a nine-time Group One winner. He deserves to be here and if you look at his record, he's always around the mark,' Ben Hayes said. 'Obviously the favourite [Voyage Bubble] is going to be very hard to beat. One thing in our advantage, I know this track drains very well but he will get a track with give. 'If he gets a track with give, he improves. If you look at his wet-track record, he's nearly undefeated, so that would give us more confidence. If we get a barrier where he can take a sit, that would give us confidence again. We're very happy with him.' Top Australian jockey Craig Williams will ride Mr Brightside, while Ka Ying Rising will be a raging favourite to notch a 12th consecutive victory in the Chairman's Sprint Prize. The Hayes family will be represented in all three Group Ones on Champions Day, with David's Classic Cup (1,800m) winner Rubylot set for the QE II Cup (2,000m).
South China Morning Post
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Size assembles four-pronged assault on Ka Ying Rising: ‘it's hard to doubt him'
Master handler hopes one of his Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup quartet can join Wunderbar in bringing down the superstar speedster by Sam Agars on Saturday, February 22, 2025 2:00 PM Helios Express (right) runs second to ka Ying Rising in December's Hong Kong Sprint. Photos: Kenneth Chan The John Size-trained Wunderbar is the only galloper to finish in front of superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising but the master handler hopes one of his stablemates can emulate the feat in Sunday's Group One Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m). Size saddles up half of the gallopers aiming to prevent Ka Ying Rising winning his 10th straight race and third Group One, with Helios Express out to turn the tables after four consecutive placings behind David Hayes' speed machine. Howdeepisyourlove also has multiple placings behind Ka Ying Rising this term, while Beauty Eternal and Red Lion step down in trip for the season's only 1,400m Group One. 'Obviously we don't get many opportunities to show their 1,400m form – there's only one a year at Group One level and we don't get a lot of visitors for this race,' said Size of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup, which he has won with Electronic Unicorn (2004), Contentment (2016) and Waikuku (2021). — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 8, 2024 'But's it's always an interesting contest and we've got 1,600m horses and 1,200m horses coming together, which mixes it up a little bit.' While Ka Ying Rising will race over further than 1,200m for the first time, Beauty Eternal is a Group Three winner over 1,400m as well as a Group One victor at a mile and Helios Express snared the Classic Mile and Classic Cup (1,800m) last season. 'Helios Express looks normal. He's trained well and he's strong. The 1,400m might help him out a little bit,' said Size. 'We might get a change in the result, you never know, but the favourite has such a high rating that it's hard to doubt him. It should carry him through. 'Beauty Eternal is training well and I'm not worried about his form. He seems to be in excellent health and condition. The horse is happy. 'The day he won his Group One [in the last year's Champions Mile] it was a rain-affected track, which he might be missing this weekend, but in the past couple of weeks the grass has come on really well on the course proper and it should have bit of cushion in it. 'Howdeepisyourlove has been in very good shape. He's been racing consistently, he does everything right and he runs the same race every time. 'Red Lion is probably a bit over an overachiever. It would be fair to say he's done more than what we expected of him and his honesty will see him through. He's going to give a good account of himself, as usual.' While Helios Express will be ridden by regular jockey Hugh Bowman, there's been plenty of shuffling among Size's other runners and the favourite. Ka Ying Rising will be ridden by Karis Teetan in the absence of the injured Zac Purton and Andrea Atzeni takes the reins from the Australian aboard Beauty Eternal, while Red Lion will be partnered by Alexis Badel for the first time this season. Also among the rotations is the booking of Ben Thompson to replace James McDonald aboard Howdeepisyourlove, with the New Zealander not making it back from Saudi Arabia in time after riding Romantic Warrior in the Group One Saudi Cup (1,800m). McDonald is expected to get to Sha Tin in time to partner Voyage Bubble in the Group One Gold Cup (2,000m), however, with the Size-trained Ensued among the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained galloper's nine opponents.
