Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

A little Hospitality goes a long way

David Thiselton
It escaped the notice of many that the late Laurie Jaffee owned and bred the winner of the Grade 3 Chairman’s Cup at Kenilworth last Saturday to go alongside the honour
of having a Grade 1 race named in his honour on the Turffontein card on Sunday.
The Mike Stewart-trained Hospitality led from pillar to post under Richard Fourie to capture the marathon 3 200m event by a length from a good field of stayers that included the likes of J&B Reserve Stayer’s winner, Sangria Girl, former Canon Gold Cup winner Diamond Quest and the multiple Graded winner, Bill Of Rights.
Stewart said that Hospitality was an out and out galloper who could go hard from the start.
“He can go at such a strong gallop for so long that the opposition eventually run out of tick trying to stay with him,” he said.
“But if they go at a steady canter he is hopeless. He has no speed whatsoever - he is totally one-paced.
“That’s why I was unhappy with the ride he was given in the J&B Reserve Stayers.
“He has to be ridden at a strong pace from the front. I think he should one day be considered for a career over the jumps in Britain.
“He is an out and out stayer and could make a good Grand National horse.”
Stewart said that he would take Hospitality to Durban in about June.
The Grade 1 Canon Gold Cup over 3 200m at Greyville would be his obvious target.
Hospitality is by Badger’s Drift. The latter’s ability to produce such a resolute stayer obviously comes from his father, the former champion sire Badger Land.
Among Badger Land’s best progeny was Highland Night, who won the Gold Cup twice.
Badger Land also produced three winners of the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup, run over 2400m at Greyville in early June.
The Lonsdale Stirrup, along with the Grade 2 Gold Vase run over 3000m on July day, is one of the traditional races used as a stepping stone to the Gold Cup.
“Yes, I hope he can follow in his father’s footsteps who produced winners of those races,” said Stewart.
“Badger’s Drift is a very nice stallion but not commercial. His progeny come on late and people aren’t prepared to wait.”
Stewart trains on Noordhoek beach where he has 30 thoroughbreds.
His wife also stables 10 trail horses that holidaymakers use to ride on the beach.
“We are fortunate to have a twenty acre farm on the beach,” he said.
“We were here 24 years ago before anybody knew where Noordhoek was.”
Stewart met Laurie and Jean Jaffee through his mother who lived next door to the Jaffee’s beach cottage at St. James.
“I took him some crayfish one day and he said ‘I must send you a horse’. He duly sent me a horse every year, but for the first six years none of them were any good.”
Stewart recalled that giving bad news to Jaffee was almost becoming a habit. However, he was then sent a filly that won one or two races.
After that Jaffee advised him to have a look at a horse he had bred, Hospitality, that was going to the sales.
“I loved him,” he said. “I set a target at R80,000 and bid up to R90,000.
“When he reached R100,000 I though I’d lost him but then found out I was bidding against Mr. Jaffee, who sent him to me anyway!”
“I’m sure he’ll be looking down now and smiling, knowing he had finally got me a good one,” concluded Stewart.

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