David Thiselton
Peter Muscutt has engaged the Australian-based Zimbabwean Mark du Plessis to ride I Salute You in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and this will be a reunion of a partnership which has had success in both Zimbabwe and Singapore.
Peter has never had a runner under his own name in South Africa’s greatest race, but this year he looks a virtual certainty to have two runners as his pair of entries, Isivivane and I Salute You, were in 15th and 16th position on the last Hollywoodbets Durban July log.
Peter said about top jockey Mark du Plessis, who was Zimbabwe’s Apprentice Champion in the 1994/95 season and their overall champion in 1997/98, “He rode for me in Zimbabwe and in Singapore and in fact he rode my first winner in Singapore. He has been very successful in Asia and very successful in New Zealand. He actually had to forego the New Zealand championship the one season, because he landed a contract in Hong Kong. He would have won it, he was a long way clear. He did very well in Hong Kong (in two stints). He is a natural light weight and apart from his current residence (Australia) and all of those other places mentioned he has also ridden winners in Japan, very good rider.”
Mark has never ridden in the July before, but has ridden at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Peter elaborated, “He did well in Hong Kong, whose two tracks are not unlike Greyville (both are tight, right-handed tracks), and he has got a lot of experience on tight-turning tracks in both New Zealand and Australia.”
Mark has ridden 36 wins in Queenland this season, which puts him in 32nd place on the Queensland table. However, that gives a bit of a skewed picture, because in the statistics limited to the metro racetracks he is in 12th position with 18 wins.
Although these are Peter’s first July runners under his name he has had a lot of experience in preparing July horses as the former Summerveld assistant to both Joey Ramsden and Brett Crawford.
As far as big race preparation goes, he has also learnt from one of the best trainers in the world, having spent seven years working with Australian legend Chris Waller.
The Hollywood Racing-owned four-year-old Erupt gelding Isivivane booked his berth in the July by winning the Gr 3 WSB 1900 on May 9, beating the fancied July entry Regulation by 0,60 lengths at level weights. Sean Veale rode him in the 1900 and will stay aboard for the July.
I Salute You, a four-year-old gelding by Soqrat, booked his place by finishing a 0,70 length second to Zeitz in the Gr 3 Betgames Cup Trial over 1800m on June 6.
Peter said, “Isivivane has a 2,5kg advantage over I Salute You, but I Salute You is a very good horse and I have no hesitation in suggesting that both horses are going to see out the trip very well, they are both very fit horses.”
I Salute You will be 1kg better off with Zeitz for a 0,70 length beating and Peter said, “I can’t see him beating us again.”
He added, “I Salute You was also a touch slowly away in the Cup Trial and if he hadn’t missed the break I think he would have taken a lot of beating. He was a fair way further back than I had wanted him and had he been in front of Zeitz turning in I don’t think he would have beaten us.”
He continued, “I Salute You has not jumped well in his last two starts, but we will do some work on that.”
He concluded, “They both came out of their races very well. They seem to be horses who are on the improve and they are both in really good form. Now we wait for the draws.”
Isivivane won’t have run for nearly two months by the time of the July, but Peter does not see that as a problem and reiterated that he was a very fit horse.
Both horses will work on their own at the official Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops.
Peter added, “According to their schedule they will probably both work from the 1400m and pick it up from the 1000m.”
I Salute You is owned by Messrs E C Abraham, Mayesh Chetty, T Herdon, K Nattar, Tony Zackey, Advocate W A J Nicholson & Miss Trinisha Pillay. It will be an exciting build up to the big day for all of them.
Peter said about the draws he would prefer, “Anything from 5 to 10 would be ideal.”
Isivivane is a half-brother to the Gr 1 SA Classic winner Red Saxon (Red Ray). He is out of Casey Tibbs mare Rodeo Sioux, whose three wins included a minor feature over 2600m, so that coupled with Erupt being by Dubawi and having won two Gr 1s over 2400m augurs well for his capacity to handle the testing July trip.
I Salute You’s sire Soqrat’s three Gr 1 wins were all over a mile, but he was a flying second with topweight in the Gr 1 Summer Cup over the tough Turffontein 2000m. I Salute You, is out of a mare by speed influence Var, but that mare is in turn out of a mare by stamina influence Silvano.
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