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Late developer Selukwe has galloped into the Durban July picture.
Horses in action at the annual Durban July at Greyville racecourse. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
A new video on YouTube takes viewers on a visit to Plattner Racing’s Rondeberg training stables in Western Cape.
While enjoying the sight of thoroughbreds galloping on magnificent tracks through the West Coast fynbos, or walking on the nearby Atlantic Ocean beach sands, you can listen to trainer Andre Nel explaining the equine philosophy of the woman who made it all possible: Sabine Plattner.
“The horse’s welfare is paramount; that takes precedence over everything,” explains Nel, who is private trainer to Plattner.
“Racing is almost a byproduct of what we do here,” adds Nel, gazing bemusedly at the idyllic setting.
Plattner – a horse-lover from her earliest days in post-war Germany – frowns on pushing youngsters to perform and has been known to forego major juvenile races and even three-year-old Classics if necessary.
As this promo video was being posted to the internet by Cape Racing, a real-life example of the virtue of patience was unfolding thousands of kilometres away at Greyville racecourse in Durban.
Selukwe, a five-year-old bred at Plattner’s La Plaisance Stud farm in George – 20km down the road from Fancourt golf estate owned by her family – was raising eyebrows by trouncing a classy field in the WSB 1900m.
Selukwe was not rushed as a youngster, racing nine times in his first year on the track – with a modest return of one win. Not looking much of a prospect, he was shipped off to Nel’s satellite yard in KwaZulu-Natal in search of a change of fortune.
Up the coast, under the care of assistant trainer Byron Foster, the penny dropped – as they say in the classics. Since getting his second win – at Scottsville in May 2024 – he has not been out of the prizemoney in 12 outings, culminating in Saturday’s Grade 3 triumph. No burnout or staleness there.
In his winning interview, Foster said of Selukwe: “His progression has been very impressive. To say he was going to win a group race nine months ago, you’d have probably said we were off our heads.”
He added: “We’ve always said, once he gets the pace we’ll see a true reflection of his acceleration.”
Indeed, it was acceleration – from the back of the field off a wide draw – that so impressed onlookers. And this followed a front-running victory in the recent UmThombothi Stakes in which he effortlessly sped away from rivals at the death.
Such a turn of foot wins Hollywoodbets Durban Julys, so it’s a good job the gelding is already nominated for South Africa’s premier race, which takes place in eight weeks’ time. Saturday’s winning odds of 16-1 indicate how unrealistic that nomination looked to punters last week.
On the question of the July, the assistant said such decisions were made by Nel and Plattner.
When July first declarations closed on Monday morning, Selukwe and Nel stablemate Zeitz were among the 49 names standing their ground.
Last week bookmakers were happy to give 250-1 on Selukwe to win the July. On Monday morning the price was 25-1.
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