3 minute read

Jockey Barend Vorster sees Sunday’s $200,000 Group 3 Saas Fee Stakes (1400m) as an ideal guide to promising galloper Kirks Ryker’s future endeavours.

With four of the English-bred’s five wins coming under his steering, the South African rider is well placed to be the judge of that, although he dropped him at his last start, and he nearly kicked himself.

Vorster was not aboard when Kirks Ryker – he picked stablemate Time Odyssey instead - came within a whisker of scoring an upset win in the Group 3 Committee’s Prize (1600m) on September 18, but that mighty second to Twickenham for jockey Corey Brown had Vorster telling himself one thing as he came back to scales – he would get back in the saddle next time.

Which is what he is doing this Sunday as the Team Cheval Stable-owned four-year-old has another shot at the big stage.

“I didn’t ride Kirks Ryker at his last start, but he showed he could measure up at Group level,” he said.

“There was nothing in it. He poked his head in front but the other horse came back.

“The horse has kept the same form going into the race. 1400m is his distance as he’s won four times on it.

“He galloped with (fellow Saas Fee runner) Slew Of Lode on Tuesday, and I was very happy with that work. He also trialled very well last Thursday (second to stablemate Eclair Choice while Slew Of Lode ran third).”

Vorster, who has endured a long run of outs in feature races since the Group 3 Fortune Bowl (2000m) with Emperor’s Banquet in February 2015, remains nonetheless cautious about Kirks Ryker’s chances of being the one to snap it.

“The Saas Fee Stakes is a strong race this year. There are some horses with pace and Spanish Bay is one of them,” said Vorster.

“Magnum, Nova Strike and Alibi are three very good lightweight chances, but I guess you can put Kirks Ryker in the same boat as he is also an up-and-coming horse with only 54kgs on his back.

“Pat’s always been under the impression that he can stretch him a bit further.

“There was no such race unfortunately, but the Saas Fee Stakes over 1400m was good enough. When such races come around, you just have to take them and only then, we’ll know how good they are.

“He is well in himself and I’m sure he can run a good race even if the wide gate (13) is not good. It’s been a while since my last Group win, and it would be nice to win another one, not just for myself, but also for the owners, the Team Cheval Stable, who have supported us with a few horses for a while now.”

Shaw has also entered recent placegetter to War Affair in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m on September 25, Slew Of Lode, who will again have French jockey Olivier Placais in the saddle, while Shaw’s second jockey Nooresh Juglall is aboard Spanish Bay for trainer James Peters.

Much older than Kirks Ryker, Argentinian-bred eight-year-old Slew Of Lode looked half a chance as he kept plugging away at mammoth odds of $174 in a three-way go, but had to in the end settle for a close third to War Affair and stablemate Majestic Moments.