OFF THE RECORD #24

Celebrating the Legends of Colorado King, Senor Santa, and Igugu

Saturday's The Championships Finale at Turffontein marks the culmination of the 2024 The Championship Season on the Highveld, featuring Grade 2 races named after three legendary thoroughbred champions: Colorado King, Senor Santa, and Igugu. These names resonate deeply with South African racing enthusiasts and will earn a place on many fans' Top 20 Of All Time lists.

While their inclusion may evoke nostalgia among seasoned racegoers, these champions are far from mere sentimental favourites; their records speak volumes about their greatness.

Colorado King's achievements are such that he’d be a strong contender for a spot in South Africa's top five among armchair fans and seasoned critics alike. Senor Santa was a sprinter of such calibre that he is sure to feature in the Top 10 list for many. Igugu's remarkable credentials firmly establish her as a leading candidate for a Top 5 position among South Africa's greatest fillies of all time.

They all had colourful backgrounds and racing careers, discussed below:

COLORADO KING

Above: Colorado King

It was not envisaged when he was born and accidentally named after a state in the United States, but the great Colorado King was so good that he continued and ended his illustrious career racing in the very US of A. He was sired in his first SA crop by Grand Rapids, a stallion imported by the Birch Brothers from his native Italy, and fifth generation breeder Sid Birch recalled: “I was just a young lad when Colorado King was born in 1959, and I can tell you he was originally named Colorado Kid. I am not sure what the connection was with the word ‘Colorado’ and his sire, because the city of Grand Rapids is 2000km away from the state of Colorado.”

Birch added: “My uncle Walter Birch said he wrote ‘Colorado Kid’ on the documents submitted to the Jockey Club. But they misread his hand writing, ‘Colorado King’ was registered and the name was kept. The colt found his way to trainer Syd Laird’s yard following a customary deal we did with him on colts from first-crop sires. It happened that Colorado King was the best colt ever produced by Grand Rapids, who was disappointing as a stallion otherwise. Syd leased Colorado King to owner Piet Louw and the rest is history.”

Here is Colorado King’s outstanding career history:

He won ten races in South Africa including the 1963 Cape Guineas, followed by the Cape Derby and the Durban July Handicap in the same year. He was Champion Two Year Old of South Africa in the 1961/62 season; Champion Three Year Old in 1962/63 and Horse of the Year in 1962/63.

In the second half of 1963, Colorado King was sold to an American racing partnership led by William R. (Fritz) Hawn. He raced under the Poltex Stable banner in California. Trained by Wally Dunn, he was super impressive and became a crowd favourite. He won six races in 1964 including the Hollywood Gold Cup over 2400m in which he defeated Native Diver, the American Handicap where he equalled the world record for 1800m and the Sunset Handicap over 2600m by seven lengths. He won another race in 1965 before being retired to stud.

At his best in the USA, Colorado King was rated within 1,5 kg of Northern Dancer (who was champion 3-year-old and won the first two legs of the American Triple Crown) and some 5kg below the top rated American older horses, Gun Bow and the legendary Kelso, so he was certainly within range of the best American horses.

In South Africa, his regular jockey Robbie Sivewright rated him a small margin better than his stablemate Sea Cottage, one of the best and most popular horses in South African racing history. Sivewright qualified that by saying that Colorado King was easier to place during the running of a race. He had a devastating turn of foot from a high cruising speed, while Sea Cottage had to be ridden from off the pace and was a scary ride due to his habit of getting going late in his races, in his own time.

Reviewer Mark Anthony wrote in an article on Durban July winners published on sahorseracing.com in 2006: “Colorado King’s successor Sea Cottage was a wonder-horse. If the man who rode them both rated Colorado King even higher, then he must have been some animal.”

SENOR SANTA

Above: Senor Santa wins the Computaform Sprint

Aside from his exceptional ability, Senor Santa was known for his laid-back demeanour, something he was born with and a trait that was noticed within days by his breeder, Dr Frank Freeman of Boland Stud. Foaled on a lovely warm summer’s night – a son of Northern Guest and Mexican Charm - Freeman and his wife Tanya originally named the bright little chestnut with a white blaze, ‘Senor Santa Clause’.

Freeman fondly told: “Senor Santa had an amazing temperament. When I would go down to the stables at night and turned on the lights, all the yearlings would get up, but Senor Santa just continued sleeping. “

Selected by trainer Tony Rivalland at the National Yearling Sales, Senor Santa raced for owners Fred and Harry Cawdry. He won the Grade 1 Smirnoff Plate (Gold Medallion) for Rivalland as a two-year-old before changing stables to Willie Pieters. He raced on for a further six seasons, proving effective from 1000m to 1600m and winning at five different racetracks – Clairwood Park, Gosforth Park, Greyville, Scottsville and Turffontein. He won the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint (twice), the Grade 1 Star Sprint (twice), the Grade 1 Natal Flying Championship (now the Mercury Sprint) and then awed the racing nation with his versatility beating star filly Miss Averof in the Grade 1 FNB 1600.

Senor Santa also made history when taking on Northern Princess (also a daughter of Northern Guest) in a match race over 1600m held on New Year’s Day in 1989. While the filly beat him under a great ride from Michael Roberts, Senor Santa’s drawing power was incredible. The Greyville grandstand was packed so well that only the Durban July outpointed the match race for attendance on a day when there was a cricket test at Kingsmead and a surfing international at North Beach.

Senor Santa’s composure and his easy attitude were central to his racetrack success but gave have his supporters grey hairs. Jockey Gavin Howes, never animated but one of the best around, compounded the pressure on punters with his own relaxed, quietly balanced style on his equine partner. But Howes was a master with his hands and a few measured flicks of the reins invariably brought an instant surge of pace from the chestnut to thrill their fans.

Pieters said: “Senor Santa switched off completely in races and coming from off the pace suited him, because he loafed when he got to the front. In the FNB 1600 we decided he should just canter in the first half. He switched on in the second half, ran them down and won, coming from stone last.”

It was also frequently reported that Senor Santa, when trucked from Durban to Johannesburg to raid, would get in and go lie down and sleep all the way there. And he would do the same all the way back home.

Senor Santa was the first top sprinter to earn over R1 million and ultimately retired with earnings of over R1,7 million. He earned three ARCSA awards and was named South Africa’s Champion 2YO Colt of 1987, as well as Champion Sprinter for 1989 and 1990.

He retired to Summerhill Stud in KZN, and lived out his days as a yearling nanny, but remained a public hero. Summerhill doyen Mick Goss said: “Senor Santa’s story is straightforward: he earned his place at Summerhill because he happened to be the best racing son of the best stallion ever to stand at the farm. He earned it too, because he was one of the ‘nicest’ guys in racing. This was strange for a fellow who posted as many seven Grade 1 victories in a five-season campaign. What made it more remarkable was that those wins extended from 1000m to 1600m, and they were earned at the height of a golden era of South African speed merchants."

“They say you can’t give start in a 1000m sprint, but Senor Santa did so every time he faced the starter, and we wonder whether he ever passed third gear running them down from the back of the pack. They also say that ‘nice guys’ come second in life, but here again, he was the golden exception.”

Senor Santa was humanely euthanised at the ripe old age of 29, on 23 June 2014. He suffered from arthritis. “The only thing we could do was to end it all as gently and as kindly as we could,” said Goss.

IGUGU

Above: Igugu

Igugu, born on 16 September 2007 at the Kia Ora Stud in Australia, became South Africa’s original Triple Tiara Princess. A daughter of the mighty Galileo out of Zarinia (Intikhab), she was purchased, unnamed, by Summerhill’s Mick Goss on the 2009 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. He paid AUD $65,000 and shipped her to his champion nursery in the KZN Midlands.

Christened Igugu (the Zulu word for jewel), the diminutive filly was consigned to the Summerhill draft for the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run sale in November 2009. Leading owner André Macdonald had his heart set on lot no 100, the ‘other’ Galileo filly from the Melbourne sale, named Uthawini. He pursued her all the way up the bidding to R2million, but she was eventually knocked down to Mike De Kock on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.

Macdonald expressed his disappointment at missing out on his top pick, but Mick Goss reassured him that there was a second Galileo on offer in lot 114, Igugu. To sweeten the deal, Mick offered to take a share should she go Macdonald’s way. There was no stopping him the second time round and the little filly with the big action was knocked down to ‘Mr. Mac’ for R1 million. Having slept on his purchase, he rang Mick the next morning and said: “There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is I’ll keep you as a partner. The bad news is, you’ve only got 25%!”

Placed in the care of Mike de Kock, Igugu debut as an early three-year-old. starting over 1200m at the Vaal on 26 August 2010. She astounded everyone by winning by 2.75 lengths, but it was the first inkling of things to come.

She reaffirmed her credentials on 16 September, romping home by 4.5 lengths over 1600m at the Vaal. In October she stepped out for the Grade 3 Joburg Spring Mare & Fillies Challenge and changed tactics completely, coming from off the pace to pull 2.75 lengths clear for a third consecutive victory.

Narrowly beaten in the 2010 Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup, she put up a courageous run against Ebony Flyer for a second place in the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas. But it was a run full of merit and in the weeks to follow, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum purchased a 50% share.

Igugu launched her 2011 offensive in fine style, trouncing Hollywoodboulevard by four lengths in the Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas. She stretched out over the 1800m Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic trip, leading Las Ramblas home by an incredible 10.25 lengths and then sealed her place at the top of her class by storming home the best part of six lengths in the Grade 2 SA Oaks, to be crowned South Africa’s first Triple Tiara princess.

She rounded off her three-year-old campaign in Durban, winning the Grade 1 Woolavington and bringing the house down by winning the 2011 Vodacom Durban July by the best part of a length.

At 4, she had two more starts in South Africa, winning both (the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge and a sensational win in the 2012 J&B Met), before embarking on an international campaign. She made three starts during the 2014 Dubai World Cup carnival (finishing 3rd in the Grade 2 Balanchine Stakes), was tried in Hong Kong’s 2014 QEII Cup and then had two starts in the UK, achieving a second-place finish in the Rosemary Stakes.

Igugu retired a 10-time winner (with four at Grade 1 level) from a career tally of 18 starts. Her wins were achieved from 1200m to 2450m. She was South Africa’s first Triple Tiara winner and received 2011 Equus Champion 3YO Filly, 2011 Equus Champion Middle Distance Horse, 2011 Equus Horse of the Year and 2012 Equus Champion Older Filly/Mare honours.

Igugu retired to stud, but sadly left behind only two foals: a 2015 Dansili filly named Atlaal and a 2016 Dansili colt named El Misk. The Australian Stud Book reported that Igugu died on 24 November 2016.

“She took us on quite a journey!” said Mick Goss earlier this week.