TEN BEST JULY WINNERS

5 ILUSTRADOR (1990)

by Mark Anthony

Ilustrador was a shooting star. For an all-too-brief period, he lit up the SA racing firmament before a cruel Fate robbed us of his presence.

Bred in the Argentine, this underrated bay (who was initially referred to as "Illustrador" until his registered name was finally clarified) raced in the famous silks of the Scott Brothers, whose colours had been carried with such distinction by the likes of Spanish Pool and Devon Air. With a distinctive white blaze and socks, he was far from imposing to look at, but he possessed a tremendous engine, which would serve him well in his big-race tussles.

Ilustrador`s first six starts yielded 3 wins and 2 seconds and it looked as if trainer Terence Millard had unearthed yet another South American-bred star. But in his first real test, the 1990 Cape Derby, he disappointed, finishing a well-beaten fifth behind Pas De Quoi, who was at that stage the best 3-year-old in the country. Pas De Quoi subsequently missed the winter season due to injury, while Ilustrador travelled to Kwa-Zulu Natal as one of the lesser lights in the Millard camp. He looked promising enough to win a few middle-distance events, but not at the highest level.

Ilustrador kicked off his winter campaign in early May, in the 1200m Rupert Ellis Brown Plate at Clairwood, having been gelded in the interim. He was sent off at 33/1, a reasonable reflection of his chances over a distance that looked much too short for him. His stablemate, Deep Down, was sent off a hot favourite. What followed was - based on the formbook - quite bizarre.

Deep Down sped into an early lead and looked all over a winner entering the final 200m, having run his opponents ragged. But Ilustrador, outpaced early on, suddenly unleashed a stunning turn of foot and rocketed past Deep Down to win going away by two lengths. Punters had by now gotten used to the Millard second-string upsetting the stable favourite, but this was something else.

It was too soon to judge whether the result was a fluke or not, but within nine days, Ilustrador had a chance to silence the doubters when he lined up in the SA Guineas at Greyville. The 1600m trip would be even more to his liking and he was well backed at 33/10. The horse to beat was 12/10 favourite Face North, unbeaten to date and the only horse to have beaten Pas De Quoi, having managed a short-head victory in the Cape Guineas. Also fancied was Ilustrador`s stablemate, Bluffing who had been champion juvenile the previous season. A horse of undoubted ability, Bluffing had been involved in a horrific trailer crash the previous year, in which he had lost an eyelid. This was his chance to prove he was back to best.

Face North, who raced handily, stormed clear in the home straight and looked to have the race won with Bluffing battling on and Ilustrador nowhere in sight. Just as the commentator was hailing Face North the victor, Ilustrador conjured up another sensational burst and literally got up on the line, under a brilliantly judged ride from Mark Sutherland. The performance could not be ignored and he was now one of the stars of his generation.

In June, he lined up as hot favourite for the Natal Derby against relatively weak opposition. He was not yet proven over the 2400m trip, but Argentine-breds seemed to thrive on distance and as a son of Cipayo, there was plenty of stamina in his pedigree. In a false-run race, rank outsider Forest Hall - most of whose form was in the Eastern Cape - set the early pace and he proved difficult to grab in the home stretch. Ilustrador, who raced much more handily here, made heavy weather of getting to him and meanwhile Dramatic Verve was giving him a tough time. An upset looked very much on the cards and it took all Felix Coetzee`s strength and experience to get the favourite up on the line for desperately narrow victory.

The bare form of this run was very disappointing and the close proximity of Dramatic Verve and the gallant Forest Hall (beaten only a half-length in third) made it a most unimpressive trial for the upcoming Rothmans July.

Stable jockey Coetzee was now faced with a headache in choosing his mount for the July, and the spectre of three previous occasions when he had chosen the "wrong" horse in the big race, must have hung heavily over him. Of the three Millard runners, Jungle Warrior was the class horse of the race and had already won the J & B Met Schweppes Challenge in impressive fashion that season, but he had to lug 58kg and had a slight stamina doubt. Star filly Olympic Duel was the best of her sex in the country; she had hit the front too early in the Daily News 2000 and been caught on the line. If ridden more patiently, she had to have a great chance under 51kg, although she also had to prove she would get the extra 200m. Ilustrador was proven over the distance, but had run a suspect trial in the Natal Derby. In his defence, the slow early pace there had probably unsettled him and he would get a proper gallop in the July. In the end Coetzee decided to stick with him.

The 1990 July boasted a highly competitive field. Top 3-year-old Topa Inca had already won the Dingaans, SA Classic and SA Derby. Periquin and Sand had been first and second in the Greyville 1900, a key trial for the July. Blue Cossack was a former winner of the Cape Derby and Mainstay 1800 and had shown signs of returning to form. Well-bred US import Lord Balmerino attracted lots of support - winner of 3 of his 4 local starts, he could be anything. Respectable was a former winner of the Natal Oaks and Gold Vase. Lightly raced since then, she had run a good trial when fourth in the Greyville 1900 and she had the services of Jeff Lloyd. Even the great stayer Aquanaut attracted support, despite the trip being too short for him. He had run second in the J & B Met that year, indicating his ability over the shorter distances. It is a measure of the open look of the race that Ilustrador was sent off a weak 9/2 favourite - probably based more on the Millard/Coetzee combination than anything else - and the longest price available on the outsiders was 25/1.

There was the usual mad scramble at the start and Mark Sutherland took Olympic Duel to the front to overcome her outside draw of 19. She got a good position and settled on the rail, tracking the early leader, Dramatic Verve, while surprisingly, Topa Inca was up there disputing the early lead. Eventually, Jeff Lloyd decided that he needed a test of stamina and sent Respectable to the front and she set a suitably testing pace. Jungle Warrior also raced prominently while Ilustrador raced against the fence in midfield, some seven lengths off the pace. At the top of the straight, things became a bit confused as the likes of Blue Cossack and Periquin threw themselves into the mix. Significantly, Coetzee moved Ilustrador right off the paint and virtually circled the field. This was a critical move as it kept him clear of traffic problems that might develop out of the melee up front. Coming off the false rail, Piere Strydom decided to make a dash for home and sent Jungle Warrior clear. Respectable was still keeping on strongly and Olympic Duel was accelerating smartly. Olympic Duel had mastered Jungle Warrior and edged clear at the subway, but Ilustrador, now on the outside of the track, had seen daylight and unleashed a potent finishing burst. Striding out in eyecatching fashion, he swept past his gallant stablemate and at the line had just over a length to spare.

1990 must go down as one of the most satisfying renewals of the July, not only because of the quality of the field and the brilliance of the winner, but also because the beaten horses lost nothing in defeat and in fact actually enhanced their reputations. The first three places were filled by the best 3-year-old colt, filly and older horse in the land.

Olympic Duel had turned in a magnificent performance especially from her wide draw. It was just her bad luck that she bumped into an exceptional racehorse at the peak of his powers. It set the tone for the rest of her career, which would see her competing with distinction against the best male opposition at the highest level.

Jungle Warrior cemented his status as champion older horse in third place. He had been anchored by his huge weight at the end and it was no disgrace to concede 6,5 and 7 kg to two outstanding 3-year-olds. In the process he ensured that trainer Millard had saddled the first three past the post in the July for the second time in his career. Respectable deadheated with him for third and she had run a tremendous race from the front, over a trip too sharp for her. Behind them, Sand, Blue Cossack and Aquanaut ran respectably and were not beaten too far.

The big question now was where Ilustrador would end his winter campaign. He eventually took his place in the Mainstay 1800, in another highly competitive field and was set to carry 54,5kg and concede 3,5 kg to Face North who had won his preparation in facile style. Mainstay Trial winner Rip Curl, a progressive 4-year-old was also a big runner, while Jungle Warrior was allotted his now customary top weight. Olympic Duel went off favourite to turn the tables on Ilustrador, as the weights and shorter trip were thought to favour her. Albeit in defeat, Ilustrador was destined to turn in one of the finest performances of his career.

Slowly away at the start, he trailed the field and turned for home in a near impossible position, some 15 lengths of the pace. Up front, the race developed into a battle between Face North and Rip Curl, with the former always holding a slight advantage. Ilustrador, meanwhile, was battling to find a clear run and desperately threading his way through the field. By the time he finally saw daylight, it was too late and although he was finishing best of all, he failed by a length. Face North, given a perfect ride by Basil Marcus, prevailed in a tight finish and Ilustrador had to settle for third. At the weights and given the circumstances, he had run a superb race and can be considered an unlucky loser.

A week later, it was surprising to see him take his place in the Gold Cup, given the tough race he had just come out of. On form, only Aquanaut could challenge him, and it seemed that only fatigue or a failure to last the 3200m trip could stop him winning.

Coetzee replicated his July tactics, keeping him on the rails just off the pace which was set first by Respectable and then Danseuse Classique, the Natal Oaks winner who waltzed into a substantial lead. Ilustrador made his move early in the straight and initially seemed to struggle to pick up, as Danseuse Classique, hard against the inside rail, kept on bravely and was not stopping. Ilustrador eventually mastered her and got to the front, looking for a few strides as if he might accelerate away, but outsider Hula King came with a strong late rattle and at the line, Ilustrador only had a half-length to spare.

As in the Natal Derby, the bare form was not impressive, but it had been a tough season and he had been given a sympathetic ride after his Mainstay 1800 exertions. It was also clear by now that he was not a horse to win by big margins and only did the bare minimum required for victory.

Tragically, the Ilustrador saga comes to an abrupt end at this point. Even as the public eagerly awaited his reappearance, he picked up a tendon injury which sidelined him for 18 months. He would only run three more times. He failed in the 1992 J & B Met as the tendon problem recurred and inexplicably, came back after another two years, aged 7, only to tail off in the FNB 1600. This was an unnecessary experiment as it was sad to see him struggle through the race, a pale shadow of his former self.

Ilustrador is one of several July winners who were struck by bad luck or lost form after winning the big prize. There are many who may question his high ranking on this list, especially as he won the fewest races of the horses featured here and only managed 3 wins at Gr 1 level. To all intents and purposes his career barely lasted 4 months.

What makes him special, however, was his amazing versatility in winning feature races from 1200m to 3200m in such a short span of time. SA racing has been blessed with many versatile performers: Sea Cottage, Elevation and In Full Flight, for example, all moved effortlessly between 1000m and 2200m. But Ilustrador`s feat of winning over such a wide span of distances in the same season is unheard of in the modern era and puts him in a unique club of one.

Ilustrador probably wasn`t around long enough to make an indelible impression on the minds of the racing public and in many ways he is one of SA racing`s forgotten horses. But he was an extraordinary talent and it was a thrilling journey while it lasted.

Make no mistake: this was one of the greats.