Streetwear is a racehorse.
This is our racehorse Streetwear (4chg) (Visionaire (USA) x Buttonhole (SAF) by Muhtafal (USA)) walking around the saddling enclosure at The Vaal Racecourse on Thursday (July 13, 2017).
Sixteen months earlier I had been fighting for a future for him as a racehorse. The consensus from all those in the know was that he was useless, that racing him any longer was an exercise in futility, a naive dream. To date only one place, and that only a third, in 9 starts and his last time out he had been beaten by 24 lengths. That’s a really long way.
But I was convinced he was a racehorse in spite of this. I had ridden him, done some schooling and changed his bit. Riding him had given me an insight to his mind. I thought that he was really smart, he learned very quickly, unfortunately horses don’t know the difference between good habits and bad and he had learned that racing was no stress, all he needed to do was jump out the gates and if he wasn’t in touch with the leaders the jockey wouldn’t push him and he could hack home quietly. Super chilled horse. No stress.
The owner of these horses was very inexperienced with racing and had taken over her very ill father’s string of horses and had asked me to help manage them. We eventually agreed that two more races was all the chance he had left.
His first of the two “giving him a chance” runs at the Vaal was over 1200m and wasn’t encouraging. He finished 14.5 lengths back.
His final race was to be on Mar 8, 2016 and was over 1450m at Turffontein. For everyone else but me and the stable it was already over. A home had even been found for him, it was really probably just to humour Walter that he hadn’t already left.
I had, after his penultimate race, gone into his box with a measuring stick and given him a lecture, told him that I was measuring him for a new home, that if he didn’t play his cards right he was on the cusp of a new life as a dressage, jumping or riding school horse. I explained that I wasn’t ready to take him on, I couldn’t, my cancer seemed serious so I couldn’t afford him and I needed a really good run so that he could stick around and keep racing for a while if he wanted to play polo, and I knew whether I had any type of future.
In the parade ring that day I very confidently, but with my heart in my mout, told the jockey that I had worked him out. He was to give him a shake up as he left the pens. If he got lazy another, because if you left him I said he would simply lose interest, the jockey had to keep him rolling along and not allow him to switch off.
Soon after that I was busy with what is known as “doing a Walter” which is jumping about like a wild thing and shouting him home as he ran properly for the first time, second by 2 and a bit and studiously ignored a comment I vaguely heard — “this didn’t mean he wasn’t going” — as I ran down to meet him in the number 2 box because I knew that he had earned his reprieve.
Less than half an hour after taking the main picture on this post and after helping saddle him (I have taken an official license as a stable employee, unpaid mind you, so that I can be fully involved and am allowed into the secure area) I was enthusiastically “doing a Walter” again much to the amusement of the patrons in the owner’s and trainer’s lounge.
The jockey had done everything right, had got him bowling along, leading the pack, after having eased him over to the middle of the track from a bad draw, after a cracking start on the straight Vaal 1600m. He was still sitting quietly at 300m out and Streetwear, who had been more or less in front all the way, was flying along perfectly.
The field made its move and it now looked like he was beaten. He was soon headed and it looked like another place was on the cards. Probably third.
But our jockey had ridden him before (for second place about a year ago) and understood what was required, he moved and as if he had pushed a button, Streetwear gave his little “kick”, he doesn’t have a huge acceleration but it was more than enough, he fought back magnificently getting his 4th win by a very decent 0.70 lengths and at a starting price of 16/1, he obviously wasn’t fancied except by very few and I only had my normal “each way” wager of R200 on him, and am never able to affect the betting.
This once “useless” racehorse has now had 31 starts for 4 wins and 13 places winning R352 900 in stakes, in his full career he has earned in 55% of his races so far.
However since his “reprieve” he has been placed in 73% of his races, many kudos to his trainer, who has done an amazing job with this horse and the others.
Steetwear is not going to win the July, nor the November handicap, won’t be going to Dubai, Chantilly nor Hong Kong, although we did turn away interest from Mauritius, however this is an absolutely stunning performance in the real world of racing in which very few even win a single race.
Streetwear and all of us know what his second career will be, it’s secure. Its even been announced on TV, I’m busy beating my illness and Streetwear will definitely live the rest of his life with me and be playing polo for most of that time. For sure.
But for now and until then there is one thing that is absolutely without doubt - Streetwear is a racehorse!
Listen to Stew ball (was a racehorse) Peter, Paul and Mary — the inspiration for the title.
