Ipi Tombe: $814,000,000 (ZW) African Mare Breezes To Locust Grove (G3) Victory At Churchill
January 1st, 2003by Jude T. Feld
Ipi Tombe’s U.S. Debut
Four Footed Fotos Photo
Zimbabwe, an arid country in Southern Africa is home to just over 11 million people. Slightly more than 10 percent of the population lives in the capital city of Harare. Their life expectancy is about 36 years of age because over 25 percent of them have AIDS. Other than Victoria Falls and PGA star Nick Price, Zimbabwe has been known mostly for political turmoil…that was until Ipi Tombe came along.
Billed as “Africa’s greatest horse,” Ipi Tombe, foaled in 1998, is an attractive daughter of South African sire Manshood, an unraced son of Mr. Prospector, who stands at Gary Player Stud, owned by the golfing legend of the same name.
After losing her first start, a la Secretariat, Ipi Tombe roared through four wins as a three-year-old in South Africa, including a Grade 1 and two Grade 2 events. Her victory over older males in the Durban July Handicap, the country’s biggest race, would be the turning point of her career.
“I saw a tape of some of her races,” said managing owner Barry Irwin, President of Team Valor. “She has this incredible turn of foot. I mean this filly can fly. What capped it for me was when I found out she beat the best older males as a three-year-old. She was the first filly to do that since 1955. I was hooked.”
Irwin showed the tape to the principals of WinStar Farm and struck a deal to buy 75 percent the mare for $750,000, an unheard of sum by Zimbabwean standards.
“Their money has been devalued for years,” Irwin stated. “There’s 25 percent inflation. So that’s a lot of money down there. Based on her record and what we thought she could do, I thought it was very reasonable.”
(At this writing, one American dollar is worth 814 Zimbabwe dollars, so in local currency, she brought $814,000,000.)
Due to African Horse Sickness, horses purchased in Africa must go into quarantine for two months or be in another country for four months before importation to the United States.
“I had gone through the quarantine thing with Delta Form and he nearly died,” Irwin related. “So we decided to send her to Dubai.”
South African trainer Michael de Kock went along with Ipi Tombe to Dubai and had her ready to roll, winning three stakes against the boys including the $2,000,000, Grade 1 Dubai Duty Free in course record time and paying for herself in the meantime.
Sent to the barn of trainer Elliot Walden for her United States campaign, Ipi Tombe adjusted nicely to American training and was ready to run in short order. Walden selected the Locust Grove (G3) at Churchill Downs as a nice spot to begin and when word got out that the African star was running, other trainers began looking elsewhere.
Racing secretary Doug Bredar managed to corral three graded winners to line up against Ipi Tombe and Walden entered Voodoo Lady in search of some black type.
Hearts leapt when the “the big mare,” who was the 1-5 favorite, was left at the gate but Ipi Tombe realized that she was a tad farther back than usual and literally pulled Pat Day into a contending position.
“The first two or three jumps she was very kind,” Day stated. “Then she grabbed the bit and decided that she wanted to get into the race.”
You could play a tune on the reins as she bulled her way around the clubhouse turn, with Day’s feet in the dashboard but once she straightened out down the backside, Ipi Tombe settled into her effortless stride.
“With no encouragement on my part, she ran right up to Kiss The Devil turning for home,” Day said. “I squeezed her a little bit to see what would happen and she ran away from them real quick. I looked around and there wasn’t anyone coming so I just dropped my hands and she galloped to the wire.”
Ipi Tombe stopped the teletimer in 1:47.70 while literally breezing the mile and one-eighth on the firm Matt Winn turf course, leaving Kiss the Devil a half-length behind with Quick Tip another half-length back in third.
“She’s an amazing filly,” Walden said in the winners’ circle. “But you wonder if she’s going to come over here and acclimate well. It’s a relief that she ran so well.”
Doug Cauthen, President of WinStar Farm was thrilled with the performance.
“It’s great to see a wonderful horse, a champion, perform that way and kind of prepare herself for the next race. I think Elliott and Pat charted it perfectly and executed it perfectly which is very hard to do.”
“She’s on our home turf now,” Cauthen continued. “We can feel her, touch her and be around her. She’s such a wonderful filly – she’s got all that class. I hope the fans will get a chance to get behind her. Anytime a filly is really good, everybody gets fired up.”
