By Alan Carasso
Derek Brugman, the racing manager to Markus and Ingrid Jooste's Mayfair Speculators, confirmed to the Turf Talk newsletter that connections are 'keen' to travel G1 L'Ormarins Queen's Plate winner Legal Eagle (SAf) (Greys Inn) to the United States to accept the invitation to participate in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar in November, but are looking for up to 15 other 'passengers' for a chartered flight in early March.
Brugman told Turf Talk, “It is our intention to go, but a few things will have to fall into place. We need 15 horses to fill the charter, and the flight alone will cost R7.5-million (about US$550,000). It will be financially viable to share the flight with other owners, and at this stage we have commitments from the connections of Marinaresco (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}) and [the filly] Silver Mountain (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}).”
Marinaresco was fourth in the Queen's Plate, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Mile, while Silver Mountain filled third spot in the G1 Paddock S., sponsored by her owners, the Jacobs Family's Maine Chance Farms.
Brugman continued, “We don't want to fill the charter with our own horses just for the sake of it, we have a number that are good enough and will qualify, but ideally we'd like to get the support of other owners.”
Brugman explained to Turf Talk that colts older than 730 days (i.e. two years old) are subject to certain restrictions regarding contagious equine metritis (CEM), but that as geldings, Legal Eagle, Marinaresco and Silver Mountain would be allowed into the U.S. following a 60-day lockdown in quarantine. The same period applies to sport horses and mares. A footnote in the Turf Talk story states that South Africa was supposed to be declared CEM-free as of December 2016.
Brugman suggested that others could be in position to take advantage of the charter.
“Breeders, for example, can send a mare on the same charter if they want her covered Northern Hemisphere time by a US stallion and sell the foal in the US, or alternatively cover the mare Southern Hemisphere time and bring her back to South Africa. Yearlings bought at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale this month will also be able to get into the US on this charter because they will only reach the 730-day stage much later in the year and will get through quarantine with much time to spare.”
Brugman told Turf Talk that should the plan come together, the Mayfair horses would be trained by US conditioners in consultation with their South African counterparts.
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