Rainbow Bridge, a six-year-old gelding by Ideal World out of the prolific producer, Halfway to Heaven has been named Equus Horse of the Year for 2021. Trained in Cape Town by Eric Sands, he has run 24 times for 11 victories (including 9 Stakes wins) and 11 places (including ten at Stakes level). His earnings are a shade over R8.1 million.
Remarkably, Rainbow Bridge has only missed the frame twice in his career – both occasions in the Durban July when over-burdened by heavy weight assignments. Those were by no means bad runs. In fact, he ran with honour even though clocking in unplaced, earning the respected, Raceform- adjusted handicap rating of 123 (in 2020 when sixth) and 117 when eighth this year.
He was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud. Dam, Halfway to Heaven is freaky good – her progeny includes two other champs, Hawwaam (Raceform merit 122) and Golden Ducat (Raceform peak of 113). Her only ‘’blapsie” was In Limbo, “banished’ to the weaker centre of PE and the winner of a solitary Maiden race from 8 tries.
Trainer, Sands has been associated with outstanding racehorses over four decades but remains humble and a genuine realist, ‘We do our homework on the farms, but not all are success stories. You need luck on your side when picking horses.” Previously, Sands had selected twice- champion sprinter, Flobayou for just 80K, so he is no stranger to discovering, and then maximising, the career of budding super-stars.
Even early on with Rainbow Bridge, the signs were promising that Sands had “lucked” into another good ‘’un. Jockey, Richard Fourie identified Rainbow Bridges as special when only a baby. After precocious work with a companion and then a pick up at the 600m on the Milnerton cinder training track, Fourie was moved to say, “Now this is a star!”
Indeed, Rainbow Bridge was hot from the get- go winning his first five starts. In all of these early victories, under Fourie and Bernard Fayd Herbe, he showed an impressive ability to turn on the afterburners and finish fast. In turf races the capacity to quicken in the latter stages of the contest often proves decisive and Rainbow Bridge’s potent acceleration throughout his career in races at the highest-class level over a variety of distances has become his trademark.
An excellent time of it during 2019 confirmed that Rainbow Bridge had trained on properly into a top- notch thoroughbred. The seasonal highlight was winning the G1 Weight for Age Champions Cup over Soqrat, after coming second to Do It Again in the Durban July then third to that same rival and Cirillo in the Gold Challenge. He also managed second spot in the Drill Hall Stakes.
Sands describes Rainbow Bridge as, “a horse with real heart! He uses his temperament to rise to the occasion. He puts in everything when he races. He is not difficult to train, but certainly the most challenging. We have to look after him carefully and not upset his schedules – he gets out of the racing environment for two holidays each year.”
Racing is so competitive at the elite level that, as brilliant as he is, the gelding with a slightly curved back could not win everything during the 2021 season. Nevertheless, he put-up sterling efforts in defeat. Seconds to his ”boet” Golden Ducat in the Grade 1 Champions Cup, Belgarion in the Grade 2 Green Point Stakes and ace miler, Jet Dark in the Grade 1 Queens Plate were still high class performances.
Rainbow Bridge has been partnered by six jockeys, all of whom got off at different stages of his career for varying reasons. Fourie had responsibilities to Snaith Racing; Fayd Herbe left for Dubai to ride Durban July winner, Marinaresco; Anton Marcus was committed to ride Hawwaam; Gavin Lerena switched to Buffalo Bill Cody; Warren Kennedy also had alternative arrangements to fulfil. At one stage when running out of plausible domestic options, Sands flew in British ace, Ryan Moore to partner Rainbow Bridge in the Cape Met – which ended in a tight defeat to One World.
This past season’s decision to use Luke Ferraris proved inspired with Sands crediting fellow trainer, Sean Tarry for making the recommendation. Sands is a firm man but applies fair principles, with loads of experience in managing not just quirky racehorses, but people with their own strengths and flaws. He thought the key to harnessing Ferraris’’ race-riding talent was to provide him with plenty of positive support and boost his confidence.
That affinity forged between horse, rider and trainer proved significant. Three authoritative wins in succession clinched it in the minds of the Equus panelists. All of these scores were achieved under Ferraris, (now Hong Kong- based,) who handled his, at- times, volatile mount with skill and fine judgement.
They burst past Belgarion going alone down the Kenilworth stand-side rail to clinch January’s Cape Town Met WFA over 2000m, powered through the stretch at Greyville to defeat Catchtwentytwo in the Drill Hall over 1400m in May, then beat off that same foe in the G1 WFA Gold Challenge over 1600m in June.
Interviewed before the prestigious Horse of the Year decision was declared, Sands had this to say, “It won’t make me famous or more money and the horse won’t really ‘”know it” obviously, but I feel it would be well- deserved for Rainbow Bridge. He’s had the highest official merit rating in the country the past two years. He’s a phenomenal horse and I feel blessed – just so lucky to have found him – he would certainly deserve it!”
Now that official SA recognition has been justifiably bestowed on Rainbow Bridge, Sands will feel vindicated about his charge who is ranked joint 17th best thoroughbred on the planet according to the Longines World’s Best Racehorses list, with a sky-high rating on the international scale of 120.
Pressed for future plans, as ever this master-conditioner takes his cue from the horse, “’You can’t draw blood from a stone, I always try to do what is right for the horse. There are only a few races that he can really aim for, so I’ll discuss with his owners, Mr and Mrs Rattray. Maybe he’ll retire as a seven-year-old just like Flobayou did, but it’s quite simple really – the horse always tells you what to do.”
Right now, Rainbow Bridge is nearing the end of a restorative Noordhoek beach holiday. After chilling out there, he is scheduled to go back into training with Sands at his Milnerton base in preparation for the Cape Summer Season, where racing fans can enjoy watching the newly anointed Equus Champ’s future exploits.