Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: No matter how you say it, Isivunguvungu is tough and fast
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The gelding’s name is a tongue twister. Fortunately, his race record is easier to assess.
Isivunguvungu, a Zulu name for a severe storm, is a South African-bred who won his American debut in the Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs on Sept. 7. The victory has led to his appearance in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar for the Hollywood Syndicate and trainer Graham Motion.
The recent win showed how Isivunguvungu has settled into an American routine after winning 6 of 15 starts in South Africa, including two Group 1 sprints. Since the win in the Da Hoss Stakes, the gelding has reeled off several fast workouts on the synthetic training track at Fair Hill training center in Maryland.
Motion said on Tuesday that Isivunguvungu is so eager to train that he utilizes some of the open spaces at Fair Hill for the gelding’s exercise.
“We train him in the fields because he’s very tough,” Motion said.
Isivunguvungu is just as enthusiastic in his workouts.
“He’s very fast,” Motion said. “He wants to get on with. In the morning, it’s all or nothing.”
In the Da Hoss Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs, Isivunguvungu closed from fourth of eight in the final three furlongs to win by a neck as the 2-1 favorite. In South Africa in 2023, he won 3 of 6 starts at distances ranging from about five furlongs to about six furlongs.
The Da Hoss Stakes was Isivunguvungu’s second start of 2024. He was second in an allowance race on Jan. 6 in South Africa and scratched from a race there later that month after becoming upset in the gate.
Isivunguvungu spent two months at a quarantine facility in upstate New York before joining Motion’s stable. The recent win will benefit Isivunguvungu, who starts in a tough field that includes the brilliantly fast Cogburn, who is unbeaten in three starts this year.
“The only reason he hasn’t raced more this year is because he’s been stuck in quarantine,” Motion said. “He needed the race and he needed the recovery because he hadn’t run in a while.”
A win by Isivunguvungu in the BC Turf Sprint would be an upset. His presence, though, adds a greater international presence to a lineup that already includes runners from Europe and throughout the United States.
For bettors, there is an easy way to remember Isivunguvungu’s name. He is horse No. 10 in Saturday’s fifth race.
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