South African Horse Expected to Take on 11 Rivals in Grade 1 Event at Gulfstream
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Rikesh Sewgoolam intends to watch his beloved One Stripe compete Saturday in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) the same way he watches all the South African horse’s races – from afar.
In Saturday’s case, nearly 10,000 miles afar in Melbourne, Australia.
“I say to everyone I’m pretty lazy, so I don’t get out of my home,” Sewgoolam said with a gentle laugh. “I prefer watching on television. I’ve never attended a single race of his.”
Sewgoolam, who owns the 5-year-old horse in partnership with Hollywood Racing, said it’s easier to “sit at home and sulk” when his horses (he said he owns shares in about 80) don’t perform.
Thankfully, One Stripe has done little to disappoint.
In 2024, One Stripe won three Group stakes in South Africa, at which point Sewgoolam was approached by Hollywood Racing about selling part of his ownership interest. But Sewgoolam, a Durban-based lawyer, was hesitant.
“I said to them, ‘Just hang on. I promise you I’ll come back to you the moment I change my mind,’” he recalled. “But it’s my dream to win a Group 1. I haven’t won one, and this may be my ticket to a Group 1.”
Sewgoolam’s dream came true in January of last year when One Stripe won South Africa’s Group 1 King’s Plate, a “Win and You’re In” race to gain automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup. Sewgoolam sold a “major share” of the horse to Hollywood Racing.
“The head of Hollywood is a gentleman, Owen Heffer, who loves everything to do with the United States, including everything to do with the glamour and glitz of Hollywood,” Sewgoolam said. “So, it was a no-brainer, the moment the transaction went through, that he would want his horse to utilize that ‘Win and You’re In’ ticket into the Breeders’ Cup.”
But getting One Stripe from South Africa to the U.S. was no small task. First, the horse had to quarantine in South Africa for 40 days, then travel to France for another two-month stint, before shipping to the U.S. and the stable of trainer Graham Motion.
“It’s a big undertaking,” Motion said. “When they win these ‘Win and You’re In’ races, everything has to go perfectly to get them to the Breeders’ Cup.”
Said Sewgoolam: “It’s very difficult. The export regimen is very complicated, and these poor horses have to go through a lot of hurdles before they get to the end destination.”
In final preparation for the Breeders’ Cup, One Stripe made his North American debut on Sept. 13, finishing fifth in the Woodbine Mile (G1) in Canada. Seven weeks later, he ran last in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Del Mar after tearing out on the lead.
“His Breeders’ Cup run was disappointing,” Sewgoolam said. “Everything went wrong for him in the race. He’s never ever led a race in his life and he turns up in a Grade 1 race and he leads them.”
But on Dec. 26 at Gulfstream, One Stripe’s abilities were confirmed when the horse won an allowance optional claiming event by 5 ¼ lengths. Jockey John Velazquez settled the horse into his natural, mid-pack position and the result was a convincing win.
“His win on Boxing Day was phenomenal,” Sewgoolam said. “That was the old One Stripe we grew to become accustomed to and grew to love over the last two years.”
Off that impressive victory, One Stripe was extended an invitation to the Pegasus World Cup Turf. He is listed at 12-1 in the field of 13. Because Velazquez had a prior riding commitment to Cugino (7-2), the decision was made to bring One Stripe’s South African jockey, Gavin Lerena, to the U.S. for the Pegasus. It will be Lerena’s first U.S. race.
“We’re banking on the fact he knows One Stripe, and hopefully that helps,” Sewgoolam said. “He will get an opportunity to walk the track, and he’s watched numerous replays of the previous Pegasus races, so he knows where the winner has been coming from.”
As for Sewgoolam, he’ll be cheering from Australia.
“I’ve seen him plenty of times at the stabling facility in Cape Town,” he said. “He won six races in South Africa, five of which were Group races. I’ve never been to any of his races. But I’ll definitely be watching (Saturday).”
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