July: Craig Eudey

Craig Eudey will record a notable achievement when Thandolwami lines up for the Vodacom Durban July next Saturday as the four-year-old chestnut is from the first crop of horses he had as a trainer.



Eudey, who is based at Summerveld and was assistant to Alistair Gordon for some 26 years, chose the Summerhill-bred Thandolwami at the National Yearling Sales.



“I especially liked the way he walked,” he recalled.



The Woodborough gelding was the first horse he ever bought from the country’s top auction.



He initially thought Thandolwami would be a precocious sort, but the horse gets better and better as he gets older.



“When he won over 1200m as a two-year-old it was probably, in retrospect, only because he had more ability than the rest,” said Eudey.



Carrie Radford, who is the yard assistant, has played a big part in Thandolwami’s success, as he had been a very headstrong and fractious sort as a youngster.

“Jeff Lloyd won on him as a two-year-old and reckoned that without the hard work Carrie had put in to quieten him down he would have ended up a loony,” said Eudey. “We wouldn’t have had a horse without her patience.”



Radford spent many hours working the horse around the turn. This has the affect of settling a horse as when some see a straight course ahead of them they tend to want to tear away.



Thandolwami’s owners, James Roberts, Louis Bernhardi, Neil Butcher, George Griesel, Max McConnell, Stuart McGregor and Eudey himself, are all having their first July runner with the exception of McGregor. He owned Gleaming Sky, who ran ninth in the 1998 July.



All of the connections were at the July final field and draw ceremony last Thursday.



“It was nerve-wracking because with just five horses left we hadn’t come out of the hat and draws 19 and 20 still hadn’t been allocated,” said Eudey.



As it happened he was thrilled with Thandolwami’s draw of seven.



This is the first time the six-time winner has cracked a good draw in a big race.



His best achievements to date have been a narrow second to Likeithot in the Grade 2 November Handicap over 1600m, and third behind Smart Banker and Aluminium in the Grade 1 Summer Cup, both races having taken place at Turffontein from draws 15 and 16 respectively.



“When he does decide to accelerate there are not too many who can go with him. There will have been bigger upsets than Thandolwami winning the July.”






Gill Simpkins
Public Relations Manager