From The Horse's Mouth - Mark Van Deventer

Here are the five best speed figures of a horse currently racing in Cape Town: 97, 96, 96, 98 & 100, attained over sprints.

Nothing remarkable about that – simply a consistent performer who runs in the band between 96 and 100. Those scores were recorded at Kenilworth and Durbanville on soft and good going.

What is notable is that they were achieved over a five-year period with the career top of 100 reached on Saturday. The horse in question is All about Al, a rising nine-year-old son of Captain Al.

People seem to have a mindset about older horses that they lose their speed and enthusiasm with age. In South Africa, horses are usually retired at five, maybe six at a stretch, with few kept in training beyond that cut-off.

Of course, each horse is a unique individual with different talents, quirks and preferences. So, any sweeping generalisation cannot account for the variation within populations.

It is a fact that there is considerable attrition in each crop of young thoroughbreds with horses deemed either too slow or unsound to justify being kept in training.

But are owners/trainers guilty of putting thoroughbreds out to pasture too soon, just because the historic tendency has been to call it quits with five/six-year-olds? 

Adam Marcus is the diligent trainer of All about Al - who made a winning debut under Anton Marcus in January 2021. Adam monitors his charge closely and is adamant that he is still young at heart and loves to race. 

Marcus is typically quite conservative in his handling of horses, building them up gradually, placing them cleverly and can never be accused of over-racing them.

So, when he keeps a horse going one can be pretty sure it can handle training and the rigors of racing. Under these circumstances, it makes sense to persevere with the now 8x winning, All About Al, especially if he is hitting top figures a few months shy of his 9th B’Day. 

It also helps that this solid earner only ever raced within a relatively narrow handicap band of 89 (highest OMR) down to the low 80’s for much of his racing career, though there was a spell when he was rated in the mid 70’s.

One of the greatest old-time racehorses in America was John Henry – he landed Grade 1’s and a HOTY title as a nine-year old. He won more graded stakes than any other (25) and retired in the mid 80’s as the world richest racehorse at the time.

Humbly bred, small sized and back at the knee he was sold as a yearling for only 1,100 dollars. Racing initially in medium level claimers and allowance races, he got progressively better with age, proving his versatility by winning on thirteen different Northern American tracks, using a late running style and tons of determination to score at the highest level.

John Henry, a steely, durable racehorse, is an extreme example of how perseverance can eventually pay off for huge returns.

Albeit at a considerably more modest level, All About Al’s victory in a Middle Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday was also testament to the benefits of a patient approach and taking a long view.