Alexander said, “The main thing will be to have him sound on July day.” Pierre Jourdan has had a few problems in his career. He pulled up sore behind in his first Summer Cup (November 2010),” said Alexander. “He then had a hock problem and has other issues these days. He jarred himself up badly in the Horse Chestnut.”
Pierre Jourdan was originally bought for R60 000 at the 2008 Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Sale, but after the Horse Chestnut he was resold in order to dissolve a partnership.
Alexander had to go to R1,6 million to secure the five-year-old Parade Leader gelding for a syndicate of seven that includes himself. “He was worth that price considering he has a good chance of winning the July,” said Alexander. “He will go into Saturday’s race needing it quite a bit but that will bring him on nicely for the big one. Last year was the first time he had ever seen Greyville and Dougie Whyte said he was looking at everything around him.”
Whyte suggested blinkers for Pierre Jourdan after the July and appeared to have been correct in this assessment when two runs later, wearing the headgear for the first time, he won the Grade 2 Charity Mile at Turffontein. However his career in blinkers since then has brought two unplaced runs in Grade 1s and a third and a fourth in two Grade 2s.
He will not be running in blinkers on Saturday, and Alexander said, “We will be able to tell after Saturday’s race whether he needs blinkers. The blinkers help him in the early stages of the race, but his form going into last year’s July was good without blinkers. We will leave it up to Robbie (Fradd) to make the decision as every pilot is different.”
Pierre Jourdan gained fame as a three-year-old after he had won the first two legs of the triple crown, the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas and the Grade 1 SA Classic. His bid to win the Grade 1 SA Derby sparked triple crown fever around the country and many people who didn’t follow racing had even heard of him, quite unusual for a country that does not have a racing culture, and he consequently became known as ‘the people’s horse’.
In the end he finished a well beaten second in the SA Derby to Irish Flame, who relished the muddy conditions on the day. Since then Pierre Jordan’s best Grade 1 performance has been in last year’s July.
Pierre Jourdan would have to carry topweight of 60kg the way things currently stand in the July, meaning he would have to give 3kg to the favourite Jackson. Alexander said, “The July is never easy with 60kg.” Alexander concluded by saying he would ideally wish for a draw from one to eight in the July.
