February 6, 2003

IPI TOMBE WINS DUBAI STAKES IN TEAM VALOR DEBUT

Ipi Tombe debuts in course record time
Ipi Tombe today was a spectacular winner of her Dubai debut in the Al Fahidi Fort, a Listed stakes event at Nad al Sheba race course in the United Arab Emirates.
Making her first start since becoming the first filly since 1957 to win South Africa''s premier race last July, the now 5-year-old mare carried top weight and thrashed a field of males to win by 2 ¼¼ lengths.
Ipi Tombe carried 127.6 pounds, conceding 2.2 pounds to all of the males in the field. She carried a penalty as a Group 1 winner. Yet, on International Handicap ratings, her 108 mark was equaled or bettered by all but 3 of the other 9 runners in the field.
The field included Saratoga Graded stakes winner Ibn Al Haitham, owned by Godolphin.
""It was just a cake walk for her,"" said racing secretary Kevin Greely, the brother of California trainer Beau Greely and son of former Keeneland president Bill Greely. ""You know, this was no hollow field. Although it is just a Listed race, it is Group 2 in quality. Wow, was she impressive.""
In winning a first prize of more than $57,000 from the $97,000 purse, Ipi Tombe shattered the course record for about a mile with a time of 1:37, chopping 1.3 seconds from the mark set in 2000.
Trainer Michael de Kock was so unnerved an hour and a half after the race that he had trouble speaking without his voice shaking.

""She''s a special filly,"" de Kock said with reverence. ""I hesitate to say she''s a freak, but she is freaky, that''s for sure.
""In all the hoopla and euphoria after the race, I neglected to notice the time of the race, but it doesn''t surprise me that she set a course record, because the way she has been training nothing would have surprised me. She is so, so good right now.""
De Kock said that racing secretary Kevin Greely told him after the race that he was going to immediately issue invitations to the filly for both the Dubai Duty Free and the World Cup on March 29.
The filly''s next race is slated for March 8 over the same layout and it will serve as her final prep for the $2-million Dubai Duty Free, which is contested at a distance of about 1 1/8 miles.
Ipi Tombe was bred in Zimbabwe and raced to Group 1 successes in South Africa for the Sunmark Stable, which sold a 75-percent interest to WinStar Farm (Kenny Troutt and Bill Casner of Texas) and Team Valor last fall.
The filly is slated to come to Kentucky with trainer Elliott Walden in April.
Team Valor''s partners in the filly include Robert Levy of Illinois, John and Noelle George of Michigan, Santo Maggio of Florida, Bruce Zoldan of Ohio and Ed Weil of Illinois.
""This is the most expensive filly we ever bought,"" said Barry Irwin. ""These folks stepped up to the plate and they now have what appears to be one of the best distaffers on the planet. They deserve it, because they showed guts and faith to buy a horse from the third world.""
What the press are saying:

American-Owned Ipi Tombe Shines in Dubai