By Harwyn Witherspoon – S.A. Racehorse Magazine – May 1989 – pages 99-101
The mighty Sentinel is no more. This magnificent Thoroughbred who sustained class, versatility, and durability through five seasons of active competition against the best there was to offer during the early seventies, died earlier this year at the stud where he was born on 21 September 1968.
Sentinel was a horse who galloped his way into the hearts of countless followers of the Turf, and none more so than trainer Joe Joseph and the young apprentice jockey Michael Roberts.
Joe Joseph had long been associated with Ray and his son Graham Ellis, and he was responsible for conditioning the massive son of American-bred No Reprieve and home-bred matron Winter’s Eve throughout the horse’s five season 56 race campaign. Sentinel was partnered by 14 different riders during this period, but it was the up-and-coming future champion jockey Michael Roberts, who was the most successful aboard the big bay, winning 14½ races. In fact, the Sentinel-Roberts Combination was only once off the board in 27 outings.
The Sentinel story began in 1967 when the Ellis’s planned the mating of the young Wilwyn (GB) mare Winter’s Eve, a moderate track performer with two sprint successes from 14 starts at three, with their new sire No Reprieve (USA), a Court Martial horse who had won three times in his native land before coming to South Africa.
Despite her mediocre track record, Winter’s Eve was from a good winner- producing family. Her dam Mashaquita, by classic winning My Babu, bred five individual winners of 23 races. Grandam Mashaq produced nine winners including Irish 2 000 Guineas, St Leger and Coronation Cup winner Beau Sabreur, Irish 2 000 Guineas winner and Epsom Derby third Signal Box, Middle Park Stakes and 2000 Guineas third Masked Light, and Masham (GB). Masham (GB) landed the Middle Park Stakes, New Stakes, Minting Stakes, Greenham Stakes and New Carew Stakes and was placed in the Guineas before arriving in South Africa to take up stud duties at the Ellis’s Hartford Stud at Mooi River.
Winter’s Eve’s sire Wilwyn (GB) won 20 races including the Washington International and, for a horse who stayed 2 400 m, possessed an exceptional turn of foot. He was a marked success at stud, and, apart from getting a number of very good racehorses, was to the fore as a broodmare sire. So, with strength on both sides of her pedigree, there was every reason to believe that Winter’s Eve would produce a decent race- horse, and this she did in Sentinel.
A big yearling, Sentinel was given time before going into training, only joining Joe Joseph’s yard in the second half of 1970.
The astute trainer took an immediate liking to the overgrown youngster, who, before his first race, was considered by a number of work riders to be a ‘big squib”. And their opinion seemed vindicated after the colt’s first run. Sentinel was unsighted in a field of 16 maiden juveniles over the Greyville 1000m on 13 February 1971, the race being won by future star In Full Flight.
However, there was an amazing transformation a month later when George Davies, replacing Sentinel’s debut partner “Snowy” Reid, steered the colt to an effortless 8½ length victory over 1000m at Scottsville. A further four weeks on and with Michael Roberts in the irons, Sentinel had his third start, running second to In Full Flight in the Clairwood Easter Bonnet Nursery Stakes. Then followed an unplaced run in the 1 400 m Breeders’ Challenge Stakes the only time that Sentinel with Michael Roberts in the saddle failed to make the frame.
Sentinel thrived on work. He had a busy few weeks in the May of his two-year-old career on the 8th and under George Davies, he won the Natal Breeders’ Stakes, a week later with Gerald Turner up he was 1/2 length second to Transvaal raider Chasm in the Smirnoff Plate, and then 14 days later, again under Davies, was a 3-length winner from Full Stretch, Elevation and 11 other juveniles in the 1200m African Breeders’ Plate.
He ended the season with a fourth to Elevation, Last Laugh and Chasm, with favourite In Full Flight unplaced, in the 1 400 m Champion Nursery Stakes, this time with Clive Hyde aboard. While he won three of eight juvenile starts with a similar number of places, Sentinel was considered no more than a reasonable sort, his efforts certainly giving no indication of what was to follow the next four seasons.
First time out at three he was second to In Full Flight in the Summerveld Free Handicap and then came out a month later to trot in by 8½ lengths in a B division 000 m at Clairwood. A similar period later he cruised to an easy win in the 1600 m Natal Guineas and then made it three from four for the season by winning a second division 1400m at Greyville.
A fortnight on and with Italian rider Gianfranco Dettori in the saddle – his fourth different rider in 5 races – Sentinel was third to In Full Flight and Elevation in Scottsville’s 1600 m Bull Brand Jockeys International. His final start in Natal in 1971 saw the colt race to an easy victory in the Clairwood Christmas Handicap before going off to the Cape for the rich summer.
Towards the end of January 1972 Sentinel and In Full Flight met at level weights in Kenilworth’s 1 400 m Swazi Spa Holiday Inns Stakes – their final prep for the Cape of Good Hope Guineas 11 days later – with victory going to the latter by the shortest of heads.
In Full Flight was favoured as an even-money chance for the Guineas with Sentinel third choice at 6/1 and what a race it turned out to be. These two great horses matched stride for stride to the line, neither wilting under the pressure, the photo-finish signaling a dead heat to this important classic. A fortnight later the pair renewed their challenge in the 1 600 m Queen’s Plate and again it was a thrilling contest before In Full Flight drew off in the closing stages to beat Sentinel by little more than 2 lengths with grand old campaigner William Penn third.
Sentinel then enjoyed his longest break from racing thus far. He returned to Natal for the winter season, and sported silks for the first time in his home province in 1972 when he came out for Greyville’s w.f.a. Drill Hall stakes in early May. He was beaten a short-head by Applause that day but was back in a winning vein a few weeks later with a sparkling win under Bert Hayden – his seventh different rider – in Clairwood’s Rupert Ellis Brown Memorial Plate.
Ten days later Sentinel turned in one of his greatest performances when he beat Elevation by 1½ lengths with 1/3 favourite In Full Flight a further 2 lengths back third in the South African Guineas, thereby turning the tables on his old rival, who went on to land the Rothmans July Handicap. A week later and this time with Johnny McCreedy in the saddle, Sentinel won his first Clairwood Champion Stakes, (now the Schweppes Challenge).
Sentinel had two more starts at three, running fourth in his first attempt at a bit of ground in the 2000m Dick King Stakes (today the Gr 1 Daily News 2 000) and second to In Full Flight in Clairwood’s 1400m Woolavington Cup.
His record at three was 15 starts, 7½ wins, 5 seconds, a third and a fourth: Impressive by any standards, particularly considering the races and class of opposition.
He had 13 outings at four, winning 8 and was twice unplaced when down the field in the 2 000 m Benson & Hedges Metropolitan Stakes and his second attempt at the Queen’s Plate.
Sentinel travelled widely that term. His opening effort was at Turffontein where he was caught close to home and beaten a head by Chindit in the 1 600 m Transvaal Champion Stakes. He went back to Greyville for third place in a top division sprint followed by a return to Turffontein to win the 1 600 m Hawaii Stakes in the hands of Raymond Rhodes. From there it was the Cape where he won twice in four starts, beating Bolero and Lords (SNL) in the 1000 m Gordon Kirkpatrick Memorial Handicap. He again accounted for Lords (SNL) in the Cape Flying Championship at the same distance.
After his Cape sojourn he returned to Natal where he was a 4 length winner of the w.f.a Concord Stakes over 1000 m and three days later won the 1400m w.f.a Drill Hall Stakes by the same margin. Michael Roberts, who had renewed acquaintances with the horse in both the Concord and Drill Hall, took the partnership to victory over Lords (SNL) and Elevation in the 1200m Newbury Chairman’s Stakes before notching up Sentinel’s second successive triumph in the Clairwood Champion Stakes. A fortnight later, after a troubled passage, they had to give in by a neck and a short-head to Tommy Armour and Ocean City in Scottsville’s Gilbey Stakes, but ended the season on a winning note with a 3½ length success in Clairwood’s Woolavington Cup.
Sentinel lost none of his class, zest or versatility as a five-year-old, racing 10 times for five wins and five seconds over distances from 1000 to 2000m. Again, he was a much-travelled campaigner and each time he raced that year, he had the services of Michael Roberts.
He opened the season with a victory in the 1000m Stewards Cup at Greyville and a week later was second to Force Ten in the same track’s 2000m Champion Stakes. His next two outings were at Turffontein where he won the Transvaal Champion Stakes and Keith Hepburn Champion Stakes before going on to the Cape. A week after storming to 5¾ length victory in Milnerton’s 1 000 m President’s Trophy he was second to Sword Dancer in the 1 600 m Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth. Before coming back to race in Natal, Sentinel stopped off in Port Elizabeth to annex the 1 600 m Fairview Stakes, a race which was a ‘benefit’ for the 1/5 favourite.
A short break followed and then the second in the Natal winter season – Concord Stakes, three days later filling the same spot in the Drill Hall Stakes and then closing out the season with another runner-up berth in the Woolavington w.f.a. Cup.
Sentinel was beaten in his first two outings at six – third when ridden by Dennis Bosch in the Stewards Cup and fourth under Raymond Rhodes in the Transvaal Champion Stakes won by New Zealand bred Sledgehammer from Elevation and Diamond Prince. He was having his longest non-winning sequence, and one could have been excused for believing that here was a waning star. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
This marvellous sprinter bounced back at Gosforth Park in early November of 1974 to give James Maree an armchair ride in the 1000m Joseph Dorfman Memorial Stakes. Sentinel did not find a place in the Hawaii Stakes a few weeks later but seven days later he was back in Gosforth Park’s number one box, this time Maree keeping him going to grab the thick end of the purse in the 1000m w.f.a. National Sprint.
In early 1975 Michael registered his 14th win aboard Sentinel when the pair were too good Harry Hotspur, Archangel and Yataghan in Milnerton’s Jack Stubbs Memorial Trophy run over 1 000 m at w.f.a. terms.
Johnny Cawcutt substituted for Roberts in the Queen’s Plate a fortnight later, the latter having the mount on the winner Sledgehammer (NZ) while Sentinel made one of his rare unplaced showings. From there it was on to Port Elizabeth where Roberts coaxed Sentinel to a ½ length victory over subsequent Rothmans July Handicap winner Jamaican Music in the 1 600 m Duco Dulux Cup. A month later the pair were beaten a head and a neck by Embassy and Ocean City in Greyville’s 1000m Concord Stakes.
Clairwood’s Woolavington Cup w,f.a. towards the close of the 1974-75 season had been planned as Sentinel’s final track appearance and the champion went out in a blaze of glory. With Michael Roberts unable to ride having broken a finger, leading apprentice Harold Taylor was entrusted with the mount on the star who had thrilled racegoers for a number of seasons. The first time the young rider and the champion met was in the parade ring prior to the race.
Sentinel duly arrived in the Woolavington, turning the tables on Embassy by ½ length with Sabre running into third spot. And so, the curtain came down on a magnificent track career – 56 races, 28 ½ victories, 13 seconds, 5 thirds, 3 fourths and only 6 times off the boards for earnings of R207 990.
Not a lot of money by today’s figures, and at current values for the events he contested, Sentinel would have amassed in the region of R2 million. He twice set national stakes marks during his career – Elevation headed him after the first record but Sentinel’s further exploits saw him regain top spot.
It was the class of opposition he took on over five seasons that made Sentinel a true champion. Of his 28 ½ races, all bar three of these successes were gained in feature events and he was placed in 19 stakes events.
Joe Joseph, however, while readily admitting that his charge was a great horse and “as a four-year-old could have held his own with the best in the world at 1 400m”, is hesitant to name him the best he has ever trained. The veteran trainer has an extremely high regard for Cosmonaut, a brilliant stayer in the early 60’s, and feels that the latter warrants a position on a par with Sentinel.
Sadly, the glory Sentinel attained on the track did not come his way in the stud. Sentinel had a fertility problem and got only 6 foals from his first 3 from his first the winners crops – Selous Scout, Solitaire and Protectress, who was also runner-up in the South African Oaks, winner Beacon Hill and unsuccessful Star Parade from his second, and the three-time winner Cheetah from his third. He produced only one other foal, the winning Forest Guard from his fifth season at stud.
So, Sentinel is gone, leaving behind nothing remotely as good as himself but whenever racing folk gather to discuss the stars of yesteryear, his name is sure to be there with the greats of the South African Turf.
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Notes (not part of original article)
Sentinel is the most successful stakes horse ever to run in South Africa with 19 wins in what today would be recognised as Graded races, and another 7 in Feature races. Only Wolf Power (16 Graded and 1 Feature wins), Sea Cottage (15 Graded and 3 Feature wins) and Pocket Power (15 Graded wins) came close to that record.
He raced against In Full Flight eleven times, from two to four, running second to him on 5 occasions. He dead-heated with In Full Flight once and managed to finish ahead of him on only 2 occasions; when both finished downfield to Elevation in the 1971 Champion Nursery Stakes and when he defeated both Elevation and In Full Flight, in that order, in the 1962 South African Guineas.
Only two horses have raced in South Africa since 1945 and won more races in South Africa than Sentinel but none have won their races at the highest level as he did. Sentinel took 56 starts to win 29 races, Hear The Drums managed his 29th win in his 52nd start, and Screech Owl needed over 100 runs to do the same. Riza needed just under 140 runs to record his 30th win, which was also his 29th in South Africa.
Hear The Drums (2002) won 35 races in the Eastern Cape between 2005 and 2011, with none coming in major stakes race. Screech Owl (1955) won 32 races between 1957 and 1963, with many coming in backwaters like Bloemfontein, East London and Kimberley, and none in a stakes race. Only Riza (1951) who won 30 races (of which 1 was in Zimbabwe and 1 was a match race) came close to Sentinel’s level of achievement but he needed to race to his eleventh year to get those wins.
Sentinel was the undisputed champion sprinter in South Africa from 1972 to 1975 defeating all comers over 1000m to 1400m and is the only horse to have beaten Harry Hotspur over 1000m (7 wins in 8 starts at that distance). He won three consecutive Cape Flying Championships (1973, 74 and 75).
Over sprint distances (1000m to 1200m) he ran 21 times winning 13 and placing in 7, with his only unplaced effort at his very first start. He won 10 (4 places) of his 15 starts over 1000m. He was equally adept at an extended sprint and got a mile (1600m) easily. He won 16 (12 places) of his 32 starts over 1400m to 1600m. He attempted 2000m 3 times for a second and a fourth.
He completed a unique winning sequence in the Durban Winter Season of 1973, winning five of the six WFA races available and finishing second in the other. That winter he raced 7 times for 5 wins, 1 second and 1 third. Those wins were the Concord Stakes, Newbury Chariman’s Stakes, Drill Hall Stakes, Clairwood Champion Stakes and the Woolavington Cup, while he ran second in the Champion Stakes.
It is an interesting feature of Sentinel’s race record that he never won a race at Kenilworth despite six attempts at that course. He managed just three seconds, and finished unplaced in the other three. By contrast, at Cape Town’s other racecourse, Milnerton, he never lost a race winning all five (one dead-heat) of his starts there.
Sentinel ranks joint 14th on the all time list of winners, by number of wins, for a horse racing on South African soil. The list is:
44 Commando (1911) by Wilkins Micawber
41 Darius (1910) by Quickmarch
34 Degree (1931) by Cross Bow
34 Ladder (1938) by Fenimore Cooper
34 Hear The Drums (2002) by Gold Press
33 No Go (1905) by Fenimore Cooper
32 Screech Owl (1955) by Janus
31 Earl Grey (1915) by Simontault
31 Whisper (1918) by Nobleman – the only filly on the list
31 Irish Twist (1928) by Wavy
31 Seventh Son (1930) by Son-of-a-Gun
30 Random Shot (1922) by Polystome
30 Riza (1951) by Djask – (1 won in Zimbabwe)
29 Visible (1928) by Silver Spur
29 Sentinel (1968) by No Reprieve
Lifetime Starts
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The South African Racehorse 
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