Rikesh Sewgoolam will watch the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational the same way he has followed every major step of One Stripe’s career — from thousands of miles away, quietly hopeful and deeply invested. On Saturday, as the Grade 1 contest unfolds in Florida, the Durban-based owner will be settled in his home in Melbourne, Australia, trusting preparation, patience and a horse that has already taken him further than he once dared imagine.
“I’m pretty lazy,” Sewgoolam said with a laugh. “I don’t get out of my home. I prefer watching on television. I’ve never attended a single race of his.”
That distance has not dulled the bond. One Stripe, now five, has been a source of pride rather than frustration, a rare luxury for an owner with interests in roughly 80 horses. When results go wrong, Sewgoolam prefers to “sit at home and sulk”. With One Stripe, those moments have been few.
The turning point came during a stellar 2024 campaign in South Africa, when One Stripe won three Group races and announced himself as a genuine international performer. Interest followed, and discussions began about sharing ownership. Sewgoolam hesitated, aware that opportunities at the highest level do not come often.
“My dream was to win a Group 1,” he said. “I hadn’t done that. And this may be my ticket.”
That dream became reality in January last year when One Stripe captured the Group 1 King’s Plate, a victory that carried automatic qualification for the Breeders’ Cup. Shortly after, Sewgoolam sold a major share to Hollywood Racing, opening the door to a global campaign.
The journey from South Africa to North America, however, proved demanding. One Stripe faced a strict export programme: 40 days of quarantine at home, a further two months in France, and then onward travel to the United States, where he joined the stable of Graham Motion.
“It’s a big undertaking,” Motion said. “Everything has to go perfectly.”
The horse’s North American debut came in September in Canada, where he finished fifth in the Woodbine Mile. Seven weeks later, the Breeders’ Cup Mile did not go to plan. One Stripe ran last after racing prominently, a tactic completely at odds with his usual style.
“Everything went wrong,” Sewgoolam said. “He’s never led a race in his life, and suddenly he’s doing it on the biggest stage.”
Redemption arrived swiftly. On Boxing Day at Gulfstream Park, One Stripe returned to his familiar mid-pack rhythm and powered clear to win decisively by more than five lengths, a performance that confirmed his quality and reignited belief.
“Phenomenal,” Sewgoolam said. “That was the old One Stripe we’d grown to love.”
That display earned him a place in Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, a deep and competitive Grade 1 that represents another significant milestone. With his regular rider unavailable, the decision was made to reunite One Stripe with South African jockey Gavin Lerena, who travels to the United States for his first ride there.
“We’re banking on the fact that he knows the horse,” Sewgoolam said. “That familiarity can count for a lot.”
While connections and fans gather trackside, Sewgoolam will once again watch from afar, as he always has. Distance, it seems, has never diminished the journey.
“I’ve seen him plenty of times at the stables,” he said. “He’s won six races, five of them at Group level. I’ve never been to one. But I’ll definitely be watching.”
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