Colorado King was an outstanding winner of the Cape Derby. He is being admired here by Syd Laird’s wife Marlene and his young children Alec (a current trainer on the Highveld) and Amanda
The Cape Derby -a Race Won By South African Champions
by Sarah Whitelaw
The G1 Cape Derby has a long history of uncovering stars of the South African turf, with a number of past Derby winners going on to excel both on the racetrack and at stud.
The importance of the Cape Derby can be highlighted by a look back at some of its past winners. From Colorado King and Sea Cottage, to Politician and Mark Anthony, the honour roll of Cape Derby winners includes some of the finest thoroughbreds ever to grace the South African turf.
In fact, the quality of thoroughbred to just contest the race is a fine tribute to the class of the Cape Derby, with champions beaten in the Cape Derby including the likes of Over The Air, London News, Prince Florimund, and Charles Dickens. (The now retired 2024 G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met winner Double Superlative finished third, to stablemate Pomp And Power, in the 2022 Derby).
Originally run over 2400m when run as the Western Province Derby, the Cape Derby has seen some spectacular performances. In 1979, the brilliant Bold Tropic, coming off a win in the G1 Richeliu Guineas, romped home to an eight and a half length win in the Cape Derby. He would go on to enjoy a very successful career in the USA, where Bold Tropic won seven of 16 starts including the G2 American Handicap twice and the G2 Carleton F. Burke Handicap. He retired to stud having won 16 of 31 starts with his South African wins including the 1979 G2 Drill Hall Stakes and 1978 G2 S.A. Invitation Stakes.
Just three years earlier, the mighty Politician romped home to a five length Cape Derby win before going on to score repeat wins in both the G1 Queen’s Plate and G1 J&B Met. Politician, who also won the 1978 G1 Rothman’s July, retired to stud having won 18 of 31 starts and earned the reputation of one of the best horses to grace the South African turf. While not a resounding success at stud, Politician did sire the classy racemare and successful producer Izindaba, G2 S.A. Oaks winner Seven Stars and five time G1 winning sprinter Signor Amigo. Politician also occurs in the pedigrees of 2014 G1 J&B Met winner Hill Fifty Four, 2023 G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Lady Of Power, and dual G1 winner Duchess Daba to name a few.
In 1963, the Cape Derby was won by the brilliant Colorado King, who not only went on to win that year’s G1 Rothman’s July Handicap, but also went on to enjoy great success in North America. The chestnut won six times in the US, with his victories including a triumph in the 1964 G1 Hollywood Gold Cup. (Champions to have also won the Hollywood Gold Cup include Affirmed, Citation, Round Table, and Swaps).
(Runner up to Colorado King in the Derby was Majorca, whose high-class descendants include Equus Champion Jeppe’s Reef, and fellow G1 winners Chimichuri Run and Spiced Gold).
The Derby has been won by a number of colts who have gone on to enjoy success at stud. One prime example was Dynasty, victorious in the Graham Beck Wines Cape Derby of 2003. Not only did Dynasty prove to be a top-class stallion, he also more than made his presence felt on the Cape Derby itself. Dynasty sired the Cape Derby winners Eyes Wide Open (2018), It’s My Turn (2016), Jackson (2012) and Legislate (2014). Both It’s My Turn and Legislate were named Equus Champions, with It’s My Turn named Equus Champion Stayer of 2017-2018, and Legislate named Horse Of The Year in 2013-2014. Legislate, who claimed three Equus awards during his career, was one of three sons of Dynasty named South African Horse Of The Year with the others being Futura and Irish Flame. Other champions sired by Dynasty included Beach Beauty, Bela-Bela, Just Sensual and Lady In Black.
Dynasty is also showing signs of becoming an outstanding broodmare sire and his daughter Demanding Lady, Equus Broodmare Of The Year in 2022-2023, has already produced a pair of G1 Cape Derby runner ups in the forms of Charles and Charles Dickens respectively.
His champion daughter Beach Beauty has already produced a trio of graded stakes winners led by this season’s G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas/G1 Cartier Paddock Stakes winner Beach Bomb.
One stallion to have a big impression on the Cape Derby was Asbestos II. Champion Sire in South Africa on five occasions and the country’s Leading Broodmare Sire on seven occasions, Asbestos II (by Asterus) was responsible for five consecutive winners of the Cape Derby with his sons Feltos, Menlo, Mineral, Convalesce and Restore victorious in the race in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950 respectively.
Fillies to have won the Cape Derby include Green Lass, Taima Bluff and Dog Wood, with the latter the most recent member of the fairer sex to win the Cape classic. In 1930, the race was won by the filly Windlass, who won six times at three.
However, perhaps the most famous horse to win the G1 Cape Derby, was the legendary Sea Cottage. A winner of 20 of his 24 starts, despite being shot before the 1966 July, Sea Cottage ran out an emphatic winner of the 1966 Cape Derby where his beaten rivals include subsequent Met winner Ding Dong. Sea Cottage, whose half-brother Top Gallant won the Cape Derby in 1964, also went on to sire a Cape Derby winner in the form of Impressive Style, with the remarkable bay also broodmare sire of 1983 Derby winner Stella Maris.
