The Vaughan Marshall-trained filly Pentolina would have given One World two new records had the Hollywoodbets Durbanville meeting not been moved from Wednesday to Thursday (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Rain famously came to Captain Al’s rescue in the 2014/2015 season when the Gold Cup meeting had to be postponed for a week until Saturday August 1, denying Dynasty the opportunity of overtaking him in the national sires championship.
Captain Al was thus crowned Champion Sire, although nobody would ever claim that this influential Klawervlei Stud legend did not deserve it.
And now Captain Al is still in the two-year-old record books thanks to rain, although he now shares a couple of records with his son One World.
Thursday’s meeting at Hollywoodbets Durbanville was postponed from Wednesday and otherwise One World would have broken Captain Al’s record for two-year-old winners and wins in a season.
On Tuesday One World had two winners at the Vaal and thus equalled Captain Al’s 2009 record of 30 individual two-year-old winners in a season and also equalled his record of 40 two-year-old wins in a season.
On Thursday the Vaughan Marshall-trained One World maiden filly Pentolina won race three and had the race been held a day earlier One World would have ended the season on a new record 31 individual winners of a new record 41 races.
It is all just a point of interest though, because One World’s success has just proved what a major influence Captain Al has been.
It is somewhat fitting Captain Al is still in the record books.
The late great stallion was also champion broodmare sire for the second year in succession and he did it by a margin of more than R6 million.
However, One World’s incredible freshman season makes him one of the most exciting stallions in recent times.
His 30 individual two-year-old winners smashed Captain Al’s freshman record of 22 set in the 2004/2005 season.
