Turf Talk Newsletter – 19 November, 2024

Vaughan Marshall and his top Guineas prospect, One Stripe. (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Vaughan Marshall will send out his two Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas contenders One World and All Out For Six in the Gr 2 Cape Punters Cup over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, which is the opening meeting of Cape Racing’s Summer Festival Of Racing.

There are only six runners in Saturday’s three-year-old event and One Stripe will take a power of beating having put up a magnificent performance in his seasonal reappearance when actually having to give the reigning Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot 1kg and losing by only a length.

Marshall confirmed about that 1400m run, “Blinder!”

The One World colt was 7,5kg worse off than weight for age with Snow Pilot and as he is rated 112 to Snow Pilot’s 120 he was 11,5kg worse off than he would have been in a handicap.

Furthermore, Snow Pilot has clearly matured into an exciting four-year-old prospect as he came out and won his next start in dominating style by six lengths.

Marshall said he was very happy with the well-being of One Stripe and All Out For Six, who are both by the record-breaking sire sensation One World and both were bred by Drakenstein Stud.

Vaughan was thrilled to have landed a plum draw of two with One Stripe in the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, which is to be run on December 14, although All Out For Six was not as lucky and landed draw 20 of the initial 21 entries.

Vaughan will be out to create some history by winning the Cape Guineas with three generations of the same paternal family.

He won it with Captain Al in 2000 and with the sons of Captain Al, William Longsword and Tap O’ Noth, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Vaughan also trained Captain’s Al’s son One World, who didn’t win the Guineas, but if either of his sons One Stripe or All Out For Six wins the Cape Guineas it will be a remarkable three paternal generations of success in the Cape Guineas all trained by the same trainer.

Vaughan has won five Cape Guineas in all as he also won it with Sea Warrior in 1986 and Face North in 1990.

He has actually gone close to doing it with a paternal grandson of Captain Al’s before as Linebacker, who was by Captain Al’s son Captain Of All, was desperately unlucky not to win it in 2020.

One Stripe currently has the reputation of being the most exciting three-year-old in the country.

However, Vaughan views One Stripe as a sprint-miler at this stage and so the WSB Met is definitely not on his agenda.

There is three weeks between the Punters Cup and the Cape Guineas and then another three weeks until the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, so running One Stripe in the latter race is not out of the question.

However, One Stripe’s chief aim after the Guineas will be the R5 million CRS Big Cap over 1400m on March 16 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

One Stripe is owned by Rikesh Sewgoolam and All Out For Six is owned by The One World racing Syndicate (nominee: Vaughan Marshall).

All Out For Six reopposes the Justin Snaith-trained Lancaster Bomber colt Eight On Eighteen on Saturday in the Punters Cup. Eight Of Eighteen won the Gr 3 Langerman over 1500m in his last start on June 22, beating second-placed All Out For Six by 0,75 lengths.

Cape Racing’s Summer Festival Of Racing officially starts on Saturday, but Marshall has already clinched two Graded features in the Cape this season, winning the Gr 3 Kuda Matchem Stakes over 1400m with Questioning (Querari) and the Gr 3 Cape Mile last Saturday with Rascallion (Vercingetorix).

The twice Gr 2-winning sprinter Green Plains (Gimmethegreenlight) has a Klawervlei Stud-bred daughter in the first two-year-old race of the season and this filly is by the increasingly prominent sire William Longsword. (JC Photos)   

Sarah Whitelaw

Saturday sees the running of the Futurity Plate, with that Hollywoodbets Kenilworth contest the first two-year-old race run in South Africa this season.

The 800m dash has drawn together some very well bred juveniles and there will, no doubt, be plenty of interest in the running of this year’s Futurity Plate.

The two-year-olds set to take part on Saturday hail from some outstanding familes, with a number of South Africa’s top stallions represented in the Futurity Plate.

Black Cheetah: c Querari -Mara, by Var

Himself a son of a G1 winning, champion two-year-old in the form of Oasis Dream, Querari was South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2018-2019. Two of Querari’s three G1 winners, Querari Falcon and Bavarian Beauty, won at the top level at two, with other notable juveniles sired by Querari thus far including Cockney Pride, Maryah, Gobsmacked, and Cosmic Light. Querari had another big season with his two-year-olds in 2023-2024 -his twelve juvenile winners last season included G2 Durban Golden Horseshoe winner Cosmic Speed.

Querari’s well bred son Black Cheetah is a half-brother to Listed Ibhayi Stakes runner up Trip To Maputo (Trippi) and to this season’s G3 Cape Classic winner and potential Guineas contender Great Plains (Danon Platina).

As a winning Var half-sister to Listed Perfect Promise Sprint winning two-year-old Lesedi La Rona, Mara is certainly bred to produce classy, precocious types. Her sire Var, already broodmare sire of such top-class G1 winners as In The Congo, Master Archie, Thunderstruck, October Morn, Tempting Fate and Alesian Chief, was South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in both 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, with Var siring such high-class two-year-olds as champion Anything Goes and G1 winners Villandry and Eden Roc.

Blown Away: c Fire Away -Howl, by Trippi

By the same sire as champion two-year-olds Air Force Blue, Brave Anna and U S Navy Flag, Fire Away, with two crops to race, has proven more than capable of siring high-class two-year-olds. Among Fire Away’s growing list of high-class performers are such stakes performed two-year-olds as Fire Attack, Luna Halo, My Golly Molly, Fire ‘N Flames, Egyptian Mau, Zil Moris, and Chinaberry.

His son Blown Away, a half-brother to G3 Langerman runner up and G3 Cape Classic third All Out For Six (One World), is out of the winning Trippi mare Howl, a three-parts sister to Trippi’s G2 Cape Punters Cup winning son Hluhluwe, who ran third in the 2023 G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas. The regally bred Howl is a half-sister to G3 Victress Stakes winner Fresnaye (by Western Winter) and the stakes placed Quick Breeze.

Howl’s own dam Gulf Breeze (by Dubai Destination) is a half-sister to G1 Racing Post Trophy winner, and former SA sire, Medaaly (by Highest Honor) and G2 Queen Anne Stakes winner Charnwood Forest (by Warning), and Gulf Breeze’s dam Dance Of Leaves is a full-sister to late South African champion sire, and G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Fort Wood (by Sadler’s Wells). The latter is broodmare sire of Fire Away’s G3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes winning daughter Egyptian Mau as well as the sire’s G3 Langerman third Zil Moris and stakes placed son My Best Shot.

Blown Away, whose legendary fourth dam Fall Aspen won the G1 Matron Stakes at two, is bred on the same Fire Away/Trippi cross as such smart performers as Andi’s Girl and Explosive Bond.

Demanding Dave: c Horizon -Aunty Carol, by Oracy

A full-brother to recent debut winner Faithful Neo, Demanding Dave is a colt who hails from a tremendous female line. His dam Aunty Carol is a winning half-sister to both the stakes placed A Quiet Rush (Windrush) and to G2 Ipi Tombe Challenge winner Demanding Lady (Dynasty). The latter, Equus Champion Broodmare of 2022-2023, as best known as the dam of dual Equus Champion and three time G1 winner Charles Dickens, but also produced G1Bets Cape Derby/G2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile runner up Charles, as well as Listed Hollywoodbets Settlers Trophy hero Somerset Maugham. Charles Dickens, Charles and Somerset Maugham were all sired by Trippi.Demanding Lady, whose numerous high-class relatives include top-class sire Silver Hawk, and G1 winners Muth, War Command and Ridgemont’s new sire Hit The Road, shares her sire Dynasty with Horizon, the sire of Demanding Dave.

North Point: c William Longsword -Little Bristol, by Speightstown

The 2016 Cape Guineas winner William Longsword, whose sire Captain Al was South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs on eight occasions, has had a memorable few months. Last season, his star son Dyce, unbeaten in 2024-2025, won all of the G1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship, G3 New Turf Carriers Merchants and Listed Golden Loom Handicap, while this season, William Longsword gelding Back In Business has won both the G2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge and Listed Betway Spring Spree Stakes.

The inform William Longsword, whose G1 winning half-sister Real Princess is the dam of current star performers Gimme A Prince and Gimme’s Countess, is also sire of recent Listed Betway National Colour Stakes queen Ice Star.

His son North Point is out of Little Bristol, a Speightstown half-sister to Listed KwaZulu Natal Stakes winner Mirage, sired, like William Longsword, by Captain Al. The blue blooded Little Bristol, whose sire Speightstown is broodmare sire of more than 70 stakes winners including boom young sire Vekoma, is out of the Holy Bull mare Sea Glitter. Sea Glitter, in turn, is a three-parts sister to the Holy Bull sired G1 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, whose half-brother Tiago won both the G1 Santa Anita Derby and G1 Goodwood Stakes.

This is also the family of the Speighstown sired Nashville, winner of four of eight starts including the Perryville Stakes and now standing at WinStar Farm.

So American: c The United States -Hazleton, by Mastercraftsman

Galileo horse The United States made a spectacular start to his stud career when his first starter, Sheela, won the Listed Storm Bird Stakes on debut. The speedy filly would go on to land the G2 4Racing SA Nursery next time out, with Sheela winning three of four starts at two and running third in the G1 Allan Robertson Championship. The United States also made a big impression with his two-year-olds of last season including G1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes runner up The Specialist, G1 Allan Robertson Championship/G2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante second Rodeo Drive, Listed Dahlia Plate hero Kingdundee and Listed Irridescence Stakes second Dixieland Band.

His son So American is out of Hazleton, whose sire Mastercraftsman won both the G1 Phoenix Stakes and G1 National Stakes at two. The dam of one winner thus far, the unraced Hazleton is a half-sister to the useful performer Cavaleiro, who ran third in the 2012 G3 Betfred Derby Trial before contesting that year’s G1 Investec Derby.

A member of a top-class family, Hazleton is out of the Alhaarth mare Khibraat, a three-parts sister to G2 Park Hill Stakes winner Ranin (sired, like Alhaarth, by Unfuwain). This is also the family of numerous international G1 winners including Val Royal, Vahorimix, Sisterhood, and Natski.

Between The Lines: f Horizon -Big Sugar, by More Than Ready

A granddaughter of Dynasty, Between The Lines, whose first four dams were sired by More Than Ready, Exceed And Excel, Zeditave and Marauding, is out of the regally bred winning More Than Ready mare Big Sugar.

The latter is a daughter of speedy Australian G3 winner Sugar Babe, herself a daughter of the hugely influential Exceed And Excel. The latter, Australia’s Champion Sire of 2012-2013, has been responsible for 20 G1 winners including 2024 Yulong Newmarket Handicap hero Cylinder and 2024 Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes victor Montassib. Exceed And Excel, one of an elite band of stallions to have sired more than 200 stakes winners, also made his mark in South Africa, where his daughter Queen Supreme won the G1 Cartier Paddock Stakes twice.

Sugar Babe, in turn, is out of G2 (now G1) Surround Stakes winner On Type, a daughter of top-class sprinter and sire Zeditave. The latter enjoyed plenty of success with his progeny including such G1 winners as top broodmare Assertive Lass and her full-brother Assertive Lad, as well as the likes of Ruffles, Sports and Strategic.

Strategic made his mark in South Africa when his son Strategic News captured the 2007 G1 Steinhoff Summer Cup, while Zeditave mare Love Of Mary produced Listed East Cape Oaks winner Miss Scaramanga, as well as the dam of classy fillies Maryah and Mary O.

More Than Ready, sire of, among many others, South Africa’s reigning champion sire Gimmethegreenlight and 2024 G1 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile hero More Than Looks, has become a top-class broodmare sire, with his daughters having already produced more than 180 stakes winners including this year’s G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice.

Call Of The Karoo: f William Longsword -Green Plains, by Gimmethegreenlight

By a G1 Cape Guineas winner out of a triple graded stakes winning daughter of a multiple champion sire, Call Of The Karoo has plenty to recommend her. She shares her sire with such smart fillies as Bon Vivant, Willy Meet Again, Virginia Sweet, Just Be Lekker, Remember When and recent Listed Betway National Colour Stakes winner Ice Star.

Her dam Green Plains was a triple graded stakes winner and equine millionaire, who won graded stakes races at both two and three, with the daughter of Gimmethegreenlight winning from 800m to 1200m.

Closely related to the Gimmethegreenlight sired G2 Cape Merchants winner Cosmic Highway, Green Plains won three of her first four starts including both the G2 SA Fillies Nursery and G3 Pretty Polly Stakes. Also runner up in the 2017 G1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship, Green Plains would go on to win the G2 Highlands Camellia Stakes at three. Bred on the hugely successful Gimmethegreenlight/Jet Master cross, Green Plains is out of Savannah Leigh, a winning half-sister to Listed Champion Juvenile Cup winner Juan Pablo. This is also the family of last season’s G2 Durban Golden Horseshoe winner and G1 Gold Medallion runner up Cosmic Speed (Querari)

It is worth noting that Gimmethegreenlight is the sire of William Longsword’s top-class relatives Gimme A Prince and Gimmie’s Countess.

Gathering Winter: f What A Winter -Gathering Fame, by Jet Master

Triple Equus Champion What A Winter has a fine record as a sire of high-class two-year-olds. South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs of 2019-2020, What A Winter, also sire of champion sprinters Isivunguvungu and Russet Air, has sired such graded stakes winning two-year-olds as Dutch Philip, Snow Report, Armando, Clouds Unfold, Miss Cool, Winter Cloud and Distant Winter.

What A Winter also came up with some notable juveniles last season including Winds Of Change and Symphony In White, who ran third in the G1 Gold Medallion and G1 Allan Robertson Championship on the same day.

His daughter Gathering Winter, a full-sister to the winner Final Try and half-sister to Listed Racing Association Stakes runner up Famous And Rich, is out Listed Jamaica Handicap winner Gathering Fame, a daughter of seven time South African Champion Sire Jet Master. Gathering Winter’s granddam is a G3 placed half-sister to former sprint star Cordocelli.

Gathering Winter is closely inbred to multiple champion sire Western Winter -sire not only of What A Winter himself, but also Googol the dam of Gathering Fame. (Inbreeding to Western Winter resulted in What A Winter’s G3 Langerman winning son Snow Report and G2 Heineken SA Nursery winner Miss Cool).

Walk Right In: f Buffalo Bill Cody -Honey Bunch, by Right Approach

Promising young sire Buffalo Bill Cody, whose small first crop includes Listed HKJC World Pool Event April 6 Storm Bird Stakes winner Pistol Pete, G3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes runner up Wolf Mountain and the exciting Artist’s Model, shares his sire Redoute’s Choice, winner of the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes at two, with some outstanding two-year-olds. This group includes South African champions Majmu, Musir and Mustaaqeem, Golden Slipper winning champions Stratum and Miss Finland, and champion filly Fashions Afield.

Buffalo Bill Cody’s very first runner was none other than Pistol Pete, who won his first three races by an aggregate of nearly 12 lengths.

His daughter Walk Right In, who is from the immediate family of the once much vaunted Listed East Cape Nursery/Dahlia Plate winner Oomph, is out of the unplaced Right Approach mare Honey Bunch. The latter, dam of two winners, is a half-sister to G2 Gold Circle Oaks winner Sweetie Pie (Fort Wood) and Listed Queen Palm Handicap queen Treaj Pots (Rich Man’s Gold).

Walk Right In is very closely related to exciting three-year-old Artist’s Model, an impressive winner of the recent Model Man Mile. Both horses were sired by Buffalo Bill Cody, and Clackson mare Perfect Valley ranks as granddam of Artist’s Model and the third dam of Walk Right In.

Captain West (green cap) finished a 1,85 length fifth in the Gr 3 Cape Classic and copped an eleven point raise. (Picture: Wayne Marks) 

The merit rating system works well in the U.K and Ireland with it’s big horse populations, but one of the chief problems in applying it in South Africa is the lack of big money opportunities for horses who are just below the best.

In the U.K. there is full program of lucrative handicaps for horses who are not quite up to Group 1 or Group 2 class.

The nature of the very best racing in the U.K., where the pace is usually genuine and the conditions, with undulating surfaces and thick grass, are testing, would also deem it unlikely that a horse who is not up to Group 1 class would fluke a close up finish if a chance was taken entering an unknown quantity in such a race.

However, in South Africa the connections of a promising horse, due to the lack of other big money opportunities, might decide to enter such an unknown quantity in a Gr 2 or Gr 1 race and it could possibly end up having dire consequences for the horse’s career.

Such is the nature of South African racing, which tends to be crawl and sprint on relatively fast ground, that lesser horses have a very real chance of finishing relatively close to the winner in a Graded race.

With it comes a big raise in their merit ratings, despite possibly not having earned a cent in prize money.

The handicappers face a big problem in such an instance, because they are actually just applying the merit rating system correctly.

In the past there were guidelines put in place whereby horses who finished below a certain placing in certain Graded races would escape merit rating raises.

However, this led to the farcical siutuation whereby the horse who for example finished sixth in the Met, a short-head behind the fifth-placed horse, would then receive lumps of weight from the latter when next meeting in a handicap.

Some races have operator conditions which limit the merit rating raise amounts – for example the Gr 2 Betway Victory Moon Stakes and the Gr 3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes carry a maximum penalty of eight points for the winner and four points for placed horses.

This method can also lead to some future anomalies.

For example Back In Business was only allowed to be a raised eight points when winning the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Challenge.

He had actually run to about 122 in the latter race but could only be raised to 114, so was effectively 4kg well in when running next in the Gr 2 Allied Steelrode Onammission Charity Mile, where he unfortunately dislodged his rider.

The one solutuion  for owners is simply to avoid the Graded races and allow the horse the opportunity to build up his or her merit rating through wins in minor handicap races.

This looks to be the route many connections are taking this season in Cape Racing’s Cape Summer Festival Of Racing.

For example, there are just six runners facing the starter in the Gr 2 Cape Punters on Saturday, not surprisingly with the 112 rated One Stripe involved.

The Gr 3 Cape Classic run in early November also only attracted seven runners.

The 92-rated Captain West finished a 1,85 length fifth in the latter race and was raised eleven points to 103.

In the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship the 89 rated Little Suzie finished a 1,60 length sixth out of 12 and was raised to 103. Polynomial finished fourth last in that race and was raised seven points to 97.

Small fields don’t necessarily make boring races, but the best scenario would be if there were six or seven top class runners facing each other. The Punters Cup does appear to posess six quality runners, even if one of them, the Piet Steyn-trained Garrix, is only rated 87 at present.

It should be a cracking race despite the small field and the clash between One Stripe and one of his chief protagonists for the forthcoming Cape Guineas i.e. Eight On Eighteen, could potentially be the first clash of a memorable rivalry.

Corne Orffer clinched a double on the day when saluting on the Andre Nel-trained Twice Over filly Lavender Bay. (Picture: Wayne Marks).  

Corne Orffer, Justin Snaith and Candice Bass-Robinson all clinched doubles at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today.

Orffer is on 17 wins for the season at a strike rate of 12.41%.

Snaith is on 54 wins at 15.13%.

Bass-Robinson is on 21 wins at 9.91%.

A report on today’s racing was written below by Graeame Hawkins.

Graeme Hawkins (Gold Circle)

The buoyant team of Adam Marcus and Grant Van Niekerk continued their healthy strike rate as Hampstead Heath ran out a comfortable and popular winner of the fifth race, a Class 4 Handicap (F&M) over 1600m, at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth yesterday. Kamchatka (3/1) retained her position at the top of the betting boards, but Hampstead Heath shortened from 5/1 to 33/10 and proved far too good for the favourite, forging ahead over the last 200m to win with more than a length to spare.

Enchanting Choice finished the race off well from some way back turning for home and only just failed to snare Kamchatka for the runner-up berth. Omikami rounded off the Quartet and is certainly one for the notebook. The daughter of Global View was hampered leaving the starting gates and was a lot further back than Richard Fourie would have wanted, but she was gaining quickly at the line and with only three runs under the belt, there is plenty more to come with added racing experience.

Andre Nel and Corne Orffer may have been a trifle disappointed that Kamchatka came up second best, but the combination were on the mark in the previous race when Lavender Bay ran out a pillar-to-post winner of the fourth race, a Maiden Plate (F&M) over 1600m. Orffer took no prisoners leaving the gates and Lavender Bay (7/2) was four lengths clear turning into the home stretch. The 4yo daughter of Twice Over kept on resolutely into a strong Southeasterly headwind and try as she might, Diamond Bomber (9/4f) was unable to bridge the gap.

Orffer was also seen to good advantage in the second race, a Cape D Stakes over 1000m, when sitting quietly and holding Casino Ace (33/10) together in the closing stages to thwart the late effort from Mrs Shackleton by half-a-length.

What A Fortune (3/1) looked one of the better bets on the card and he duly delivered in the sixth race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1400m, to win readily under Aldo Domeyer for trainer Candice Bass-Robinson. The favourite Unsolved Riddle had every chance but faded tamely over the final 200m and it was left to Solartrip (7/1) and Naushon (12/1) to chase What A Fortune home.

Senhora Victoria (11/10) ended a 616-day absence from the winner’s circle, scoring a workmanlike victory over Tres Chic (11/2) in the seventh race, a Class 5 Handicap (F&M) over 1400m, under a driving ride from Richard Fourie. Although shifting about in the closing stages, the Eric Sands-trained 6yo daughter of Master Of My Fate dug down deep to land the odds.

Dawn Till Dusk (9/2) scored a thrilling last-to-first victory for owners Greg Bortz and Gina Goldsmith in the eighth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1400m. Ridden by JP van der Merwe for trainer Justin Snaith, the fast-improving 3yo son of Trippi relished the strong pace set by Firingonallengines and showed an impressive turn of foot to gun down Air Raid (11/2) who looked the likely winner approaching the last 200m.

A clue to the answer is given above

In Australia two pairs of tens and fives in poker are called a “Carbine”. Why?

Picture: Carbine & Bob Ramage in a Paddock (A.R.M.)

The poker hand is named after the Melbourne Cup-winning legend Carbine, who won 33 times in just 43 starts and also had six seconds and three thirds, so was only only ever out of the first three once.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE LEGENDARY CARBINE