Boundless Energy is one of three sons of Vercingetorix who will be lining up in Saturday’s Gr 1 R2 million Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas. (Wayne Marks)
The Gr 1 Cape Guineas is probably the biggest sire producing race in South Africa and this year’s field consists exclusively of the progeny of prominent sires.
On My Honour and Bjorn Ironside are by the country’s current champion sire Gimmethegreenlight, who has won the stallion championship three times and has set records in the process;
One Stripe and All Out For Six are by last season’s record-breaking freshman sire sensation One World;
Sail The Seas, Boundless Energy and Otenikwa are by the country’s current leader on the national sire’s log, Vercingetorix.
Heather’s Boy is by the top five sire, Rafeef.
Eight On Eighteen is by the late Lancaster Bomber, a freshman champion.
Great Plains is by Danon Platina, the only son of the legendary Japanese sire Deep Impact to be standing in South Africa.
One amazing fact is that the top five sires of three-year-olds this season are, in order, Vercingetorix, One World, Gimmethegreenlight, Rafeef and Lancaster Bomber, so all five of them have a runner or runners in the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and only one of the ten runners are not by any one of them.
A look at the last 15 winners of the Cape Guineas tells the story of pedigree class on the sire side.
They were:
Noordhoek Flyer (SNL) (Pivotal)
Solo Traveller (Western Winter 3X Champion Sire)
Variety Club (Var )
Capetown Noir (Western Winter)
Elusive Gold (Sail From Seattle)
Act Of War (Dynasty)
Noah From Goa (Tiger Ridge)
William Longsword (Captain Al – Champion Sire)
Tap O’ Noth (Captain Al)
Soqrat (Aus) (Epaulette)
Kilindini (Silvano 6X Champion Sire)
Russian Rock (Pomodoro)
Double Superlative (Twice Over)
Charles Dickens (Trippi)
Snow Pilot (Lancaster Bomber)
Of those 15 Noordhoek Flyer, Capetown Noir, Act Of War, William Longsword, Soqrat and Charles Dickens have becomes stallions at stud and Double Superlative and Snow Pilot are set to become stallions at stud.
The great Variety Club would also have become a stallion at stud, but proved to be infertile.
The greatest South African-bred stallion to ever stand in South Africa, Jet Master, was a winner of the Cape Guineas and so was Hawaii, who went on to sire an Epsom Derby winner.
If any of the entires in Saturday’s R2 million Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas i.e. One Stripe, Heather’s Boy, Eight On Eighteen, Boundless Energy, Sail The Seas and All Out For Six , win the race they will have automatic stud value.
The outcome of the race could also have an impact on the Sires Championship.
Currently, Vercingetorix leads the sires championship on 9,367,713, Gimmethegreenlight is in 3rd place on R6,889,938 and Rafeef is in 5th place on R5,383,825.
The cheques available are 1st R1187500, 2nd R380000, 3rd R190000, 4th R95000, 5th R47500.
The Guineas will have a particularly big impact on the leading sire of three-year-olds log.
The standings at present are Vercingetorix on R3,677,363, One World on R3,213,513, Gimmethegreenlight on R2,806,738, Rafeef on R2,120,925 and Lancaster Bomber on R2,033,213.
