CRS Cape Slipper Leading Contenders’ Pedigree Analysis

Stablemates Black Cheetah (nearest) and Clair de Lune (red colours) renew rivalry in the R1.5 million Cape Racing Sales Cape Slipper on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. (Picture: Chase Liebenberg).

The R1.5 million Cape  Racing Sale (CRS) Cape Slipper’s final field was announced today (Monday) and Sarah Whitelaw has analysed the pedigrees of the leading contenders.

Sarah Whitelaw

The Cape Racing Sale (CRS) Cape Slipper ranks as an exciting addition to the two-year-old races run in the Western Cape. The R1 500 000 contest, restricted to horses bought from the 2024 Premier Yearling Sale, is 1200m contest set to be held at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday March 16th, days after the 2025 Premier Yearling Sale takes place. The winner of the Cape Slipper will receive a cheque for R937 500, while the runner up and third place finishers receive R300 000 and R150 000 respectively.

Below is a brief look at likely leading contenders for this year’s Cape Slipper:

DREAMWORLD: c One World – Dream De Ra, by Oasis Dream
A colt with a big reputation, Dreamworld duly lived up to expectations when making a winning debut in February. His G1 Sun Met winning sire One World, whose sire Captain Al was eight times Leading Sire of 2YOs in South Africa, was South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire in 2023-2024, when he came up with no fewer than 30 winning two-year-olds. One World’s remarkable first crop includes not only this season’s G1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate/G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner One Stripe, but nine other horses who have either won or been placed in black type races.
Dreamworld, who hails from his exciting sire’s second crop, is a half-brother to two winners, including the very smart Dreamland. His lightly raced dam Dream De Ra, a half-sister to Listed KwaZulu-Natal Stakes winner Miss Frankel, is a daughter of star sprinters Oasis Dream and Val De Ra, with the latter the Equus Champion Sprinter of 2011.
Dream De Ra’s sire Oasis Dream, a G1 winner at two and champion sprinter at three (he is also sire of Querari), has become an exceptional broodmare sire, with his daughters responsible for more than 100 stakes winners including Desert Miracle, winner of both the G1 Schweppes Majorca Stakes and G1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes in 2023.

BLACK CHEETAH: c Querari -Mara, by Var
By South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs for 2024-2025, out of a mare by Var, twice Leading Sires of 2YOs in South Africa, Black Cheetah has won both his starts convincingly.
He shares his sire Querari, South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2018-2019, with 43 stakes winners including recent G1 Wilgerbosdrift H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Cosmic Speed and champion sprinter Rio Querari.
Black Cheetah is a half-brother to this season’s G3 Cape Classic winner Great Plains and Listed Ibhayi Stakes runner up Trip To Maputo. His dam Mara is a winning half-sister to Listed Perfect Promise Sprint winner Lesedi La Rona and Listed East Cape Oaks winner Swazi Queen, as well as to the G3 placed dam of Summer Lily, who ran second in this season’s G3 Baker McVeigh Diana Stakes.
In turn, the well bred Mara is out of the Western Winter mare Barberton Daisy, who won three times and ran second in the Listed East Coast Handicap.
Tellingly, perhaps, Black Cheetah’s first three dams were sired by Var, Western Winter and Sadler’s Wells respectively, and this colt is directly descended in female line from none other than La Troienne.

MILITARY COMMAND: c Fire Away -Lady Val, by High Chaparral
After finishing fourth on debut, to Spacebound, Military Command made a big impression when winning next time out by two and a half lengths. His G3 Dixie Stakes winning sire Fire Away has made a big impression with his first two crops produced seven stakes winners led by recent G1 TAB SA Classic 1-2 finishers Confederate and Fire Attack. Fire Away has also proved more than capable of coming up with high-class two-year-olds, with the son of War Front (himself sire of such star two-year-olds as Air Force Blue, Brave Anna and War Command), having already sired such stakes winning two-year-olds as the aforementioned Fire Attack as well as Luna Halo and My Golly Molly and the G1 placed filly Egyptian Mau. (Fire Away is also the sire of this season’s promising two-year-old Fortress Of Fire who made a winning debut at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday).
Military Command is a half-brother to the useful Famous Lady, who won on debut before going on to finish second in the G3 TAB Pretty Polly Stakes.
The pair of out of Lady Val, a twice winning daughter of dual Derby winner and outstanding sire High Chaparral, with Lady Val’s own dam, Took, a half-sister to G3 Round Tower Stakes winner Intelligence Cross and classy Hong Kong galloper Sweet Orange. Both Intelligence Cross and Sweet Orange were sired by War Front, the outstanding sire of Fire Away himself.

CLAIR DE LUNE: f Trippi -Louvre, by Doowaley
While Clair De Lune has yet to win, she has done little wrong in finishing second in her first three starts and ran a creditable race when runner up in the Listed Heineken Summer Juvenile Stakes on World Sports Betting Cape Town Met day.
While her champion sire Trippi is famed for siring such champion males as Charles Dickens, Winchester Mansion and Trip Of Fortune, he has also excelled in producing some top-class daughters. Among Trippi’s star daughters are five time G1 winner Inara, Equus Champion Hammie’s Hooker, US G1 winner R Heat Lightning and G1 SA Fillies Sprint queen Real Princess. The latter has become an outstanding producer, and is responsible for this season’s stakes winners Gimmie’s Countess, The Real Prince and outstanding sprinter Gimme A Prince.
The regally bred Clair De Lune is a full-sister to G1 winner Trip Of Fortune, Equus Champion Older Male of 2022-2023. The latter won five graded races during his career which was crowned by a triumph in the 2023 G1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.  Clair De Lune, the top lot sold at the 2024 Premier Yearling Sale, is out of G2 Tibouchina Stakes winning millionaire Louvre, and this filly is bred on similar lines to the Trippi sired Equus Champion and G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Winchester Mansion.

MALMESBURY MISSILE: c Gimmethegreenlight -Gabor, by Kingsbarns
Recently purchased off a partnership dissolution auction, the blue blooded Malmesbury Missile ran third and fourth in his first two starts before winning over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
His sire Gimmethegreenlight has beeen Champion Sire in South Africa three times, with the son of More Than Ready having also been South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs on three occasions. Gimmethegreenlight has made another good start with his two-year-olds this season including Listed Heineken Summer Juvenile Stakes winner Wild Wild Green.
Gabor, winner of the G1 Thekwini Stakes, was Equus Champion 2YO Filly of 2018-2019, and she is out of a stakes placed daughter of Trippi, broodmare sire of the Gimmethegreenlight sired G1 winners Gimme A Prince and She’s A Keeper. Gabor’s short-lived G1 Racing Post Trophy winning sire Kingsbarns was produced by Beltisaal, whose classic winning grandson Kameko is currently one of Britain’s most promising young stallions.

The final field is shown below: