Turf Talk Newsletter – 24 March, 2026

Cappy’s Girl having a quick browse of the Race Coast Premier Yearling Sale catalogue and looking for any sign of competition (Picture Supplied)

Prominent owner and breeder Suzette Viljoen spoke of the magnificence of the late Equus Horse Of The Year Captain’s Ransom’s first and only foal and also revealed an interesting statistic that her and her husband Basie have as owners.

Champion stallion Captain Al’s best daughter Captain’s Ransom only had one foal, a filly called Cappy’s Girl, who was by Captain’s Ransom’s stablemate and chief rival for the Equus Horse Of The Year Award, Jet Dark (Trippi).

Suzette said, “Captain’s Ransom’s baby Cappy’s Girl is a yearling now. She is not going to the Sales! She’s beautiful. She’s really a replica of her Mom. She looks a lot like her Mom. The only difference is her Mom had two white  feet and she only has one. Her face looks so much like her Mom’s and her personality is her Mom’s too. She is really, really looking well. We went for Jet Dark because he was her main rival for Horse Of The Year and Jet Dark’s babies are also looking well, so we are very, very happy with the way she looks and the way she moves … she just looks different class!”

Jet Dark probably broke a record for average price for a South African stallions’s first progeny at the Sales, averaging R877,500 for 20 lots sold at the recent Race Coast Premier Yearling Sale.

If Cappy’s Girl did appear on a Sale she would be the centre of attention and there would be a good chance she would fetch a new South African record price.

Suzette said, “They actually said to me I should put her on the Sale to let her go through the ring and qualify for all of the incentives etc, but I didn’t want to make a fool of anyone. People would be putting their hands up to buy the horse and I know I am never going to sell her, for me it feels like I’m making a fool of someone and I would never do that. If I put a horse on the Sale with a reserve and she goes past the reserve I will let the horse go, but I will never put a horse on a Sale that I know I am not going to sell.”

In another interesting aspect to the owners of the newly founded Hopes and Dreams Stud, Suzette and Basie Viljoen believe they have owned the first Graded winner for all of Legislate, Royal Mo, Buffalo Bill Cody and Hawwaam.

“I’m not sure if those stallions had any Listed winners before our horses won their Graded races, but I checked it up and it does look to be true that our horse Hoedspruit was the first Graded winner for Legislate, our horse Royal Aussie was the first Graded winner for Royal Mo, our horse Pistol Pete was the first Graded winner for Buffalo Bill Cody and our horse Perfect Miracle was the first Graded winner for Hawwaam.”

A quick look at the statistics confirms the statistic to be correct.

Suzette continued, “Now we are just hoping we can have the first Graded winner for our own stallion Frantastic!”

She said the son of Frankel covered about 40 mares in his first season, including some of Suzette and Basie’s mares, and in his second season he covered 30.

His first crop are weanlings at present.

“His foals are beautiful, they are so correct and really stand out,” said Suzette, “I am really critical of my own stock, but his foals are really looking well. I hope they grow up  to look like that, but we are very happy.”

Frantastic won two races over a mile and ten furlongs respectively and had a British Official Rating of 92.

However, he is a full-brother to the top class dual Gr 1 winner Cracksman, who is the sire of the unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner and Cartier Horse Of The Year Ace Impact.

Frantastic was a very exciting acquisition for South African breeding and the racing community are looking forward to seeing his Sales progeny and also his runners.

Louis Goosen’s Golden Goose Syndicate got off to a flying start. Louis’s partner and assistant trainer Lauren Watt is to the right of the picture (Picture: Race Coast)

Louis Goosen is a horseman through and through and he and his partner and assistant trainer at Summerveld Lauren Watt are very “hands on” in training and horsecare, while Louis uses his vast experience to help make racing not only a rewarding experience for his owners but also financially viable.

He is confident of success on Friday night in the fifth race where he has three runners and said, “Acacia’s Blossom has run three seconds in a row and it is surely her time to win now. In the same race Saudi Sweep is having her first run out of the maidens and is working well. But I think the nod goes to Acacia’s Blossom and she is quite a big runner.”

His third horse in that race is Hearts On Fire, who has never been far back in a string of unplaced runs and her merit rating has come down nicely. She is well drawn over a step up in trip she will relish.

He also has a horse who is eligible for the R3 million Race Coast Slipper running on Friday, the Vercingetorix filly Ferrari Flair.

Louis said, “My Slipper horses are not ready. I’m showing Farrari Flair Hollywoodbets Greyville but I think she is still going to be a bit green, a bit backward. Not every horse comes this early.”

He also has a runner eligible for the Race Coast Slipper running on Sunday, the Laurence Wernars-owned Erik The Red gelding Erik Dubois. However, he revealed that this horse is extremely green and backward. He thinks he is a very nice horse and has scope, but believes he might need two runs before the penny drops and thinks he will probably be a better three-year-old than two-year-old.

He has some other runners on Sunday, including the promising Vercingetorix gelding Blazing Fury, whom he took up to Turffontein for the Gr 3 TAB National Currency Sprint over 1160m for three-year-olds where he finished a fine two length fourth.

Louis said, “He is an up and coming little horse, he’s not a big horse. It will be interesting with him on Sunday, because I don’t know whether he we will get 1200m. He didn’t get 1100m at Turffontein, but I found we lost our cover in the race too early and through no-one’s fault we hit the front too early. He saw daylight for far too long first time at the course, so one could say he faded late, but it also could have been due to him having run the wrong type of race. So we are going to try again on Sunday and it will be wonderful to find out he does get the 1200m, I will be overjoyed.”

The old warrior Donquerari is also in that race. He tends to prefer 1000m but as he gets older he might see out the 1200m.

He runs the Captain Of All filly Captain’s Pride on Sunday on the poly over 1400m and said, “She will be a nice value bet for places.”

Louis said about the rest of his yard, “We have one or two unraced horses that excite me, but we will have to see what they can do on the racecourse.”

Louis’ description of him and Lauren being hands on includes the many “treatments” they give to the horses. They do not outsource these treatments, but rather do it themselves.

He said, “You have to abide by veterinary rules, but there are a wide range of treatments which we are able to do ourselves. This includes using Bemer massage blankets and normal massage blankets. We also have our own “blood machine”, so can do our own “Packed Cell Volume” (PCV) measurements and we don’t charge our owners for this (PCV is a crucial measurement in horse health, indicating the percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells). We use Bioptron Light therapy (used in veterinary medicine for horses to accelerate healing, reduce pain, and treat inflammation). I am still a huge supporter of Eco-vet (Eco-Vet is a range of homeopathic medicines and nutritional supplements for animals, established in 1997 by Dr. Alex Niven, a veterinarian and qualified homeopath. The product line was designed to provide affordable, natural, and effective treatments for a wide range of acute and chronic conditions in animals). I had already been experimenting with homeopathic medicines and holistic methods at the time he founded Eco-vet and have carried on using homeopathic medicines and holistic methods to treat our horses.”

Louis’ philosophy is not to sit on horses, but to try and get them to race.

He said, “We try and race them as often s possible. Racing forms part of our training rather than as a result of our training. What I mean by that is that with your normal handicapper horse there are races for them all the time and you can race them often. Of course you have to train horses for the races, but you find once you are racing them often you don’t have to do as much work with them at home. The vast majority of injuries to horses actually happen at home at the training track rather than at the racecourse.”

Louis said the most exciting innovation in the yard at present was the Goose Racing Syndicate, which brings together experienced owners and first-time owners.

Acacia’s Blossom and Saudi Sweep are two of the horses who represent the syndicate and Emerald Green is another.

Louis said, “It’s an exciting part of the yard at present. I put Saudi Sweep and Acacia’s Blossom together and the guys came on board and there’s another filly who hasn’t run for them yet, Emerald Green. I put the syndicate together on a Friday and the first one, Saudi Sweep, won on the Sunday. and then the next Wednesday the other one ran second. It’s very exciting because it is for small and big guys. the big owner can take the larger share and the small guy can take a small share. One of the aims is to bring the smaller owner into racing., so they can feel they can own and take part. Some of them are first time owners, some people I have known who get their families involved with 1% or 2% here and 1% or 2% there. They love the game but it has always been impossible for them to get into the game until this syndicate idea and we do everything properly which gives them a chance to be involved.”

Louis always does what is best for the owner.

An example is the Elusive Fort mare Royal Invitation.

He said, “I advised my owner Martin Bothma to buy her on an Online Sale and he got her for R80,000. She had a couple of runs here and then I drove her in a two berth up to Turffontein. She was out at 66/1 so I said to Martin ‘You can put your head down because we won’t miss the first three.’ She duly obliged and he won all of his money back. We then kept her up there with Brett Webber. She is loving the long straights of the Highveld courses.”

Louis’ clients also invest in his pinhooking skills and the best example was an Ascot Stud-bred Vercingetorix filly which he purchased at last year’s BSA August Two-year-old Sale for R425,000 and sold it at the Race Coast Two-year-old Sale in October for R1 million.

Louis concluded, “We don’t get many opportunities but when we do get one we reach for the stars!”

Tothemoonandback was raised five points for an easy win over 2500m last time out but could follow up (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Hollywoodbets Durbanville Wednesday Formguides And Selections 

R1 1 SNOW BIRD found betting support on debut when finishing just under three lengths behind Shezaripper on the 22nd of February, she is a lovely filly with lots of ability, with natural improvement expected from this well-bred individual, she will go close to winning from a good draw. 5 PREACHER MAN has run two fair races in succession, the form lines of her last run on the 4th of February have worked out well, she will be just off the speed early here, and she will be staying on strongly late. 3 LUCY’S WORLD finished just over eight lengths behind Grapes Of Wrath on debut, she can only improve from that performance, watch her closely from a neat draw. This looks a competitive race with several well-bred first timers in the lineup, keep a close eye on them in the parade ring, and follow the market for late confidence. (Brandon Bailey: 1 – 5 – 3 – 6)

R2 8 FUTURE RED ran a cracker on debut for second behind Ebisu at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 14th of February, she was very green in running, the wide draw here will make it tough for her, but the step up in trip to 1400m will help her chances, if she gets some luck in running, she will be right there in the finish. 1 RARE EARTH was doing some good work late in the same race as Future Red last time, she was drawn badly on that occasion, there is no excuses for this filly on Wednesday from a neat draw, on her best form, she will be super competitive. 7 THELEIA was given every chance to win here at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 4th of March, she was extremely one paced up the lane when finishing just over three lengths behind Vivo Per Lei, in hope that she can finish her race off better on Wednesday, she might be able to sneak into the places from a tricky draw. 4 HAZEL GREEN never runs a bad race, she is honest and she tries hard, include her into all bets. (Brandon Bailey: 8 – 1 – 7 – 4)

R3 4 KLEIN KAROO won a good race at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 11th of February, even though this is a stronger field for him on Wednesday, he will be just off the speed early, and he will be flying at them late, he can definitely win again. 8 DISTRICT MASTER won a great race straight out of the maiden ranks on the 22nd of February, he was given five points for that impressive win at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, if he can beat the tricky draw here, he should be competitive again. 7 DEVIL A SAINT finished just over eight lengths behind Jet Force on the 14th of February, that was a much stronger field than what he faces here, he could be some decent value in this tricky race, watch him closely at a decent price. 6 AVIGNON quickened away from his field in good fashion on the 25th of February, he was given six points for that win, if he stays the 1400m trip on Wednesday, he could sneak into the Quartet. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 8 – 7 – 6)

R4 1 THE NIGHT FERRY finished just over three lengths behind District Master on the 22nd of February, he has dropped one point in the ratings from that run, and he gets 4kgs off the back from the apprentice claim, he will run a big race from a good draw. 2 MIDWAY is much better than his recent performance behind Money Extractor, even though the 1800m trip is a stretch for this gelding, this doesn’t look to be the strongest race on paper, he should bounce back to his best form from a neat draw. 4 BEAUTIFUL SIDE was a touch disappointing at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 11th of February, she has dropped further in the ratings, she can win a race like this on her best form, include her into all bets. 6 MY BESTIE will need to improve quite a bit to win this race, he finished just under four lengths behind Spirit Of Levana on the 18th of March, in hope that this run hasn’t come too soon for him, he can sneak into the places. (Brandon Bailey: 1 – 2 – 4 – 6)

R5 2 TOTHEMOONANDBACK quickened up nicely to win a good race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 25th of February, he was given five points for that impressive victory, he stays really well, he will be hard to beat from a good draw. 7 GENTLEMAN JOE is the class package in this race, he stayed on well to finish four lengths behind Tenpenny on the 28th of February, the only concern is the big weight of 63kgs on his back over this staying trip of 2400m, his form is good, he will be right there in the finish. 4 FORT LIAM won his maiden well at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 11th of February, he should love the step up in trip here, include him into all bets. 3 TWICE THE MASTER never runs a bad race, he could sneak into the places with no weight on his back. (Brandon Bailey: 2 – 7 – 4 – 3)

R6 4 MIGHTY MARY finished like a train to win a great race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 25th of February, she was given two points for that gutsy win last time, her form of late is very good, even though she has more to do at the weights on Wednesday, she is a talented filly, she can win again. 3 GIVEN TO FLY just got touched off at the line by Mighty Mary last time, she ran a lovely race, she has a good draw on Wednesday, there is no doubt she will have a big winning chance here. 5 VIVO PER LEI finally got it right on the 4th of March, it was a top ride by jockey Gareth Wright, even though this is a stronger field for her, she tries hard, she will give them something to fetch late, watch her closely out of the maiden ranks. 1 ELUSIVE GIFT was a touch disappointing behind Amayah on the 14th of February, she has dropped further in the ratings, and she has a good draw, watch for sharp improvement from this filly. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 3 – 5 – 1)

R7 3 PRAIRIE DAWN didn’t have much luck behind his stable companion on the 25th of February, he flew home late to finish just over two lengths behind In A Timely Manner, he looks to be a smart gelding with lots of ability, he will be hard to beat from a good draw. 8 SHOW OFF just needed his second run after a rest on the 4th of March, if the gaps open at the right time for this individual on Wednesday, he will be competitive. 6 SIGNOR DANTE ran a cracker behind Note To Self at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 31st of January, he should enjoy the drop in trip to 1600m here, include him into all bets, he will run a big race on his best form. 10 COUNT WILLIAM has been rested for 98 days, he can always be dangerous from the front, watch him closely. (Brandon Bailey: 3 – 8 – 6 – 10)

Symbol Of Strength was the second leg of a treble for Luke Ferraris the last time he rode him and he has a chance of following up (HKJC)

At The Races Tipster Tim Carroll hit four winners and the Placepot on Sunday, and has more selections for Happy Valley on Wednesday.

This Wednesday sees a competitive nine-race meeting from Happy Valley getting underway at 12H40am SA Time- live on Sky Sports Racing. There are three Class 3 handicaps on the card with the feature being race 8, the Fanling Handicap, over 1 mile, offering prize money of more than £200,000.

Now onto this week’s selections:

Click here for a comprehensive guide to the meeting