The mighty Syd Laird-trained Politician was one of the great winners of the SA Guineas
By Ada van der Bent
The SA Guineas and SA Fillies Guineas headline the first major black-type meeting of the KwaZulu-Natal winter season, when the cream of South African racehorses converge on the province.
First run in 1932 and restricted to sophomores at level weights, the South African Guineas is a classic rich in history, as reflected in its roll of honour, which includes such Titans of the turf as Sea Cottage, William Penn, Hawaii, Home Guard, Mazarin, Sentinel, Politician and Empress Club, while those of a more recent vintage include Horse of the Year recipients Celtic Grove, Dynasty and Variety Club.
The Guineas carried Gr 1 status until 2004, after which it was downgraded to Gr 2 status, regrettable, given that it draws the top three-year-olds from all over the country. Nevertheless, those to have won the classic from 2005 onwards include the champions Variety Club, Vercingetorix, Big City Life, Legislate, Do It Again, Charles Dickens and Green With Envy.
DID YOU KNOW
The Guineas has been won by two sets of siblings. William Penn trounced his field by 4.50 lengths in the 1965 renewal and was followed three years later by champion half-brother Hawaii.
The mighty Sea Cottage was equally as impressive when he won the 1966 Guineas, three years after half-brother Top Gallant had claimed the honours.
Only one member of the fairer sex has won the Guineas in modern times. That honour belongs to the ‘galloping goldmine’ Empress Club. Sent off as the 1-3 favourite, the Argentinian-bred champion cruised to a dominant 4-length victory over stable companion Military Muse in 1992. It was the second time she beat the colts at their own game, as she had won the Gr 1 Cape Bloodline Guineas, also by a clear margin.
For the record, she was preceded by two exceptional female winners in Broken Spell (1948) and Wahine (1951).
The 1973 Guineas proved a triumph for Clairwood-based trainer Eileen Bestel. She became the first ‘lady’ trainer of this classic when Sabre scored under Michael Roberts. Gauteng trainer Jean Barnard emulated her in 1983 with Rain Forest, who likewise, was ridden to victory by Michael Roberts. It would be another 40 years before Candice Bass-Robinson emulated that feat as the trainer of 2023 winner Charles Dickens.
That 2006 Guineas winner Kapil raced with two screws in a hind pastern, courtesy of a fracture he suffered in work shortly after his win in the Somerset 1200 as a juvenile. Confined to his box for six months, he returned as good as ever and came from near last to defeat future Durban July winner Hunting Tower by a length.
Guineas winner Dynasty has certainly stamped his mark on the race. The former Horse of the Year cruised to victory in 2003 and went on to sire 2014 winner Legislate. Remarkably, he is also the broodmare sire of two Guineas winners in Wild Coast (2020) and Charles Dickens (2023).
Last year’s winner Sail The Seas also emulated his sire Vercingetorix, who had lined up for the 2013 Guineas with just two wins from as many starts under his belt, yet pipped Cape Guineas winner Capetown Noir in a thrilling finish.
Sail The Seas provided trainer Justin Snaith with a sixth Guineas success, which broke the long-standing record of five winners held by maestro Syd Laird.
FILLIES GUINEAS
First run in 1971, the South Africa Fillies Guineas was rated one of the most important fillies classics on the racing calendar and rightly so, as the list of past winners reflects such illustrious names as those of champions Mildenhall, Bold Cherry, Tecla Bluff, Up The Creek, Petrava, Olympic Duel, Hoeberg, Empress Club, Ipi Tombe and Promisefrommyheart.
Notwithstanding its downgrading to Gr 2 status in 2005 and a name change to the KZN Fillies Guineas, the mile classic has continued to churn out high-class winners, notably Horse of the Year Captain’s Ransom as well as champions Beach Beauty and Bela-Bela.
DID YOU KNOW
Terrance Millard holds the trainers record with six winners, registered in the space of eleven years, starting with Paul de Wet’s homebred Wild Ash in 1979. She was followed by Tecla Bluff (1982), Up The Creek (1984), Cerulean Blue (1987), Epoque (1989) and finally Olympic Duel (1990).
Millard’s son Tony trained Laurie and Jean Jaffee’s Empress Club, who sauntered to a bloodless victory in 1992, two weeks after her defeat of colts in the SA Guineas. Her winning margin of 5.50 length has never been matched, nor bettered.
Another Jaffee-owned champion, the New Zealand-bred Petrava started a red-hot 1-3 favourite in 1985 and duly obliged under Jeff Lloyd. Sixteen years later, her daughter Hoeberg scored in the same Jaffee silks and like her mom, was trained by David Payne.
Remarkably, 2009 winner On Her Toes was trained in Gauteng, yet recorded all her wins on KwaZulu-Natal soil, the Fillies Guineas being her fifth win from as many starts in the Garden Province.
That Irish import Gibraltar Blue captured the 2010 Fillies Guineas on just her second South African start and stopped the clock in a new record time. She also gave the De Kock stable a third win in the race, following victories by Ipi Tombe (2002) and Bold Ellinore (2006). (His first winner Spook Express (1998) was disqualified).
Trainer Mike Bass and daughter Candice have both won the Fillies Guineas, Mike saddled Joshua’s Princess to victory in 2005, while Candice emulated dad with Drakenstein’s Santa Clara in 2019.
Candice is only the third ‘lady’ trainer to win the Fillies Guineas, she was preceded by the Honourable Pat O’Neill, who won it with Rose Bay in 1976, while Diane Stenger claimed the honours in 1995 with Dancing Danzig.
