The late great Cape Guineas-winner and Champion Sire Captain Al has been sire of three of the last five Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas (CFG) and he has sired four winners of this prestigious WSB sponsored race overall.
Captain Al’s CFG winners have been Captain’s Lover (2007), Snowdance (2017), Mississippi Burning (2019) and Captain’s Ransom (2020).
This year he has three chances of winning the race as a broodmare sire.
Justin Snaith trained both Captain’s Lover and Captain’s Ransom to CFG glory and he is trainer of tomorrow’s pole position-drawn Bonika, who is by Jackson out of the Captain Al mare Petala.
Snaith trained Petala to win three of her first four starts, including the Grade 3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery over 1200m.
Petala was bred and raced by Alec Foster, who also bred Bonika.
Petala’s first two foals, Whatever Next (What A Winter) and Bonika, are both Listed winners. Therefore, it was little surprise to see her fetch top price of R114,000 at the inaugural BSA Online Sale in June 2020, purchased by Gary and Colleen de Klerk of Summerview Stud.
Petala’s three wins were from 1000m to 1400m, but she is out of a Tale Of The Cat mare and is a half-sister to the Snaith-trained stalwart Doublemint, the winner of a Grade 2 over 1800m, four Grade 3’s from 1800m to 2500m and a Listed race over 1600m.
Bonika has won four races from 1000m to 1500m and will be ridden by Grant van Niekerk. She is at attractive odds with Hollywoodbets of 17/1.
Piet Steyn’s CFG runner Miss Marguerite is out of Captain Al mare Lantana Lady and is drawn two under the increasingly prominent rider Ryan Munger.
Lantana Lady was unplaced in all three of her starts, but is a full-sister to Fulcrum, a Weiho Marwing-trained Captain Al gelding who won the Listed Java Handicap over 2450m. She is also full-sister to stakes-placed Captain Al gelding Vice Admiral and half-sister to stakes-placed Jet Master gelding Master Landing.
Miss Marguerite finished a short-head second to Bonika in the Listed Irridescence Stakes over 1500m last season, but the one-time winner has 5,95 lengths to make up on Ciao Bella from the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship, although she does have draw two now as opposed to nine.
The Brett Crawford-trained runner Happy Chance is by Dynasty out of Captain Al mare Three Blue Cranes, a Vaughan Marshall-trained Captain Al mare who won four times from 1000m to 1600m.
Three Blue Cranes is a half-sister to all of dual Grade 1 winner and sire Russian Sage (Jallad), Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Smiling Blue Eyes and Grade 2 runner up Sage Throne.
She scooted in by 6,25 lengths last time off an 80 merit rating in a handicap and recorded a relatively good time, so could still be anything.
She has a fair draw of six and Kabelo Matsunyane rides.
She is right out at 25/1 with Hollywoodbets.
