Little Suzie becomes the fourth successive Drakenstein Stud homebred to win the Woolavington 2000, although it was downgraded to a Gr 2 this season. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Gaynor Rupert enjoyed what must be one of the finest weekends in the increasingly illustrious history of her Drakenstein Stud and British-based Cayton Park Stud operations and to add to the sentiment her husband Johann was involved in the success.
Gaynor had five stakes wins around the world over the weekend, three in South Africa, one in Ireland and one in the USA.
Fittingly, Johann was involved in the only one of the stakes wins that was of Gr 1 status.
The Drakenstein Stud ball got rolling when the Justin Snaith-trained Trippi filly Little Suzie won the Gr 2 Woolavington 2000.
It was an incredible fourth time in succession a Drakenstein homebred had won the Woolavington, which might well be a South African record for a major race if wins by the same horse are excluded.
The Woolavington was changed this year to a Gr 2 having been a Gr 1 for many years.
It was the sixth time Snaith had won the race and the fifth time overall that a Drakenstein Stud homebred had won it.
Little Suzie’s win was particularly gratifying for the Snaith and Drakenstein Stud racing teams as she is a daughter of the great Oh Susanna, who won this race for the partnership in 2018.
Little Suzie ran on well from a handy position under Sean Veale, although the latter will likely get a holiday as the filly hung inward and interfered with Rainbow Lorikeet, who was an unlucky 1,70 length fourth carrying topweight.
Little Suzie would have had to be supplemented for the Hollywoodbets Durban July if she is going to run and Jonathan Snaith said after the race on Saturday, “She is progressive, she was a very immature two-year-old and is a late three-year-old and she has always been unlucky throughout her career. If you look at her her last run it was an incredible run if you watch the replay and that is why we fancied her so strongly today knowing she would relish the step up in trip. We will discuss it with the connections about supplementing her.”
Little Suzie only carried 54kg and was raised two points to 108.
The Woolavington 2000 winner often makes the July field, but that was when it was a Gr 1 and a filly with a merit rating of 108 might be passed over by the final field panellists as the competition for berths is intense. She has duly not been supplemented.
In the next race on Saturday the Drakenstein Stud-bred Lancaster Bomber colt Eight On Eighteen proved himself a superstar by sauntering to an easy victory in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000.
The big question is whether he will run in the July.
Both Justin and Jonathan Snaith said a decision would be made by the connections based on what was best for the horse although on Saturday after the race Richard Fourie seemed confident he would run in the July and said, “He is going about his business the right way and setting himself up nicely for the July. I think the July would be the ideal target, because he’s won the Met as a three-year-old already and is capped at 57kg in the July. He’s a quality horse and a big strong horse and can carry the weight.”
A couple of hours later in Ireland Ryan Moore rode the Ed Dunlop-trained Blue Point colt Skukuza, a home bed of Gaynor’s Cayton Park Stud operation in the UK, to an easy 2,25 length victory in a big Premier Handicap race over one mile that was worth €59,000 to the winner. This saw more success for the stallion that made Drakenstein Stud what it is today i.e. Trippi, as Skukuza is out of the Trippi mare Shingwedzi.
Then later on Saturday in the USA Cayton Park Stud homebred Marksman Queen asserted herself early and led every step of the way under Frankie Dettori to defeat Dreaming of Mo by a half-length in the 12th running of the $219,665 Listed Keertana Stakes at Churchill Downs.
It was a red-letter day for Drakenstein Stud’s beautifully bred stallion Sharp Frank who gained a handsome update to his pedigree in the process as he had done with Little Suzie’s win too.
Sharp Frank is by Frankel and is a half-brother to Oh Susanna.
Marksman Queen by Dubawi is also a half-sister to Oh Susanna.
A five-year-old daughter of Dubawi, Marksman Queen picked up her first black type win when she stormed home, under Frankie Dettori, to land Saturday’s feature by half a length.
Marksman Queen is one of four stakes horses produced by the top-class Sharp Susan, winner of six races including the Gr2 Lake Placid Stakes.
Sharp Frank’s outstanding sire Frankel also enjoyed black type success on Saturday with Frankel filly Victoria Harbour landing the Listed Betgoodwin Height Of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood.
Marksman Queen (GB) stopped the clock in a stakes record 2:26.74 for 2400 over firm turf under Frankie Dettori, who rode the winner for trainer Graham Motion and owner/breeder Gaynor Rupert’s Clayton Park Stud.
Marksman Queen (GB) eclipsed Miss Yearwood’s Keertana time of 2:27.45 in 2023.
“I had two starts with her and I know her better,” Dettori said. “It’s all about the mentality with her. If she’s in a good rhythm, she can do that.”
Marksman Queen (GB) broke well from post No. 5 in the field of eight fillies and mares and dictated the pace of :24.16, :49.27, 1:14.37, 1:39.02 and 2:02.85. Strikingly Spun, the 5-2 favourite, put in a challenge around the final turn to come within a neck of Marksman Queen (GB) but she put that rival away in mid-stretch and held the rest of the field at bay in the final stages for the win.
“When she’s behind horses, she pulls too hard,” Dettori said. “Sometimes when she’s in front, and the outside horses take her on, she gets burnt out. I think today with the smaller field, there wasn’t much speed in the race. So, when she was able to get to the front, she was able to relax. When I got to the three-eighths pole, I thought it’ll be hard to catch her.”
The win was worth $120,280 and improved Marksman Queen (GB)’s career earnings to $232,424 with a record of 4-3-2 in 16 starts.
This was the first stakes win for Marksman Queen (GB), whose 2025 campaign also includes a 10th place finish in the $150,000 La Prevoyante (GIII) at Gulfstream Park in January and a fourth-place effort as the mild 7-2 favorite in a Keeneland allowance on April 18.
Marksman Queen was bred by Gaynor in Great Britain.
The great weekend for the Ruperts and the Snaiths and for Lancaster Bomber was capped when the Snaith-trained Drakesnstein Stud homebred filly Beware The Bomb won the Listed Stormsvlei Stakes over 1800m under Richard Fourie at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
Beware The Bomb was Drakenstein’s 19th stakes winner of the season which leaves Drakenstein just two short of breaking their own South African record of number of stakes winners in a season.
