Picture: The Dean Kannemeyer-trained William Rufus is one of the recent William Longsword runners to have caught the eye. (Wayne Marks)

William Longsword Proving A Point

John Messara, founder of the leading Australian stud farm Arrowfield, said a sire should never be judged until the end of his second crop’s four-year-old season.

Arrowfield were majority shareholders in Danehill and stood the like of leading sires Snippets, Danzero, Flying Spur, Redoute’s Choice and Snitzel, so Messara should know.

Klawervlei Stud’s William Longsword is proving this point as the figures of his second crop are taking off in their three-year-old season.

This is not surprising considering he tends to produce scopey sorts and his progeny should be followed this season.

William Longsword’s last 14 runners have yielded three winners and nine places and he has stormed into third place on the leading sires of three-year-olds table for this season.

His has had 13 individual three-year-old winners of 15 races.

Only former national champion sire Gimmethegreenlight and Querari, who has become a perennial fixture in the top five active sires, are ahead of him on the three-year-old log.

William Longsword is in eighth place on the overall log with 17 individual winners of 20 races and has a winners to runners strike rate of 20.5%.

However, he is progressive in the latter figure as proved by his second crop, whose winners to runners strike rate is 22.8%.

Yesterday, at Hollywoodbets Durbanville, William Longsword had an impressive winner over 1400m in the Dean Kannemeyer-trained William Rufus, who was having his third start and his first beyond a sprint distance.

William Rufus used his good natural speed to get into the box seat without much effort.

Barnbougle set a cracking good pace but the good looking William Rufus, who has plenty of substance, was doing it easily behind him.

In the straight he soon struck the front and drew clear to win by a comfortable 1,25 lengths under Keagan de Melo.

Interestingly, there were no fewer than five races over 1400m on the day and William Rufus, despite only winning a maiden plate, recorded the fastest time.

William Longsword had six runners on the day for one winner, two seconds and two thirds. The only unplaced runner, Betty Boop, is a talented long-striding sort who will relish a return to a more galloping course like the Kenilworth Summer course.

William Rufus could be a feature race contender.

Another William Longsword who could step up to the plate is the Vaughan Marshall-trained Professor Snape, a striking grey gelding with a big action. He came from way back at the tight Hollywoodbets Durbanvville course to win his maiden over 1600m third time out. His overall form has been well franked and he should continue to progress.

William Longsword has time on his side as he was retired to stud half-way through his three-year-old season after winning both the Grade 1 Cape Guineas and the R6,534,000 CTS 1600.

His father Captain Al also won the Cape Guineas and went on to be SA Champion Sire.

William Longsword is one of 25 Grade 1 winners sired by Captain Al and one of five who are at stud.

He stands with paternal half-brother Captain Of All at Klawervlei Stud, while One World stands at Drakenstein Stud, Erik The Red stands at Varsfontein Stud and Malmoos stands at Ridgemont Highlands.

William Longsword will have nine lots at the forthcoming Cape Racing Sales Ready To Run & 2YO Unbroken Sale.

John Koster of Klawervlei Stud mentioned Lot 3, Lot 19 and Lot 92.

Lot 3 is a filly who is closely related to Captain Al’s three-time Grade 1-winning champion Celtic Sea, because she is out of four time-winning twice Grade 3-placed Fort Wood mare Cashel Palace, who is a half-sister to Celtic Sea.

Lot 13 is a colt out of a Storm Cat mare so there will be a lot of speed.

Lot 92 is out of stalwart broodmare Secret Of Victoria, who has produced two individual Grade 1-winning fillies by Captain Al, the three-time Grade 1-winner All Is Secret as well as The Secret Is Out.

Picture: Charles Dickens (Chase Liebenberg).

Domeyer Excited About “Special Horse” Charles Dickens

Aldo Domeyer has never hidden his high regard for the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Grade 3 Cape Classic favourite Charles Dickens (Trippi).

Interviewed by Cape Racing today, Domeyer said he had expected Charles Dickens to win last time out to remain unbeaten in three starts but had not expected him to win in the manner he had because in his opinion he was “still rusty”.

He added, “I do like the fact he is coming forward with everything and he has come forward since (that race) again. So, I like what I am feeling at home and he seems to be gaining confidence with everything he does. He’s taking it in his stride.”

He said about the Trippi colt’s work this morning, “He did nothing serious this morning, I just let him go and enjoy himself. He’s very professional and accommodating. He’s not bothered by any sort of company or surroundings. Once he has done his work he generally takes some time to get back, I take him for a little walk. If horses go crazy around him he just keeps his composure.”

Aldo was asked if Pocket Power could be compared to a Michael Jordan, who could Charles Dickens be compared to?

“Michael Jackson,” he said, “Electric and entertaining, he has a lot of the assets that leads to a really exciting horse. He enjoys his food, enjoys his grass and he does whatever you ask him or need him to do in his work. There is a buzz around this horse. When you sit on him and when you watch him and when you see him, he just has this presence about him. So far I have no reason to believe anything else other than he is special.”

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The Cape Classic will be run on Saturday at 16H55.

Picture: Celtic Sea

Celtic Sea To Have Starspangledbanner Foal, Then Visits Karakontie

The three-time Grade 1-winning Captain Al mare Celtic Sea, who was an Equus Three-year-old Champion Filly and an Equus Champion Older female, is in foal to Coolmore stallion Starspangledbanner.

Starspangled banner is by Choisir and like Celtic Sea was a sprint-miler.

He won four Group 1s, the Caulfield Guineas and the Oakleigh Plate over 1100m in Australia, and then the Golden Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs at the Royal Ascot meeting and the prestigious July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket.

At stud he has produced four Group 1 winners, including Cox Plate winner State Of Rest and Millisle, who as a two-year-old was the best filly of her age in Europe.

Starspangledbanner has produced 27 individual stakes winner, including 17 individual Group winners.

Celtic Sea is owned by Antony Beck and will foal down at the Beck’s Gainesway Stud farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

She will then be sent to Gainesway stallion Karakontie (Bernstein).

This Japanese bred is by Bernstein out of a Sunday Silence mare. Bred and raced by the Niarchos Family, Karakontie was campaigned primarily in France, where he won a pair of group races at 2 including the seven-furlong Grand Criterium (G1). Karakontie trained on at 3 to capture the classic French Two Thousand Guineas (G1) before traveling to Santa Anita Park, where he defeated older horses in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and recorded a 110 Beyer Speed Figure.

He has only produced one Group 1 winner to date, the Del Mar Oaks winner Appalachian, but he has among the highest percentage of stakes winners to runners of any Kentucky-based fourth crop sire.

Picture: The good looking filly Bonete parading before thrashing them in today’s fourth race.

Ilha Bela Looks To Have A Good ‘Un In Bonete

The good looking Mike de Kock-trained filly by Querari won by 4,75 lengths on debut over 1450m at the Vaal Classic track today under Randall Simons and looks to have a touch of class at the very least.

Simons extracted a good break from the filly from a plum draw of two and she strode out beautifully in a handy position on the rail.

In the straight she moved up and then accelerated away from the field in eyecatching fashion.

She did not beat a lot so it is too early to start heaping accolades on her.

However, there were four races over that trip on the day and she produced the second best winning time, with only the race won by the meeting banker Princess Philippa, faster.

Her mother Ilha Bela (Fort Wood) was versatile, winning the SA Oaks as well as the Grade 3 Fillies and Mares Spring Challenge over 1450m.

Bonete is a half-sister to the useful four-time winners, Azores and Reunion, who are both by Flower Alley.

Reunion created a huge stir on debut, winning by 10,25 lengths over 1600m, but later developed a reputation for inconsistency and for being a horse who needed things to go his way.

Hopefully, Bonete will inherit the temperament of her grandam, the famously courageous Ilha da Vitoria (BRZ) (Candy Stripes).

Like Bonete, Ilha Bela and Ilha da Vitoria were trained by De Kock and ran in the famous black, scarlet cap colours of Mary Slack.

Picture: Adayar (right) finished a fine second to Bay Bridge in the Champion Stakes (Edward Whitaker)

Adayar To Return Next Year – Appleby Reveals Strong Breeders’ Cup Team

By David Milnes (Racing Post Newmarket correspondent)

Champion Stakes runner-up Adayar is to miss next month’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland but trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed he will stay in training in an attempt to make up for lost time next season.

Last year’s Derby and King George winner missed the core of this year’s Flat campaign due to a persistent cough, but the champion trainer is happy to play the long game after his close second to Bay Bridge at Ascot.

Adayar had been 3-1 joint favourite with his recent conqueror in some ante-post lists for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but Appleby is instead to rely on his proven globetrotters Rebel’s Romance and Nations Pride in a contest he won a year ago with Yibir.

The Godolphin trainer said: “I’d imagine we’ll give the Breeders’ Cup a swerve with Adayar. He’s going to stay in training next year.”

“I was delighted with his run at Ascot last weekend. It’s always a big ask when you’ve had that time off and when you know what sort of a race he won at Doncaster.

“As impressive as it was that day, we knew he had to step up another 20lb on that performance to put himself back in the mix of where he was on Saturday.

“He duly obliged in doing so and that was the most important part of the race really. Of course it would have been fantastic if he’d won but from our team’s point of view, just to show that he retained the willingness and the class he had was the crucial part.”

As for targets next year, Appleby added: “The Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot will be a prime summer target. He’ll hopefully get a prep run into that and then hopefully hit the other targets that we couldn’t run in this year such as the King George.”

Despite Adayar’s absence, the Moulton Paddocks team are still hoping to have six candidates for the two-day Breeders’ Cup fixture on November 4 and 5.

Appleby said: “We have Nations Pride and Rebel’s Romance in the Turf who are both possibles. We also have Creative Force in the Turf Sprint and Modern Games, who won the Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last year, in the Mile.

“Those are our provisional plans. We also could have two in the juvenile races on the Friday in the shape of Silver Knott (Juvenile Turf) and Mischief Magic (Juvenile Turf Sprint).

In other Breeders’ Cup news, recent Prix de l’Opera runner-up Nashwa sailed through a workout under Hollie Doyle on the Limekilns in Newmarket on Wednesday.

The daughter of Frankel is generally 9-4 favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and looks none the worse for her brave attempt from a wide draw at Longchamp last time.

Joint-trainer John Gosden said: “It was a pleasure to be on the Limekilns at this time of year as they can be closed in October. Nashwa looks in good shape and we are pointing towards the Filly and Mare Turf with her.“

Echo Zulu winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar (Photo by Horsephotos)

How Did USA Champion Filly Echo Zulu Get Her Name?

Echo Zulu (foaled April 7, 2019) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse by Gun Runner out of Letgomyecho (Candy Ride).

She was unbeaten in four starts as a juvenile and her three Group 1 wins included the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

This season she has won two more races including the Group 2 Fair Grounds Oaks and her only defeat to date in seven career starts has been in the Kentucky Oaks.

She was named the 2021 Champion Two-Year-Old Filly last year by a landslide.

However, South Africans would have been intrigued to know how she got her name.

The answer is literally easy.

Echo and Zulu represent “E” and Z” in the phonetic alphabet.

As “Z” is pronounced “Zee” by Americans the two letters E and Z together would be pronounced “e-zee” or “easy”.

She is well named as she has won most of her starts easily, including putting a combined 22 lengths between her and the opposition as a two-year-old.

No one could keep up with her during the middle of her races last year and no one came close to running her down late.

Trainer Steve Asmussen is currently aiming her at the Group 1 Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Sprint over seven furlongs.

Picture: Three-year-old colt East Coast (The United States) was an impressive winner on reappearance of a Graduation Plate over 1700m under Keagan de Melo and gave Mike de Kock the first leg of a double. (JC Photos).

Simons, De Kock And Pettigrew Score Doubles

Randall Simons, Mike de Kock and Stuart Pettigrew all scored doubles at the Vaal Classic track today.

Simons has ridden eight winners this season at 11.76%.

De Kock goes to 16 winners for the season at 19.75%.

Pettigrew is on 15 winners at 30%.

Pettigrew has the highest strike rate of any trainer in the country this season.

Picture: Miss Dorothy Paget, racehorse owner, is seen leading the subject in after he had won the Grand National (horseandhound.co.uk).

Today’s Question

The police could not prevent ladies from rushing the cordon and picking hairs out of his tail for momentoes”.

Trainer Basil Briscoe was talking about which famous jumper he trained.

Fairview Poly Fields

Picture: Golden Miller (wikipedia).

Today’s Question Answer

Briscoe was talking about the 1927-born Golden Miller (Goldcourt), who won a record five Cheltenham Gold Cups (1932-1936) and is the only horse to ever win the Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year (1934).

Turf Talk Newsletter – 20 October 2022