Turf Talk Newsletter – 21 October, 2024

Choicely Bred 2YOS To Star At CRS Breeze Up Sale

One Stripe was the top lot at last year’s Cape Racing Sales Breeze Up & Unbroken 2YO Sale (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Sarah Whitelaw

More than 120 horses have been catalogued for the upcoming Cape Racing Sales Breeze Up & Unbroken 2YO Sale on October 27 at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.

The sale includes the progeny of South Africa’s top stallions including Gimmethegreenlight, Master Of My Fate, One World, Querari, Rafeef, Vercingetorix and What A Winter.

A number of well performed mares are also represented here including graded stakes winners Bilateral, Freedom Charter, Goodtime Gal, Heaps Of Fun, Hollywoodboulevard, Imperious Star, Mighty High, On Her Toes, Pine Princess, Princess Of Light, and Sommerlied.

While it is difficult to pick out a single star of a sale which produced the classy One Stripe last year, below are four potential standouts of the 2024 Breeze Up Sale.

Lot 8: c Vercingetorix -Hollywoodboulevard
Vercingetorix is without doubt one of the top stallions currently standing at stud in South Africa. The erstwhile Equus Champion had another big season in 2023-2024, when Vercingetorix was responsible for 14 black type winners who picked up a total of 18 stakes races in South Africa. Vercingetorix’s numerous flagbearers last season included Oriental Charm and champion Cousin Casey, the first two home in the 2024 G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, graded stakes winning two-year-olds Cymric and Little Ballerina, multiple graded stakes winner Double Grand Slam, G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met runner up Rascallion and G1 Mercury Sprint hero Surjay.

Vercingetorix has already enjoyed plenty of success this season, with his daughter Celtic Rumours landing the G2 Betway Joburg Spring F and M Challenge, and his son Call To Unite victorious in the Listed Settlers Trophy.

High-class galloper Hollywoodboulevard has a Vercingetorix colt on sale and he looks sure to attract plenty of attention. The classy Hollywoodboulevard, who earned more than R1.5 million in stakes, won five times including both the G3 Three Troikas and G3 Fillies Mile. The mare, who downed subsequent July winning Horse Of The Year Igugu when victorious in the 2010 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, has produced five winners headed by Listed In Full Flight Handicap winner On That Boulevard.

Hollywoodboulevard is a daughter of outstanding stallion Street Cry, sire of such champions as Winx, Zenyatta, Street Sense and Oh Susanna. The late Street Cry, a son of breed shaping stallion Machiavellian, has become an outstanding broodmare sire with his daughters having produced such Breeders’ Cup winners as Rebel’s Romance and Vino Rosso, as well as Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior and G1 Golden Slipper winning sire Farnan to name a few.
Street Cry is also sire of successful South African broodmare Crimson Lane, the dam of six winners, three black type performers, including Listed Syringa Handicap winner Way Of The World.

Lot 10: f Gimmethegreenlight -Imperial Wish
For the past two seasons, Gimmethegreenlight has been South Africa’s Champion Sire, Leading Sire of 2YOs and Leading Sire of 3YOs respectively. Also Champion Sire in 2020-2021, Gimmethegreenlight had a fantastic season in 2023-2024, when his progeny won no fewer than 24 Graded or Listed races.

While Gimmethegreenlight has sired a host of top-class males, such as champions Got The Greenlight, Proceed and Sandringham Summit, he is no stranger to coming up with top-class daughters.

Among his ever growing list of high-class daughters are champions Bless My Stars and Gimme A Nother, G1 winners She’s A Keeper and VJ’s Angel, millionaires Green Plains and Gimme Six and this season’s G3 Baker/McVeigh Diana Stakes winner Gimmie’s Countess.

Gimmethegreenlight had some very promising two-year-old fillies last season namely the aforementioned Gimmie’s Countess and fellow graded stakes winners VJ’s Angel and Just Reckless, as well as Listed Irridescence Stakes queen Kinda Wonderful.

The well bred Silvano mare Imperial Wish has a blue blooded daughter of Gimmethegreenlight on offer. This filly, a half-sister to two winners including Listed Lady’s Slipper Stakes winner Luna Wish, is out of a twice winning full-sister to Listed Oaks Trial winner Inaninstant, herself dam of three winners including the useful Innamorare.

Imperial Wish is also a three-parts sister to the talented Silvano sired trio of Arissa, Arabian Air and Listed Storm Bird Stakes queen American Graffiti, while this is also the family of Silvano’s high-class daughter Crimson Princess.

A half-sister to G1 Golden Horseshoe/G1 Gold Medallion runner up Sovereign Circle, Imperial Wish is out of the stakes placed Northern Guest mare Imperial Guest, a full-sister to the G1 placed dam of globetrotting dual G1 winning filly Crimson Palace.

The filly on offer is bred on the same Gimmethegreenlight/Silvano cross as exported Equus Champion Bless My Stars, as well as the graded stakes winners Barahin, Cosmic Highway, Just Reckless and Let’s Go Now.

Lot 17: c One World -Lady Wylie
Champion One World will be looking for another big result at this year’s sale, with the Drakenstein Stud resident’s high-class son One Stripe the R1 400 000 sales topper of this auction last year. One Stripe went on to prove himself as one of the best of his generation at two, when victorious in both the G3 City Of Cape Town Cape Of Good Hope Nursery and G3 Winter Nursery. A good second on his three-year-old debut, One Stripe has already earned nearly R900 000 in stakes in his five start career.

One Stripe was one of 30 two-year-old winners to have emerged from One World’s first crop, with One World setting a new record for a number of two-year-old winners in a season for a South African first season sire.

Other notable members of One World’s first crop include Lion Rampart and Miss World -the first two home in the Listed Somerset 1200, G1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes third Grand Crescendo, and G3 Langerman runner up All Out For Six.

To date, One World’s first crop has produced 37 winners, with the promise of plenty more to come.

The Equus Champion Older Male of 2019-2020, One World is one of the best sons of Klawervlei Stud’s late champion sire Captain Al. The latter, South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs on eight occasions, sired more than 100 stakes winners, including 25 G1 winners. Captain Al’s 25 top level winners included such champions as Captain’s Ransom, Celtic Sea, Carry On Alice, Captain’s Lover, Captain Of All and Kasimir. His tally of G1 winners also include the like of Captain America, Hill Fifty Four, Pine Princess, Malmoos and Sergeant Hardy. The latter was a real flying machine, with Sergeant Hardy winning eight times up to 1200m and earning more than R1.8 million in stakes. Sergeant Hardy, a stakes winner at two and four, won four black type races including the 2018 G1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship, where Sergeant Hardy accounted for the likes of Trip To Heaven, Live Life, Brutal Force, Attenborough, Bold Respect, and Talktothestars.

Sergeant Hardy’s half-sister Lady Wylie, a granddaughter of legendary Australian sire Redoute’s Choice, has a One World colt on offer at the sale. By a son of Captain Al, this colt, a full-brother to the useful Worldly, is very closely related indeed to the brilliant Sergeant Hardy.

Lot 31: Gallic King c Vercingetorix -Patricia’s Gift
Vercingetorix, poised once again to fight out the standings on the South African General Sires list, has sired some outstanding male runners. From Equus Champions Cousin Casey and Nebraas, to G1 winning sprinters Alesian Chief and Surjay, and 2024 G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July hero Oriental Charm as well as G1 winning two-year-old Ambiorix and G1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby victor Pomp And Power, Vercingetorix has more than proved his worth as a sire of high-class colts and geldings. Vercingetorix sons, Oriental Charm and Rascallion went close to providing their sire with a rare double last season when Oriental Charm won the July and Rascallion finished second in the G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met.

Blue blooded mare Patricia’s Gift has a Vercingetorix colt, called Gallic King, on sale, and he looks sure to prove popular. Dam of the useful Ideal Gift, Patricia’s Gift, for whom Vercingetorix appears a major sire strike, is a three-parts sister to globetrotting champion J J The Jet Plane as well as to G3 King’s Cup winner Jet Legend (the pair, like Master Of My Fate, were sired by Jet Master). One of the best sprinters ever bred in Africa, triple Equus Champion J J The Jet Plane won 14 races with this tally including six G1 triumphs. Not only did bargain buy J J The Plane win five G1 races in South Africa, he also downed star sprinters Rocket Man and Sacred Kingdom to land the 2010 G1 Hong Kong Sprint. (Further back in running came Ortensia, Kingsgate Native and Little Bridge -all of whom were G1 winners in Britain).

Remarkably, J J The Jet Plane won races in all of Dubai, Britain, Hong Kong and South Africa, with the star gelding’s other overseas successses including two wins in the (now G1) Al Quoz Sprint.

Patricia’s Gift hails from an outstanding female line, with the daughter of Master Of My Fate’s numerous top-class relatives including the likes of Oaks winner Amiable, Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count, 2000 Guineas winner Martial, and the wonderful Brown Jack.

Lot 83: Top Division c Gimmethegreenlight -Mighty High
By triple South African Champion Sire Gimmethegreenlight, whose sons include such Equus champions as Got The Greenlight, Green With Envy, Proceed, and Sandringham Summit, Top Division is a colt with a hugely appearling female line.
He is out of the top-class galloper Mighty High, a daughter of Pathfork who was one of the best of her generation. Mighty High, a half-sister to 2022 G2 Prosport International Debutante queen Gobsmacked, won her first three starts, including the 2018 G1 Alan Robertson Championship, she accounted for multiple G1 winner, and dual Equus Champion, Celtic Sea, with the likes of Inverroche, Ghaalla and Ronnie’s Candy further back in running.

She would go on to land the 2020 G2 Senor Santa Stakes, beating such graded stakes winning males as Mr Flood, Rebel’s Champ, Warrior’s Rest and Rivarine.

Mighty High is out of Bold Nimph, a daughter of breed shaping sire and outstanding broodmare sire Shamardal. A son of Giant’s Causeway, Shamardal, whose progeny include the likes of Lope De Vega, Tarnawa, Pinatubo, and Blue Point, is damsire of more than 110 stakes winners including such G1 winners as Irish classic winners Awtaad (Irish 2000 Guineas) and Latrobe (Irish Derby), star sprinter and promising sire Hello Youmzain, and 2024 high-class gallopers Goliath (King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes) and Sosie (Grand Prix De Paris).

Bold Nimph, whose own dam Nimphidia is a G3 placed daughter of legendary racehorse and sire Nijinsky II, is a half-sister to two smart South African gallopers in the form of Sky Link (Betting World Somerset 1200) and Bluroute (2nd G3 Starling Stakes) respectively.

Mighty High is directly descended in female line from Pocahontas, the US Broodmare Of The Year of 1965 and dam of successful sires champion Tom Rolfe and Chieftain. Pocahontas’ daughter Lady Rebecca produced the high-class stallion Alzao.

Offers For Gr 1-winning October Morn - Read The Rules Of Engagement

October Morn, pictured winning the Gr 2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes, is on the market and the rules of engagement for anybody who wants to make an offer are shown in detail below (Picture: Wayne Marks)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO ABOUT THE SALE OF OCTOBER MORN

Red Palace Emerges As The Top Older Filly To Follow

Red Palace leaves Double Grand Slam in her wake (Picture: Wayne Marks)

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Potala Palace filly Red Palace emerged as a top class filly to follow for the season after an impressive performance at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday.

Double Grand Slam had met Red Palace three times before and beaten her everytime but never by far and considering the best performances of the latter, such as her runner up finish in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas where she beat the like of Green With Envy, her odds of 7/2 against the 56/100 odds of Double Grand Slam, would have been inviting to value seekers in their clash over 1400m in the Prestige Plate at Hollywodbets Durbanville on Saturday.

After all she had had a more recent run, Gold Cup day compared to Hollywoodbets Durban July day, and in that recent run had shown her reputation was not over-inflated as she had beaten a good field to land the Gr 2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet over 2000m.

Red Palace prefers further than 1400m, whereas it could well be Double Grand Slam’s best trip.

However, Red Palace does not lack speed and the value hunters might have considered Double Grand Slam to be more vulnerable coming back from a three-and-a-half month layoff over her optimum trip than Red Palace coming off a two-and-a-half month layoff over a trip slightly on the sharp side.

It is easy to talk in retrospect and Double Grand Slam can surely bounce back, but it is one on the board for Red Palace in what should be an intriguing season for two of the best, if not the two best, in the older female division.

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained four-year-old jumped from draw six of seven and was always beautifully relaxed in the running under Aldo Domeyer despite being caught wide in the back straight.

Double Grand Slam on the other hand was taking a keen hold and not as relaxed.

Richard Fourie pounced on Double Grand Slam before she had reached the false rail as the pacemakers Siddeley and Royals left the door open.

Meanwhile, Red Palace was unwinding her run on the outside.

Red Palace joined Double Grand Slam at the 250m mark and there was a brief squabble before the former drew clear to win by a comfortable 2,50 lengths. Time For Love was a further length back in third.

Raced by Terry and Annabel Andrews, Mark Bass & C A F Goncalves & Mr H G & Mrs N S C Breydenbach, and Candice Bass-Robinson, Red Palace was one of Ridgemont’s Gr1 sire Potala Palace’s two winners on the day, with Piet Steyn’s gelding Prince Of Tibet forcing JP van der Merwe to earn every cent of his commission, getting up firmly ridden in the ninth.

Winner of both the Riding High Together Gr2 Gold Bracelet and Listed Stormsvlei Stakes last season, the 2023 Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas runner-up Red Palace was bred by Terry Andrews, and has now won five of 14 starts and has earned R1 127 012 in stakes. She is out of the Jay Peg mare In Limine.

Candice Bass-Robinso said that despite having had to go to quarantine after the Durban season and also having had a rest on the farm of Terry and Annabel Andrews, Red Palace had kept her fitness levels well having had plenty of racing in the latter part of last season. She said she had let down quite badly when rested prior to the Durban season, so Candice feels she will be an easier filly to train for the Cape Summer season having kept well stripped during her layoff this time.

Candice felt Red Palace would still come on from the run and would get better as she went over further. She reckoned the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Victress Stakes over 1800m on December 14 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth could be a race for her, depending on the conditions, but her main aim would be the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m on January 4 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

Anmaat Finished for the Season

Anmaat caused a 40/1 upset in the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday under Jim Crowley (Picture: Sky Sports Racing)

TDN

Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) is said to be finished for the season following his victory in Saturday’s G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot, with Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold hoping the six-year-old can continue to be a flagbearer for the operation in 2025.

The Owen Burrows trainee was among the outsiders for Saturday’s £1.3 million feature contest at odds of 40-1, having managed only fifth when sent off the 6-5 favourite for the G2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp two weeks earlier.

In the event, however, Anmaat proved better than ever at Ascot as he overcame a troubled passage to gain the second top-level win of his career, running on strongly in the final furlong to beat Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) by half a length.

“Until his last run he’d never been out of the first three in five years of racing,” said Gold. “Had he not run in Paris and gone straight to Ascot from Haydock, then he probably would have been a 12-1 chance and not 40-1.

“He fluffed his lines in France, but at the same time he did run the fastest furlong of any of them between the two and the one. It was just unlike him not to finish off his race as he’s such a tough horse.

“I don’t think people realised what such a serious issue this horse had,” Gold added of the injury which sidelined Anmaat after his first Group 1 success in the Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp in May last year. “He was in his box at Shadwell with his foot injury for months–he had almost a year out of training–so just to get him back at all was an achievement.

“To get him back to win was fantastic, but to win at the highest level is huge credit to an awful lot of people at Shadwell and Owen’s yard–and massive credit to the horse himself. An awful lot wouldn’t have come back from that.”

Anmaat was having only his third start of the campaign at Ascot on Saturday and Burrows did not rule out another run overseas in the immediate aftermath of that success, but Gold has now all but ruled out that possibility as the team look ahead to next year.

He continued, “To me, the position we are now in with the majority of our older horses likely to be retired, he could be our only flagbearer. Now he’s proved he’s a Group 1 horse here, he’s a very important horse for us next year if Sheikha Hissa wants to keep him in training.

“I haven’t had that conversation yet, but I can’t see any reason why not as he’s a gelding. I know he’s about to turn seven, but he hasn’t got a lot of mileage. She may want him to go to Dubai or Saudi, who knows, but from my point of view we want to be trying to win some big races in Europe and he’s our number one.

“It’s not like we’ve five or six three-year-olds next year to take over the mantle, he’s the number one now and we’ve got to treat him accordingly.”

Andi's Girl Can Get It Right

Andi’s Girl can get it right on Tuesday (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Turffontein Inside stages an intriguing nine race meeting on Tuesday, which will offer opportunites for both exotic and on the nose punters.

The highest rated race at the meeting is the seventh, a MR 94 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m, and Andi’s Girl is a stand out selection on form. She has run over this course and distance in her last two starts and finished a 2,25 lengths second to Back In Business and a head second to Fiery Pegasus. Both of the latter are looking to be top class and she actually gave the year younger, but 12 point higher rated Fiery Pegasus 3kg in the latter race. She also has pole position and in form Gavin Lerena aboard. The progressive Across The Pond represents the in form combination of St. John Gray and Muzi Yeni and jumps from a good draw of five. Gray has had 15 wins this season at a strike rate of 16.48%, but Yeni has been aboard for every single one of those 15 wins so their strike rate together is very high indeed. Across The Pond will be a threat and the risk averse should include him in the Pick 6. Duenna loves thic course and distance and could also have a say from a fair draw of six.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1000m Basingstoke won her maiden over 1000m from start to finish in fluent fashion and from pole position could follow up. She is a banker possibility, although giving the in form seven-year-old mare Twice As Wild 7kg won’t be easy and the latter has a low enough draw of six to make her good early pace effective. Smelting beat Twice As Wild last time, albeit with a 4kg claimer up, and she is only two points higher so could make her presence felt.

The second leg is over 1000m too and Arilena is on the up and tipped to make it three successive turf wins. She did have a run on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly in between those two wins that can be ignored as she won with ease on either side of that run over 1000m and 1200m respectively. However, she does have a tricky draw of seven and a merit rating raise of five to overcome. Therefore, Autumn Var and Stroopsoet might be worth including. Autumn Var will enjoy the step back to 1000m and has a plum draw and Stroopsoet showed big improvement last time to win her maiden, but she does have a tricky draw to overcome.

In the sixth race over 1000m Poblano looks to be promising after running on strongly down the wrong side of the track to win on debut, but she does have an 87 merit rating to deal with. Bosum Buddy has run some fine races against decent opposition and should be in the shake up from a plum draw. Nettleton has a six point raise to deal with, but might have come on a bit from that last win, although her draw of five out of eight is tricky. Valieva has not been disgraced against top sorts and won her maiden with authority, so can also be considered despite a tricky draw of six. Green Flash has ability and is suited to the minimum trip so also has to be considered from draw three with Lerena up.

In the eighth race over 1450m Alphabetty is well drawn and off a competitive merit rating might make her presence felt over this step down in trip. Queen Of Love hasn’t run since winning her maiden easily back in May but is drawn well over a suitable trip, albeit off a tough 88 merit rating. Future Date should be in the shake up if repeating her last run. She has a tricky draw but Yeni is up. Shampimpi is capable of earning here. Say It Loud could also improve and from pole position has to be considered.

In the last race over 1450m Palace Dancer has some good form and should take to the step up in trip from a good draw under Gavin Lerena. Oxalis Gold disappointed first time out the maidens over this course and distance but she was returning from a layoff and drifted significantly in the betting. The form of that race has been franked and she is now drawn in pole. Princess Lola has shown ability and should now have a chance of staying this trip. Princess Iliara is consistent and well draw and has a definite form chance. Courageous has always been well regarded and could pop up.

In the first leg of the PA Birthright is a big, scopey sort and from a good draw has a good chance over a suitable 1800m trip. Hazlo Grande showed the potential he had always promised last time and Eiger Sanction has been in devastating form since the blinkers have been removed and might make it five in a row.

In the first leg of the Bipot Guy Alexander and Callaburn could fight it out.

In the first race Panning Gold will need to bounce back from a below par run. He runs over a step up in trip that he should easily get on pedigree, but he has not been tried over it before and fading over 1600m last time does not augur well, although he was caught wide without cover which probably explains it. The Merciful ran well last time but it was a maiden handicap and this will be tougher. Yojimbo has the form to be a contender but it is his first run for three-and-a-half months.

Winterbach's Fabulous Five At CRS Breeze Up Sale

Lot 101 is a Vercingetorix full sister to Rascallion (Picture: CRS)

Cape Racing Sales Breeze Up & Unbroken 2yo Sale

Winterbach Stud is a stunningly beautiful property situated in the Stellenbosch Winelands. They are sending five of their own two-year-olds and acting as an agent for three other youngsters going to the CRS Breeze Up & Unbroken 2YO Sale staged at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 27th October 2024.

Henrik Winterbach (winterbach.stud@gmail.com or 082 465 4433) is happy to provide details of each individual entry and set up viewings – meantime, let’s sneak a peek at the quality on offer.

Lot 101 is a full sister to the high class and admirable, Rascallion, who placed in multiple Gr1’s such as the World Sports Betting Cape Town MET, Daily News and Derby, and is a Gr2 winner of the Premier Trophy. Grenadier Goddess, a bay filly, will be sought after as dam Sofala (she also threw the very talented Agent of Fortune) is a fine producer and, of course, Vercingetorix is a fixture at the top of the South African Sire Rankings.

Lot 90, by the same great stallion and out of Patchit Up Baby is worth close inspection in Stable B8. The dam won four races up to Gr3 level and was placed in Gr1’s over ground. Gutsy Baby is a bay filly.

Son of Var, Talk of the Town’s oldest progeny are 3YO’s and the handsome chestnut is an intriguing addition to South Africa’s stallion band. Lot 114 is a colt out of Al Mufti mare, Women’s Rights. Two of her fillies, Woman’s World and Arizona Sunset won seven races between them from upwards of a mile. There is a surfeit of Black Type around the 2nd dam, War Women as one of her eight winners was the Champion 2YO filly in South Africa of 2002/3 – Warning Zone, by Elliodor.

Talk of the Town also has a chestnut colt, ex Chillon, who produced Chollima, a versatile and talented performer over a range of distances, including a win in the Listed East Cape Derby. Second dam, Celigny’s most outstanding progeny are Chansonette (Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas) and Champery, a potentially brilliant sprinter whose career was cut short. Check out Lot 122 in Stable A40.

Lot 108, Enchi, is one of three offered by Winterbach Stud, acting as Agent. The others are Lot 87, an Act of War filly and Lot 99, a One World colt. Double Causeway is a particularly handsome athlete and from the same One World/Silvano cross that produced ace juvenile and strong Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas contender, One Stripe.

Enchi is by speed sire, Captain Of All out of the 5x winning Dynasty mare, Swift Sarah. Both her Pomodoro foals are winners – Meteoric and Fully Loaded have won ten races between them. Enchi can be viewed in stable B10.

Ciaron Maher does The Everest/Caulfield Cup Double

Bella Nipotina courageously holds off former winner Giga Kick to win the world’s richest turf race, The Everest (Skyracingworld.com)

TTRAusNZ.com.au

The mighty Ciaron Maher stable won both The Everest and Caulfield Cup, putting together an interstate Group 1 double within an hour of each other on Saturday in Australia.

Ciaron Maher’s tough mare Bella wins The Everest

The eighth running of The Everest gave the world a couple of firsts with the first mare to win and the first runners and first win for trainer Ciaron Maher. Somewhat surprisingly, the weighty Maher stable hadn’t had a runner until 2024 but made up for it with three runners on Saturday.

In the end, it was his tough 7-year-old mare Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) who threaded her way through the front runners to dive at the fast-finishing Clayton Douglas-trained Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) and win by 0.13l. Bella Nipotina’s stablemate 3-year-old colt Growing Empire (Zoustar) was the best of the rest, 1l back in third.

“She was right in the zone. So credit to Ciaron Maher, his whole training group around him. He’s a phenomenal trainer with so many different arms that help this process go along,” said jockey Craig Williams.

“Paul and Ange Fudge, they’re using their property at Bong Bong. You can see the benefits of that. And a 7-year-old mare, she’s never been in career best form, which is amazing. She is now. And today she showed everyone how good and tough she is because she had no favours.

“I’m just wrapped and grateful. My team around me, my family, my mum and dad, Uncle Tim and Aunt Julie here, places here, my children cheering at home.”

Williams won The Kosciuszko earlier in the day. “I’m very fortunate. I have been working out really hard with all my coaches and fitness people and my nutritionist, my wife, and my manager said, ‘There’s no use getting to one hill and that’s enough.”

Winner of 10 of her 55 starts, she took her earnings over $18 million, with the newly upgraded G1 The Everest taking her record to four Group 1 wins.

“You know, we thought she was in career best form, and she got her conditions to suit. We said at the barrier draw, she’s got an uncanny knack of running very well from any gate,” said Maher.

“Wide, inside, doesn’ t matter. And yes, Craig (Williams), beautiful ride. You know, to have the balls to do that. I can’t thank my team enough. She trains up on the beach and she’s been at Bong Bong the last two weeks and just the whole team, it’s unbelievable.

“She’s a bit like me, she doesn’t like to miss out on a carnival. She’s a beautiful horse to train. And Michael Christensen and Tim Porter and his brothers and family, you know, what a thrill for them. She’s been elite for like five years. It’s unbelievable.”

Her sire Pride Of Dubai is gaining a reputation for producing tough racehorses who train on thanks to Bella Nipotina, Pride Of Jenni, and Dubai Honour (Ire), who are three of his five Group 1 winners among 23 stakes winners.

Bella Nipotina is the first foal of Bella Orfana (Star Witness), who placed once at Geelong from six starts, and is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and multiple times Group 1-placed Hallowell Belle (Starcraft {NZ}) and Group 3 winner Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom {USA}) who is the dam of Group 3 winner Brereton (Zoustar).

Duke De Sessa gives Maher a G1 double with Caulfield Cup win

Just minutes after Ciaron Maher trained Bella Nipotina to win the G1 The Everest, his team took out another of Saturday’s features with a win in the G1 Caulfield Cup by Harry Coffey ridden 6-year-old gelding Duke De Sessa (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

In a true stamina contest, Duke De Sessa jumped well and led for the first part of the race before Deny Knowledge (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai) crossed over to take the lead and put on a strong pace with Coffey tucked nicely in behind the leader. At the 600 metre mark, Duke De Sessa began a sustained sprint and cleared out four or five lengths on the rest of the field. Eventually the chasing group wore him down, and he won by 1.25l from Chris Waller trained Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) with Buckaroo’s stablemate Land Legend (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) 6l in arrears in third. Zardozi (Kingman {GB}) ran fourth with Deny Knowledge sticking on for fifth.

“How am I feeling? Spectacular,” Coffey said post-race. “When I let rip, I thought maybe I’d gone too early. But one thing you can count on with Ciaron Maher and this amazing team he has, you can back your horses in. They’ll just keep running. And because of Ciaron, his horse’s owners, his staff, and more importantly the horse, I’ve been involved in the day I’ll never forget, on my birthday.

“Me and him just had a little moment along the side here… I actually can’t tell you the love and the happiness I have for how well this horse ran today. I just couldn’t believe it, that he kept running, that the Caulfield Cup was going to have Harry Coffey’s name next to it… it’s just phenomenal.

“It’s not supposed to happen to people like me. I’m considered a battler. People like to laugh about how I’m a battler and a country boy. But, yeah, not many Caulfield Cups get won by country boys.”

Duke De Sessa took his career record to five wins from 24 starts and earnings over $3.8 million. Winning the G1 Caulfield Cup earns a ballot exemption for the G1 Melbourne Cup, but Duke De Sessa doesn’t hold a nomination for that race so won’t be there on the first Tuesday in November.

“Oh, it’s magic to be honest. Yeah, just fantastic to get on the phone with him (Ciaron), especially after Bella. Pride Of Jenni’s walking into the yard as well, so we’ll hold fort for another 10 minutes. But just pinch me moment sort of stuff. Stable are having an extremely good day. Very good ride by Harry. Everyone’ s so thankful for Harry, and really appreciative for him to win. Everyone knows how well-deserved he is. It’s just amazing,” said stable representative Jack Turnbull.

“Last season, he was a colt, and he had a good think about it, and he used to over-travel. This race in particular, we changed a bit, so we put a norton on. He obviously had 12 months of seasoning and conditioning, and Ciaron and the team just had a better handle on him. So the form is around him with Via Sistina, and it’s just amazing. Just very appreciative and well done to Maurice Regan, Cole McKenna’s in the horse. It’s amazing, and it’s fantastic for the stable.”

A 60,000gns (AU$122,600) yearling purchase at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, Duke De Sessa was a Group 3 winner at two and three in Ireland before his transfer to Australia. This was his first win in Australia, and he was coming off two Group 1 fourth placings in his last two starts.

“I bought him out of Ireland two years ago now,” Will Bourne said of the estimated AU$2 million private purchase, “He was an on-speed tough horse, who we thought would be suited out here. We thought he’d hit the ground better than he did. He went first-up into a Doncaster and we were fairly bullish about him, but it (form) didn’t come.”

“We gelded him after his last run last spring. We ran him in the Sandown Classic and he had a huge lead, looked like he’d win half the straight and then died off. Like Gold Trip, he was very expensive and took a lot of time. But, like Gold Trip, he looks like he’s turned the corner and now feels at home.

“He’s got some of the Gold Trip owners in him and some of the Hitotsu owners, so owners that have had good success and now they’ve got more.”

He becomes the 24th Group 1 winner for his Ballylinch Stud-based sire who has 138 stakes winners in total. Duke De Sessa is the third foal of Dark Crusader (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who won four races from 2200 metres to 2800 metres, and placed in the G3 Cork Give Thanks S. Dark Crusader is a half-sister to staying mare and Listed winner Naughty Or Nice (Ire) (Fastnet Rock), and their dam is an unraced three-quarter sister to G1 Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicap winner Subtle Power (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}).

Today's Question

Question: Who was the longest priced winner of the Breeders Cup Classic (pictured above)?

FIELDS, Tuesday 22 OCTOBER

Turffontein Inside

Today’s Question Answer

The Andre Fabre-trained Arcangues is the only Europen horse to ever win the Breeders Cup Classic, which is run on dirt.

Arcangues was responsible for one of the biggest shock results in US racing history via his unlikely success on his dirt debut in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Despite the presence of Jerry Bailey in the saddle at Santa Anita in 1993, the unconsidered 5-year-old was sent off a 133/1 shot on the pari-mutuel. Even his rider thought he was a no-hoper.

“I agreed to ride Arcangues simply because it beat the alternative – which was to watch the race in the jocks’ room,” Bailey admitted.

What followed was the longest-priced winner in Breeders’ Cup history.

The French colt remains the only European-trained horse to win America’s most prestigious race on dirt (Raven’s Pass beat Henrythenavigator on the synthetic Pro-Ride strip at Santa Anita in 2008).