One Stripe is one of One World’s most exciting prospects. He is fittingly trained by Vaughan Marshall, who trained this horse’s father One World and grandfather Captain Al. (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Last season’s champion freshman sire, the late Drakenstein Stud-based Lancaster Bomber, ended the season with 19 individual winners of 23 races and yet at this stage last season his progeny had together only raked up six wins.

Therefore it is very much on the cards that the Drakenstein Stud-based One World could break his own sire Captain Al’s freshman record of 22 individual winners in a season.

One World has currently had 13 individual winners of 16 races and not only leads the freshman championship but leads the overall two-year-old statistics.

His two-year-olds have had more winners, more wins and earned more stakes than the two-year-olds of any other sire.

His progeny have raked in R2,339,275 in stakes earnings.

Vercingetorix is second on R1,686,525 and Gimmethegreenlight third on R1,340,613.

Vercingetorix has had nine individual two-year-old winners of eleven races and Gimmethegreenlight has had ten individual winners of eleven races.

The nearest challenger to One World in the freshman championship is Buffalo Bill Cody, whose progeny have earned R431,285.

He has had two individual winners of four races.

Captain Al set a new South African record as a freshman sire in the 2004/2005 season with 22 individual two-year-old winners, although Jet Master raked up more earnings to land the freshman sire title.

Klawervlei Stud bred Captain Al and when he landed the sires championships in the 2014/2015 season, they became the first stud in the country to have stood a champion stallion that they themselves bred since Henry Nourse’s Dwarsvlei Stud achieved this with Dignitary in 1934.

Klwervlei also bred One World.

The only South African-breds to have won the national sires title to date have been Dignitary, Elevation, Jet Master and Captain Al.

Vercingetorix could be the next .

Will One World also land the title one day?

One World could be within eight winners of equalling Captain Al’s record by the end of this weekend.

On Saturday at Turffontein Standside he has the Sean Tarry-trained World Of Alice running in the second race over 1600m, a Juvenile Plate for filles over 1600m. She went close on debut over 1400m and is the 17/10 favourite on Saturday.

One World’s bid to beat his father’s record will add yet more intrigue to an intriguing season.

Cosmic Speed won impressively at Turffontein Inside today and might prove to be a Gr 1 Gold Medalliion contender (JC Photos)

Sean Tarry is the most successful trainer in Hollywodbets Scottsville history if the measure is Gr 1 wins.

He has won a phenomenal 18 Gr 1s at the Pietermaritzburg course and watchers will be looking at him building towards this year’s Festival Of Speed meeting on June 1.

Cosmic Speed put up his hand today as a possible Gr 1 Gold Medallion contender.

The Querari half-brother to dual Gr 2-winning sprinter Cosmic Highway was returning from a rig procedure and Tarry was fearful he would need the run.

However, he showed a terrific turn of foot to come from off the pace in a  Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m.

Richard Fourie felt he was “not too speedy” and believed he would be “looking for ground”, but added he could only improve from the run.

Other Gold Medallion prospects from the Tarry yard include the One World colt Don’t Cry For Me, who was very impressive when downing the 4/10 shot Winds Of Change in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m three weeks ago.

Proceed, a Gimmethegreenlight colt, won his maiden by 7,25 lengths and then finished fourth in the Gr 2 SA Nursery, three lengths ahead of his stablemate DantonfromSandton. He has always struck as a progressive sort and he should enjoy the tough Hollywoodbets Scottsville 1200m.

Tarry’s Legend Of Arthur is a half-brother to a Trippi colt who fetched R5,25 million at the BSA Yearling Sale and he is promising but will need further.

Tarry’s probable best trio of two-year-old fillies to date are likely Mountain High (Rafeef), who looks held on Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Nursery form, World Of Alice (One World), who needs further and Silver Parasol (Gimmethegreenlight), who was backed on debut and finished a fair fourth but hasn’t been seen out since that January 28 debut.

Tarry’s reigning Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint winner Princess Calla is now overseas, but he will still have a strong hand in that race this year. It is too early to write off his Allan Robertson winner from last year, Mrs Geriatrix, who hasn’t reached the heights expected this season, but her form is by no means anything to sneeze at. She reverts to sprints on Saturday in the Gr 2 TAB Camellia Stakes over 1160m and that might be what she is looking for.

An exciting prospect for the SA Fillies Sprint is Winter Greeting, who has always looked to have a lot of class and last time out this big filly proved she had been looking for sprint trips. She coud be a big player in the Gr 2 Jehan Malherbe Senor Santa Stakes on Saturday and in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint.

Mrs Browning is no slouch and could also be a SA Fillies Sprint contender.

There is also the progressive Troppo Veloce and the exciting Celtic Rumours, who should be coming into her own, although the SA Fillies Sprint is a touch on the sharps side for her.

For the Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint Thunderstruck is still merit rated 124 despite his win in the Gr 1 weight for age Computaform Sprint, so might line up for the handicap event.

There is also Swing Upon A Star, who could prove on Saturday in the Senor Santa that he is better than a 105 merit rating.

Last year’s facile Gold Medallion winner Lucky Lad might line up in the Golden Horse if he does well in the Senor Santa on Saturday and then is shown to not like a mile in the WSB Guineas the following Saturday.

Muth comes off a win in the Arkansas Derby (Benoit Photo via AP) 

ESPN.com.au

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Kentucky appeals court judge has denied Zedan Racing Stables’ requests for an emergency hearing and ruling that sought to allow Bob Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth to run in next week’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Jeff S. Taylor issued an order denying relief on Wednesday, saying Zedan’s motion failed to name the Hall of Fame trainer suspended by Churchill Downs as an “indispensable party” in its motion. Taylor’s order added that the action “constitutes an impermissible collateral attack by a nonparty” after a federal court ruled against Baffert last year.

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Taylor also wrote the ZRS’ “inexplicable” delay seeking relief from Baffert’s extended ban by the historic track precluded consideration for emergency relief. A three-judge panel will hear the motions as standard procedure, but time is short for an immediate decision with eligible Derby horses required to be stabled at the track by Saturday morning. The post draw is Saturday evening.

ZRS sued Churchill Downs days after Muth’s Arkansas Derby victory, seeking entry into the milestone 150th Kentucky Derby on May 4 despite the track’s extended suspension of Baffert through the end of this year. The discipline keeps the two-time Triple Crown winner out of the Derby for a third consecutive year following an initial two-year suspension for a failed postrace drug test by deceased colt Medina Spirit (who was disqualified) after the horse crossed the finish line first in the 2021 race.

Muth won last month’s Arkansas Derby but could not receive the 100 points that would have put Muth in the 20-horse field because of the suspension. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch Perry denied the injunction last week and expressed concern about “innocent third parties” having to remove eligible horses to make room for Muth.

Perry also noted that ZRS was aware Baffert’s horses had to be transferred to a non-suspended trainer by Jan. 29 yet chose to remain with him.

Gavin Smith leads Alan Greeff by three in yet another close fought tussle for the East Cape Trainers championship (Pauline Herman Photography)

-Henk Steenkamp-

The Eastern Cape heavyweights Gavin Smith and Alan Greeff are ready to become the first trainers to saddle 100 winners in the current South African season.

Smith is on 99 winners and Greeff on 96. It will be interesting to see if they can get to 100 winners at Friday’s Fairview Polytrack meeting.

Both stables are in fine form and both trainers will saddle 16 runners each on Friday.

Going into the last quarter of the season, all indications are that the race for the East Cape trainers title will again be a very close race between Smith and Greeff.

Last season it went down to the very last meeting when Smith retained his title with 126 winners for the season. Greeff ended with 121 winners.

Greeff’s best season was in 2019 when he saddled 176 winners. This is the East Cape record and looks safe for now. Smith’s best season was 150 winners in 2007.

Friday’s meeting of eight races starts at 12:25.

THE FAIRVIEW FIVE

Most winners this season (as at 25 April)

TRAINERS

1. Gavin Smith 99
2. Alan Greeff 96
3. Kelly Mitchley 55
4. Sharon Kotzen 25
5. Tara Laing 17

JOCKEYS

1. Richard Fourie 85
2. S’manga Khumalo 47
3. Luyolo Mxothwa 38
4. Muzi Yeni 38
5. Dennis Schwarz 15

Romantic Warrior gallops under Hugh Bowman at Sha Tin this week (Picture: HKJC).

After experiencing Hong Kong Derby glory and Cox Plate euphoria among a host of big-race wins, the Japan Home Centre co-founder’s nerves are far more settled ahead of Sunday’s QE II Cup

Harry Cobden looks to have his first jumps championship title in the bag (Picture: jockeytraining.co.uk)

The British Jumps season ends on Saturday and Sean Bowen is still making a concerted effort to catch Harry Cobden in the jockeys championship. A double today at Perth, compared to a single win for Cobden at Warwick, saw Bowen ending the day just six wins off the leader.

He has five rides at Perth tomorrow (Friday) and four rides at Sandown on Saturday.

However, Cobden has six rides at Chepstow tomorrow and six at Sandown on Saturday.

It will take a miracle for Bowen to win.

However, he will still be trying and the below article was written by Racing TV before racing today.

Racing TV

Win, lose, or draw, Sean Bowen  is determined to take plenty of pride from his jockeys’ championship battle with Harry Cobden, which is set to go right down to the wire.

The 26-year-old had built up a substantial lead before suffering an injury at Aintree on Boxing Day.

His time on the sidelines allowed Cobden the perfect opportunity to gain some serious momentum and by the time the Welshman returned to the saddle in early February, his advantage had been eroded to just four.

Since then, the duo have embarked on a ding-dong battle for weighing room supremacy and although Cobden now holds a slender lead with only the final throngs of the season to come, Bowen can be content with his title-chasing efforts.

“It’s incredible that I have even got within five (at one stage) with the injury I had and I take a good bit of pride in the fact I have got as many winners as I have and have kept fighting to the end,” Bowen said during a media call organised by Great British Racing.

“Whether I win or lose, I haven’t given it up. It’s not impossible and it has been made a bit harder by Harry riding his winners at Taunton (on Wednesday), but there is no need to stop fighting now, there’s only a few days left.

“I’ve made it quite clear, I’m mad about being champion jockey and hopefully I will have a good few days. But if it doesn’t happen, then next year will be just as important and I will be trying to rattle off as many winners as possible, rack up a lead and hopefully not lose that lead next time.”

Bowen’s injury, suffered when taking a nasty fall from Gordon Elliott’s Farren Glory in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle, has ultimately played a crucial role in this season’s championship.

During that time on the sidelines, he had to watch on as Cobden not only ate away at his championship lead but also boot home winners that would invariably have been his own, such as Noble Yeats in the Cleeve Hurdle

However, Bowen is philosophical about his time away from the saddle and having initially thought he would be ruled out for the rest of the season, before the assistance of the Oaksey House rehabilitation centre and Dr Jerry Hill helped him make a rapid recovery, he acknowledges injuries are part and parcel of being a jumps jockey.

Bowen said: “It’s a part of racing and I’m not the first person it has happened to. I had six or seven weeks off, which is a long time in racing, and if I was able to just ride five or six winners over that time, I would be level with Harry.

“There were days where it hurt more than others and that first phone call of Dr Jerry Hill saying I would be out for the rest of the season was not a good day, and there were others as well where I missed big winners, Noble Yeats being one at Cheltenham.

“So there were days that were more annoying than others but I never got too down about it and at the same time, I’ve had a great season. I’ve had over 150 winners and two Grade One winners, so I don’t have much to complain about.”

One of the hallmarks of this season’s title race has been the good nature of the competition between two riders who are graduates of the same Ditcheat academy and have been weighing room companions since their teenage years.

The two table-toppers sit side by side in the changing rooms, allowing plenty of light-hearted ribbing to take place in the midst of a hard-fought battle.

“It’s been fun and it would obviously be more fun if I was the one leading it and not Harry,” continued Bowen.

“We’ve had plenty of banter about it in the weighing room and no fallings out. I know a few championships that have gone to the wire have ended in a few arguments, but this one hasn’t.”

Meanwhile, Cobden has admitted to having some nerves as the finishing line approaches, with Paul Nicholls’ stable jockey now the man being pursued by his long-time friend – and he is yet to fully consider what it will mean to lift the trophy aloft at Sandown on Saturday afternoon.

“I must admit I was getting a bit jittery,” said Cobden.

“I was quite relaxed about it 10 days ago when I was 15 clear and I thought it would be a miracle for Sean to pull that back, but the last 10 days I’ve barely ridden a winner, so it’s been quite difficult and Sean has been riding loads of winners.

“When he clawed back 10 in as many days, I thought I need to pull my finger out here and thankfully Wednesday night was good and I’ve a good book of rides to come.

“I suppose he is unlucky because he has had five weeks out and I would say if Sean Bowen couldn’t ride five winners in five weeks, then it would be a bad job – and if he wasn’t injured, I would say it would be me chasing him at the moment.

“I haven’t thought about winning yet, as I don’t want to count my chickens until they hatch. It’s very much business as usual until Saturday and although I’m seven clear and there’s only three days left of racing, Sean Bowen is riding out of his skin and could pull anything off.”

Horses That Made History: Magnificent Sea The Stars was one of a kind

Racing TV (Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023)

In the latest of our Horses That Made History series, we look back on the career of Sea The Stars, one of the greatest of all time. This article was first published in the summer of 2019.

Sea The Stars was undoubtedly one of the greatest racehorses that most of us will ever see in our liftimes. His exploits as a three-year-old, systematically reeling off a series of Group One successes with the same style, poise and substance, even when the opposition lined up in convoy to try and topple him, will be difficult to ever match. The memories are so vivid that it is hard to believe it all happened 10 years ago.
Having finished fourth on his debut in a seven-furlong maiden at the Curragh in July 2008, John Oxx’s superstar did not taste defeat thereafter.

Being by Cape Cross out of Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea, and a half-brother to dominant super-stallion Galileo, Sea The Stars was always going to be the subject of considerable expectation. However, it became apparent that he was on his way to living up to his pedigree when he got off the mark in style on his next start in a similar contest on unfavourably soft ground at Leopardstown.

Trainer John Oxx did not waste any time stepping up his youngster in class and after taking the Group Two Beresford Stakes back at the Curragh on his next start, he emerged as a leading player for 2000 Guineas glory for the following season.

However, it was not plain sailing during his preparation for the first Classic of the season at Newmarket as Sea The Stars suffered a setback in March.

There were concerns as to whether he would be ready in time, and bookmakers ultimately sent him off at 8-1, but he looked outstanding in the parade ring and any doubts were soon brushed aside when he showed an electric turn of foot and powered to an impressive victory under Mick Kinane.

The winning rider said afterwards: “I’ve had great belief in this horse ever since I sat on him in May last year. For a big, gangly colt, he was always going easy and I was always looking forward to the day when he matured.”

The success saw bookmakers promote Sea The Stars to Derby favouritism, and all roads led to the Epsom classic, but he needed to prove his stamina and ability to handle the undulating track. Oxx was not entirely confident about the former, given the speed he had shown at Newmarket and in his homework.
Not unexpectedly, Ballydoyle sent out a battalion of runners in opposition at Epsom with their leading hope being the talented Rip Van Winkle, but despite racing freeely in the early stages, Sea The Stars had their measure, leading halfway up the straight and staying on strongly to become the first horse since Nashwan in 1989 to complete the Guineas/Derby double.

The opportunity to further emulate Nashwan came next in the Eclipse Stakes. Having been forced to miss the Irish Derby due to the very soft ground, which Oxx knew his charge simply could not handle, Sea The Stars headed next to Sandown.

It was a re-match with Rip Van Winkle that asked a different question. Run at a frantic pace, Sea The Stars found himself in front fully two furlongs from home with his Ballydoyle rival poised to challenge. However, the outcome was the same as Kinane’s mount found more to score by a length.

York’s Juddmonte International Stakes came next with Ballydoyle throwing a different rival up against Sea The Stars in Mastercraftsman, who had won two Group Ones since finishing just out of the placings in the 2000 Guineas.
It was another thrilling contest as Kinane bravely cut between two fading pacemakers just as the doors were starting to close. But like a scene from Indiana Jones, it was our hero who prevailed as he successfully managed to negotiate the obstacle and get the better of the stiff challenge of Mastercraftsman to win in a course-record time.

Oxx was keen to run his superstar in Ireland again if ground conditions allowed, but it was touch and go as to whether he would be allowed to line up in the Irish Champion Stakes, with rain arriving in the build-up to the contest.

On the day, it was officially ‘Good to Yielding’, but with Leopardstown officials moving Heaven and Earth, and some running rails, to create the best possible surface, the decision was taken to let him take his chance.
This time, along with Mastercraftsman, O’Brien pitched Fame And Glory into the mix. Second to Sea The Stars at Epsom, he had since ran out a hugely-impressive five-length winner of the Irish Derby and the betting market respected his chances as a strong 9-4 second-favourite.

Fame And Glory hit the front over a furlong out, Johnny Murtagh setting out to make the most of his mount’s proven stamina. But Kinane had the leader in his sights throughout and the pair produced a devastatingly-impressive performance as the swept past.

“Sea The Stars ranging up on the near side,” called commentator Dessie Scahill. “They’ve come to see a star. And it’s Sea The Stars who hits the front for Michael Kinane and John Oxx. Racing up towards the finish, the undisputed champion, Sea The Stars is running away, he’s going to score by two and a half lengths, wins his fifth Group One.”

After that succcess, there was only challenge left for Sea The Stars in Europe, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.

Against Sea The Stars were 18 rivals and the possible effects of what, by now, had been quite an arduous campaign. No mid-season break for him. Indeed, he got unusually warm before the race, suggesting to some onlookers that those midsummer victories might be starting to tell.

Again, Kinane briefly struggled to persuade his mount to settle in the early stages and he had to drop him right back into the pack in order to get the necessary cover to persuade Sea The Stars to drop his head. Inevitably, that meant the risk of meeting traffic problems once reaching top gear in the straight, but Kinane was wiser than some of his rivals and secured the perfect split against the far rail when it mattered for his mount.

Bursting through the pack to lead just over a furlong out, he put good Group One winners effortlessly in their place, the likes of Conduit, Dar Re Mi, Cavalryman, Fame And Glory and the rest all being left toiling in his wake.

Sea The Stars had it all. A true history-maker, he was the first horse to ever do the Guineas/Derby/Arc treble. Not only did he have supreme talent though, but he also had a pedigree to die for and the dashing good looks to go with it. One of a kind.