Turf Talk Newsletter – 5 October, 2026

Three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt Continue The Dream became the fifth of five full-brothers to win on debut, when powering home over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Sunday (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Klawervlei Stud-bred Trippi mare The Real Princess has already won an Equus Champion Broodmare award having produced three stakes winners with her first four foals and she looks to have another champion in the making in her fifth foal Continue The Dream, who ensured on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Durbanville that  her mother now has the enviable record of her first five foals all winning on debut.

All five of her foals are by Gimmethegreenlight, all have been bred and are owned by Lady Christine Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables and all of them have been trained by Dean Kannemeyer.

The two most prominent among them to date are Gimme A Prince, a now retired monster of a horse who won three Gr 1 sprints and was the Equus Champion Sprinter, while also managing to finish third in the Gr 1 wfa L’Ormarins King’s Plate over a mile; and The Real Prince, whose two Gr 1 wins have been in the country’s most famous race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July over 2200m, and the country’s most prestigious wfa mile, The King’s Plate.

All of Continue The Dream’s siblings won over 1200m on debut, but an inkling that he is more likely to follow in the footsteps of The Real Prince than Gimme A Prince was that he made his debut over 1400m on Sunday.

Jockey Craig Zackey agreed with that sentiment after the race, but pointed out that, pleasingly, Continue The Dream was the size of Gimme A Prince.

Continue The Dream has inherited the family’s laid back nature and did not give Zackey an easy time going down. Then, after a tardy start, Zackey had to work hard around the bend as the horse came on and off the bridle

He decided to drive him to the outside coming around the final part of the bend in order to put fresh air in front of him, which he hoped would ignite his athleticism.

The tactic worked a treat and the colt displayed another attribute of the family, a magnificent turn of foot.

The gears he showed even took Zackey by surprise and he had not expected to make up the leeway so quickly.

Commentator Brandon Bailey was able to say “It’s race over” as he passed the 200m mark.

He justified his 33/20 favouritism when going to the line a 1,50 length winner, a scenario which had not looked likely after his tardy start and Zackey’s battles around the bend.

In fact Zackey, despite being a very fit jockey, returned puffing more than the horse.

The runner up, the Vaughan Marshall-trained Time Thief gelding Godfrid Gryffindor, also caught the eye as he responded when Continue The Dream passed him by running on strongly and finishing 2,50 lengths clear of the rest of the field.

The time of 86.18 seconds did not compare favourably on the day, but made the winning performance even more impressive as it takes something special to quicken so well off a slow pace.

Zackey said he hoped the penny would drop by the next start and he expected this colt to get better and better.

Dean Kannemeyer spoke about Continue The Dream’s “wonderful temperament” and also expected continual improvement.

He believed Real Princess was due to foal down to Gimmethegreenlight again soon.

Going back to the well has proved a winning breeding strategy in this case and Continue The Dream should join The Real Prince in helping make it an exciting season for the connections.

Gladatorian has now won 12 races, including three Gr 2s and a Gr 1 (JC Photos) 

KZN had another Graded race success on the Highveld over the weekend when the Summerveld-based Stuart Ferrie-trained Gladatorian added to his impressive Turffontein record by winning the Gr 2 Betway Jo’Burg Spring Challenge over 1450m on the Inside track. There should be more KZN raiding success this season and Duncan Howells has two horses, Asiye Phambili and Hierarchy, who are set to travel, while an ex-horse of his, Kazenyoni, is all set to be flown to Hong Kong after being sold.

Gladatorian will avoid the Gr 2 Allied-Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile as he would have to carry roundabout 63kg and would have to give lumps of weight away in that race, but he is likely going to have a tilt at the Gr 2 R6 million Betway Summer Cup over 2000m on the last Saturday of November.

Before Saturday Gladatorian had run three times at Turffontein for a second in the 2023 Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants over 1160m on the Standside course to subsequent Gr 1 winner Dyce, a fourth in the 2024 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge and a flying second in the 2024 Charity Mile.

On Saturday he was backed in from 10/1 to 4/1 favourite.

Stuart had been confident going in.

He said, “I fancied him, he had been working really well, he was his old self.”

Tristan Godden was aboard as his regular rider Sean Veale was serving a suspension.

Godden allowed the seven-year-old Vercingetorix gelding to do his own thing from the off, just sitting still after a fair break from draw four. He found himself three from the back and was one off the rail with plenty of cover.

Gladatorian relaxed superbly and when Godden let him go at the 400m mark he still had a ton in hand.

He had a nice clear run and when he reached the 200m mark, he was in top gear and looked likely to catch the front-running 1400m specialist I’m A Fireball.

He caught the latter in the shadow of the post and won going away by 0,90 lengths with Godden able to do a Veale-like salute as he passed the line.

I’m a Fireball secured an exacta for the superstar sire Vercingetorix.

Stuart said yesterday at Summerveld, “Gladatorian traveled back well and was bouncing this morning.”

The weight spread in the Summer Cup is just 6kg with the topweight carrying 60kg, so those conditions would suit this 127-rated galloper.

However, Stuart said, “The Summer Cup is his only option, although maybe the 2000m is just at the end of his limit.”

Siena Grima is all smiles after God’s Window’s victory (Picture: Racing And Sports (Bradley Photos))

Gaynor Rupert scored another overseas Gr 1 success when her Chris Waller-trained homebred five-year-old Dubawi gelding God’s Window won the Epsom Handicap over 1600m at Randwick in Australia.

She bred this horse in the UK, where he ran in such races as the Epsom Derby for the John and Thady Gosden yard. He had his first outing in Australia in a barrier trial in August 2025.

The win on Saturday gave Waller his 207th career Group 1 winner and a record-equalling seventh Epsom Handicap success and it was a first Gr 1 win for apprentice Siena Grima.

The 24-year-old Grima, Sydney’s reigning premier apprentice, was competing in her first Gr 1 race and became only the second female rider to win the famous Royal Randwick mile after Kathy O’Hara won on the Chris Waller-trained Rediener three years ago.

Waller gave Grima a simple piece of advice before legging her into the saddle for the $1.5million race.

“I said to Sienna, treat this like any other race, don’t stress and enjoy yourself – she has certainly done that,” Waller said.

Grima said her self-belief has grown under the mentorship of Waller and Hall of Fame jockey Darren Beadman.

“I honestly was filled with confidence just with the horse and the confidence Darren and Chris had coming into it,” Grima said.

“They just told me to have a great time and have fun, and I can’t thank everyone that has been involved in getting me here, but just to have my first Group 1 win with my first Group 1 ride is unreal.”

Grima became the first apprentice to win the Epsom since Wayne Harris on Gold Circle in 1981.

Lightweight God’s Window ($26) finished powerfully, coming from last to win by two lengths from gallant topweight Ceolwulf($9.50) with Tom Kitten ($31) a length away third.

This will be an Epsom remembered for Grima’s historic win but it was race full of highlights including:

#New Zealand wonder mare Well Written wasn’t quite at home in the soft track conditions but ran bravely for sixth.

#Favourite Autumn Boy ($3.80) didn’t have a lot of room on the rails and finished seventh.

#Attica got fired up with blinkers on and raced on the lead into the straight before fading for ninth.

#Apprentice Jackson Radley also had his first Group 1 ride and finished a very good fourth on Plymouth.

#Perfumist struggled in the soft track conditions and ran last.

But it was Grima’s day and the articulate young woman handled her first Group 1 win with a calmness that belied her inexperience.

“I galloped him Thursday, and he just gave me the most incredible feel,” Grima said.

“I had a lovely cart out wide to the better part of the track, and he just filled me with confidence the entire way and when I went past them all I thought, I’m going to win my first Group One! And I did.”

Grima admitted she was worried that God’s Window might have got a “little bit” too far back on settling down.

“He can get on the chewy and when he didn’t begin the best, I didn’t want to upset him and rev him up, so I just jumped, let him slide across,” she said.

“I was back with Mollie (Fitzgerald on Encap) and I thought, us girls are going to get this done.

“I remember Darren (Beadman) saying ‘get on your train early’. I followed Plymouth out and he gave me a beautiful cart out, and when I got into him he just kept finding.

“I probably won’t be turning up to work on Monday. Just joking. I’ll be there for track work, Chris, don’t worry.”

God’s Window gave Waller his seventh Epsom to equal the training record of the late, great Tommy Smith and his daughter, Gai Waterhouse.

Waller, who has also won the Epsom with Autumn Glow (2025), Rediener (2023), Kolding (2019), Winx (2015), He’s Your Man (2014) and Boban (2013), was momentarily lost for words after Grima’s win.

“It’s an amazing feat and a Group 1 win will give her so much confidence,” Waller said.

“I’m so happy for her, I’m getting emotional. When she came to us, she wanted to learn. Tough is not the right word but she’s an amazing horse person.

“She is there every morning and is the same person every day. She is one of those real professional athletes we read about and dream about being.

“But she is the same person as when she started, she doesn’t think she is anything special and is the same girl every day.

“We have a big team in Melbourne today and Darren Beadman is down there but was the first person on the phone, he was in tears as he has put so much work into Siena. It is a fairytale win.”

As for God’s Window, the son of English super sire Dubawi was stakes placed in England and was considered good enough to contest the 2024 Epsom Derby where he ran unplaced behind champion City Of Troy.

God’s Window was sent down under to be trained by Waller last year and the lightly-raced gelding has slowly improved the longer he has been with the champion trainer.

“He found form through the winter,” Waller said. “Sydney racing, 52 weeks of the year, it gives you a bit of confidence if you can race consistently.

“His first-up run was terrific and we picked this race out after he went for his winter spell.

“We felt we would give him the one run into the Epsom and it worked.”

Ceolwulf ran a blinder under 59kg to finish second and is right on track for a potential three-peat in the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on October 17.

“He has gone terrific,” said Chad Schofield, rider of Ceolwulf.

“He had a perfect run throughout following the right horses. He was on the back of Idle Flyer and later Tom Kitten but they didn’t take me anywhere.”

“That resulted in me being held up which with the big weight wasn’t ideal but he burst through the pack and was very good.”

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus said Tom Kitten has “gone fantastic”.

“We had to work into a position, then he presented to win but peaked on his run,” Hyeronimus said.

James McDonald, rider of Autumn Boy, described barrier one as a “bit of a curse”.

“We got shuffled back at the wrong time and didn’t get clear air so it was a forgive,” McDonald said.

Well Written moved into the race as a likely winner half way down the straight but could manage only sixth.

“I couldn’t fault the way she presented,” jockey Zac Lloyd said of Well Written.

“The first half went perfect, the run presented, if she quickened well enough she would have gotten through but she didn’t quicken as well as she did in New Zealand.”

Flower Island impressed in her seasonal reappearance (JC Photos)

Cape Breeders

Ridgemont’s top-class resident sire Rafeef came up with his 29th stakes winner on Saturday when his daughter Flower Island won the G2 Betway Joburg Spring F and M Challenge (1450m) at Turffontein.

One of three winners on the day for the training combination of Mike and Mathew De Kock, three-year-old Flower Island received a brilliant ride from Muzi Yeni.

Yeni brought his mount with a strong late burst, while wending their way through their rivals.

Despite looking an unlikely winner for much of the G2 contest, Flower Island flew up to get up and win by a neck, with last season’s G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic winner Hazy Dazy back in second spot.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, the classy Flower Island has won three of four starts, with the filly having finished second in last season’s G2 Allan Robertson Championship.

Flower Island, who is out of the G1 winning Silvano mare Orchid Island, was a R500 000 buy from the 2025 National Yearling Sale.

She is owned by Mr & Mrs Steven Jell, Messrs M F de Kock, C S Haynes, G Ragunan, Mrs N P Malherbe & Fieldspring Racing.

Flower Island was one of two winners at Turffontein on Saturday for Rafeef. The latter’s son Duke Of Lorraine, also trained by the De Kocks, won Saturday’s Betway MR 92 Open Handicap (1600m) in courageous fashion.

Ridden by Craig Zackey, the three-year-old Duke Of Lorraine made it two wins from four starts when holding off a wall of challenges to score by a neck.

Bred by Judy and Glyn Davies, the progressive gelding races for the Wernars Family, Mr L W & Mrs N J Evered-Hall & Mr G J Paola.

Duke Of Lorraine, who is out of the Dynasty mare Maria Theresa, was a R500 000 purchase from the 2025 Summer Sale.

The Euphrates wins the Gr 2 Asahi Super Dry Kingston Town Stakes on September 19 at Randwick (via Youtube)

Stalwart South African owner Larry Nestadt looks set to have a lively runner in the Melbourne Cup running in his own colours.

The British-bred Frankel five-year-old gelding The Euphrates was formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien and he arrived in Australia in the middle of last year.

However, he was off for almost a year after some initial barrier trials and he finally made his Australian debut for Gai Waterhouse and  Adrian Bott on September 5 at Randwick, finishing fourth of nine in a Gr 2 over the too sharp 1600m  at Randwick.

Two weeks later he was stepped up to 2000m in the Gr 2 Asahi Super Dry Kingston Town Stakes and he won from start to finish in resolute style.

On Saturday he was stepped up again to 2400m in the Gr 2 Asahi Super Dry Metropolitan at Randwick and he finished a 3.6 length third.

Larry said after the latter defeat, “Today he had a lot of weight and didn’t make them gallop, they outsprinted him. He needs 3200m.”

On the upside he will not get any rating raise for the place, so will not get any extra weight if he does get into the Cup field.

The Euphrates is generally a 20/1 shot for the Melbourne Cup and is 25/1 in places.

Larry’s familiar South African colours are All Royal Blue and in Australia they are the same except they have yellow epaulettes.

Volmoed Stud will be offering three two-year-olds for sale at the upcoming October Two Year Old Sale. Remarkably, this trio were all sired by Gr 1 winning champions, with Volmoed’s draft consisting of lots sired by Elusive Fort, Jet Dark and One World.

Volmoed’s Inel Bekker is delighted with the quality of horse that she is bringing to the October Sale and had the following comments to make about her trio:

Lot 32: GLOBAL DOMINATION – One World c Open My Eyes
A very strong and tall, imposing colt. Flashy and powerful. He is a full brother to Star World that won again on 06.09.26 By the sire of One Stripe and Rich Man’s World, GLOBAL DOMINATION hails from the same female line as multiple champion sire Foveros among many others.

Lot 95: JET SETTER – Jet Dark c Alinga
Lovely racy colt, Has a good walk and has a lot of presence about him. Very exciting, is the fact that he is the half brother to the very talented Fatal Flaw. From the first crop of his five time Gr 1 winning sire, he is a half-brother to five winners led by champion Fatal Flaw.

Lot 123: MAC SALLY – Elusive Fort f Dans With Sally
Good walking filly, on her toes and has a good hindquarter. She has a lot of character.
By the same sire as such classy fillies as Siren’s Call, Lauderdale and Littlemissmillion, this filly’s first three dams were sired by Dansili, Sadler’s Wells and Diesis.

For more information on Volmoed’s draft, please contact Inel on (071) 578 4252.

All horses purchased at the Race Coast Sales October Two Year Old Sale qualify for a suite of lucrative incentives. These include the Race Coast Sales Juvenile Bonus of R100 000, with R70 000 payable to the owner and R15 000 each to the vendor and the trainer.

Graduates from the sale are also eligible for the prestigious R3 Million Slipper, a 1200m race exclusively for two-year-old Race Coast Sales graduates, to be run in 2027 with a total prize purse of R3 million.

In addition, graduates qualify for the three-year-old races in 2028, which include the R1 Million Sprint and the R1 Million Mile.

Daryz saunters to victory in the Arc (Picture: Sky Sports Racing)

Daryz’s Arc reputation secure but retirement would rule out folk-hero status

Back-to-back wins is a huge achievement, but owners have more to think about than unprecedented third title

Greg Wood (The Guardian)

It was, as the moderator of the post-Arc press conference put it, the “difficult question everyone wants to ask”, but Princess Zahra Aga Khan, the owner of the winner, Daryz, did not seem to find it difficult at all.

“Look, we’re breeders,” she said, “and you get to the point where you’re taking a risk every time you run the horse. Would we want him to train on for another year? I’m not sure. I think he has other things to do.”

For many of those at Longchamp on a memorable Sunday afternoon, it will be a frustrating decision at best. For those who prefer the winter code it could further support the regular claim that Flat horses are never around long enough to earn true folk-hero status.

Daryz, after all, did not run at two and seems set to retire – like many Classic-winning three-year-olds – after a couple of seasons on the track. Although two Arc victories is a huge achievement, a third would be unprecedented and secure Daryz a place not just among the great Arc winners, but in the conversation about the greatest of all. Having seen off the best from the 2026 Classic crop, a fit, fully mature five-year-old Daryz would surely be a very short price to see off the best of 2027 next October.

Set that against the small risk of a serious injury while racing and it could seem inexplicable not to tilt for racing immortality. France Galop, the sport’s governing body, does not publish detailed statistics on fatal injuries while racing in the manner of the British Horseracing Authority or the Equine Injury Database in the US, but the fatality rate on the Flat in most major jurisdictions is about one for every 1,000 starts. A four- or five-race campaign for Daryz focused squarely on a return to Longchamp would be roughly 200-1 to end with a catastrophic injury.

From a racing fan’s perspective, the risk-reward reckoning of keeping Daryz in training could seem like a no-brainer. From his owner’s point of view, though, the calculation is entirely different since it factors in what would be lost – to the Aga Khan Studs breeding operation most obviously, but also to the sport as a whole – in the unlikely event the worst were to happen.

Princess Zahra’s family has been breeding and racing thoroughbreds since the third Aga Khan, her great-grandfather, made his debut on the British turf in the early 20th century. Hers is the fourth generation to own an Arc winner – there have now been nine in the famous silks – but the first to own a dual winner of the race.

It is worth remembering that Aga Khan Studs is not a commercial operation in the manner of, say, the Coolmore Stud in Ireland. It has five stallions on its roster, sends few of its home-bred yearlings to the sales and still operates in many respects like the traditional owner-breeders that were the bedrock of the turf from its earliest days until the Coolmore-led transformation towards a full-on commercial model in the 1970s.

On that basis, Daryz’s value to the operation goes well beyond what can be summed up on a balance sheet. For his owners, the decision to send him off to stud is every bit as clearcut as the choice to race on at five might seem to be to Daryz’s supporters in the grandstand.

But while the fans and Longchamp seem sure to be denied the spectacle of Daryz lining up for a third Arc, another abiding memory of Sunday’s action, alongside the winner’s brilliant surge to victory, is of a race and an event that has rediscovered its confidence and poise.

In the first couple of years after its €150m rebuild, there were plenty from Britain and Ireland – who account for at least 25% of the attendance – saying “never again” as huge queues for toilets, food concessions and betting windows spoiled their days.

But there were no queues – that I could see, at least – on a half-hour walk around Longchamp in the hour between the Prix de l’Abbaye and the Arc itself. The weather – not just warm, but hot – undoubtedly added to the general air of contentment and allowed the crowd to spread out and explore the space, but the sense of a special day in the sporting calendar was back.

Daryz will be elsewhere on the first Sunday in October next year, but many, if not most, of those who were there to see him win his second Arc may well have it inked into their calendars already.