Picture: Greg Bortz (Hamish Niven Photography)

Cape Racing To Establish New Sales Division

www.Sportingpost.co.za

Cape Racing has announced the establishment of a new Thoroughbred Sales Division to conduct bloodstock auctions in the Western Cape.

All profits earned by this division will be channelled into stakes and will contribute alongside Cape Racing’s other initiatives aimed at ensuring the longevity and sustainability of racing in the province.

Greg Bortz, the Executive Chairman Elect of Cape Racing, stated: “Establishing a Thoroughbred Sales Division is a logical extension of our brand. Furthermore, the entire focus for us is on creating revenue streams that stay within racing and are used for the benefit and growth of racing. The majority of the country’s breeders are based in the Cape, so I am sure they will be thrilled to see the proceeds of sales conducted in our province be returned into the local stakes pot. We are also excited to welcome all the breeders from around the country to come and participate in our sales events – if racing wins, we all win, and we are all on the same team here!“

Justin Vermaak, Cape Racing Head of Racing Operations, added: “The Western Cape seems the logical region to host auction sales as (i) the majority of horses on offer do not have to travel vast distances to get to the sales; (ii) it is located in the appropriate area from a quarantine perspective; (iii) it is frequented by high-profile local and international buyers; and (iv) can be staged to coincide with the major feature races in the Mother City as well as the other top social events in and around the city. We look forward to adding to the national sales calendar and hopefully contributing to positively uplifting our fantastic breeding industry. ”

Details of the planned sales calendar will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Picture: Team Gold after winning the Listed Topbet Spring Spree Stakes under JP van der Merwe (JC Photos)

Magner Is The King Of Spring

Roy Magner and Mike And Adam Azzie have particularly good records in the early Highveld spring season Turffontein Inside track features, which consist of the TopBet Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m and the later pair of races the Jo’Burg Spring Challenge and Jo’Burg Spring Fillies And Mares Challenge, both over 1450m.

It was therefore no surprise to see two of their horses, the progressive Magner-trained four-year-old Twice Over gelding Team Gold and the highly regarded Mike and Adam Azzie-trained four-year-old filly Sheela (The United States), fighting out Saturday’s Spring Spree Stakes, which is a Listed event these days.

Team Gold got up by 0,30 lengths to make it three years on the trot Magner had won this race.

Two years ago his five-year-old Kahal gelding Prince Of Kahal dead-heated with the Azzie-trained seven-year-old gelding Angel’s Power in the Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes before going on to win the Grade 3 Jo’Burg Spring Challenge.

Last year Magner won the Listed Spring Spree Stakes with five-year-old gelding Vaseem (Vercingetorix), who proved he is currently still competitive by finishing a five length fourth to Team Gold on Saturday.

Prince Of Kahal won it carrying 57.5kg off a 113 merit rating under Dennis Schwartz, Vasseem won it carrying 55kg off a 100 merit rating under Muzi Yeni and Team Gold won it carrying bottom weight of 54kg under JP van der Merwe off a 98 merit rating.

Team Gold had been campaigned from 1400m up to 1600m this calendar year and looked to have been coming into his own in the latter part of his three-year-old season. He won two of his last three starts as a sophomore over 1500m and 1450m respectively and finished a close second in the other one over 1450m.

The question was just whether he had enough speed for the Spring Spree.

Punters and bookmakers thought not, because despite clearly being progressive he was allowed to go off at 8/1 odds, having at one stage drifted out to 10/1.

However, he showed good gatespeed to be handy and then despite being caught one wide without cover travelled comfortably in third place within striking distance of the pacemaker Sheela.

The latter stole a march at the top of the straight but Team Gold wore her down to get up by 0,30 lengths.

The favourite Val D’Orcia, carrying third top weight of 60.5kg, finished a two length third.

Team Gold was receiving 4.5kg from Sheela, so it was a fine effort by the latter and she can be followed this season as one with both speed and class.

Team Gold was raised five points to 103 and Sheela was given four points to go to 111, so the line horse must have been Val D’Orcia.

Team Gold looks capable of repeating the feat of Prince Of Kahal by also winning the Jo’burg Spring Challenge for Magner.

He was bred by Ridgemont Highlands and is owned by TJ Barnard.

CLICK TO WATCH REPLAY OF THE TOPBET SPRING SPREE STAKES

Picture: Miss Daisy wins the Non-Black Type The Lady’s Stakes under Ryan Munger (JC Photos).

Miss Daisy Makes A Mockery Of Those Who Ignored Her

The most impressive feature stakes winner on Saturday was the Billy Ruiters-trained three-year-old filly MIss Daisy (Crusade), who never looked in danger of defeat in the Non-Black Type The Lady’s Stakes over 1200m at Turffontein Inside.

Miss Daisy looked a handicapping certainty on paper, but was ignored by most pundits.

However, the astute cashed in by backing her in from 8/1 to 5/2.

The highest rated three-year-old in the country at present is the 115-rated Sean Tarry-trained Sweet Pepper.

She earned that rating when winning the Grade 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m.

The last time Miss Daisy ran over 1200m, she was beaten half-a-length by Sweet Pepper at level weights with the rest of the field thrashed.

Miss Daisy ran in Saturday’s The Lady’s Stakes carrying the minimum weight of 52kg. Yet, she had snuck into the handicap off a 99 merit rating, 16 points below Sweet Pepper’s rating.

The reason some overlooked her might have been due to the common false belief in this country that young three-year-olds are rated too highly by the handicapper.

The stats actually show that the three-year-old strike rate in handicaps is at its highest in August, September and October.

Billy Ruiters’ small-yard status might have also put pundits off. Horses from such yards often start over-priced.

Nevertheless, Miss Daisy, and Ruiters, made a mockery of those who had ignored the impressive filly.

She never looked like losing.

She bounced out from draw two and her huge stride took her into the lead.

She stretched out superbly the whole way and without ever coming under pressure Ryan Munger was able to pat her on the head a few strides before the line.

She started Tote favourite and beat second favourite Mercury Rising (Gimmethegreenlight), a four-year-old having her second start for Paul Peter and carrying topweight of 61.5kg, by a comfortable 2,20 lengths. Bon Vivant (William Longsword) ran on well for a 2,45 length third and the rest of the field were stretched out like the washing.

Miss Daisy’s time was only 0,34 seconds slower than Team Gold’s and she did win easing up.

The handicappers have raised her six points to 106.

The Bush Hill Stud-bred filly is an exciting prospect for the season.

She is owned by SS Pooe.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A REPLAY OF THE LADY’S STAKES

Picture: Devin Heffer (Sibonelo Ngcobo/African News Agency (ANA))

Devin Heffer Speaks About Hollywoodbets’ Cape Venture On Heart FM

Range Of New Bets By The Leading Bookmaker For Spring Country Series

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO DEVIN HEFFER SPEAKING TO HEART FM’s JEREMY HARRIS

The First meeting of the Spring Country Series is on Wednesday and Hollywoodbets offer a number of interesting new punting opportunities:

Hollywoodbets Durbanville 7 September Meeting – Unusual Bets:

Trainer With Most Winners.
Jockey With Most Winners
Justin Snaith Number Of Winners
Odd/Even Numbers Most Winners

Picture: Captain’s Ransom (Candiese Lenferna)

Captain’s Ransom Is Western Cape Racing’s Horse Of The Year

Western Cape Regional Awards

The Western Cape Regional Awards took place in the 1881 Lounge at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday 3 September 2022. The Racehorse Owners Association Awards are held in conjunction with the Cape Breeders Awards.

Racehorse Owners Association Awards 2021/2022

Juvenile Male of the year:
COUSIN CASEY; WE’RE JAMMING
Winner: Cousin Casey

Juvenile Filly of the year:
AMEENA; EPSOM GIRL; WHO DO YOU LOVE
Winner: Ameena

3-Year-Old Male of the Year:
COSMIC HIGHWAY; DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE; GEM KING; POMP AND POWER
Winner: Pomp and Power

3-Year-Old Filly of the Year:
AMANZIMTOTI; CHANSONETTE; SILVER DARLING
Winner: Chansonette

Older Male of the Year:
JET DARK; KOMMETDIEDING
Winner: Jet Dark

Older Female of the Year:
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM; MARINA
Winner: Captain’s Ransom

Champion Sprinter of the Year:
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM; COSMIC HIGHWAY
Winner: Captain’s Ransom

Champion Miler of the Year:
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM; CHANSONETTE; COUSIN CASEY; DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE; JET DARK; SEEKING THE STARS
Winner: Jet Dark

Champion Middle Distance Horse of the Year:
DO IT AGAIN; JET DARK; KOMMETDIEDING; MARINA; POMP AND POWER; SILVER DARLING
Winner: Jet Dark

Champion Stayer of the Year:
CROME YELLOW; ONE WAY TRAFFIC; PINK TOURMALINE; SALVATORE MUNDI; SILVER HOST
Winner: Crome Yellow

WP Grooms’ School Workrider of the Year
C Dixon

Cape Apprentice Jockey of the Year
J Solomons

Cape Jockey of the Year
Richard Fourie

Cape Trainer of the Year
Justin Snaith

Owner of the Year
Mrs S Plattner

Horse of the Year
Captain’s Ransom

Picture: Jet Dark (far side) (Candiese Lenferna)

Jet Dark Cape Breeders Horse Of The Year

The Cape Breeders Club celebrated the Cape bred champions of the 2021-2022 racing season when they held a glittering awards evening at Kenilworth racecourse on Saturday night.

Equine and human stars of the Cape were honoured in style, with the Cape Breeders hosting their awards alongside the Racehorse Owners Association.

Drakenstein Stud enjoyed a fantastic season in 2021-2022 and the farm walked off with seven awards, including the award for Outstanding Breeder. In addition, the Drakenstein bred Jet Dark picked up three awards including the Cape bred Horse Of The Year for 2021-2022.

(Ed- Captain’s Ransom and Jet Dark had vied for Horse Of The Year for both the Equus Awards and Cape Regional Racing Awards, so it was fitting that Jet Dark did win one of them as it was really not possible to ascertain who was the better horse.)

Another farm to impress last season was Narrow Creek Stud, and that stud received a special acknowledgement award for their feat of producing nine stakes winners in the past season from just 58 runners. Narrow Creek’s stars of the past season included G1 WSB SA Classic winner Red Saxon and promising G2 Epol Umkhomazi Stakes victor Swing Upon A Star.

Cape Breeders Awards 2021/2022

Champion 2-Year-Old Colt:

Cousin Casey, Breeder: Riyo Stud

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly:

Sweet Pepper, Breeder: Drakenstein Stud

Champion 3-Year-Old Colt:

Winner: Safe Passage, Breeder: Drakenstein Stud

Champion 3-Year-Old Filly:

Winner: Rain In Holland, Breeder: Drakenstein Stud

Champion Older Male:

Winner: Jet Dark, Breeder: Drakenstein Stud

Champion Older Female:

Winner: Captain’s Ransom, Breeder: Moutonshoek Stud

Champion Sprinter:

Winner: Captain’s Ransom, Breeder: Moutonshoek Stud

Champion Middle Distance Horse:

Winner: Jet Dark, Breeder: Drakenstein Stud

Stayer of the Year:

Winner: Sparkling Water, Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein

Broodmare of the Year:

Winner: Peru, Maine Chance Farms

Stallion of the Year

Winner: Silvano

Outstanding New Stallion

Winner: Canford Cliffs

Breeder of the Year

Winner: Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein

Outstanding Breeder

Drakenstein Stud

Horse of the Year

Jet Dark, Breeder: Drakenstein Stud

Special Acknowledgement Award

Narrow Creek Stud

Picture: Flightline wins The Pacific Classic At Del Mar

Flightline Challenges Baaeed For Title Of World’s Best Horse

bloodhorse.com

Jane Lyon stood in the Del Mar grandstand watching the horse she bred and raised, Flightline (Tapit), round the far turn on his way to greatness in the Sept. 3 TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1).

“I was just trying not to start crying so hard that I wouldn’t be able to see him when he came across the finish line,” she said. “You can’t expect this. You can’t wish it. And to have it happen and for him to continue to grow like he is, better and better and better, it’s just a miracle.”

Lyon clutched the red roses in the winner’s circle, fielding congratulations from several of Flightline’s co-owners. It was Lyon who shepherded the creation of Flightline, a colt she bred in Kentucky by crossing the Indian Charlie mare Feathered with Tapit . Even those good bloodlines could give no indication that it could produce the incredible performance that the crowd witnessed in the $1,000,500 Pacific Classic.

Flightline was expected to win, despite never having raced farther than a mile and while facing five graded stakes winners, including Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) winner Country Grammer . But the way he did it was something few, if any, had ever seen before. After all, Secretariat ‘s 31-length Belmont victory was nearly 50 years ago.

Flightline put himself into the race right from the start, even though horses on either side bumped him leaving the gate. He took the early lead on the outside despite longshot Extra Hope , racing on the rail, actually getting ahead of Flightline as the well-bunched field headed for the first turn.

Racing wide with Prat seeking to keep him settled, Flightline began the assault that would quickly launch him into another dimension. At the five-eighths pole, he took command and would never relinquish it.

Was that too soon to go to the lead? With an ordinary mortal dealing with 1 1/4 miles, maybe so. But this was Flightline. He lengthened his stride, and the distance began to increase–one length, then 10, then 13. The fractions looked like Flightline might slow down, as he completed six furlongs in 1:09.97, but watching the way he moved, no one expected any horse to get anywhere near him.

“When we went into the final turn, he was traveling so well I asked him to pick it up a little bit,” said Prat. “As soon as I looked back and saw how far in front he was, I wrapped up on him.”

The crowd roared as Flightline galloped down the stretch, and Jane Lyon tried to keep those tears at bay. Jaws dropped when Flightline crossed the finish line by an incredible distance, which was later calculated to be 19 1/4 lengths. Even with Prat gearing him down, Flightline stopped the clock in 1:59.28, just 0.17 off Candy Ride’s stakes and track record, accomplished in the 2003 Pacific Classic. Country Grammer finished second, seven lengths in front of Royal Ship in third.

Flightline’s margin annihilated the Pacific Classic record of 12 1/2 lengths, set in 2019 by Accelerate, like Flightline trained by John Sadler, who has now trained four of the last five winners of the Pacific Classic.

When co-owner Kosta Hronis heard the official margin, he laughed and said, “Well, there goes Accelerate’s record—poor Accelerate.”

Hronis owned Accelerate in the name of his family’s Hronis Racing. Kosta, his wife Stephanie, and brother Pete own Flightline in partnership with Lyon’s Summer Wind Equine, Siena Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing.

Flightline has never been tested, having won all five of his races. It is a light schedule for a 4-year-old, but a few issues kept him from starting until April of his 3-year-old season, and the colt also had a minor setback early this year. Sadler has long said that it is important to harness his incredible speed.

“This horse is so brilliant you have to space his races a little bit apart because he is his own category,” said Sadler. “I know him well, and I know what’s best for him is to build up his energy between one race to the next. We’d all want to see him run more times, but when he runs like this, you don’t need to run him more times. Enjoy the ones that you run in.”

Flightline earned a Breeders’ Cup Challenge berth to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) with his Pacific Classic victory. Sadler was fairly certain that he would train the colt into that race, without going in next month’s Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, the final Classic prep for West Coast-based horses.

Sadler has been impressed with Flightline since he first saw him, after David Ingordo, who has bought many of Sadler’s top runners, advised purchasing the colt for $1 million as a yearling in 2019 at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s select yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Ingordo bought him for West Point Thoroughbreds, and the current partnership quickly came together.

Flightline’s five winning margins now total 62 3/4 lengths.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH FLIGHTLINE’S WIN ON SATURDAY

Picture: Muzi Yeni captained the Kwazulu Royals to victory in the GTH Final on Friday night on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf and he rode a double there today on the poly.

Yeni Double Carries Him To Joint lead

Muzi Yeni briefly took the lead in the national jockeys championship after scoring a double today but Kegan de Melo then rode a winner to draw level with him on 23 winners.

Yeni’s winners have come at a 23% strike rate and De Melo’s at 22.12%.

Garth Puller saddled a double to go to 6 winners for the season at a 6.67% strike rate.

Wendy Whitehead and Kumaran Naidoo lead the KZN log on 8 winners and Puller, Sean Tarry and Lorenzo Karriem are next best on 6 each.

Whitehead had the first four-timer of her career on Friday night and it came fittingly in the Global Team Horse Racing final, where she was manager of the winning team Kwazulu Royals.

Today’s Question

In a Racing Post poll in July this year which race was voted by readers as the greatest ever race?

Picture: Red Rum edging out Crisp in the 1973 Grand National was one of the contenders (BBC)

Vaal Straight Course Tuesday Fields

Today’s Question Answer

In a photo-finish outcome to the Racing Post’s public poll, Dancing Brave’s Arc win in 1986 gained 17 per cent of the vote as the greatest ever race, pushing it just ahead of the 1973 Grand National duel between Crisp and Red Rum. That ended on 16.1 per cent, with 16 per cent selecting the 1975 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, in which Grundy and Bustino fought out a famous finish up Ascot’s home straight.

The races that finished outside the first three, in no particular order, were the Cheltenham Gold Cups of 1964 (Arkle v Mill House), 1986 (Dawn Run) and 1989 (Desert Orchid), Mandarin’s 1962 Grand Steeplechase de Paris, Secretariat’s 1973 Belmont Stakes, the 2001 Irish Champion Stakes head-to-head between Fantastic Light and Galileo and the 2005 Champion Hurdle won by Hardy Eustace.

Picture: Dancing Brave comes with an irresistible surge under Pat Eddery to win the Arc (Gerry Cranham)

Turf Talk Newsletter – 5 September 2022