William Longsword’s racecourse appearances will be strictly limited after he earned himself a lifetime lording it over a Klawervlei harem by storming home at 22-1 in Saturday’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas.

“I said to John Koster beforehand that this horse’s mission is the Guineas and, if he wins it, he will go back to you,” said Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman. “He is one of the best looking horses you will ever see and he is a Captain Al half-brother to Real Princess so he has a stallion’s pedigree. From now on we will race him extremely sparingly with an eye to his stallion career.”

Brugman referred to “a magnificent training feat” on the part of Vaughan Marshall, doubtless thinking of the way the Milnerton handler boosted the horse’s confidence by bringing him back from a nasty over-reach in the Selangor to run away with a minor handicap just 11 days before the big race.

Marshall, winning his fourth Cape Guineas, jokingly brushed the compliment aside, saying: “Why should I have paid the racecourse for galloping him when they could pay me?”

It was eight years ago that MJ Byleveld won this on Le Drakkaar from a similarly wide draw and he slotted in his mount as smoothly as card dealer at the sponsor’s casino. “I had to commit early and fortunately I got there for nothing,” he related. “It was ideal having Table Bay just in front of me because I knew he was the horse to beat and, when we got to the 400m, I could see that he was under more pressure than I was. Once I went clear I knew it would take a good horse to come and beat me.”

For a few tantalising seconds Richard Fourie felt he was going to do just that on Gold Standard – “I thought I was going to get to him but then the winner went on again.”

He was beaten half a length and Glen Kotzen said: “We are happy with the result – cowboys don’t cry – but we sat handy because we thought they were going to try and turn it into a sprint, and so it proved with the time nearly three seconds slower than the Selangor. We are thinking of the Investec Cape Derby but we don’t rule out the Met.”

The decision to abandon well-publicised waiting tactics and make the running with 3-1 favourite Table Bay was the surprise of the race. A clearly disappointed Joey Ramsden would only say: “I don’t want to talk about it” but Anton Marcus said: “I thought mine had every chance. I waited and I nursed but as soon as I was challenged I knew.”

His mount was over three lengths back third with Elevated justifying Riaan van Reenen’s beliefs at 40-1 in fourth and Edict Of Nantes, last of all turning for home, running on into fifth but his fancied stable companion Craven, who returned minus a front shoe, beat only two home. “I had a hard race early and they squeezed me quite a bit,” Bernard Fayd-Herbe explained. “I had a good run into the straight but he then threw in the towel. I think it was all a bit early for him.”

Candice Bass-Robinson had her biggest win so far when Brian Finch’s Icy Trail and Grant van Niekerk just held on in the Sun International Premier Trophy but, despite also winning the last with Silver Master, she went home disappointed. “I had a frustrating day with too many seconds (five of them) and I still think Horizon should have got it in the boardroom.”

Van Niekerk lodged an objection after having to switch right and left as he finished best of all in the Grand Foods Jet Master, going under by a dwindling half-length to Fifty Cents on the Cape Derby-bound colt. It took the stipes almost 15 minutes to decide to leave the result unchanged (Ernie Rodrigues: “Grant never stopped riding and there was no loss of momentum”) but Fifty Cents also hampered Winter Prince (fourth) and Captain’s Flame (fifth). Rider Anthony Andrews faces an unenviable inquiry.

Justin Snaith, who trains the winner, won four of the first five and will run Varsfontein’s conditions race winner Bela-Bela in the Maine Chance Paddock Stakes on January 7 before deciding between the Met and the Majorca.

Anton Marcus, who was riding her for the first time, said: “This race was devoid of pace and she was clearly underdone but she lifted for me at the right time. Hopefully I will be able to stick with her.”

Silver Mountain, last until 300m out, was beaten less than a length and a half into fourth and also goes for the Paddock. “I’m not sure she stays 1 800m and the Majorca is her main mission,” said Mrs Robinson. “She came back into training quite late and has had a rushed preparation but this will bring her on.”

The Paddock closes on Friday, a fact not lost on Mike Robinson after Goodtime Gal (Fourie) proved three-quarters of a length too strong for Nightingale in the CTS Victress Stakes.

By Michael Clower