Captain America bids to become the third horse in eight seasons to win back-to-back  HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday following Smart Banker and Dancewiththedevil.

Captain America (Liesl King)

Crawford, who flew to Johannesburg on Sunday to supervise the five-year-old’s final grass gallop yesterday, said: “He has come out of his prep run in the 1 450m Pinnacle very well and Legal Eagle looks the one to beat.”

CTS Million Dollar winner Illuminator will be out for the best part of a year after suffering a fracture in his off-hind joint after doing a piece of work earlier in the month.

Glen Puller produced photographs and x-rays at Kenilworth on Saturday that clearly showed a crack in the bone. The horse is bandaged from just below the knee to the hoof.

Puller said: “The fracture is in his ankle, he will have to be box rested for six to eight months and it will be quite a while before he can run again.”

Cold As Ice has been retired after her bid to land the £150 000 All-Weather Fillies and Mares Championship at Lingfield on Good Friday saw her limp away with a badly damaged tendon. She started 4-6 favourite, moved smoothly into the lead entering the final furlong only to falter alarmingly. She passed the post in fifth and rider Pat Cosgrave promptly dismounted.

Come Fly With Me (Nkosi Hlophe)

Ridgemont manager Craig Carey said yesterday: “It was such a shame. She was cruising up and then it all went pear-shaped. She is now going to the National Stud for a six-week recuperation and then the owners will make up their minds as to what to do. There are a couple of options on the table.”

An obvious one would be to put her in foal to a top UK stallion and fly her home to continue her broodmare career in South Africa.

Mike Bass reports that Come Fly With Me, whose most recent starts have been in the Victress, Paddock and Prix Du Cap, will probably drop back to 1 200m for the Allowance Plate at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He said: “She will then go for the winter features like the Olympic Duel Stakes (May 21). Anywhere from 1 200m to 1600m is fine for her.”

Stable companion Caballo Blanco, who really caught the eye when overcoming a slow start to take third to Le Harve on debut, is likely to run in the opening Maiden Juvenile Plate.

By Michael Clower

Psycho Syd is Durban-bound after shrugging aside a near three-month absence to give weight all round in lightning fast time in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

MJ Byleveld sent him to the front fully two furlongs from home and he slammed the clearly smart Orion Quest by nearly three lengths with the third another two lengths away. The time, admittedly helped by a strong wind, was only a fifth of a second outside Brutal Force’s six furlong course record.

Vaughan Marshall

Vaughan Marshall said: “We gelded him after the Sophomore and after we saw the handicappers had put him up three points for finishing fourth. He now goes to Durban.”

The Milnerton trainer introduced a smart-looking newcomer in William Longsword in the opener. The R2.2 million Captain Al colt showed real promise in the way he made up ground in the last 150m to dead-heat for third and Marshall was understandably pleased with the performance.

Greg Ennion revealed – after landing a treble with Jeremy, Chrome Blue and Chanukah – that he had taken a massive gamble a few months ago.

He said: “I’ve only got 30 horses and I explained to my owners that I can’t compete in the Cape season so I took a calculated step. I said to them ‘Give me a chance and I will show you what I can do after the season ends.’

“I promptly eased off with the horses and then brought them back – and it has worked. I can’t remember when I last had a treble.”

All three winners won with authority and in a manner that suggested there is more to come. Ennion confirmed this, adding: “Gelding has improved Chrome Blue. He had always shown potential but he is now becoming a serious horse while Jeremy has still to fill out – he looks like a coat-hanger at the moment.”

Mike Robinson showed that you don’t need to spend a fortune for a winner when Streaming – only R10 000 at the National Two-Year-Old Sale – came again to get up close home under Aldo Domeyer in the Play The Bipot Maiden Juvenile.

Robinson said: “I was the only bidder and I couldn’t fault her.”

Donovan Dillon got up on Dancer in the opening two-year-old maiden having spent more time on the road than a long-distance lorry driver. After accepting a string of rides at Fairview he found there wasn’t a flight to be had.

Many would have picked up the phone to the various trainers, apologised and thought no more about it. Not this man. He got into his car on Thursday and drove for seven hours. After eight rides and two winners, he did the same on Friday night only this time it took a lot longer because he had rain to contend with for most of the 750k. He finally arrived back in Cape Town at 1.15am.

Joey Ramsden was impressed, particularly when Dillon duly won on Dancer, and so too was retired Dusseldorf businessman Wolfgang Schmitz when he heard the background to the story of his first winner.

By Michael Clower

After an injury plagued season and some indifferent performances following his second place in last year’s Dubai World Cup, California Chrome was super-impressive when going one better in Saturday’s $10 million showpiece. The big chestnut raced wide the whole way with a slipped saddle and was still able to carve out a track record in beating a game Mubtaahij.

Jumping from a wide draw, as jockey Victor Espinoza gunned him out of the gate for position his saddle slipped. Espinoza did manage to make it close to the lead but raced wide the whole way.

California Chrome (Liesl King)

Speaking post-race Espinoza said; “Basically, the girth is slipped all the way back and I was really trying not to move my body, just to sit there still and lean forward a little bit because if I move a little back, I might go out of balance and that would not be pretty,” said Espinoza. “I was not really concerned about it. I was just looking forward, ‘Where’s the wire?'”

Trainer Art Sherman said he wasn’t aware how serious the situation was until Espinoza pulled up after winning the race. “And I said, ‘Well, that thing is back in the rumble seat.’

Despite all the obstacles, California Chrome shot clear down the home straight and drew off to win by nearly four lengths in track-record. Mubtaahij was second and Hoppertunity finished third.

Commenting on his website Mike de Kock was generous in his praise of California Chrome.  “I tell you, we were beaten by some racehorse.  California Chrome had to race wide throughout and his saddle slipped in the race, but look at the convincing way he won.  We’ll happily take our second to the best dirt horse in the world. We are over the moon!” he enthused.

De Kock, who had told the media and Mubtaahij’s supporters to expect his best on World Cup night, was vindicated. “I couldn’t have the Super Saturday results.  Mubtaahij reversed the form of the Maktoum Challenge Round 3 with Special Fighter and Gun Pit.

“Christophe and I discussed the Dubai World Cup at length this week and we envisaged what would happen. We were keen to lead the race, to make the pace if we had to. As it happened he jumped well, found a dream passage on the fence and settled in the running. Mubtaahij stays very well and he fought all the way for a well-deserved second. We are massively proud of Mubtaahij tonight,” said De Kock.

There are no immediate plans for Mubtaahij although the form of this renewal of the Dubai World Cup is likely to carry much merit.

By Andrew Harrison

“We are massively proud of Mubtaahij tonight,” said Mike de Kock on his website (www.mikedekockracing.com ) after the game four-year-old and his partner Christophe Soumillon grinded their way into second in Saturday’s US$10-million 2016 Dubai World Cup, beaten three-and-three-quarters in the 2000m dirt spectacular by US star, California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza.

“I tell you, we were beaten by some racehorse.  California Chrome had to race wide throughout and his saddle slipped in the race, but look at the convincing way he won.  We’ll happily take our second to the best dirt horse in the world. We are over the moon!” Mike enthused.

Mike, who had told the media and Mubtaahij’s supporters to expect his best on World Cup night, was vindicated and he commented: “I couldn’t have the Super Saturday results.  Mubtaahij reversed the form of the Maktoum Challenge Round 3 with Special Fighter and Gun Pit.

“Christophe and I discussed the Dubai World Cup at length this week and we envisaged what would happen. We were keen to lead the race, to make the pace if we had to. As it happened he jumped well, found a dream passage on the fence and settled in the running.

“Mubtaahij stays very well and he fought all the way for a well-deserved second, congratulations to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and well done to Christophe for a super ride. He masterfully got into that spot on the inside fence.”

While Mike said that no immediate plans were in place for Mubtaahij next, the form of this renewal of the Dubai World Cup is likely to carry much merit.  California Chrome set a new track record in winning, and in the process became the all-time leading money earner in North American racing history.

“Today it proves how he can run when he’s 100 per cent, said Espinoza, who scored his first Dubai World Cup win in his fourth try. Last year he (California Chrome) finished second and it was not very fun. My goal after winning the Triple Crown was to win the Dubai World Cup and we did it.”

The winner’s share of $6 million pushed California Chrome’s career earnings to $12,532,650, eclipsing 2008 Dubai World Cup winner Curlin ($10,501,800) as the US all-time leading money earner.

“He is a once in a lifetime horse,” trainer Art Sherman said. “It (all-time leading US earner) was a goal in the back of my mind. You think of all the great trainers in the history of this game and you really appreciate that it happened to us.”

(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

> “Mubtaahij deserves a US campaign, he’s got a big race in America in him! We may go (for the Breeders Cup), but only if California Chrome doesn’t pitch. If he goes East, we”ll go West!”… watch Andrew Bon’s interview with Mike de Kock after Saturday’s big race:

Summerveld trainer Alistair Gordon’s gelding Beat The Retreat became the latest KZN-trained three-year-old to boost the returns of the discarded stallion Argonaut and displayed his Gr 2 Byerley Turk credentials in the process.

Beat The Retreat had a classy Progress Plate field over 1300m on the Greyville turf spread out like the washing behind him last Wednesday.

He galloped clear under Alec Forbes to beat the former Gr 3-winning Cape horse Captain Chaos, who is now with Mark Dixon, by an astonishing 5,5 lengths.

Beat The Retreat (Nkosi Hlophe)

Beat The Retreat started favourite as he was receiving 5,5kg from the classy Gr 3-winner Redcarpet Captain, but few would have predicted him beating the latter by 12,75 lengths and finishing 15,75 lengths ahead of another classy sort in Main Submission. The latter pair were admittedly having comeback runs and will certainly improve on those performances.

Beat The Retreat joins the Michael Roberts-trained Natal as a son of Argonaut with South African Champions Season credentials.

The 1400m trip of the Byerley Turk, to be run on the Greyville turf on Friday night April 8, should be ideal.

Meanwhile, Gordon has said Royal Life is unlikely to be aimed at any features this season and will instead be given easier, confidence boosting tasks.

The Lammerskraal-bred son of Dynasty ran an eyecatching third in a MR 81 handicap over 1400m on the Greyville poly on March 9.

Royal Life was purchased out of the Duncan Howells yard as a three-year-old by former Lammerskraal owner Mike Rattray after winning his maiden over 1600m by 6,5 lengths at Scottsville in January last year, but a serious virus he contracted after being gelded delayed his debut for the Gordon yard.

By David Thiselton