Greyville stages an eight race meeting on the polytrack on Tuesday and punters will need to have a good look at the horses in the parade ring and the canter past, which will give them an edge at a time of the year when there can be some good value dividends available.

In the first race over 1400m Land Of Legends improved in his second start to run third over 1200m at Scottsville and the form has been franked. This trip should be ideal on pedigree. Master Of Mischief ran a fair race over 1200m at Scottsville last time and the form has worked out reasonably well, so he should be contender over a trip he should relish on pedigree. The Lonsdale has consistent form from 1200-1400m on the poly and should be thereabouts.

In the second over 1800m Kitty’s Destiny has caught the eye before as one with plenty of scope for improvement and the form of her last start over 1400m at Scottsville has worked out well. She is out of a Sportsworld mare so should enjoy the step up in trip and is the one to beat. Scots Party loves this course and distance and this solid, reliable sort looks sure to be involved. Roy’s Rolls Royce has faced some good horses without being disgraced and could also earn.

In the third over 1800m Sword Storm was perhaps a bit handy last time and this blunted her strong finish but she still stayed on well and with Anton Marcus now up she is the one to beat. The wide draw should not be a concern as she is at her best when dropped out. Roy’s Doctor has run well from 1600-2000m on the poly and should be thereabouts from a good draw. Queen Of Thrones, Fly Away With Me and Dellavera have to be considered too.

In the fourth over 2000m Princess Beach is back against her own gender and is off a lowered merit rating, so this could hopefully allow a filly who has recently flattered to deceive to fulfill her potential. Lady Ami is an improving sort who did well when stepped up to this course and distance last time so she should be involved despite a wide draw. Ethylene has been disappointing in her last two but could shape here at her best and Sean Cormack is an eye catching booking.

In the fifth over 2000m Night Lock ran a cracker over 1950m at Scottsville last time and Anthony Delpech is now up. Discourse is back to a competitive merit rating and could do well if overcoming his wide draw. Jay Boy should be a contender as he has won over 1800m on the tough Turffontein course before. Told You So is one to consider with a 4kg claimer up from a good draw over a suitable trip. Savethelastdance has some fair Port Elizabeth form and is an interesting raider. Hamelin Bay can never be ignored as he seems to pop up when least expected to.

In the 6th over 2000m Fulcrum will love the return to this trip and with Delpech up is the one to beat. Jet Avenger looks to be on the up and Jet Masters go well on the poly so he should be right there with a 4kg claimer up. Baracah has some class and has returned to form so he should do well over a suitable trip.

In the seventh over 1000m Respect At Bay went close over course and distance in a competitive race on Super Saturday and Marcus is now up from a plum draw of three. Kept Secret has gone close the last twice she has tried the course and distance and should be involved again. Golden Mirabilis loves the course and distance and goes well for this 4kg claimer.

In the eighth over 1600m Big Bird should appreciate the step back to this course and distance and goes well for this rider. Pure Valor is interesting on his poly debut as Dynastys enjoy the surface and he is reunited with Ian Sturgeon who rode him to his maiden win over this trip on the Greyville turf. Bizjet is course and distance suited and should be thereabouts with Delpech up.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Discourse, contests the fifth at Greyville tomorrow (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Paul Lafferty-trained champion colt Harry’s Son is in good spirits in Mauritius on the second leg of his arduous five month journey to Dubai.

Harry’s Son has been accompanied from day one of the journey by one of the Lafferty yard’s head grooms, Paulus Ntlali, who drew high praise from the Johannesburg quarantine station staff for his horse care skills and his organised approach.

Top Mauritian trainer Ricky Maingard has also been keeping an eye on Harry’s Son in Mauritius and has been providing his popular Capstone feed.
The colt has been able to make use of the cantering track at the Mauritius quarantine facility.

Lafferty’s Summerveld assistant Roy Waugh will be leaving for Mauritius on August 21 and will stay with Harry’s Son for a month.
The Australian-bred colt is a laid back character but will need to keep up his base fitness.

Waugh will be an integral part of Lafferty’s plans to establish a yard in Dubai. He helped Herman Brown set up a yard in Chantilly at the outset of his Dubai sojourn and spent time in his yard in Dubai on a number of occasions. This coupled with his experience of dirt tracks in the USA, where he was a successful trainer, will make Waugh an invaluable asset in the current Dubai racing climate considering Meydan switched from a tapeta surface to dirt last year.

Harry’s Son himself has only raced on grass to date and will likely stick to the grass in Dubai. However, being by a Mr Prospector line sire out of a dam who is by a Danzig line sire, he looks to have a very suitable dirt pedigree.

By David Thiselton

Andrew Fortune (pictured) scored a treble including a feature race double at the Flamingo Park Festival on Saturday, but Kimberly’s biggest annual race, the R200,000 RA Flamingo Mile was won by the combination of Sarel Von Willingh Smit and Francois Herholdt for the second year in succession, this year with the seven-year-old Spectrum gelding Stone Pine.

Stone Pine has thrived since arriving at Von Willingh Smit’s yard from Port Elizabeth towards the end of last year and this was his fifth win in Kimberley and his 3rd win in his last four starts. However, he was still allowed to go off at 10/1 due to the presence of the Mike de Kock-trained raider Capricorn Ridge, who started 11/10 despite having to carry joint topweight.

There was also support for the Tienie Prinsloo-trained Latino’s Jet, who was backed in from 7/1 to 9/2. Stone Pine was chased around runners from a wide draw and found second place in the running. Latino’s Jet was on the rail in about fifth place and Capricorn Ridge was in midfield. Stone Pine was sent for home early and had struck the front by the 300m mark with Latino’s Jet chasing hard. Capricorn Ridge was traveling comfortably when entering the straight and looked dangerous but was then crossed by Il Palio, a quirky horse who seems to run better when taken to the Flamingo Park stand side rail.

This affected Capricorn Ridge’s momentum and he had to be picked up again. Stone Pine kept going well although Latino’s Jet closed in late to finish 0,25 lengths back in second. Capricorn Ridge was next best ahead of Kingofmountain and Trade Emblem.
Von Willingh Smit and Herholdt won the race last year with Taqdeer, who could only manage tenth out of the eleven runners on Saturday.
Stone Pine was bred by Highlands Farms Stud and is owned by P Barrett.

There was plenty of incentive to win the last of the day’s three features, the R135,000 World Sports Betting Sprint over 1000m, as this formed the first leg of the Super Supreme Series, which carries a R500,000 bonus for any horse that can win all three legs. Vaal-based raider Louis Goosen pulled off a fine training feat with the four-year-old Var gelding Varbration, who started 17/10 favourite despite carrying joint topweight.

The Avontuur Stud-bred horse had lost his way a bit until joining Goosen towards the end of last season and his win on Saturday followed two seconds in his first two starts for the yard. Fortune timed his run to perfection to win by 0,7 lengths from the Von Willingh Smit-trained 30/1 outsider Beez Brothers, who was ridden by Herholdt. The Corne Spies-trained filly Sarve finished a fine third considering she carried joint topweight.

Varbration will likely face some stiff opposition in the second leg of the Super Supreme Series, the R250,000 World Sports Betting August Stakes over1200m on the Vaal sand on August 29, and his stamina reserves might be stretched by the third leg, the R1 million SAP Supreme Cup over 1450m on the Vaal sand on September 26.

Earlier, Fortune displayed immaculate judgement of pace when leading from start to finish in the RA Diamond Stayers over 2200m on the the Tienie Prinsloo-trained five-year-old Judpot gelding Pontedera. Pontedera carried topweight but was still sent off 22/10 favourite and won easing up by 2,25 lengths from the 35/1 outsider Steady As Rock. The 3/1 shot Wimoweh was a well beaten third.

Fortune, a former national champion jockey, weighed 70kg three months ago and has once again managed to beat the battle of the bulge after resolving to get back to doing what he does best.

World Sports Betting presented a R50,000 cheque to the Horse Care Unit after the running of the World Sports Betting Sprint to cap an enjoyable day for a big crowd in perfect sunny conditions.

By David Thiselton

The entire dining room rose to its feet to give Stan Elley a standing ovation when the now-retired trainer was announced the winner of the Acknowledgement of Achievement Award at Stellenbosch’s Lanzerac Hotel on Friday evening.

Justin Snaith, tongue firmly in cheek, caused laughter when he said: “Enjoy your green pastures, Stan. I am sure your wife will kick you out and send you to the races.”

There were also Special Service presentations at the Cape Racing & Breeding Awards Dinner to yearling inspection legend John Kramer and Robert Bloomberg.

The latter’s award was presented by Vidrik Thurling who paid tribute to his fellow Kenilworth Racing director for all he has done for Cape Town racing and added: “His daily punting makes a substantial contribution to the coffers of the racing operators!”

Bloomberg countered: “I thought that if I ever received an award like this it would be posthumously.”

Futura was named Horse Of the Year and is widely expected to follow up at tomorrow evening’s Equus Awards in Johannesburg.

Kenilworth general manager Dean Diedericks was not present but he was singled out for special mention by Markus Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman who said: “It is so important for us that our horses come back sound and in Dean we have somebody at the helm who does a wonderful job.”

Cape Breeders’ chairman Vaughan Koster, whose Cheveley Stud bred award-winner Legislate, pointed to the high success rate of Western Cape breeders and stallions – over 60% of last season’s Grade 1 races – and singled out Main Chance and its stallion Silvano’s achievement of accounting for the first three in the Vodacom Durban July.

He said: “This has never been done by a breeder or a stallion before and the question begs whether it will ever be done again.”

The theme of the importance of the horse was initially underlined – and subsequently reinforced by several award recipients – by leading breeder John Koster who said: “Here we all sit when in actual fact our tables should be graced by Seventh Plain, Futura, Legislate, Captain Of All and all the other nominees.

“It is because of these noble animals that we are able to rise from ordinary lives and feel a wonderful sense of achievement. It is because they run their hearts out for us – unconditionally and without expectation of personal glory – that we are so fortunate.”

Koster, whose Klawervlei organisation took a whole host of awards, also had words of encouragement for smaller breeders, saying: “It matters not the size of your broodmare band, nor that of your budget but – with the right skill, passion and commitment – we can all breed the horse of our dreams.”

By Michael Clower

Klawervlei Stud’s Captain Al has deservedly added the South African Champion Sire title to his glittering CV.

Klawervlei will go down as 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. Klawervlei were also champion breeder for the second time and Captain Al was champion sire of two-year-olds for the seventh consecutive season.

Captain Al (pictured), a son of the 1999 champion sire Al Mufti, was a Vaughan Marshall-trained sprint-miler who won the Gr 1 Cape Guineas as well as two Gr 2s over 1200m and a Gr 3 and a Listed race over 1400m. He 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. Captain Al broke his own record in 2009 when siring 30 individual two-year-old winners of 40 races. He also set a two-year-old earnings record of R3,02 million.

John Koster, the original owner of Klawervlei who is now a partner in the farm with Markus Jooste, Chris van Niekerk and Bernard Kantor, believed in Captain Al from day one. “You sometimes have to put your head down and I put all my faith in him.” His optimism increased after seeing his first two foals. “They were like peas in a pod and looked like their sire, well balanced, athletic and they had a bit of white on them.”

When Jooste became a partner in Klawervlei he not only brought another exceptional sire in National Emblem but also overseas buying power. Koster recalled being at the Newmarket Tattersalls December Sale in the UK looking for broodmares when Captain Al had his first two runners. “His first runner came second and the second one won.”

An intriguing ding-dong battle ensued between Captain Al and Jet Master for freshman sire. Later when Captain Al produced the Gr 1-winning fillies Captain’s Lover and Captain’s Gal in his third and fourth crops respectively and the Gr 1-winning colt Exhilaration in his fifth crop, Koster knew “we were on to something.”

Captain Al has to date produced 10 individual Gr 1 winners from eleven crops to have raced, four males and six females, and between them they have won Gr 1s from 1200m up to 2450m.

Koster said, “He is one of the most versatile stallions around and is a real Mr Fixit. He improves maiden mares, bad-legged mares and gives substances to mares that lack it. He is phenomenal because he also produces good looking foals that sell well. Ask any trainer, they would fill their yards with Captain Als. They are honest, sound, can win over any distance and when you pay proper money for them you usually get results and could get a Gr 1 winner. There are very few hard luck stories with Captain Als. You can also sell Captain Als on and at present they are cleaning up in Mauritius.”

Captain Al is this year lying second in the world on the Gr 1 list behind Dubawi, courtesy of two Gr 1s with Captain Of All, one with Captain America, one with Carry On Alice and one with Pine Princesss. Captain Of All, on 126, is the second highest merit rated horse in South African history, together with Jet Master, and has joined his father on Klawervlei’s stallion band.

Captain Al’s mother Off The Wall (Complete Warrior), is still at Klawervlei at the age of 32 resting in the “old age home”. She has two daughters on the farm and her Gr 1-winning granddaughter Thunder Dance has “a belter” of a Silvano filly at foot and is in foal to Var.

Captain Al has produced two Gr 1s as a broodmare sire, the brilliant filly Same Jurisdiction (Mambo In Seattle) and the colt Potent Power (National Emblem). There are about 30 Captain Al broodmares currently at Klawervlei Stud.

Klawervlei could have a long run as champions, but Koster is by no means complacent. “Micky (Goss of nine-times champions Summerhill) gave us a good run. The stallions which  covered our mares last season are of a better quality than ever before. We are firm believers of bringing in bloodstock from overseas and Markus and Chris also race good fillies which they can bring to stud. But it’s ok getting to the top, it’s staying there that is tough. There is also Wilgerbosdrift, Mauritzfontein, Drakenstein, Varsfontein and others. I don’t think there has ever been a time in South Africa when breeding has been boosted by such a wide range of people. This is great for all breeders in the country, including small breeders. In my early days I welcomed big farms bringing in expensive overseas broodmares because it would give us the opportunity to later buy into these families at affordable prices.”

Captain Al is now 19-years-old, but both his results and the quality of mares he is being sent are improving. He is also one of the few stallions in the world still keeping the once influential Roberto line alive.

Captain Al would have lost out on the Sires Championships to Dynasty if the postponed Super Saturday meeting had fallen in July instead of August 1. However, Futura’s win in the Champions Cup will bolster Dynasty’s chances this season.

Koster also spoke of “the rub of the green” having once cost Captain Al when eight Cape meetings were washed out and he ultimately lost the title to Jet Master by a mere R90,000.

Koster concluded by recounting the story of the famed Springbok rugby forward ‘Boy’ Louw, who was asked to comment after a lucky three point win by the Boks over the All Blacks. Louw simply said, “Looks at the score board.”

By David Thiselton