Klawervlei Stud’s leading sire Captain Al inched ahead in the intriguing race for National Champion sire when his son and daughter, Captain Of All and Carry On Alice respectively, ran one-two in the R750,000 Gr 1 Mercury Sprint at Greyville on Saturday.

The race earned Captain Al R618,750 in total and enabled him to replace Dynasty on top, although the latter stayed in touch on the National log when his son Legislate ran third to earn R75,000.

According to Racegoer’s calculations Captain Al’s earnings for the season after Saturday were R15,769,025 and Dynasty was R357,075 off the pace on R15,411,950. The 2012/2013 season champion sire Silvano was just over R1 million behind the leader on R14,718,512 and Trippi’s expensive purchase into this country is now proving worthwhile as he was next best on R14,098,800.

The seven-times champion sire Jet Master is in fifth place, despite his youngest crop now being three-year-olds, but he is likely too far back on earnings of R11,783,212.

The title is likely to hinge on Super Saturday at Greyville next weekend and Dynasty has a couple of strongly fancied big race runners who could carry him to his first championship.

Captain Al’s chances of winning his first championship could well rest on the shoulders of Disco Al, who is second favourite for the most expensive race of the day, the Gr 1 R1,25 million eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m. Dynasty will be represented in the Gold Cup by Solid Speed, who will likely be a popular pundit’s selection. Silvano has a strong hand in the marathon event too as he will be represented by the reigning Equus Champion stayer Hot Ticket, the ever improving Vino Veritas and the talented three-year-old Balance Sheet. Jet Master has one Gold Cup runner, the Highveld raider Storm Warning.

Justin Snaith said after Saturday’s racing that Legislate would be unlikely to take his place in the Gr 1 R1 million Champions Cup over 1800m, but Dynasty will still have the likely favourite in the race, Futura. Silvano will have a strong hand in this race too with Punta Arenas and Ice Machine. Trippi and Jet Master each have one runner, Afrikaburn and Helderberg Blue respectively. Captain Al on the other hand will be empty-handed.

The Gr 1 R600,000 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m will give Captain Al a chance to bolster his earnings as he will be represented by Captain’s Causeway, who won easily on debut over 1200m but now has a wide draw to overcome. His Trippi stablemate Escape Route is drawn in pole position, but looks quite exposed. Dynasty, Silvano and Jet Master are empty-handed in this race.

Trippi has a fair chance in the Gr 1 R600,000 Thekwini Stakes with Old Em, who has struck as a sort with some ability and who could enjoy this step up in trip despite being out of quite a speedy mare. Silvan Jazz represents Silvano, but looks to have a mountain to climb on the bare form. Dynasty, Captain Al and Jet Master are not represented in this race.

The Gr 2 R350,000 Gold Bracelet sees the classy Jet Master mare Jet Belle defending her crown and he also has Gathering Fame in the race. Silvano is represented by a typically progressive sort, Gallica Rose, and the other three contenders for the National Sires title are all empty-handed.

The topweight for the Listed R150,000 Darley Arabian to be run on the polytrack is the talented Trippi gelding Night Trip, Jet Master has two runner MLJet and Mountain Master, and It Is Written will give Dynasty a good chance of increasing his earnings.

The joint-topweight for the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m on the poly is the Captain Al gelding Barbosa. Trippi will have a fair chance with Tiger Territory, who won over course and distance last time out.

The title looks likely to be fought out by Captain Al and Dynasty, but Silvano also has a shout if his Gold Cup and Champions Cup runners dominate the finish. It could yet go right down to the wire.

By David Thiselton

Picture of Captain Al supplied by Freemanstallions

Craig du Plooy is optimistic that he can resurrect his career with the backing of Snaith Racing and the tuition of Felix Coetzee.

The Final Fling Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday proved his point as he delivered 6-1 shot Cat And The Moon with a perfectly timed challenge to head her much better fancied stable companion Jet Supreme 100m out. As he passed the post nearly two lengths to the good, Du Plooy punched the air in delight.

The 40-year-old said: “It’s been a long time since I last won a feature as I have been off with a lot of injuries including breaking my shoulder, hand and wrist – each one in different falls. Almost as soon as I got going each time I broke something else.

“More recently Felix has been working on changing my style and making me look stronger in a finish – and he has been a big help.”

The master was on hand to witness his pupil’s success. The former champion explained that he had been asked to help by the Snaiths and added: “It is a lot of fun working with Craig. He is keen, enthusiastic and works very hard, and I’m thrilled that it has paid off.”

Du Plooy, who has himself taught many of the Cape Town work riders the rudiments of race-riding, has long been recognised as a good horseman but in recent months Justin Snaith has become convinced that he is a much under-rated jockey, saying: “He is improving a lot as a race-rider and he deserves to be given the opportunity.”

Forward Drive is a significant step nearer a place in the line-up for next January’s CTS Million Dollar after blitzing the older horses in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap under Brandon May.

Paul Reeves said: “This was a phenomenal performance and I am ecstatic. It’s hard enough to win from the front, never mind in this ground (heavy after 170mm of rain).”

Reeves earlier got off the 13-winner mark when Devin Ashby drove 12-1 chance Star Academy into the lead almost on the line in the Juvenile Fillies Maiden while May, 19, initiated his second double on the Stan Elley-trained Ledbury in the Mandela Day Maiden.

Grant van Niekerk, who turned down an invitation to take part in the Rider Cup, is still three short of his century after drawing a blank. He had to be content with two seconds and two thirds.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Craig Du Plooy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Last year’s runner-up Wild One is 4-1 favourite to give Mike de Kock his third Gold Cup in nine seasons on Saturday and Anthony Delpech’s mount has already been supported at 9-2 for the Elan Property Group marathon.

But there has also been money for stable companion Kingston Mines who has been cut from 8-1 to 6-1. The J & B Urban Honey Stayers winner will be ridden by Johnny Geroudis, successful on De Kock’s Thundering Star in 2007.

Betting World also go 6-1 about last year’s fourth Hot Ticket and the Lonsdale runner-up Disco Al while Solid Speed, who pulled a front shoe when third in the Gold Vase, is a 7-1 chance. The four-year-old will be ridden by Vodacom Durban July-winning jockey Stuart Randolph who won on Cereus in 2001.

Meanwhile, Dennis Drier is to take over Durban July runner-up Punta Arenas when Stan Elley retires from training at the end of the month. Drier will also train Pecan Nut who won the Listed Off To Stud Stakes for Elley at Greyville on Saturday and both horses are expected to campaign in Cape Town during the summer.

But arrangements for other Elley-trained horses, including Saturday’s Kenilworth scorer Ledbury and Betting World 1900 winner Dynastic Power, have still to be finalised.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Wild One (Nkosi Hlophe)

Dennis Drier’s brilliant Captain Al colt Captain Of All produced one of his career best performances in his swansong at Greyville yesterday when easily winning the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m under replacement jockey Greg Cheyne, to follow up on his impressive win with topweight in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scotsville on May 23.

The strapping bay colt’s regular rider Sean Cormack was sent to hospital for observation after his mount Zacharias collapsed with a pulmonary haemorrhage in an earlier race.

Cheyne commented later that this was the easiest Gr 1 winner he had ever had. Cheyne has won three Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprints, but this was his first Gr 1 sprint win on a colt.

However, he was full of sympathy for Cormack and said, “I feel for Sean, I know what it’s like when you ride these horses and especially today, it’s a very special occasion, it’s his last run, and Sean had been with him from day one.”

Captain of All jumped well to take the lead and Cheyne said the pace had initially been sedate. However, when he saw Legilsate coming around to take it up he knew the latter would not be able to afford to slow it up and admitted the race had panned out extremely well for him from then onward.

Captain of All moved out for his run in the straight and showed an exceptional turn of foot to draw alongside the reigning Equus Horse Of The Year before powering clear to win by 4,5 lengths.

Carry On Alice did well to storm home on the outside for second as she had been caught quite far back in a race lacking a true pace.

Legislate was only a short-head further back in third. This was his first defeat at Greyville, although his four wins here, all Gr 1s, have been over distances from 1600-2200m.

Last year’s winner Fly By Night stayed on well to be neck further back in fourth, a head clear of the gallant African Dream, who behaved well again when accompanied in the parade ring by “horse whisperer” Glyn Redgrave and to the start by both the latter and trainer Mark Dixon’s wife Hayley.

Drier was full of praise for Captain Of All’s “legend breeder” Duncan Barry of Riverton Stud, who has been behind a number of Drier’s many Gr 1 wins.

Captain Of All was sold at a Klawerveli Farm Sale for a mere R100,000 due to an offset knee, but this hasn’t stopped him winning three Gr 1s under Drier’s care.

Drier said, “He’s been a wonderful horse, his knee hasn’t really worried him.”

He added that resting the colt for most of his three-year-old year due to a niggle had been a  turning point, “I think that when you have a horse of this quality you don’t want to stop, start, stop start and that’s why I said to Derek (Brugman) let’s give him a nice long break.”

Regarding the jockey change Drier said, “Derek and I discussed it quickly, Greg has had the experience of Hong Kong, he’s riding with the utmost confidence and I’m just so sad for Seany (Cormack), so sad.”

Markus and Ingrid Jooste own Captain Of All, who will now join his father among the stallion ranks at Klawervlei, which is part-owned by Jooste.

Earlier there was an impressive display by the Duncan Howells-trained Maine Chance Farms-bred Querari filly Cosmic Light, who used her exceptional turn of foot and big stride to come from off the pace and win the Gr 2 The Debutante over 1200m in fine style under Muzi Yeni. Yeni dropped her out from a wide draw but she made the ground up quickly in the straight down the inside and held off a late challenge by Rebel To The Fore, who lost a length at the start. Lala, Roy’s Goddess and Khaleesi were next best.

Later in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m the Mike Miller-trained Waterford Stud-bred King Of Kings colt King’s Knight galloped clear under Anthony Delpech to win by a comfortable 3,25 lengths. The win gave KZN’s “Mr Racing” Bill Lambert his first ever feature race winner as he part-owns the rangy colt. Oriental Tiger and Vous Et Var were next best.

The Listed Queen Palm Stakes over 2400m was won impressively by the Alyson Wright-trained Go Deputy filly Deputy Ryder under a typically cool ride by champion jockey elect Gavin Lerena. She was the only three-year-old in the race, yet carried joint top weight so she looks to have a bright future as a stayer.

The Interprovincial series saw the KZN Falcons winning two of the four races and the Highveld Hawks and Cape Eagles won one race each.

The KZN Falcons, consisting of Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech, Muzi Yeni, Sean Cormack and Keagan de Melo (substitute in the last leg for Cormack) emerged winners on 158 points, with the Highveld Hawks (Gavin Lerena, Raymond Danielson, S’Manga Khumalo and Piere Strydom) second on 152 and the Cape Eagles (Greg Cheyne, Donovan Dillon, Richard Fourie and Corne Orffer) third on 108 points.

The winning team members each received R12,000, the second team received R8,000 each and the third-placed team received R5,000 each.

Anton Marcus won the Interprovincial third leg, the Listed Off  To Stud Stakes over 1600m on the polytrack aboard the Stan Elley-trained four-year-old Horse Chestnut filly Pecan Nut. The blinkered grey was officially 2kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Euphoria, but relished the poly and travelled like a winner throughout in a handy position. She drew away in the straight to beat Red Label and Resolution by two lengths and 3,5 lengths respectively. Fortitude was next best and the disappointing Euphoria found little in the straight and could only manage sixth.

In the Interprovincial first leg, a Maiden Plate over 1600m on the poly, the Sean Tarry-trained two-year-old Kahal filly Intergalactic improved on her decent debut to annihilate her older rivals under Highveld Hawks’Gavin Lerena, winning by 5,25 lengths from Sword Storm and Zara’s Legacy.

The second leg over 1600m on the poly was fought by the only to two-year-olds in the race and the Gavin van Zyl-trained Celtic Captain only just got the better of Mambo Mime.

The last leg over 1200m on the poly was won easily by the Kumaran Naidoo-trained topweight Tuscan under Donovan Dillon.

The first race of the day over 1200m saw an upset as Richard Fourie rode a clever race on the Mike Bass-trained Come Fly With Me, who is a full-sister to Fly By Night, and the odds-on favourite Real Princess was unable to catch her in the straight.

By David Thiselton