What A Winter
What A Winter looks to be as good as ever after suffering a setback during the KZN winter campaign and he made light work of beating a top notch field in the WPOTA Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on Saturday, writes MATTHEW LIPS.
The four-year-old had impressed when easily winning a very competitive pinnacle plate over 1100m on his seasonal reappearance three weeks earlier, when he was starting for the first time since his disappointing display in the Gr1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint at Scottsville in May.
What A Winter was all the rage for the Diadem, a WFA event for which he was best in on merit ratings, and shortened from an opening call of 8/10 to start as the 6/10 favourite in a field of twelve. Ebony Flyer was a more than interesting entry and was the 5/2 second favourite as she returned to sprinting for the first time since she won on debut over 1000m as a juvenile two seasons ago. Delago Deluxe was the 6/1 third favourite, but you could have just about named your own price about the others.
What A Winter was always in touch with the action and raced in about third place early as Captain Harry showed the way just ahead of Royal Tribe, with Ebony Flyer showing no shortage of pace to sit in around fourth spot. Copper Parade was just further back as Delago Deluxe raced from off the speed. What A Winter was always travelling very well towards the outside fence and came forward to take control of the race inside the 300m, storming clear under Karl Neisius and not requiring too much persuasion to finish the race off in fine style as he romped to a 2.25 lengths defeat of Ebony Flyer. The latter was far from disgraced, but she had every chance and was simply no match for arguably the best 1200m horse in South Africa.
Captain’s Secret stayed on to finish another two lengths further away in third, having been two lengths closer to stable companion What A Winter on identical weight terms three weeks earlier. This seems to underline the improvement which What A Winter made after that comeback race. Copper Parade had been well below his best in that same pinnacle plate, but fared better on Saturday and stayed on to finish a head further behind Captain’s Secret in fourth. Copper Parade, it is worth remembering, was only beaten one length into second place in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint at Clairwood in July and is a seriously talented sort on his day, but he’s not on the same planet as What A Winter when the latter is at the top of his powers.
Ebony Flyer did her prospects for the forthcoming L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate no harm at all by coming out easily second best here. Last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas winner is an enormous animal who needs plenty of racing to return to her optimum fighting weight before the Queen’s Plate, a race in which she finished third last term, and on Saturday she was suffering only the second defeat of her entire career. Her preparation for another tilt at the Queen’s Plate looks to be going very nicely.
Interestingly, What A Winter’s trained Mike Bass strongly intimated after Saturday’s race that What A Winter would most likely take his chance in the Queen’s Plate providing he gets a decent draw. Most pundits view What A Winter as a sprinter, but it has been one year since the colt finished a below-par sixth in the Cape Guineas on the last occasion that he went 1600m, and he is entitled to be stronger now. In any case, What A Winter won the Gr2 Selangor Cup over 1600m last season, albeit that it was in a race run at no great pace. Certainly, he would be an interesting addition to the Queen’s Plate field, and would make the race an even more mouth-watering attraction than it already is shaping up to be. Irrespective of that, What A Winter will attempt to win the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship over 1000m later in January for a second year in succession, where a return match on WFA terms with Val De Ra would be worth going a long way to see.
Val De Ra easily got the better of the exchange in last season’s Computaform Sprint on a quick Turffontein track, but the Kenilworth 1000m can be a much stiffer test – especially if the south-easter is howling, as it frequently does in January. That of course would make it a strong headwind, and surely improve What A Winter’s prospects of reversing the Turffontein form with Dennis Drier’s flying mare.
What A Winter is a son of former champion sire Western Winter. He is the ninth foal and seventh winner produced from Irish-bred Ahonoora mare Waseela, who never raced but who also bred ill-fated dual Gr3 winner What A Question and German Listed winner Widar. What A Winter was bred at Daytona Stud and has won eight times from twelve starts for stakes of R 1 264 333.
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WPOTA Diadem S. (SAf-G2) (12/17)
Kenilworth, South Africa, December 17, R300.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.10.61 (CR 1.09.90).
WHAT A WINTER (SAF), 60.0, b c 4, Western Winter – Waseela (IRE) by Ahonoora (IRE). Owner M W Bass, B Ressell, G N Shirtliff, N M Shirtliff; breeder Daytona Stud (SAF); trainer M W Bass; jockey K Neisius (R198.913)
Ebony Flyer (SAF), 57.5, b f 4, Jet Master (SAF) – Sunshine Lover (SAF) by Badger Land
Captain’s Secret (SAF), 60.0, b g 5, Captain Al (SAF) – She’s No Secret (SAF) by Our Casey’s Boy
Margins: 2¼, 2, sh hd
Also ran: Copper Parade (SAF) 60.0, The Shark (ZIM) 60.0, Splash Gold (SAF) 60.0, Delago Deluxe (AUS) 56.0, Captain Harry (SAF) 60.0, Royal Tribe (SAF) 56.0, Wild Shot (SAF) 60.0, Posh Josh (SAF) 60.0, Shades Of Indigo (SAF) 60.0
