Captain Al – One World was his second Met winner
Not for the first time, locally bred stallions came good on a major race day in South Africa, with both the deceased Captain Al and active What A Winter having a considerable impact on Saturday’s Sun Met day.
Sarah Whitelaw writes that top sires were not the only locally produced thoroughbreds to make a splash on Sun Met, with a number of broodmares also making their mark on Saturday’s big day.
- Captain Al – Again
When the Vaughan Marshall trained One World won Saturday’s Gr1 Sun Met, the colt became the second Met winner for his Marshall trained sire Captain Al. The latter’s Vaughan Marshall trained son Hill Fifty Four having captured the then J&B sponsored Met back in 2014.
One World is the 23rd Gr1 winner for his deceased sire Captain Al, with the latter also sire of Saturday’s impressive Listed Wesgro Summer Juvenile Stakes winner Erik The Red – his sire’s 99th individual stakes winner.
Captain Al son Erik The Red saunters home (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
A winner of two of only three starts, Erik The Red is out of the Western Winter sired Gr1 winner Covenant and is thus bred on the same Captain Al/Western Winter as champion Carry On Alice and Gr1 Forus Cape Guineas hero Tap O Noth –who ran second in Saturday’s Gr2 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers.
Erik The Red is the fourth progeny of Captain Al to have won the Summer Juvenile Stakes, following Only Emily, Sergeant Hardy, and Call To Account. The latter is bred on the same Captain Al/Giant’s Causeway cross as One World.
Captain Al went close to having a G1 treble on Saturday with his champion daughter Celtic Sea finishing a close second in the Gr1 Bidvest Majorca Stakes and fellow Equus Champion Kasimir finishing third in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship. The late sire was also broodmare sire of Eva Eileen (Jackson) – winner of Saturday’s 11th race.
His champion son Captain Of All has made an encouraging start to his stud career, and the former Equus Champion Sprinter went close to having feature race success on Saturday with his son Emblem Of Hope finishing second in the Summer Juvenile Stakes and another son, Cartel Captain, running second in The CTS 1200.
Captain Of All’s early success must raise hopes for the sons of Captain Al still to have runners.
- What A Winter Double
Equus Champion What A Winter, who captured the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship in both 2011 and 2013, pulled off the impressive feat of producing two Gr1 winners on a single day when his son Russet Air won Saturday’s Cape Flying Championship and his daughter Clouds Unfold landed the Bidvest Majorca Stakes.
Clouds Unfold was winning the Majorca Stakes for a second year in a row, with the filly having now captured five graded races in total.
What A Winter, whose multiple champion sire Western Winter is broodmare sire of Erik The Red, went close to enjoying more feature race success on Saturday with his daughter Stuck On You running on strongly for third in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes.
What A Winter – Gr1 double on the day
South Africa’s Leading First Crop Sire of 2016-2017, What A Winter had previously tasted feature race success on Met day with Clouds Unfold’s previous Majorca Stakes, while his son Dutch Philip captured The CTS 1200 (beating subsequent champion Kasimir on that occasion) on 2018 Met day. Another What A Winter son, Agent Of Fortune, captured the Kuda Sprint on the same day Dutch Philip won The CTS 1200.
- A Giant Shadow
Deceased champion US sire Giant’s Causeway has already had a considerable impact on the South African racing industry and ‘The Iron-Horse’ made his presence felt once again in this country on Saturday as the broodmare sire of One World.
Captian Al son One World wins the Met (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The latter joins recent Gr1 Chris Gerber Summer Cup hero Zillzaal (Silvano), Equus Champion Soft Falling Rain (National Assembly), Gold Bowl hero Let It Rain (Dynasty), Summer Juvenile Stakes winner Call To Account (Captain Al), Lady’s Bracelet winner A Time To Dream (Dynasty), Gr3 Champagne Stakes winner Beach Goddess (Kildonan), and Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes winner Rich Girl (Rock Of Gibraltar) as South African stakes winners produced by Giant’s Causeway mares.
Vaseem, third in Saturday’s The CTS 1200 is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Giant’s Bounty, while Giant’s Causeway’s outstanding sire Shamardal is broodmare sire of Bad Habit –winner of the first race on Sun Met day this year.
Giant’s Causeway also features as broodmare sire of impressive recent Gr1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational winner Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) and his broodmare daughters look set for further success in the years to come.
- Icy Air Is Hot
Former Equus Champion Icy Air (Jallad) came up with her first Gr1 winner when Russet Air surprised his field to win Saturday’s Cape Flying Championship.
Icy Air produced Cape Flying Championship winner Russet Air (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Icy Air, winner of both the Gr2 SA Oaks and Gr2 Gold Circle Oaks and one of her champion sire’s very best daughters, has proved to a prolific producer, with her eight winners (and six stakes horses) including not only Russet Air but also exported Gr2 Premier Trophy winner Icy Trail (Go Deputy).
Her sire Jallad is no stranger to Met day success, with Jallad’s son Zebra Crossing winning the Met in 2006, and Jallad broodmare sire of surprise Gr1 J&B Met winner Martial Eagle (Silvano). Jallad is also broodmare sire of Eyes Wide Open (Dynasty) who won the Gr1 Cape Derby on the 2018 Met day.
