MUHTAFAL : THE "TOP TEN" SIRE

REMEMBER THEM?

PROGENY OF MUHTAFAL
LET’S ROCK ‘N ROLL	Group One Winner
OUTCOME	Group One Winner
PARIS PERFECT	Group One Winner
ARABIAN MIST	Group Two Winner
THUNDER KEY	Group Two Winner
DISAPPEAR	Group One Winner
FIRST AGAIN	Group Two Winner
BLUE VOYAGER	Earl Of Surrey’s Conqueror
BATTLESTAR EXPRESS	Multiple Stakes Winner

THEN REMEMBER,
HE’S BEEN A “TOP TEN” SIRE FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN REMEMBER
AND REMEMBER WHAT BLUE VOYAGER DID TO EARL OF SURREY
ON SATURDAY.

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

THE COMPUTAFORM SPRINT

“COULD THIS DECIDE THE SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP?”

If you take a walk down memory lane, you’ll very quickly reach the conclusion that the Computaform Sprint is in all probability the defining race on the South African sprinting calendar. In the last ten years alone, the names of Tommy Hotspur and Golden Loom (2 x’s) precede a succession of quite the most outstanding sextet of sprinters imaginable. Starting in 2002 with Laisserfaire, National Currency, Cataloochee (who had to get past six times Equus Awards nominee, Nhlavini to take the honours,) National Colour, Mythical Flight and J.J.The Jet Plane, you’re quick to realise what kind of a contest we’re in for.

This year is no different, as the horse who’s constantly had to take on these famous exponents of the art of sprinting, the Summerhill-bred Rebel King, is among those going to post, and he really is the one carrying the standard for the older brigade, though the second highest rated of the older horses is another graduate of our paddocks, Battlestar Express.

That said, the talk is about the youngsters right now, and here Warm White Night and Private Jet carry the tag of the young pretenders. Interestingly, stable jockey Anton Marcus has opted for the mount on Warm White Night, while Andrew Fortune is aboard our gladiator. They’ll have to be good, we think, as a win here for Rebel King would almost certainly close the door on the sprinters’ championship.

REBEL KING cruises in Cape Flying Championship

Rebel King with Anton Marcus aboard
(Photo : Gold Circle)

A polished performance by Rebel King lead to his richly deserved victory in Saturday’s Gr1 Cape Flying Championship. For the Charles Laird stable, Rebel King’s win adds to the superb double by champion sprinter Nhlavini in 2005 and 2006.

Racing South Africa reports that as the gates opened, Port Elizabeth star Hear The Drums and KwaZulu Natal visitor Battlestar Express immediately engaged in a battle for the lead, with the Gauteng challenger, Rebel King, settling just a couple of lengths off the pacesetters. The chestnut quickened into the lead at the furlong mark and although strongly challenged by Blue Tiger on his inside, he maintained his advantage to the line to score a rather cosy neck victory. Blue Tiger held on to the runner-up spot from his fast-finishing stable companion Gaultier.

A dual Gr.2 winner prior to this victory, Rebel King had mixed it up with some of the finest sprinters in South Africa. He finished runner-up to champion Mythical Flight in the 2007 Computaform Sprint and chased home War Artist and JJ The Jet Plane respectively in the last two renewals of the Mercury Sprint. Rebel King entered the Cape Flying Championship off a tight runner-up effort in the Gr.2 Merchants Stakes at Turffontein and a fast-finishing third behind Blue Tiger in the Gr.2 Diadem Stakes. All credit to ‘caretaker’ trainer Joey Ramsden for supervising the winner’s preparation since that run and saddling Rebel King in the absence of Charles Laird, who is currently in New Zealand.

Joey Ramsden said : “It’s been tremendous fun having him, he’s very intelligent, a real thinker. Hats off to his devoted groom Joseph, who has done a wonderful job.”

Five-year-old Rebel King, a  R210,000 yearling purchase, has been a consistent moneyspinner for his connections, boasting an enviable record of seven wins and 13 places from 22 starts, with stakes earnings now in excess of R1.5million. Still an entire (a rarity among South African-bred older males), victory here has obviously boosted his prospects as a potential stallion and his pedigree certainly warrants him a place at stud in time to come.

Bred at Summerhill Stud, Rebel King is one of seven Gr.1 winners sired by champion and top sire National Emblem, out of Cousin Linda, a half-sister to stakes winners Lucy’s Lad and Cousin John, both sons of Jallad.

Grandam Cousin Lucy never raced, but earned her place at stud as a daughter of champion sire Foveros and Gr.3-placed Luciennes, the dam of Gr.1 Garden Province winner Lyrical Linda (also by Jallad), Gr.3 Peninsula Stakes hero Acacia Woodland (Fort Wood) and Gr.3-placed five-time winner Tolme (Model Man). She hails from one of Highlands Farms’ leading families, that of Elevation full brothers Duc Du Orleans (Gr.1 SA Nursery) and Gr.2 winner and multiple Gr.1-placed Count Du Barry, as well as Persian Wonder siblings Gay Mam’selle (Natalia Stakes) and Big Swinger, who finished second in three Gr.1 Guineas.

CAPE FLYING CHAMPIONSHIPS : The Three Musketeers

Battlestar Express
(JC Photos)

Observant students of this weekend’s Cape Flying Championship (G1), might’ve noticed that the top three in the merit ratings have one thread in common; they all grew up at Summerhill. While they represent three different generations, it’s a tribute to their upbringing that the current top three horses in any category in a nation, should emerge from one place, and that surely says something about the environment in which they were raised and the people that had their hands in the mix.

The honour of carrying the number one saddle-cloth rests with Des McLachlan’s millionaire, HEAR THE DRUMS, presently the winning-most racehorse in South Africa, with 21 victories to his credit. Number two is Charles Laird’s REBEL KING, whose forte as a top athlete has been complicated by the fact that at five years old, he’s had to contend with the spectacular talents of NATIONAL COLOUR, MYTHICAL FLIGHT, JJ THE JET PLANE and WAR ARTIST as his adversaries; a collection of some of the most formidable sprinters in history. In any other era, he might have been a Champion several times, yet he’s had to content himself more often than not, with the role of bridesmaid.

Rounding out the trio is MUHTAFAL’s dual Stakes winner of this season, BATTLESTAR EXPRESS, whom Karen Anthony shipped to Cape Town in a team-up with Hong Kong ‘s Champion Jockey, Felix Coetzee.

The competition? No doubt the stiffest will come from last month’s impressive Diadem Stakes winner, BLUE TIGER, and Glen Kotzen’s in-form filly, LADY WINDERMERE, who goes to post in the name of Gary Player, and Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud, among others.

GOLD CUP DAY : Links to Victory

Battlestar Express with Karen Anthony and Weichong Marwing
(Gold Circle)

The arrival of new life on Summerhill has heralded the start of a new racing season and our runners on Canon Gold Cup day, yesterday at Greyville, chalked up a tally of impressive performances.

Megan Romeyn writes that the diminutive Battlestar Express was first up in the Umngeni Handicap (L) over 1000m. This talented son of Summerhill super sire, Muhtafal won a fast paced race, adding one more to his growing list of victories. Jumping well he kept a good pace with the rest of the field before being guided up a notch by the highly skilled Weichong Marwing, kicking for home with 200m to go and winning by half a length from the fast finishing King James.

However, the excitement of the Battlestar Express win was somewhat eclipsed when Desert Links, the five year old gelding by Summerhill sire, Kahal, out of Selborne Park, stepped up to the plate in the feature race, the R1.2 million Canon Gold Cup (Gr.1) run over 3200m.

Ridden by jockey Greg Cheyne, who is hinting at the best season of his career, Desert Links was kept comfortably off the pace in 8^th position, seemingly content to roll along, advancing steadily. At the 400m mark, Greg Cheyne asked the big question, only to be answered with a phenomenal turn of acceleration, with Desert Links snatching the lead from Prince Asad.  Showing remarkable staying power Desert Links fended off a fighting Membrado, a scrambling Omaha Beach and a chase of three horses including Equal Image, Magical Ballad and Ser De Carrera, to win by almost a length.

An elated Basil Marcus, who trained Desert Links to perfection, was on hand with owners Etienne Braun and Paul Loomes to share in the celebrations. Basil also paid tribute to his brother Selwyn Marcus who has a share in Desert Links along with Eban Bouwer, both of whom were not present to enjoy the trackside jubilation. Basil Marcus has always thought very highly of Desert Links and couldn’t have put it better when he said “He’s a really decent horse and I was very confident. Last season in KwaZulu Natal he raced four times, won three and was second in the Derby. He’s a super horse”.

As if the day’s racing couldn’t get any better for the Summerhill contingent, Keats Drift, the Summerhill-bred son of National Emblem, raced to an impressive victory in the Betting World Pinnacle Plate over 1900m. Under the tutelage of the experienced Anton Marcus, Keats Drift settled towards the rear of the field before moving up steadily to strike at the 300m mark, powering away to hit the line for a comfortably win.

In the other races of the day, it was a case of “oh so close” for two of Muhtafal’s offspring. In the Gold Bracelet (Gr2) over 2000m Outcome, the supremely talented daughter of Muhtafal and recent winner of the Garden Province Stakes (Gr.1), was denied victory by a strong finishing Gilded Minaret. Outcome continues to impress and has shown again that Greyville is definitely to her liking.

Then the boss, who was still reveling in the victory of Desert Links, cast his learned eye over the field for the Canon Digital Imaging Open Handicap over 1600m, and confidently predicted that Modern Monet would take the laurels. And that he did, driving home from the lunging son of Muhtafal, El Padrino, and Fork Lightening. 

Another special moment for Summerhill was when one of our team members, Velaphi Mbanjwa, proved his knowledge of form, and in so doing won tote vouchers to the value of R15 000 courtesy of Canon. Well done Velaphi, we are all so thrilled for you.