A Triumph for KAHAL

Kahal
(John Lewis)

There’s an age old misconception that the Vodacom July (now in its third guise, having progressed from the Durban July to the Rothmans July), generally regarded as Africa’s greatest horse race, if not its greatest sporting event, is also the oldest race on the Kwa Zulu Natal racing calendar. However, that’s not entirely accurate as the Breeder’s Stakes was first run in 1895, and enjoyed its 113^th renewal at Clairwood Park on Saturday.

With the exception of Imbongi and the tragically deceased Lostintranslation (both Summerhill-breds), the field represented pretty much the cream of the Kwa Zulu Natal three-year-olds. It was a compliment to the Summerhill sires, and to those that ply their trade on the farm, that eight of the sixteen that made up the field were sired right here. Indeed, seven of the sixteen were raised here, so it’s probably fair to say that in the game of cowboys and crooks, we pretty much had ‘em surrounded.

Before we get to the race itself, those who read this column regularly, will recall the untimely death six weeks ago of Kahal’s most famous son, Emperor Napoleon. At the time, he looked a blinder for the continent’s richest race, the R3.5million Gomma Gomma Challenge, and for a young stallion on his way to the top, this was a mortal blow. It was made all the more painful by the fact that Kahal had already lost what was arguably as talented a son, (and the winner of this very race last year) in Khebraat, so two from that fine crop had fallen by the wayside, and to the degree that he is not a stallion represented by that many runners, we can only conjecture on the impact it has had on his overall earnings. Khebraat had humbled no less a horse than the hero of last year’s Gomma Gomma Challenge Pick Six, in the 2007 edition of the KZN Breeders, as well as a horse who had come home third behind Dynamite Mike and Jay Peg in the KZN Guineas, Surfin’ USA, (and we all know where Jay Peg’s been to since.)

But you can’t get a good man down, and on Sunday, Kahal rose from the ashes once again, with his sons filling first, second and fourth just three representatives in the race. Overall, the race was a triumph for the Summerhill runners who claimed five of the first six spots home. For the record, Connington Stud’s Carbon Leader (by Kahal) took the lion’s share of the purse, while Sheikh Mohammed’s Galant Gagnant and Art Of War came home second and fourth respectively. These latter two where graduates of the 2007 Ready To Run, and both look capable of moving up from here, particularly Galant Gagnant who is shaping up to be a Derby prospect. 

EMPEROR'S PALACE NATIONAL SALES - Hands Up! Our Grooms' choices continued...

Lungisani HadebeAnother colt that’s proven popular is Lot 332, Buhlebami (which means “the Nice Things About Me”), an Australian-bred son of one of America’s better stallions right now, Tale Of The Cat. This one’s got an exceptional page, including some of the best horses to emerge from Northern Dancer’s own home, Windfield’s Stud in Canada, including the European Champion, Storm Bird (sire of America’s greatest living stallion, Storm Cat), Champion French sire, Green Tune, and the Champion European filly, Pas de Response. Right up in the pedigree though is AP Warrior, a leading entry for this year’s Dubai World Cup, and so this fellow has to be on any serious connoisseur’s list. He’s the choice of Kwanele Skhosana and Lungisani Hadebe.

Kwanele’s pick of the fillies is Khebraat’s own sister, Amanah (Lot 508), a lovely scopey individual with plenty of class and a couple of serious racehorses on her page. This is pure Shadwell Stud breeding (the bastion of Sheikh Hamdan’s international breeding operations), and lets not forget, Khebraat beat no less than Gomma Gomma hero, Pick Six and Guineas place-getter, Surfin’ USA, in last year’s edition of the KZN Breeders 1600, before his untimely death. Khebraat was never out of the money in his all-too-brief career, and Kwanele might just have something here.

So we beat the Champ… and still lost the Race. (The Mercury Sprint Gr1)

The mob that turned up at Clairwood for the country’s No1 weight-for-age sprint, came to worship the Champ, not to bury him, but those that took to the field had only one hope, and that was that Mythical Flight might find the 1200 metres under the conditions and against a slight headwind, just a tad too far.

Rebel KingCharles Laird had already made it known that this was the first time he’d been able to prepare Summerhill-bred Rebel King thoroughly, and so he was the only one in this quality gathering to go off at single figures (6/1) besides the favourite, deep in the red at 4/10. Rebel King might’ve been even shorter if he’d not had the very worst of the draw (No1), and had to tack right across to the opposite rail, which is where he finished.

Interestingly, Muhtafal was the only sire with three horses in the field, some sort of compliment to a horse who’s being threatening the top end of the Sires’ Log throughout the season.

Mythical Flight bounded out in his customary fashion, had the field off the bridle at the half way, and looked home and hosed three lengths clear with 300m to go.

War Artist and Rebel King challenge Mythical Flight (Photo Gold Circle)B
ut both Rebel King and War Artist (by Orpen, Aussie bred) were lurking, waiting to deliver their challenge in the final 100m, and with War Artist well drawn at 12 and there for nothing, he had just too much for them at the death. Rebel King flew the last bit to grab second from the Champion, and with both the winner and Mythical Flight bound for Europe, he could be formidable next season.

Rebel King was one of six exceptional three year olds from Summerhill this season. Strangely, he was the only one of them to show serious talent at two, but he is in illustrious company with Emperor Napoleon, Pick Six, Khebraat, Dynamite Mike and Desert Links, the latter of whom could not’ve been more impressive Friday evening, and is now set for the Gold Circle Derby on the 28^th July.

Summerhill fills 3 of the top 4 slots in The Breeder's

The R250 000 KZN Breeder’s was a celebration all round for products of the stud, with yet another son of Kahal, Graded Stakes performer, Rose Window, picking up the 4^th prize behind Khebraat (1^st) and Pick Six (2^nd). The third man home, Guineas 3^rd Surfin’ USA’s mother, Palm Beach Gold, also resides with us as part of the broodmare band of his sire, Modern Day’s supremo Fenn Tarbitt.

Another Big Weekend for Kahal

Hard on the heels of Bold Ellinore’s career best performance in last Saturday’s Tibouchina Stakes (Gr.2), two more from Kahal’s second crop of Sophomore colts stepped up to the plate this weekend, ringing some big bells for the year ahead.

Khebraat (Photo Gold Circle)Evening AttireThe run of the weekend belonged undoubtedly to Khebraat, who, on only his fourth start, dropped the colours of the Gomma Gomma hero, Pick Six in the R250 000 KZN Breeders 1600m. Granted, he was in receipt of 4kgs from the Champion, who may even have needed his first run back since scooting off with the big cheque in Africa’s richest horserace, but we mustn’t forget, Khebraat was just a novice going into this one, and this was notice, for sure, that Emperor Napoleon and Evening Attire are not their sire’s only Three Year Old pony tricks.

Bred at Summerhill for Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stud, Khebraat is closely inbred to Mr. Prospector through a daughter of Breeders Cup Sprint Champion, Gulch, though his dam Khazima also has Nureyev close up, thus repeating the cross (with Northern Dancer) that gave Kahal the likes of “The Emperor”, Guineas victoress, Bold Ellinore, Evening Attire and Bhekinkosi, all Stakes winners in a season in which Kahal now ranks clear second (ahead of Muhtafal) by Stakes winners.

The Rulers of Dubai were also responsible for the second of Kahal’s standouts this weekend, as yet another three year old, Desert Links, came to the party with an especially impressive double at Greyville Friday evening. He was bred at the farm by Sheikh Maktoum’s Gainsborough Stud, out of the Home Guard mare Selborne Park. Basil Marcus has always maintained that this horse was somewhere in the vicinity of dual Classic winner Jay Peg’s class, and while he still has much to prove, the manner of his victory had his conditioner talking about a tilt at the J&B Met (Gr.1) come January time. Just imagine a J&B Met featuring three top class sons of Kahal, all in a single field.
Sheikh HamdanBasil Marcus