When Beach Bomb led home a Drakenstein one-two in the 2023 Gr 1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas, who could have thought that twelve months later, she would take part in the revered Breeders’ Cup meeting at Del Mar in California?
The daughter of much-missed Lancaster Bomber already boasted two stakes places from as many American starts by the time she lined up for the Gr 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and while she never troubled the winner from a difficult draw, she certainly did not disgrace herself. She will no doubt live to fight another day.
Beach Bomb is not the first locally bred Cape Fillies Guineas winner to leave home shores to race or embark on a broodmare career, that honour belongs to Perfect Promise, who defeated Tara’s Touch and Secret Heart in the 2002 classic. The daughter of Caesour made history as the first South African-bred Gr 1 winner on Australian soil when she defeated male rivals in the C F Orr Stakes at Caulfield. She became a stakes producer, as did 1996 winner Arabian Lass, the country’s champion juvenile filly, who was sold to Australian interests as a four-time Gr 1 winner at the end of a stellar racing career.
A daughter of Al Mufti, Arabian Lass was trained by Tony Millard, while brother-in-law Geoff Woodruff put the finishing touches to 1997 winner Igreja. Bred in Argentina, she too embarked on an international campaign, placing in Listed stakes company on British soil.
Voted the Champion Filly Miler after winning the 2007 Cape Fillies Guineas, Captain’s Lover became a globetrotter of note. Raced internationally by Barry Irwin’s Team Valor outfit, she added a French stakes success to her resume when beating colts in the Gr 3 Prix du Pin and also scored in Germany before crossing the Atlantic. Her signature win on American soil was a runaway seven-length romp in the Gr 3 Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Remarkably, her Jet Master half-sister Ebony Flyer strode to a facile victory in the 2010 Cape Fillies Guineas, defeating none other than future Horse of the Year, multiple champion, and Triple Tiara winner Igugu. Captain’s Lover and Ebony Flyer are the only siblings to have won the Cape Fillies Guineas, a rare achievement.
Although the focus of this article is on South African-bred winners, it would be remiss not to make mention of the outstanding Australian import Sun Classique. Bred in Australia by former Odessa Stud owner Lionel Cohen, she was trained by Mike Bass and showed a remarkable turn of foot to win the 2006 Cape Fillies Guineas from an impossible position. With subsequent victories in the Gr 1 Fancourt Majorca Stakes and Woolavington 2200, she was a most deserved winner of the Equus Champion 3yo Filly award.
Sent to Dubai, Sun Classique proved her superiority in no uncertain terms with a remarkable three-win streak in stakes company. After winning both the Balanchine and Cape Verdi, she became the very first female winner of the Gr 1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
It’s been exactly 55 years since the Birch-bred Cilaneum won the first official Cape Fillies Guineas as we know it today. The honours roll of this revered classic reads like a ‘who’s who’ of some of the finest fillies to have graced the South African turf.
The importance of this classic is underlined by the fact that many of those went on to establish their own dynasties at stud, amongst which such easily identified names as Party Time, In Camera, Kiss Of Peace, Olympic Duel and Dance Every Dance.
Since the start of the new millennium, a number of winners have already made their mark in the broodmare paddocks. Shadow Dancing, a Fort Wood half-sister to Captain Al, triumphed in 2004 and produced the dual Gr 1 winner Thunder Dance, who incidentally ran third in the 2011 Cape Fillies Guineas.
Successful in the 2009 renewal, Field Flower is the dam of Last Winter, a R3.7 million yearling by Western Winter, who was a flying second in the Gr 1 Sun Met and placed at stakes level in the UK before returning to his birth country for stallion duties.
As regards Fillies Guineas winners of the last decade, none have made a better start as a broodmare than Snowdance, who claimed the honours in 2017. One of four Cape Fillies Guineas winners sired by Captain Al, she began her second career by visiting Lancaster Bomber and the resultant foal is none other than the handsome colt Snow Pilot, whose victory in the 2023 Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas provided his sire with a unique classic double.
Remembering 2020 winner and multiple Gr 1 winning Captain’s Ransom, who was named Equus Horse of the Year at four following a stellar career. Captain’s Ransom was dubbed the darling of the turf during her illustrious racing career.
Words: Ada van der Bent
