They say that records are made to be broken, but it still takes something extraordinary to break a record. Racing this 2023/24 season has been blessed in that respect.
A week after jockey Richard Fourie rode his 335th winner to eclipse Anthony Delpech’s mark that had stood for 25 years, the freshman sire One World has produced a 23rd individual winner with his first crop. That betters by one, and counting, the previous record of 22 individual winners set by Captain Al in 2003/04.
Fourie himself has ridden five different One World juveniles to victory, for a combined total of eight wins. They are headlined by the much-vaunted Lion Rampart, a colt on which he’s had a hat-trick of wins, the filly Sahara Cat (two wins) and Ladies World, United Nation and Worldly.
Winning and records runs in the blood. One World’s own father was the afore-mentioned Captain Al, so it’s a case of like father, like son, but only more prolific.
One World, who is a rising nine-year-old (1st August), himself won 10 races, including one Grade 1 – the 2020 Sun Met – over distances ranging from 1400m-2000m. Again, he managed to marginally outdo “dad”, with Captain Al being a nine-time winner on the track, but “dad” also won a Grade 1 race the 2000 Cape Guineas.
When One Party won the second race at Turffontein on Saturday she was One World’s 23rd winner in his freshman season as a sire. Among his most distinguished offspring, and who have already won black type, are the colts Lion Rampart and One Stripe, and the fillies Miss World and Sahara Cat.
One World stands at the famed Drakenstein Stud, who were the Equus Champion Breeders of 2022/23.
One World’s 23 winners have come from 52 runners and they have accumulated some R3.8-million in stake money. He also leads the list of sires of two-year-olds for the season by six winners from Gimmethegreenlight and by 10 winners over next-best Vercingetorix.
His first winner came on 12th December at Turffontein when Address The Nation, trained by Candice Dawson, won on debut over 800m. He was bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, and was a R225 000 purchase. One World actually had two winners on the day at Turffontein, with Chocolate Soldier winning for a second time later in the meeting.
Two of One World’s winners have been conditioned by Candice Bass-Robinson, the colt Kaiboy and the filly Roccapina. Both coasted to victory over 1000m and Robinson feels that they have bright futures.
“It’s not easy to make a comparison between the colt and the filly, but both of them are very quick. I’ve had to geld Kaiboy, but they’ve been pretty easy juveniles to train. Plus, they’ve shown a terrific turn of foot,” she said.
She called them a “revelation” in terms of how they’ve grown and impressed her. “I have to admit that I wasn’t that keen on One World’s babies initially, but now I wish I had more in my yard. They are very athletic and it’s been a revelation for me to see how they have come forward. Both have improved so impressively from yearlings to where they are now and that is what you want to see in horses. He’s a terrific addition to the industry.”
