By Ada van der Bent
Black type for fillies and mares is an essential way to highlight the quality of their pedigrees, therefore the Majorca Stakes is extremely important as far as the breeding industry is concerned.
First contested in 1964, the 1600m race honours one of the Western Cape’s leading distaffers of the early sixties, the fine mare Majorca. Bred by Ralph Koster, she was leased to trainer ‘Cookie’ Amos and whilst the pinnacle of her career was a four-length romp in the 1963 Cape of Good Hope Paddock Stakes, she ran arguably her best races in defeat, notably when second, a half length behind the mighty Colorado King in the Cape Derby, and third, beaten no more than a length, in the Queen’s Plate.
The daughter of Preamble II returned to birthplace Klawervlei Stud where she did her bit to maintain family honour as the dam of Gr1 performers Haiti and Aegean, while her more recent descendants include Gr1 winners Rabada and Chimichurri Run.
The Kosters also have a proud record as breeders of Majorca winners Shadow Dancing and Mother Russia.
The latter is one of no less than eleven distaffers who completed the Paddock/ Majorca Stakes double, a list which also includes such notable champions as Olympic Duel, Dancer’s Daughter, Beach Beauty and Captains Ransom.
Mother Russia proved her prowess by adding the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and Empress Club Stakes, in addition to which she twice ran second in the J&B Met.
The classy Olympic Duel landed the 1990 Majorca as part of a magnificent three-year-old season which also yielded victories in the Cape Guineas Fillies, Paddock Stakes and SA Fillies Guineas.
Trained by Terrance Millard, her impressive big-race haul also included the Met, Mainstay International, a second Paddock Stakes and the Champion Stakes. In due course she became a fine broodmare, producing Gr1 Daily News hero Flying Duel, while her descendants include champion Thundering Star and the stallion Gold Standard.
Irish-bred Dancer’s Daughter won the 2008 Majorca with contemptuous ease and six months later, reserved her place in history by sharing the spoils with the mighty Pocket Power in the Vodacom Durban July.
More recently, the 2022 Majorca was one of a quartet of Gr1 victories in an exemplary season for Captain’s Ransom, good enough to earn her a coveted Horse of the Year title.
Other Majorca winners who went on to further fame include the game and talented Wainui. She outclassed her field in the 1989 Majorca and became the first filly in over 50 years to win the Gr1 Queen’s Plate, whilst setting a new track record in the process.
Australian import Sun Classique added the 2007 Majorca Stakes to her Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas win before clinching championship honours with victory in the Gr1 Woolavington 2200. Sent to Dubai, she 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 Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
As recently as last year, Princess Calla lined up for the Majorca as the reigning Horse of the Year, and she duly showed her class with an effortless three length success.
By the way, Captain’s Ransom is the most recent of five dual winners of the Majorca. The first was Fast Piece, who completed the double in 1977, Alpine Silk followed suit in 1987, Donatella made it back-to-back wins in 2000, while Inara successfully defended her crown in 2016. There will be no double this year, as Princess Calla has been exported to the States.
The esteem in which the Majorca Stakes is held by breeders can be gauged by the success many of its winners have enjoyed as broodmares. Those worthy of mention include aforementioned Olympic Duel, the blue hen Party Time, Wild Hyacinth (grandam of Victory Moon), Sarabande (grandam of Gr1 winning sprinter Master Archie) and Shadow Dancing (dam of dual Gr1 winner Thunder Dance).
And while Mother Russia sadly left just one foal, this was the dual Gr1 Empress Club winner Nother Russia, who in turn is the dam of undefeated champion, the now exported Gimme A Nother.
Snowdance, who won the 2018 Majorca for Drakenstein Stud and the late Jack Mitchell, has made a dream start to her broodmare career with her very first foal, the Gr1 Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot.
However, pride of place must go to 2014 winner Beach Beauty. A dual champion on the track, this budding blue hen scooped up last season’s award of Broodmare of the Year in view of her exceptional record as the dam of five stakes performers from her first five foals, amongst which the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner and American stakes performer Beach Bomb.
Also destined for an overseas campaign is the sensational filly Quid Pro Quo. Last season’s champion juvenile filly, she just happens to be a descendant of Irish import Malang Lou, who positively blossomed in the African sun and counted the 1984 Majorca Stakes amongst five local wins.
Interestingly, this year’s field features a runner with tangible links to a previous Majorca winner in Roccapina, whose grandam Covenant won the 2011 race in her first attempt at the mile trip. A game second in the Sceptre Stakes last time out, Roccapina too, tries 1600m for the first time.