Cape Cross opens his 2015 Stakes account

The new year may not yet be a week old, but the Darley stallions have wasted little time in adding their first 2015 Black type winners. Exceed And Excel kicked off proceedings on New Year’s Day when Rewarding Hero landed the Chinese Challenge Cup at Sha Tin and Hong Kong was once again a fruitful hunting ground for Darley-sired runners as Pleasure Gains (Cape Cross) took the January Cup (a local G3 contest) on 7 January.

Landing the nine-furlong contest by a head, the six-year-old recorded his eighth career victory. He was also third in last year’s Chairman’s Trophy (a local G2).

Bred by Dwayne Woods’ Brook Stud, Pleasure Gains is out of the Vettori mare Viola da Bracchio, also dam of Dubawi’s 2014 Stakes winner Sarinda. The mare is herself a half-sister to Offshore Boom – dam of Rock Of Gibraltar.

Cape Cross, sire of ten individual G1 winners and broodmare sire of last year’s Derby winner plus grandsire of the 2014 Oaks winner, stands at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €20,000 October 1st SLF.