Cape Cross was propelled to the top of the general stallions’ table for 2009 after the 2000 Guineas victory of Sea The Stars and a follow-up win in the Derby on Saturday has not only guaranteed a place in history for the Tsui family’s prize colt but has aided his sire’s return to pole position.
Cape Cross’ current prize-money total, which stands at almost £1.9m earned by his progeny this year, has been boosted by a host of winners in what is already proving to be an outstanding season. Fifty-nine of his offspring have won a total of 75 races up to Tuesday, 9 June, and Sea The Stars was not his only Group winner at Epsom at the weekend.
Eight-year-old Mac Love, who was runner-up to Rakti in the G1 Lockinge Stakes in 2005, landed the opening race of the Derby meeting, the G3 Diomed Stakes, for his delighted owner Vimal Khosla. The gelding, who has won eight and placed in 19 of his 60 racecourse starts to date, had previously been retired but was returned to training after he insisted on racing every other horse in his ‘retirement’ quarters.
“He just really enjoys it and is still really well in himself,” said Mr Khosla at Epsom. “We let him dictate what he wants to do now and don’t rush him into anything. He’s just been such a joy to be associated with through the years.”
Among a host of black-type performers this year are the Southcourt Stud homebred Crystal Capella, who won the G3 Middleton Stakes on her seasonal reappearance at Newmarket, a triumph she bolted onto her win in the G2 Pride Stakes on her final start the previous year and which brought her winning record to six consecutive races.
Lady Chryss O’Reilly enjoyed great success on the racecourse with her Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Rebelline and it must, therefore, give extra pleasure to see a wonderful racemare excel at stud too. Her third foal, Recharge, a colt by Cape Cross, won the G3 Leopardstown Guineas Trial before going on to run fourth in the Irish Classic.
At whatever level, it takes a tough horse to win 13 races. This is exactly what Cape Cross six-year-old Re Barolo has done, earning a valuable Stakes win in the Listed Winter Derby Trial at Lingfield in February while the four-year-olds Casilda and Hatta Fort, both already Stakes winners, have added Group Three runner-up honours to their burgeoning records.
The Henry Cecil-trained Native Ruler was denied a run in the Derby but he has been the subject of rave reports from the Newmarket gallops of late and is set to contest the ‘Ascot Derby’, the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal Meeting. It would be no surprise to see Lordship Stud’s lightly-raced but clearly highly-talented colt challenging for major prizes throughout the second half of the season.
