Cape Cross, the sire of outstanding performers Golden Horn, Ouija Board and Sea The Stars, has been retired from covering after suffering from fertility problems this season.

The 22-year-old son of Green Desert has been a stalwart of Kildangan Stud, having stood every season at Darley’s stallion base in County Kildare in Ireland since his retirement in 2000.

Cape Cross earned his shot as a stallion by winning the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and Celebration Mile for Godolphin.

Cape Cross (Darleystallions.com)

Introduced to breeders at a fee of just Ir£8,000, he demonstrated he was capable of upgrading his mares by supplying a double-digit tally of first-crop two-year-old winners by Royal Ascot of 2003.

By the end of his freshman season he had four stakes winners along with a number of stakes-placed horses – including Ouija Board, who had finished third in the Listed Montrose Stakes.

As Cape Cross entered his sophomore season his fee was doubled to €20,000 from €10,000 and better was to come as Ouija Board established herself as an exceptional talent by winning the Epsom and Curragh Oaks and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

In 2005 Cape Cross had his fee increased to €50,000 and it was that year that the Tsui Family, inspired by Ouija Board, decided to send their iconic mare Urban Sea, winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the dam of Galileo, to him. The result of the mating was Sea The Stars, who lit up the 2009 season by winning the 2,000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes and Arc.

Sea The Stars’ exploits no doubt encouraged Anthony Oppenheimer to breed his mare Fleche D’Or to Cape Cross, which created the third pivotal horse in the stallion’s career – Golden Horn, who also won the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Arc last year.

In all, Cape Cross has produced 51 Group winners and 52 Listed winners, figures which could be improved by a Classic squadron for this year that includes the unbeaten colt Moonlight Magic out of Sea The Stars’ half-sister Melikah. He has plenty of runners in the pipeline, too, as he covered 114 mares last year, 108 in 2014 and 116 in 2013.

However, Darley’s director of stallions Sam Bullard said: “We are approaching the end of March and he has failed to get a mare in foal, so it has been decided that he should be retired from stallion duties.”

– Racingpost.com

The National Horseracing Authority is to bring in a rule making owners responsible for ensuring that their horses are given good homes when they retire from racing.

Retired Racehorses (Supplied)

The NHA has given notice of this on its website, saying: “Thoroughbreds are not designed to withstand meagre or rural conditions, every effort must be made to prevent them ending up in circumstances where they would be neglected or abused, and owners have certain obligations to make sure that their horses do not end up in unpleasant conditions.”

There are already certain charitable organisations, such as the Western Cape Equine Trust’s racehorse rehoming programme, which finds suitable homes (at no cost to owners) and these are capable of handling more horses.

However recent letters to newspapers would suggest that some owners – and indeed racing as a whole – do not do enough to prevent suffering in horses’ post-racing lives.

The Byerley Turk at Greyville on Friday week could be next on the agenda for last year’s Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winner Captain Chaos who is on secondment to Mark Dixon in KZN.

Ronnie Sheehan said: “The owners wanted me to take the horse to Durban but it was impractical to go with one horse and they already had others with Mark. Captain Chaos needed his first run up there as it was his first since being gelded and he was second at Greyville last week. He will come back to me at the end of the Durban season.”

Andre Nel has abandoned plans to send Lohnromance to join his Durban string, saying: “She hasn’t wintered well so far but she might run in the Olympic Duel Stakes (at Kenilworth on May 21) if she is right.”

By Michael Clower

Captain America bids to become the third horse in eight seasons to win back-to-back  HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday following Smart Banker and Dancewiththedevil.

Captain America (Liesl King)

Crawford, who flew to Johannesburg on Sunday to supervise the five-year-old’s final grass gallop yesterday, said: “He has come out of his prep run in the 1 450m Pinnacle very well and Legal Eagle looks the one to beat.”

CTS Million Dollar winner Illuminator will be out for the best part of a year after suffering a fracture in his off-hind joint after doing a piece of work earlier in the month.

Glen Puller produced photographs and x-rays at Kenilworth on Saturday that clearly showed a crack in the bone. The horse is bandaged from just below the knee to the hoof.

Puller said: “The fracture is in his ankle, he will have to be box rested for six to eight months and it will be quite a while before he can run again.”

Cold As Ice has been retired after her bid to land the £150 000 All-Weather Fillies and Mares Championship at Lingfield on Good Friday saw her limp away with a badly damaged tendon. She started 4-6 favourite, moved smoothly into the lead entering the final furlong only to falter alarmingly. She passed the post in fifth and rider Pat Cosgrave promptly dismounted.

Come Fly With Me (Nkosi Hlophe)

Ridgemont manager Craig Carey said yesterday: “It was such a shame. She was cruising up and then it all went pear-shaped. She is now going to the National Stud for a six-week recuperation and then the owners will make up their minds as to what to do. There are a couple of options on the table.”

An obvious one would be to put her in foal to a top UK stallion and fly her home to continue her broodmare career in South Africa.

Mike Bass reports that Come Fly With Me, whose most recent starts have been in the Victress, Paddock and Prix Du Cap, will probably drop back to 1 200m for the Allowance Plate at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He said: “She will then go for the winter features like the Olympic Duel Stakes (May 21). Anywhere from 1 200m to 1600m is fine for her.”

Stable companion Caballo Blanco, who really caught the eye when overcoming a slow start to take third to Le Harve on debut, is likely to run in the opening Maiden Juvenile Plate.

By Michael Clower

Psycho Syd is Durban-bound after shrugging aside a near three-month absence to give weight all round in lightning fast time in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

MJ Byleveld sent him to the front fully two furlongs from home and he slammed the clearly smart Orion Quest by nearly three lengths with the third another two lengths away. The time, admittedly helped by a strong wind, was only a fifth of a second outside Brutal Force’s six furlong course record.

Vaughan Marshall

Vaughan Marshall said: “We gelded him after the Sophomore and after we saw the handicappers had put him up three points for finishing fourth. He now goes to Durban.”

The Milnerton trainer introduced a smart-looking newcomer in William Longsword in the opener. The R2.2 million Captain Al colt showed real promise in the way he made up ground in the last 150m to dead-heat for third and Marshall was understandably pleased with the performance.

Greg Ennion revealed – after landing a treble with Jeremy, Chrome Blue and Chanukah – that he had taken a massive gamble a few months ago.

He said: “I’ve only got 30 horses and I explained to my owners that I can’t compete in the Cape season so I took a calculated step. I said to them ‘Give me a chance and I will show you what I can do after the season ends.’

“I promptly eased off with the horses and then brought them back – and it has worked. I can’t remember when I last had a treble.”

All three winners won with authority and in a manner that suggested there is more to come. Ennion confirmed this, adding: “Gelding has improved Chrome Blue. He had always shown potential but he is now becoming a serious horse while Jeremy has still to fill out – he looks like a coat-hanger at the moment.”

Mike Robinson showed that you don’t need to spend a fortune for a winner when Streaming – only R10 000 at the National Two-Year-Old Sale – came again to get up close home under Aldo Domeyer in the Play The Bipot Maiden Juvenile.

Robinson said: “I was the only bidder and I couldn’t fault her.”

Donovan Dillon got up on Dancer in the opening two-year-old maiden having spent more time on the road than a long-distance lorry driver. After accepting a string of rides at Fairview he found there wasn’t a flight to be had.

Many would have picked up the phone to the various trainers, apologised and thought no more about it. Not this man. He got into his car on Thursday and drove for seven hours. After eight rides and two winners, he did the same on Friday night only this time it took a lot longer because he had rain to contend with for most of the 750k. He finally arrived back in Cape Town at 1.15am.

Joey Ramsden was impressed, particularly when Dillon duly won on Dancer, and so too was retired Dusseldorf businessman Wolfgang Schmitz when he heard the background to the story of his first winner.

By Michael Clower

After an injury plagued season and some indifferent performances following his second place in last year’s Dubai World Cup, California Chrome was super-impressive when going one better in Saturday’s $10 million showpiece. The big chestnut raced wide the whole way with a slipped saddle and was still able to carve out a track record in beating a game Mubtaahij.

Jumping from a wide draw, as jockey Victor Espinoza gunned him out of the gate for position his saddle slipped. Espinoza did manage to make it close to the lead but raced wide the whole way.

California Chrome (Liesl King)

Speaking post-race Espinoza said; “Basically, the girth is slipped all the way back and I was really trying not to move my body, just to sit there still and lean forward a little bit because if I move a little back, I might go out of balance and that would not be pretty,” said Espinoza. “I was not really concerned about it. I was just looking forward, ‘Where’s the wire?'”

Trainer Art Sherman said he wasn’t aware how serious the situation was until Espinoza pulled up after winning the race. “And I said, ‘Well, that thing is back in the rumble seat.’

Despite all the obstacles, California Chrome shot clear down the home straight and drew off to win by nearly four lengths in track-record. Mubtaahij was second and Hoppertunity finished third.

Commenting on his website Mike de Kock was generous in his praise of California Chrome.  “I tell you, we were beaten by some racehorse.  California Chrome had to race wide throughout and his saddle slipped in the race, but look at the convincing way he won.  We’ll happily take our second to the best dirt horse in the world. We are over the moon!” he enthused.

De Kock, who had told the media and Mubtaahij’s supporters to expect his best on World Cup night, was vindicated. “I couldn’t have the Super Saturday results.  Mubtaahij reversed the form of the Maktoum Challenge Round 3 with Special Fighter and Gun Pit.

“Christophe and I discussed the Dubai World Cup at length this week and we envisaged what would happen. We were keen to lead the race, to make the pace if we had to. As it happened he jumped well, found a dream passage on the fence and settled in the running. Mubtaahij stays very well and he fought all the way for a well-deserved second. We are massively proud of Mubtaahij tonight,” said De Kock.

There are no immediate plans for Mubtaahij although the form of this renewal of the Dubai World Cup is likely to carry much merit.

By Andrew Harrison