David Thiselton

Prominent owner and breeder Suzette Viljoen spoke of the magnificence of the late Equus Horse Of The Year Captain’s Ransom’s first and only foal and also revealed an interesting statistic that her and her husband Basie have as owners.

Champion stallion Captain Al’s best daughter Captain’s Ransom only had one foal and she was by the horse who fiercely contested the Equus Horse Of The Year with her,  and who was also her Justin Snaith-trained stablemate, Jet Dark (Trippi).

Suzette said, “Captain’s Ransom’s baby Cappy’s Girl is a yearling now. She is not going to the Sales! She’s beautiful. She’s really a replica of her Mom. She looks a lot like her Mom. The only difference is her Mom had two white  feet and she only has one. Her face looks so much like her Mom’s and her personality is her Mom’s too. She is really, really looking well. We went for Jet Dark because he was her main rival for Horse Of The Year and Jet Dark’s babies are also looking well, so we are very, very happy with the way she looks and the way she moves … she just looks different class!”

Jet Dark probably broke a record for average price for a South African stallions’ first progeny at the Sales, averaging R877,500 for 20 lots sold at the recent Race Coast Premier Yearling Sale.

If Cappy’s Girl did appear on a Sale she would be the centre of attention and there would be a good chance she would fetch a new South African record price.

Suzette said, “They actually said to me I should put her on the Sale to let her go through the ring and qualify for all the incentives etc, but I didn’t want to make a fool of anyone. People would be putting their hands up to buy the horse and I know I am never going to sell her, for me it feels like I’m making a fool of someone and I would never do that. If I put a horse on the Sale with a reserve and she goes past the reserve I will let the horse go, but I will never put a horse on a Sale that I know I am not going to sell.”

In another interesting aspect to the owners of the new founded Hopes and Dreams Stud, Suzette and Basie Viljoen believe they have had the first Graded winner for all of Legislate, Royal Mo, Buffalo Bill Cody and Hawwaam.

“I’m not sure if they had any Listed winners before our horses won their Graded races, but I checked it up and it does look to be true that our horse Hoedspruit was the first Graded winner for Legislate, our horse Royal Aussie was the first Graded winner for Royal Mo, our horse Pistol Pete was the first Graded winner for Buffalo Bill Cody and our horse Perfect Miracle was the first Graded winner for Hawwaam.”

A quick look at the statistics confirms the statistic to be correct.

Suzette continued, “Now we are just hoping we can have the first Graded winner for our own stallion Frantastic!”

She said the son of Frankel covered about 40 mares in his first season, including some of Suzette and Basie’s mares, and in his second season he covered 30.

His first crop are weanlings at present.

“His foals are beautiful, they are so correct and really stand out,” said Suzette, “I am really critical of my own stock, but his foals are really looking well. I hope they grow up  to look like that, but we are very happy.”

Frantastic won two races over a mile and ten furlongs respectively and had a British Official Rating of 92.

However, he is a full-brother to the top class dual Gr 1 winner Cracksman, who is the sire of the unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner and Cartier Horse Of The Year Ace Impact.

Frantastic was a very exciting acquisition for South African breeding and his Sales horses and runners are very much being looked forward to.

Alistair Cohen

Small fields are the order of the day at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Wednesday as the summer-autumn roster at the country course winds down. The light numbers do not make things straight forward. There should be some competitive action on the menu.

Signor Dante could represent value in race 7 over 1600m. His recent form shows some promising form and his most recent effort came behind one of the boom three-year-olds in the land.

The last run came over 2000m in late January when he finished 4,6 lengths behind Note To Self. Note To Self subsequently ran second in the Grade 1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby a month ago. Many argue that he was unlucky not to finish closer as the gap on the inside closed up and his stable companion Wish List took full advantage. The debate of how the three-year-olds fit in with the older rivals will be dynamic in the coming months but it still stacks up as a fair effort from Signor Dante.

The kicker with Signor Dante is last time he ran fresh after a mini rest, he beat Note To Self by a length at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth over 1800m. He showed plenty of desire to win on that occasion.

Luyolo Mxothwa is carded to take the ride for James Crawford. The combination continues to churn out their winners.

Prairie Dawn is upwardly mobile and he could be the main threat. He won his maiden in his penultimate run over this course and distance shrugging off Bonelli by a neck. His post-maiden effort produced a solid 2,25-length second behind In a Timely Manner. He is low mileage so he could have any amount of progress to come. This is a big test for him because the volume of solid older horses around him but if he takes the victory, he could rack up a few wins in Cape Town this winter if he stays at home. Craig Zackey takes the ride.

Stable companion to Signor Dante, Show Off is a very interesting runner. He was flat last time when going off as 2/1 favourite. He teased punters with his penultimate run when he finished second behind Boogiefied at this course over 1400m. Boogiefied won a week ago to lift that form. Show Off should have beaten Boogiefied. He ran into so much trouble that he did well to finish 0,4 lengths behind. Crucially, Gareth Wright gets another chance to make amends. It would be silly to rule him out but one cannot be sure which version of Show Off will arrive.

Snowbird was all the rage when she made her debut but she did too much too early and that took its toll. She found support from 10/1 into 4/1 and she finished 2,85 lengths behind Shezaripper. Trainer Vaughan Marshall has not been as forceful with his two-year-olds this season and they seem to be better with a run under the belt. Snowbird must have a top chance of winning race 1 over 1000m under Sean Veale.

Future Red might not have faced a very strong field on debut but she made an impression. A huge drift in the market from 3/1 to 16/1 is a concern for what she might have been showing at home. She still finished second behind Ebisu, two lengths behind at this course over 1250m. She is up to 1400m in race 2 and any improvement could see her taste success for the same combination of Luyolo Mxothwa and James Crawford. Hazel Green, Theleia and Little Nimbus bring form that hints a win is near and they enter calculations.

District Master took 16 runs to win a maiden but his record now reads 17 runs for two wins. His post-maiden back-up was even more impressive so confidence must be on the up. He beat Man Of Consequence by 1,75 lengths over this distance at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. He runs in race 3 over 1400m under Grant van Niekerk for Des McLachlan, a huge in-form combination. He has the widest gate of No 8 to compete with but he should be ridden positively so hopefully he gets across without much fuss.

It is hard to get too excited about race 4 over 1800. Beautiful Side could be the horse to be on the right side of under Callan Murray. Her form is as middling as any other in the event but she receives a valuable 2,5kg allowance for being of fair sex. Punters need a few to include to make sure of progress through various bets.

Tothemoonandback has van Niekerk aboard for McLachlan in race 5 over 2400m. He sauntered to an easy victory over 2500m in his last run when he defeated Elegant Noble by three lengths in dismissive fashion. He is proven to reach this distance and most importantly, he arrives in the form of his life.

At a push, Given To Fly looks the right one in race 6 over 1500m in a wide open event. Since winning her maiden three starts back, she has maintained consistent form without winning. Aldo Domeyer is up for Candice Bass.

 

RACE 1

1 SNOW BIRD found betting support on debut when finishing just under three lengths behind Shezaripper on the 22nd of February, she is a lovely filly with lots of ability, with natural improvement expected from this well-bred individual, she will go close to winning from a good draw. 5 PREACHER MAN has run two fair races in succession, the form lines of her last run on the 4th of February have worked out well, she will be just off the speed early here, and she will be staying on strongly late. 3 LUCY’S WORLD finished just over eight lengths behind Grapes Of Wrath on debut, she can only improve from that performance, watch her closely from a neat draw. This looks a competitive race with several well-bred first timers in the lineup, keep a close eye on them in the parade ring, and follow the market for late confidence. (Brandon Bailey: 1 – 5 – 3 – 6)

RACE 2

8 FUTURE RED ran a cracker on debut for second behind Ebisu at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 14th of February, she was very green in running, the wide draw here will make it tough for her, but the step up in trip to 1400m will help her chances, if she gets some luck in running, she will be right there in the finish. 1 RARE EARTH was doing some good work late in the same race as Future Red last time, she was drawn badly on that occasion, there is no excuses for this filly on Wednesday from a neat draw, on her best form, she will be super competitive. 7 THELEIA was given every chance to win here at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 4th of March, she was extremely one paced up the lane when finishing just over three lengths behind Vivo Per Lei, in hope that she can finish her race off better on Wednesday, she might be able to sneak into the places from a tricky draw. 4 HAZEL GREEN never runs a bad race, she is honest and she tries hard, include her into all bets. (Brandon Bailey: 8 – 1 – 7 – 4)

RACE 3

4 KLEIN KAROO won a good race at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 11th of February, even though this is a stronger field for him on Wednesday, he will be just off the speed early, and he will be flying at them late, he can definitely win again. 8 DISTRICT MASTER won a great race straight out of the maiden ranks on the 22nd of February, he was given five points for that impressive win at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, if he can beat the tricky draw here, he should be competitive again. 7 DEVIL A SAINT finished just over eight lengths behind Jet Force on the 14th of February, that was a much stronger field than what he faces here, he could be some decent value in this tricky race, watch him closely at a decent price. 6 AVIGNON quickened away from his field in good fashion on the 25th of February, he was given six points for that win, if he stays the 1400m trip on Wednesday, he could sneak into the Quartet. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 8 – 7 – 6)

RACE 4

1 THE NIGHT FERRY finished just over three lengths behind District Master on the 22nd of February, he has dropped one point in the ratings from that run, and he gets 4kgs off the back from the apprentice claim, he will run a big race from a good draw. 2 MIDWAY is much better than his recent performance behind Money Extractor, even though the 1800m trip is a stretch for this gelding, this doesn’t look to be the strongest race on paper, he should bounce back to his best form from a neat draw. 4 BEAUTIFUL SIDE was a touch disappointing at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 11th of February, she has dropped further in the ratings, she can win a race like this on her best form, include her into all bets. 6 MY BESTIE will need to improve quite a bit to win this race, he finished just under four lengths behind Spirit Of Levana on the 18th of March, in hope that this run hasn’t come too soon for him, he can sneak into the places. (Brandon Bailey: 1 – 2 – 4 – 6)

RACE 5

2 TOTHEMOONANDBACK quickened up nicely to win a good race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 25th of February, he was given five points for that impressive victory, he stays really well, he will be hard to beat from a good draw. 7 GENTLEMAN JOE is the class package in this race, he stayed on well to finish four lengths behind Tenpenny on the 28th of February, the only concern is the big weight of 63kgs on his back over this staying trip of 2400m, his form is good, he will be right there in the finish. 4 FORT LIAM won his maiden well at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on the 11th of February, he should love the step up in trip here, include him into all bets. 3 TWICE THE MASTER never runs a bad race, he could sneak into the places with no weight on his back. (Brandon Bailey: 2 – 7 – 4 – 3)

RACE 6

4 MIGHTY MARY finished like a train to win a great race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 25th of February, she was given two points for that gutsy win last time, her form of late is very good, even though she has more to do at the weights on Wednesday, she is a talented filly, she can win again. 3 GIVEN TO FLY just got touched off at the line by Mighty Mary last time, she ran a lovely race, she has a good draw on Wednesday, there is no doubt she will have a big winning chance here. 5 VIVO PER LEI finally got it right on the 4th of March, it was a top ride by jockey Gareth Wright, even though this is a stronger field for her, she tries hard, she will give them something to fetch late, watch her closely out of the maiden ranks. 1 ELUSIVE GIFT was a touch disappointing behind Amayah on the 14th of February, she has dropped further in the ratings, and she has a good draw, watch for sharp improvement from this filly. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 3 – 5 – 1)

RACE 7

3 PRAIRIE DAWN didn’t have much luck behind his stable companion on the 25th of February, he flew home late to finish just over two lengths behind In A Timely Manner, he looks to be a smart gelding with lots of ability, he will be hard to beat from a good draw. 8 SHOW OFF just needed his second run after a rest on the 4th of March, if the gaps open at the right time for this individual on Wednesday, he will be competitive. 6 SIGNOR DANTE ran a cracker behind Note To Self at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 31st of January, he should enjoy the drop in trip to 1600m here, include him into all bets, he will run a big race on his best form. 10 COUNT WILLIAM has been rested for 98 days, he can always be dangerous from the front, watch him closely. (Brandon Bailey: 3 – 8 – 6 – 10)

Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Taunton and Wolverhampton (UK) – 24 March 2026

Please note that Vaal race course received 150.5mm of rainfall in the last 7 days, and it is still raining.

Both the Main and Classic tracks are under water. Turffontein tracks are also under water due to continuous rainfall.

Based on current rainfall taking place in the Highveld,a decision has been made to abandon tomorrow’s Vaal race meeting 24 March 2026.