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NEWS 
THE TEAM
THE METHOD
GETTING STARTED
FAMOUS HORSES
STATISTICS
ROSTER
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In becoming Graded stakes winner number 10 for Team Valor International in 2007, the filly improved her career record to 4 wins in 5 outings, her lone loss coming last time out when her rider wound up too far back in the stretch and had to weave his way through traffic, coming up less than a length shy of pulling out the Grade 3 Diana Stakes over the same layout. Jockey Richard Fourie, has formed a lethal combination with trainer Justin Snaith to dominate racing in Cape Town this season. He made excellent use of the number 1 post position going 7 furlongs this time, keeping the filly close while saving every bit of ground possible. When Fourie got an opening with a quarter-mile remaining, he put any question of superiority to rest by seizing the initiative and forging immediately to a lengthy advantage. Once in front by 5 lengths, he allowed the filly to ease herself down and she crossed the line winning with both ears pricked looking for more action in the key prep for the impending Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas. “The Snaith Brothers were pretty confident going into this one, as was the rider,” said Barry Irwin, the principal of Team Valor International. These horsemen have done a tremendous job in developing this filly and all the credit goes to them.” In winning the stable’s 16th stakes race of the current campaign, Captain’s Lover assured herself of favoritism for the December 1 renewal of the Cape Fillies Guineas, the lone Grade 1 Guineas for the fairer sex contested in South Africa, as in the OSFC she delivered a knockout blow to the nation’s two top-rated Milers among fillies of the previous season in the Joey Ramsden-trained duo of Ice Belle and Nania.
Nania undoubtedly needed the race, her first since the Thekwini, and missed an intended prep, but Ice Belle had won her 6-furlong prep and should have run better if good enough. “It was an extremely formful race,” said Barry Irwin. “The fancied horses fillies all the places. The second and third home were the only ones going in with triple-digit Merit Ratings. Captain’s Lover, 94 before the race, was elevated 10 points to assume command of the division at 104. The field she beat is essentially the one she will have to beat to win next month’s Guineas.” Irwin said that Captain’s Lover is unquestionably the best of the yearling fillies he has bought so far in South Africa and that only Ipi Tombe and Irridescence were better over all. When one considers that the list includes the likes of Jazzy, Tara’s Touch, Warning Zone, Little Miss Magic and Sally Bowles, Irwin is saying a mouthful. Captain’s Lover joins Grade 3 Strelitzia Stakes winner Stately as the second Graded winner among 5 fillies bought at the 2006 National Yearling Sale. The previous crop of 4, the first draught bought by Irwin in South Africa, included Grade 1 heroine Little Miss Magic and Classic Durban-area Guineas winner Sally Bowles. The OSFC heroine becomes Graded stakes winner number 56 among 316 runners (18 percent) and stakes winner number 89 (28 percent) that have been syndicated since 1987 by Barry Irwin.
“The Guineas is run on the new course (Odessa the old course). The run in is a 150 meters longer on the new course where the Guineas will be run. The draw is less important over mile as you have an extra furlong before the turn to overcome your draw if you are wide. “Also, the straight is a furlong longer so you have more distance to get going in the straight if you are out of your ground. She has plenty of speed and the draw will not be too much of a major problem over this course and distance. However a good draw is always an advantage.” Peter Gibson, head of the South African export bureau and operator of the website Racing South Africa, is a keen student of form, and writes “Well done, Barry! I think this year’s fillies look above average and she walloped them today!” Interestingly, especially for the Team Valor International partnership and Anant and Vanashree Singh, the family of the winner has improved dramatically just in the last month, with the addition of three new Graded stakes winners, all bred by Captain’s Lover’s breeder, Willem Engelbrecht. In addition to the winner herself there is Joshlin, who upset Captain’s Lover in the Grade 3 Diana, and Joshua’s Dream, winner of the Grade 3 Matchem Stakes. All three descend from the mare Phif by the United States sire Sword Dancer, the Champion 3-year-old and Horse of the Year in 1959 who later stood alongside Swaps and Ribot at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington. In later years, Sword Dancer moved to France, where he failed to establish a branch of the Sunglow sire line that has petered out in North America as well. From The Mercury comes the following:
by David Thiselton Justin Snaith and Richard Fourie were the toast of Kenilworth yesterday when running away with both feature races on the card, the R175 000 Grade II Odessa Stud Fillies Championships over 1400m and the R125 000 Listed Woolavington Handicap over 2400m. Snaith and Fourie have formed a lethal partnership this season and have now won 21 races from 93 outings together; a strike rate of just over 20%. Joey Ramsden had five horses in the Odessa Stud Fillies Championships, a three-year-old level weights race, including Grade I Thekwini Fillies Stakes winner and runner-up, Nania and Ice Belle, respectively. Nania was the tote favourite marginally ahead of the Snaith-trained Captain’s Lover but it was the latter that looked the winner from a long way out. From pole position Fourie had Captain’s Lover on the heels of the leaders, Miss Gold Digger and Tarbush, as they swept off the false rail at about the 500m mark.
This time Fourie stayed behind the wider horse, Tarbush. He angled inward when the latter began hanging outward and burst through the gap just after they had passed the 400m mark. Nania, coming from midfield, made her way through the same gap and got to within about 2.5 lengths of Captain’s Lover but the further the race went the further the tall daughter of Captain’s Al went away from them and she passed the line four lengths in front of Nania. Ice Belle stayed on very well from a handy position to finish third just 0,25 lengths behind Nania. The strung out nature of the finish suggests a highly meritorious victory for Captain’s Lover and even if Nania and Ice Belle were below there best at this early stage of the Cape’s Sizzling Summer Season, they are going to battle to pin back Captain’s Lover the next time they meet. Snaith said after the race: “It’s not often I’ve been this confident. I couldn’t see her getting beat, she’s just so good.” Fourie said, “She’s a natural. She know exactly what to do.” The only horse to have defeated Captain’s Lover in 5 starts to date, the Alan Higgins-trained Joshlin, was scratched. Both fillies, amazingly enough, were bred by Western Cape hobby breeder; Willem Engelbrecht. Captain’s Lover was a R160 000 purchase from the National Yearling Sales and is owned by Vanashree and Anant Singh in partnership with Barry Irwin’s global ownership syndicate, Team Valor.
Miss Gold Digger regained the lead turning for home but was soon passed by Captain's Lover who skipped clear, with Ice Belle, Ladonna and Nania, who had given about eight lengths' start on the turn, trying to bridge the gap. Captain's Lover, however, had stolen a march and more to the point, she was showing no signs of tiring. She proceeded to demolish the opposition and was four lengths clear at the line, with Nania and Ice belle staying on for second and third. Captain's Lover is turning out into a very smart advertisement for her locally-bred sire Captain Al and this was her fourth win from just five starts. Her sole defeat came when encountering traffic problems and coming from a long way off the pace to run second in the Diana Stakes, so she is clearly high-class and her connections have every right to expect even bigger things as the season goes on. Nania may have needed the run, her first in three months, but she was clearly second best and even if she was fully tuned, she would have had a tough task to stop the winner. She will certainly come on for this run and she will be a serious contender come the Cape Fillies Guineas. Ice Belle could not go with the winner, but she fought on well enough. At this stage she looks held by the big guns in her age group, but she is still inexperienced and with more improvement, she could yet feature in this season's classics. Ladonna was well beaten in fourth, but this trip looks to be on the sharp side for her and she should be worth following over further.
by Adv van der Bent Billed as a rematch between last season’s champion juvenile filly Nania and Ice Belle, neither managed to land a blow as Captain’s Lover turned this valuable Gr.2 race for three-year-old fillies into a procession. Settled on the rail about four lengths off the pace, she pounced on long-time leader Miss Gold Digger at the 300m mark and surged clear in a matter of strides, turning the race into a 4-length romp. A scintillating performance indeed and a first-class prep run for the forthcoming Fillies Guineas. Beaten just once in five starts when runner-up to Joshlin in the Gr.3 Diana Stakes, Captain’s Lover bagged her first stakes win here and now has a bankroll totalling R235,200. The daughter of popular stallion Captain Al joins last season’s Gr.3 Strelitzia winner Stately as the second graded stakeswinner from five yearling fillies purchased by Team Valor’s Barry Irwin at the 2006 National Yearling Sale. Bought for R160,000, she is the tenth Graded stakeswinner in 2007 for the international racing outfit, which is enjoying a stellar year with the likes of American Gr.1 winner Unbridled Belle and Gr.2 winning sprinter Jazzy (another South African purchase). Captain Lover’s fine performance also continues the success of breeder Willem Engelbrecht, following the victories of abovementioned Joshlin in the Diana and Joshua’s Dream in the Gr.3 Matchem Stakes. Incidentally, Engelbrecht bred the trio from mares belonging to the same female family, that of the Sword Dancer mare Phif. Captain’s Lover is the first foal of modest one-time winner Sunshine Lover, a grandaughter of Phif. Grandam Miss Bikini is a half-sister to Maid Of Siberia (dam of Joshlin) and to Mexican Dream (grandam of Joshua’s Dream). Sunshine Lover has a juvenile filly by Jet Master named Cupid.
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