While his veteran champion trainer Dad is looking after their Randjesfontein HQ, up-and-coming trainer Adam Azzie made the perfect start to the family operation’s Cape summer campaign with Kiss Me Captain’s impressive victory in the R200 000 Listed Southeaster Sprint at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday.
While the notorious Southeaster wind, or ‘Cape Doctor’ as it’s known by locals, is as much a part of life in the Mother City as bobotie and koeksisters, it is not a regular feature at the country course.
But it added to the homebaked ambience on Saturday, with the day’s only stakes feature named in honour of the ‘breeze that booms’.
Kiss Me Captain (Richard Fourie) surges clear to beat Countdown and Raymond Danielson (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
By the time of the running of the Listed Southeaster Sprint, the wind speed had dissipated from earlier in the afternoon and it wasn’t a factor as Richard Fourie bounced Kiss Me Captain into lead 200m from home and the smart 4yo accelerated well to register her fifth win from just 10 starts.
Clocking a nippy 57,39 secs, Kiss Me Captain (15-4) beat the talented Countdown by half a length, with the bound-for-stud Kwinta’s Light (8-1) coming on late a further 1,25 lengths, to shade Mr Cobbs (11-2) into fourth.
The victory allowed Richard Fourie (65 winners) to take the lead over Muzi Yeni on the SA national jockey championship log, for the first time this term.
Richard Fourie and Adam Azzie share thoughts after the win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Kiss Me Captain was bred by the late Kevin Soal and has now won 5 races from 10 starts with 3 places for stakes of R491 750.
A daughter of champion sprinter Captain Of All (Captain Al), she is out of the one-time winning Caesour mare, Bearing Strait.
If our records are correct, this was the first Cape win for the Azzie team since Bohica won the Cape Flying Championship on 31 January 2022.
Adam recently declared that his long-term objective is permanently settling in Cape Town.
He said: “One must change and adapt, push the boundaries. The Cape will become South Africa’s premier racing centre and possibly a destination for international competitors. I have a young family; we’re keen on a healthier and safer lifestyle, and the Cape is just a great place to race. We have done so with significant results, raiding over the years.”
Enjoy the Southeaster Sprint replay:
