The R1 million Cape Winter Series for three-year-old colts and geldings will forever be famous for unearthing the great Pocket Power.
Pocket Power – only horse to win Cape Winter Triple Crown
He landed the Winter Series ‘triple crown’ in 2006. The rest of the country had hardly noticed the Capetonian excitement at this achievement, because he had apparently not been considered good enough to make the journey to the Champions Season in KZN.
However, maestro Milnerton-based trainer Mike Bass had deliberately kept the son of Jet Master at home due to his immaturity and the strapping bay gelding went on to become one of the all-time greats of the South African turf, winning nine Gr 1 races, including the J&B Met three-times in succession and the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate a record four times in succession.
Since the coming of age of Pocket Power, no true racing fan around the country has ignored the Winter Series races and has taken careful note of the winners.
Karl Neisius guides Power King to a win in the Gr3 Winter Classic – he would go on to run second in the final leg
Two years ago the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Power King went close to emulating Pocket Power, winning the first two legs and finishing a close second in the last leg.
He went on to win the Vodacom Durban July.
Variety Club draws clear to win the Gr3 Winter Guineas at Kenilworth
In 2012 Variety Club, one of South Africa’s greatest ever milers, and a proven international performer, won the Gr 3 Tekkie Town Winter Guineas before departing for the Champions Season in KZN, where he obliterated his contemporaries in the Gr 2 KRA Guineas before slamming the best older horses in the country in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.
He would go on to international success.
This season the colts and geldings Winter Series carries a R250 000 bonus which will be paid to the owners of any horse which is able to win all three legs.
The Winter Series schedule is as follows:
Leg 1: R250 000 Tekkie Town Winter Guineas (Grade 3) 1600m – Saturday 23 April
Leg 2: R250 000 The Winter Classic (Grade 3) 1800m – Saturday 21 May
Leg 3: R250 000 The Winter Derby,(Grade 3) 2400m – Saturday 25 June
