Described as a ‘proper horse’ by his veteran trainer and royally qualified horseman Garth Puller, and said to be potentially ‘as good as anything we saw in the 3yo crop this term’, the Hong Kong-owned Captain Fontane, a living victim of our export protocols, bounced back from an eleven month rest to maintain his three-from-three unbeaten record at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday.
In a terrific training feat, and despite carrying topweight, the 3yo Captain Fontane (10-11) produced a clinical performance under Ashton Arries to beat the former PE-based class act Hooves Of Troy (16-1) by an unchallenged 0,90 lengths in a time of 68, 87 secs.
Ashton Arries steers impressive Captain Fontane to a spectacular return victory (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Trainer Garth Puller said afterwards that there were no plans to ‘rush’ his charge into a Gold Cup day feature at Hollywoodbets Greyville at the end of the month.
“We thought about it but he is a top horse and we won’t force him. I need to discuss the plans with his owners,” he told the Sporting Post.
We can only hope that the connections consider the Cape summer season.
Puller wouldn’t commit to that suggestion, but said he felt that the son of Captain Al would get the mile.
“He settles well and has the toe. He is a horse of great character and ability,” he added.
Regular work jockey Athandiwe Mgudlwa lost out on the ride on Sunday as he is currently under suspension.
A tragic case of a horse once regarded a classic star in the making, Captain Fontane returned to the Puller Summerveld yard in April after having departed six months earlier en route to Hong Kong.
At the time trainer David Ferraris, who owns Captain Fontane in partnership with David Hui, went on record with the IRC, saying that his handsome gelding’s initial period in quarantine at the Eikenhof facility near Johannesburg was extended due to a stalemate between Mauritius and the UK over African Horse Sickness antibodies that showed up in a sample accidentally sent by the Mauritians to UK authorities.
“It had nothing to do with us or our horses. For several weeks we were not allowed to ship ours to Mauritius and horses already on the island couldn’t fly out either. A further two-and-a-half months after the delay in Mauritius, Captain Fontane suffered a bout of colic and had to leave the quarantine station to be treated by Dr. Roy Gottschalk, under whose care he thankfully recovered quickly. But leaving the facility, even just for a day or two, meant that he had to start his period of quarantine all over again!”
After effectively losing out on much of his classic season and a possible lucrative career in Hong Kong, decision was made to put Captain Fontane back into training with Puller.
Ferraris declared at the time that he wouldn’t be buying a horse in South Africa again.
“Tony Millard feels the same. We’re not buying again until direct flights are possible.”
Ironically, Captain Fontane was purchased specifically for export for R1,3 million at the National Yearling Sale.
He was bred by Cheveley Stud and is a full-brother to champion Snowdance.
A son of the deceased champion Captain Al (Al Mufti) he is out of the Joshua Dancer mare, Spring Lilac.
Watch the replay here:
