Every so often, a horse comes along and defies the logic of its pedigree – a case in point being last weekend’s Gr1 Cape Derby winner, Linebacker.
Vaughan Marshall’s charge is certainly an anomaly, considering that speed, rather than stamina, was the hallmark of both his parents.
Captain Of All’s son Linebacker wins the Gr1 Cape Derby (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
His sire, the Equus Champion Sprinter Captain Of All, boasts a female line redolent of speed.
He is by the late Captain Al , who had no peer when it came to siring precocious two-year-olds and led the juvenile list for eight straight years.
Derby winner’s Dad: Equus Champion SPRINTER – Captain Of All (Pic – Gold Circle)
His dam Serious Side is a daughter of Middle Park hero Fard, while grandam Forty Jewels is by Gimcrack runner-up Forty Winks, whose sire Philip Of Spain ran second in both the Middle Park and Gimcrack.
Captain Of All’s third dam Casket is a daughter King’s Stand Stakes winner and superb sprint influence Drum Beat.
Captain Al (Al Mufti – Off To War)
As for Linebacker’s dam Thin Red Line, the Redoute’s Choice mare won twice over the minimum distance at two, albeit that she finished a well-beaten second in the Gr3 Fillies Mile at three, while her half-brother Samadoubt scored a career best win in Randwick’s Gr1 Winx Stakes over 1400m.
With two full crops at the track, statistics show that the majority of Captain Al’s offspring take after their sire, that is to say, they sprint.
Remarkably, until Linebacker became his sire’s first top level winner, the tip top miler Shango was considered Captain Of All’s best runner.
From his sire’s first crop, he captured the Gr2 Dingaans over a mile and almost pulled off a classic win in last season’s SA Derby. After moving into the lead 300m out, he just ran out of puff close home and had to bow to the superior stamina of Out Of Your League, a son of SA Derby winner Elusive Fort.
Strangely though, history shows that Captain Of All is not the only speed stallion capable of siring a Derby winner. His own sire Captain Al also counted the East Cape Derby winner Captain Splendid amongst his plethora of stakes winners!
West Man (Gone West – Belka)
Former Highlands and Cifton-based West Man, a dual Gr3 over 1000m and 1200m and third in the King’s Stand Stakes, sired SA Derby hero Silver Sliver as well as the East Cape Derby winner Central Pacific.
The sprinter Qui Danzig, a son of Danzig, lived up to his speedy sire line as a stallion, yet his admirable son Key Of Destiny not only won the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint, he was also capable of stretching his stamina to 2400m when capturing the Gr2 Gold Circle Derby at Clairwood!
Another member of the Danzig tribe, grandson Lizard Island, won over 1000m and 1200m, yet his best offspring Lizard’s Desire was a runaway five-length winner of the East Cape Derby and after his export, reached new heights when triumphant in the Gr1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji.
Drakenstein champion Trippi cannot be regarded as a source of stamina. Notwithstanding the fact that he has sired Gr1 winners up to 2000m, his progeny generally take after their speedy sire, prime examples being the Gr1 winning sprinters Chimichuri Run, Real Princess and For The Lads. Yet he too, has a Winter Derby winner to his credit in Liquid Mercury.
Winter Derby winner Liquid Mercury
As for the Cape Derby, purists will argue that the Kenilworth 2000m is not as stiff a test of stamina as the 2400m SA Derby run at Turffontein and that Saturday’s classic was a slow run affair.
Be that as it may, Linebacker won in the style of a horse who has no trouble staying beyond a mile.
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