Solo Traveller gave a virtuoso performance when he ran out a relatively narrow but convincing winner of the Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas at Kenilworth on Saturday, leading the way home ahead of stable companion Run For It in a dream result for the Justin Snaith yard. In the process he gave his stable and his jockey Bernard Fayd’herbe a perfect score two-from-two score in Cape Town’s Gr 1 races contested so far this summer after the Cape Fillies Guineas triumph of his stablemate Ebony Flyer, writes Matthew Lips.
What A Winter was sent off as the favourite for this 1600m classic, having seemingly his stamina question marks to rest when winning the Gr 2 Selangor Cup over the distance on the Kenilworth winter course three weeks earlier. Solo Traveller was facing Mike Bass’ colt on 2.5 kgs better terms than when beaten two lengths behind What A Winter in the Selangor and went off as a well supported 7./2 second choice ahead of the Mike de Kock-trained pair of Perana and Kavanagh. Undefeated Il Saggiatore found considerable support at longer odds in his first foray into Graded company.
With no howling south-easterly wind to deal with this always looked likely to be a fair contest, but the early pace was respectable rather than breakneck as King Fahiem soon worked his way to the front and showed the way. M’Lords Throat came around from a deep draw to race in second place, with Lucky Moon, Kavanagh and Wolf On The Fold (who’d jumped out smartly before being eased in behind runners) the next in line. What A Winter was held up some eight lengths off the leader as Solo Traveller also bided his time in the pack. Perana, ridden from up front in his latest Gauteng starts, was given a patient ride in the Guineas and bided his time some way off the pacesetter as well.
King Fahiem still led 400m out, where M’Lords Throat was challenging strongly wider out with Wolf On The Fold in touch as well, but soon it was Kavanagh who slipped through along the inside rail and seized the advantage racing into the last 300m. What A Winter was brought out wide for his bid and appeared to have plenty of running in him as he began to come forward in eye-catching style, while Solo Traveller was making good progress over on the inside despite having to switch around Kavanagh to find some empty space.
What A Winter’s effort was starting to fizzle out as they came to the last 100m, where Kavanagh was hanging on grimly, but Solo Traveller was now storming home with a superior turn of foot, getting to the front in the last 50m and then being driven out to hold off a sustained late effort from Run For It with a neck to spare. Kavanagh was only a head further back in third, with his stable companion Perana rattling home strongly when it was all just too late and finishing another neck behind Kavanagh in fourth.
What A Winter eventually finished sixth, just behind M’Lords Throat and 2.35 lengths adrift of the winner. Those who thought he’d won the Selangor through a superior turn of foot in a slow-run race, rather than through stamina as such, may well have been correct. The Guineas was staged on the summer course with its longer run-in, and all things considered it was almost certainly a somewhat stiffer mile than the Selangor. Mike Bass’ colt simply appeared to not see it out, having been given every chance to finish off what had looked to be such a promising challenge for much of the way down the straight.
Kavanagh was once again run out of it in the final stages, which has been the story of his life on every one of the three occasions that he has been tried over 1600m. He does well enough to suggest he can win a race at the mile one day, but it’s still hard to escape the suspicion that 1400m could be his optimum trip. Perana may have found himself with just too much to do, but he was fairly storming home in the final stages and took nicely to these different tactics. Ridden in this fashion, there is every chance that he will yet prove effective over 2000m, despite his Summer Cup flop when tried at that distance. Il Saggiatore was never sighted after losing some two lengths at the break, but he ran on late and was only 2.60 lengths behind the winner at the line. As a son of Galileo he may well relish going up to 2000m in the Gr 1 Cape Derby next month.
Run For It also looks a natural Derby contender after he ran on so stoutly and gave his more fancied stable companion at least something to think about in the final strides of the Guineas, a race in which his sire Dynasty also finished second eight years ago. This represented major improvement on his Selangor Cup effort, but the longer straight on the summer course was no doubt one of the reasons for it and Run For It looks the type who could be absolutely at home over the Derby 2000m.
Solo Traveller is plainly a colt with heaps of potential, and we may only have just begun to see what he can do. He didn’t have the easiest of passages in the Guineas, with his jockey confirming that he’d had to work his way through a “very tight gap” before setting off in pursuit of Kavanagh. Fayd’herbe added that, “the tougher it gets, the better he gets,” and that “he’s not at his best yet.” Clearly not one to back down from a fight, Solo Traveller is an imposing specimen and you can already see the makings of the stallion he will one day surely become.
Justin Snaith was full of praise for Solo Traveller as well, noting that a bash at the J & B Met might be on the cards. “He could go anywhere, we won’t be shy” was how the winning trainer summed up his colt’s future, adding that, “he’s so strong, I can do whatever I want with this horse. I can’t break him!”
Just how much further than 1600m Solo Traveller will stay remains to be seen, and it can hardly be taken for granted that he will stay 2000m even though his evident ability to switch off in a race and then deliver a knockout punch generates hope that he will stay further than a mile. So does the fact that his second dam Taineberry won the Gr 2 KZN Oaks over 2400m, but many an offspring of Western Winter has been best suited to distances of up to 1600m and only time will tell whether the Guineas winner is of a similar type.
Solo Traveller is the second foal of Jallad mare Strawberry Lane, who won one race over 1600m from only six career appearances. Incidentally, Guineas second Run For It is also out of a mare by Jallad. Strawberry Lane’s first foal, Solo Traveller’s year-older full sister Strawberry Ice, arguably just gets the mile and could really be better over 1200/1400m. Owned and bred by Lammerskraal Stud, Solo Traveller has won four of his seven appearances for stakes of some R870 000.
Cape Guineas (SAf-G1) (12/18)
Kenilworth, South Africa, December 18, R1 million, 1600m, turf, good, 1.38.74 (CR 1.35.80).
SOLO TRAVELLER (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Western Winter (USA) – Strawberry Lane (SAF) by Jallad. Owner & breeder Lammerskraal Stud; trainer J Snaith; jockey B Fayd’herbe (R663.043)
Run For It (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Dynasty (SAF) – Running Rhythm (SAF) by Jallad
Kavanagh (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Tiger Ridge – Quaestio by Seeking The Gold
Margins: nk, nose, nk
Also ran: Perana (AUS) 58.0, M’lords Throat (SAF) 58.0, What A Winter (SAF) 58.0, Il Saggiatore (AUS) 58.0, Green Keeper (SAF) 58.0, Top Seller (SAF) 58.0, Castlethorpe (AUS) 58.0, Wolf On The Fold (SAF) 58.0, Copper Parade (SAF) 58.0, Lucky Moon (SAF) 58.0, King Fahiem (SAF) 58.0, Brilliant Cut (SAF) 58.0
