Capetown Noir won the Matchem last year
The Matchem Stakes is certainly a fitting launching pad for the Cape Summer Of Champions Season and has been won by some big names over the years. Champion miler Capetown Noir won it last year, while dual SA Horse Of The Year Variety Club took the honours in 2011.
Another interesting name on the honour roll of recent times is that of present day champion sire Captain Al, who was trained by Vaughan Marshall and won it in the hands of Jeff Lloyd in 1999.
The race was run for a stake of R100 000 that year.
It was traditionally run at Kenilworth but was switched to Durbanville in 2010.
The most successful Matchem trainer of the 21st century is Milnerton-based Glen Puller, who won it in 2002 and 2003 with Sevilliano, when ridden by Gerrit Schlechter and Karl Neisius, respectively.
Puller also trained the 2005 winner Great Rhythm, who was piloted by Greg Cheyne.
Early Days
The earliest traceable record of the Matchem Stakes in South Africa dates back to 1958. It was open to 2 and 3yo horses and run on 19 April over 1400m at Kenilworth for a stake of £1,250. The idea of running juveniles against three-year-olds over 7 furlongs in April, at what was more or less weight for age terms came in for a lot of criticism, with many feeling it was too much to ask of the youngsters.
However, on the day a total of 6 runners faced the starter, including two 2yo’s (Kowloon and Avon) and four 3yos. The 1958 running of the Matchem proved the quality and strength of the juvenile crop. Although the game filly Kowloon cantered to post as the favourite, she failed to show and it was left to Mr A Kruyer’s colt Avon.
Familiar Names
Ridden by M Strydom and carrying 7st 8lb, Avon brought the field into the straight and never looked like being headed, scoring by half a length from the fast-finishing Southern Drawl (8st 13lb) who had been hampered when making his run.
Burweed (8st. 13lb) finished a neck back third and Squeegee (9st 2lb) was fourth.
The 2yo Avon was a bay colt by Naval Prince out of Avonet and was bred by J.R.A. Bailey. He was owned and trained by Mr A Kruyer.
Foundation
The Matchem Stakes is named after the famous Thoroughbred foundation stallion, Matchem (1748 – 21 February 1781).
Matchem (also spelled Match’em, possibly after the jockey Match’em Timms), is a direct male tail line descendent of the Godolphin Arabian (or Godolphin Barb as he is also known) and along with Eclipse and Herod is considered one of the three 18th century stallions that produced the Thoroughbred sire-lines of modern times.
Small Horse
Matchem was bred by John Holme of Carlisle in Cumberland. He was sired by Cade (a son of the Godolphin Arabian), out of a bay mare by Partner. Like his grandsire, he was a small horse, but with good bone and an athletic build. He was dark bay in colour, but exhibited 2-3 bars of white hair at the base of his tail and is thought to have carried the rabicano gene as he went on to produce a number of roan offspring.
Matchem was sold to William Fenwick and as was the custom at the time, lived at his Bywell stud in Northumberland until he was fully mature and commenced his racing career at the age of 5. On the track, he proved himself good, if not outstanding. He contested a total of 12 races, winning 10 and gaining a reputation for being a thoroughly genuine competitor, durable and honest, who always gave of his best.
Matchem covered a few mares at Bywell during the 1758 season, but wasn’t retired from racing until the following year. He stood his entire career at Bywell until his death.
Truth And Daylight
A popular adage in the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century went “Snap for speed and Matchem for truth and daylight”. Snap was a son of Snip out of the great mare Flying Childers and was a brilliant racehorse who was sought after in the breeding barn as a source of speed. Matchem transmitted those two other essential elements – gameness and soundness.
His best racing son was Pumpkin (immortalised in the Stubbs painting) although his most important son historically was Conductor, who was produced out of a mare by Snap (so combining the two stallions of the old adage). Conductor was a 10-time winner, who also went on to become a sire and produced the likes of Imperator and St Leger winner and champion sire Trumpator. Trumpator would continue the male line forward via his son, Sorcerer.
The Girls
Matchem’s daughters were equally successful and included St Leger winning filly, Hollandaise and Tetotum, who won the Oaks. In addition, a number of his daughters became important tap root mares.
Matchem was Champion Sire from 1772 to 1774 and in total, he would go on to sire 354 winners of ₤151,097. His hallmark was excellent temperament and durability, the “truth and daylight” so desirable in breeding.
Matchem lived to the ripe old age of 33 and died at Bywell on 21 February, 1781
