One Stripe – Derby was never on radar and last outing planned for Big Cap (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The circumstances behind the decision by the connections of the dual Grade 1- winning sophomore One Stripe to ‘bypass’ the R1,5 million SplashOut Gr1 Cape Derby on 22 February in favour of a likely final run on South African soil in the non-black type Big Cap on 16 March have been explained by trainer Vaughan Marshall.
“I can tell you categorically that the original plan was never to run One Stripe in the Cape Derby. After his victory in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate he was given a fortnight off with an eye on a last start here in the Big Cap on 16 March. But then there was some issue and uncertainty over the originally confirmed quarantine dates and it appeared that he would possibly have to go into quarantine before the sales race. So the Cape Derby then became a possibility for the connections. But that was never really an ideal option given his prep,” explained the veteran Milnerton conditioner to the Sporting Post early on Thursday.
Vaughan Marshall – clears up the doubt (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
We approached Mr Marshall after longstanding racing man Hilton Witz wrote (before the benefit of this explanation) in the Sporting Post Mailbag that the recent decision to run One Stripe in a non-black type sales race, rather than the prestigious stallion-making Gr1 Cape Derby, was ‘beyond belief’.
Hilton Witz wrote:
Here we have a crack 3yo colt who harbours future stallion ambitions and has won the coveted Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas and the L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate over 1600m, turning down the opportunity of adding the coveted SplashOut Gr1 Cape Derby over 2000m to his portfolio.
In my racing career I have never seen a 3yo win all three prestigious races in one season and added to the fact that he would be meeting the recent WSB Cape Town Met winner over a distance that is the same as the Met would surely make this race the race of the season – if not the race of the decade and would create major hype which is sorely needed.
Think about it – the stallion-barn value of One Stripe having won Gr1 races from a mile to 2000m would surely offset the difference in the stakes of running in the sales race as opposed to the Cape Derby, as breeders will acknowledge that he has both stamina and speed
Witz continues that in his opinion the connections of this star 3yo will look back on this decision with huge regret – and that just so that he can earn some extra stakes in a race that has absolutely zero importance to the stud book.
Also if One Stripe would go on to win the Cape Derby surely the SA Horse of the Year, never mind Champion 3yo Equus title would almost certainly be his? That is of great significance to the stud book and one only has to look back on the history of the Cape Derby to see how many Durban July and Met winners and Horses of the Year and stallions have come from that great race. Sadly by the look of things this race will be in danger of losing its Gr1status if we have this type of decision making taking place again in the future!
Can you imagine the connections in the USA or England knocking back a chance to run in the Kentucky Derby or English derby for a non-black type sales race?
A dual Grade 1 winner and South Africa’s second highest rated racehorse, One Stripe (132) now campaigns in a partnership of Hollywood Racing and Rikesh Sewgoolam after a deal was brokered following his sensational L’Ormarins King’s Plate success last month.
In the process he became the first three-year-old in over half a century to win both the prestigious weight-for-age mile and the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas in his sophomore year since the David Payne-trained champion In Full Flight completed the double almost a lifetime ago in 1972.
In Full Flight – led in by David Payne with Fernando Toro in the saddle (Pic – Supplied)
Only the eleventh 3yo winner of the prestigious mile since its inception in 1861, One Stripe earned an automatic ‘win and you’re in’ ticket into the $2 million FanDuel Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. That’s where he is headed!
Without the advanced global travel plans, and subsequent quarantine commitments, it’s no doubt that the Cape Derby could well have been a veritable no-brainer based on Mr Witz’ very valid argument.
All going well, the Drakenstein-bred colt’s run in the Big Cap on 16 March will be his final start here before he jets off to take on the world.
Entries for the Big Cap close at 11h00 on Friday 7 March 2025.
