Klawervlei Stud’s Gr1 Cape Guineas winning sire William Longsword has made a promising start to his stud career and he produced his first winner when his son Safe Return romped home to a brilliant win at Kenilworth on Wednesday.
Trained, like both William Longsword and Captain Al, by Vaughan Marshall, the Klawervlei Stud bred colt had finished second, on Cape Town Met day on debut, and he went one better on Wednesday with a scintillating performance.
Under Anton Marcus, Safe Return flew out of the starting stalls in the 1000m Maiden Juvenile Plate and from there was never headed. Marcus had time to look over his shoulder, as Safe Return went on to record a four and a quarter length win.
Anton Marcus steers Safe Return to an impressive victory at Kenilworth on Wednesday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Nominated for the Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery, Safe Return looks a really exciting prospect for his well-bred young sire.
The R300 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate has now won and placed in two starts for stakes of R71 750.
He races in a partnership of Messrs D G Abery, J J Habib & R M Sewgoolam, Ralphs Racing (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Miss K Ralphs) & Westward Bloodstock Ltd (Nom: Mrs F Carmichael).
Anton Marcus called the winner an exciting prospect with massive scope for improvement.
Trainer Vaughan Marshall called him a ‘special horse’ and wished his owners well. He reflected back to Captain Al’s first winner National Captain about 21 years ago.
“So we have gone full circle. I am very happy,” he added.
A brilliant racehorse, William Longsword won six of only eight starts, and joined the likes of his own champion sire Captain Al as well as multiple champion sire and broodmare sire Jet Master when he captured the G1 Cape Guineas of his year.
William Longsword shares his multiple champion sire with more than 100 stakes winners, including this season’s star three-year-olds Captain’s Ransom, Erik The Red and Malmoos, and Klawervlei’s successful sire, and multiple G1 winner, Captain Of All.
A half-brother to Gr1 winning sprinter Real Princess and to Wolf Power 1600 victor Silver God, William Longsword has nine lots on the upcoming Cape Yearling Sale including a filly (Lot 17) from the family of champion fillies Mother Russia and Nother Russia, a colt (Lot 105) out of a daughter of Gr1 winner Gluwein, and a filly (Lot 107) from the same family as William Longsword’s own sire Captain Al.
The exciting sire is also well represented on the Cape Premier Yearling Sale in March, with his Premier Sale draft including a filly (Lot 45) from the same family as Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, a three-parts brother (Lot 94) to multiple stakes winner Call To Account, and a filly (Lot 134), closely related to champion Always In Charge, from the immediate family of recently pensioned top sire Pivotal.
William Longsword was a R2, 2 million buy from the 2015 Cape Premier Sale.
