It’s Gold Cup Time Again,

Super Saturday hits Greyville this weekend with a feast of racing for punters and fans alike. With five Grade One and one Grade Two races on card, it should be a thrilling day’s racing. The highlight of day though is one of South Africa’s best staying race, the Ladbrokes Gold Cup run over 3200m. The Gold Cup boasts a distinguished roll of champions and runners up, who went onto Group glory: River Jetez, Floatyourboat, Badger’s Coast and Surfing Home just to name a few of the more famous horses who were runners-up in the race.

First run in 1921, over the same distance as it is today, the race is seen as a true test of stamina and endurance for both horse and rider. It is seen as one of the “big three” races of the champions season here in KZN, the other two being the Vodacom July and the Champions Cup. The first horse to win the Cup twice was Humidor in 1933 and 1935, and only four horses, as opposed to six in the July, have won back-to-back versions of the event with Chez Monty in 1949 and 1950. It would be another 53 years before a repeat of back-to-back victories in the Cup though, when Highland Night achieved that rare double in 2002 and 2003 by winning consecutive runnings of the Cup. The son of American multiple Group-winning Badger Land, Highland Night is a half-brother to the champion middle distance and 2001 SA Derby (Gr.1) winner, Badgers Drift.

Seven times champion racehorse breeders of South Africa, Summerhill Stud hold the record with most number of wins for a stud farm, five in total with Salmon, Cosmonaut, Alhambra, Cereus (2002) and the more recently, the champion stayer, Desert Links. They also come heart-stoppingly close to scoring a double in 2003, when Ampitheatre was beaten by Highland Night in the dying strides of the race, having been given a 2kg penalty after his win in the Gold Vase (Gr.2) the previous evening.

The Gold Cup also shares something famous with the Durban July, a dead-heat. The 1977 running saw Don The Stripe who was carrying 50 kgs hit the line together with the lightly weighted Pacer (49 kg). After much deliberation and discussion, it was decided that they couldn’t be separated, and the victory was shared.

Like the Durban July, it has witnessed some legendary jockey’s over the years, two of the most famous were, Charlie Barends won the Cup seven times during an illustrious career. Barends also managed to win in consecutive years, 1949 and 1950 with Chez Monty. His record though is in serious danger of being broken by modern day legend Felix Coetzee, who scooped a triple in the 80s, winning with Devon Air, Voodoo Charm and Occult. Coetzee who stands on seven wins in the Cup over the years, and if he manages to win on Saturday aboard In Writing, the 6YO son of the American stallion, Editor’s Note, he will surpass the legendary Charlie Barends record.

Over the last decade, there has been a stranglehold by international sires on the Gold Cup, with only one “home-bred” stallions progeny, Ancestral Fore (by Dynasty) winning in 2010. This year though, three of the more favoured entrants Blake, Sage Throne and Captain’s Wild all have home-bred sires in Dynasty and Captain Al respectively, and there is hope that they can fly the South African flag high for their sires.

The girls have enjoyed some success in the Gold Cup over the past two decades, though the boys still enjoy a lead in terms of wins. Two of the more famous of the females were Devon Air, who won it in 1984 by the biggest margin four lengths, and Festive Forever in 1996. Both would go onto enjoy successful stud careers, with Festive Forever producing the Group One winner Fearless, and Devon Air the granddam of the recently retired (and Team Valor owned Group Two winning mare, She’s On Fire), as well as 2011 Mercury Sprint hero, August Rush. In this decade only one filly has managed the distance in 2001; Colonial Girl, a daughter of the American stallion Stage Colony, who was himself a multiple Group 3 winner. Colonial Girl followed her success in the Gold Cup with 6 further victories, and she went onto become the Equus champion stayer in that year earning over R500 000 in winnings.

Although many Durban July entrants run in the Gold Cup, there hasn’t been a winner in 22 years since Ilustrador in 1990, though Space Walk did win it by default in 1993, after the winner Surfing Home was disqualified.

The question on many people’s lips is whether 6YO son of Silvano, Aslan can repeat last year’s heroics. Older horses do have a good record in the race, Major Bluff being the oldest winner in this decade at 8 in 2004.

Come Saturday, the crowds will fill Greyville racecourse, the smell of spices will mix with equine sweat, as the horses give their all. As they say ‘it ain’t over till the fat lady sings’ and Gold Cup day is sure to throw up a few surprises.