Captain Al - Enews September 2008 - Freemanstallions - The Thoroughbred Group - Stallion Management

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Captain Al set a new standard as a freshman sire when he broke National Assembly's long standing record number of 2yo winners in one season. What was remarkable about that was that National Assembly set his record as a well established sire and Captain Al broke it with his 1st crop to race and in so doing he beat subsequent champion sire Jet Master in a stride for stride duel.

Now "the Captain" has established a new record with his first export:- Captain's Lover won a Group race in France last week making her sire the 1st ever SA-bred stallion to get a Group winner in Europe. The extract from a report by SAHorseracing.com follows.

Well done Captain Al, Team Valor and Andre Fabre and Snaith Racing.

This is the 2nd week in a row that stallions standing at Stud in South Africa won Gr3 races in Europe. Last week Goldkeeper's son Tiza won the Gr3 Prix de Meautry-Lucien Barriere by a length over 1600m on Turf at Deauville.

Article posted at SAHorseracing.com on 9/7/2008

CAPTAIN'S LOVER WINS GROUP 3 IN FRANCE

Captains Lover
Captain's Lover was Champion Filly at 3 in South Africa for 2007-2008.

For the second time in a week, a South African bred horse has won a French Group race. Last week, the talented Tiza won a group 3 for breeders Daytona Stud and South Africa while this week it was the turn of Team Valor's Captain's Lover. The South African bred Equus champion 3 year old filly took out the Group 3 PRIX DU PIN at Longchamp over 1400m on the turf.

Successful in the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth last December, Captain's Lover closed her South African career with a third in the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes Jan. 5 and comfortably accounted for her rivals in this European bow.

She was settled just off the pace in second and came under pressure with 2 1/2 furlongs remaining. Ridden out in the closing stages she beat Spirito del Vento in great style. "Captain's Lover has been with me six months and, like all horses from the Southern Hemisphere, she took some time to adapt," revealed trainer Andre Fabre. "I am very happy with the way she won and she will now go for the Grade 1 Prix de la Foret [over course and distance Oct. 4]."

Klawervlei's Captain Al, sire of Captain's Lover, broke the record for the number of 2 year old winners and now he becomes the first South African bred stallion in history to sire a Group winner Europe.

Captains Lover Wins Group3 in France

PRIX DU PIN-G3, €80,000, Longchamp,
9-7, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:20.30, gd/sf.

1--CAPTAIN'S LOVER (SAF), 123, f, 4, by Captain Al (SAf)
1st Dam: Sunshine Lover (SAf), by Badger Land
2nd Dam: Miss Bikini (SAf), by Argosy
3rd Dam: Phif (SAf), by Sword Dancer (SAf)
O-Team Valor; B-W J Engelbrecht; T-Andre Fabre; J-Stephane Pasquier; €40,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Filly-SAf, G1SW-SAf, 8 starts, 6 wins, 2 places, €109,417. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report and 5-cross pedigree.
2--Spirito del Vento (Fr), 131, g, 5, Indian Lodge (Ire)--Heavenly Song (Fr), by Machiavellian. (€28,000 yrl '04 DEAAUG). O-Luigi Ciampi; B-Haras des Sablonnets; T-Jean-Marie Beguigne; €16,000.
3--Alnadana (Ire), 120, f, 3, Danehill Dancer (Ire)--Alnamara (Fr), by Linamix (Fr). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC; T-Alain de Royer-Dupre; €12,000.
Margins: 3/4, HD, SNK. Odds: 8.80, 1.30, 8.00.
Also Ran: Mariol (Fr), Belliflore (Fr), Garnica (Fr), Salut L'Africain (Fr), Prince Fasliyev (GB), Royal God, Battle Paint.

Report by SAHorseracing.COM and extracts from TDN

Extracts from an item posted by Team Valor:-

Andre Fabre (right) sent out the 4-year-old daughter of Captain Al and Sunshine Lover, by Badger Land to win the 80,000-euro ($115,000) fixture and said "Captain's Lover has been with me six months and, like all horses from the Southern Hemisphere, she took some time to adapt. I am very happy with the way she won and she will now go for the Foret."

Barry Irwin, who had bought Captain's Lover for $27,000 at the National Yearling Sale in South Africa, said "She looked like she was going to be either swallowed up or put in a box, but the jockey had a lot in hand. When he switched her off the rails and allowed her to quicken, she gave him a sharp response to go clear inside the final sixteenth of a mile."

Captain's Lover always looked in control in the run to the wire and she prevailed by three-quarters of a length, running the distance on softish sod in 1:20.30. Spirito del Vento, who owns a Timeform master rating of 122, came up to get second, HH The Aga Khan's 3-year-old filly Alnadana third in a close photo.

The win improved Captain's Lover's career record to 6 wins and 2 seconds from 8 outings, among which is the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas. She had legitimate excuses for both of her losses, one coming when she was denied a run until it was too late in a sprint and the other coming when her saddled slipped and nearly came off.

Team Valor International's owner Barry Irwin (left) revealed that her dam Sunshine Lover is due this week to foal a full sibling to the winner at Klipdrif Stud in the Western Cape. A Team Valor partnership acquired her last season in South Africa and plans to breed her back to Captain Al, who stands at Klawervlei Stud.

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