Five weeks left to a historic and exciting racing season. Not since Jet Master and Captain Al fought for supremacy in the 2yo ranks with their first crops to race in 2004/5 season have we seen so many records tumble. What was remarkable about their battle then was that they did this with their first crops signifying bigger and better to come from these two.

In 1983 Harry Hotspur set an unparalleled record for number of individual 2yo winners – it an almost unimaginable 16. Four years later Russian Fox came close with 15. Golden Thatch set a new standard in 1988 with 21 individual 2yo winners but National Assembly was the first freshman sire to produce 21 winners and he became the first sire to break the R1m 2yo earnings barrier a few years later until Count Dubois set a new 2yo earnings record at R1,78m in 2006.

Captain Al’s 22 winners in 2004 as a freshman sire became the new benchmark and entirely appropriate therefore that he should challenge the precedent for juvenile supremacy again himself now. With 26 juvenile winners of 30 races and R2.18m at 23rd June and 63% 2yo winners he has set 4 new records already this season and there are still 5 weeks left. He also has 15% 2yo stakes winner/winners.

But it’s not just with his 2yo’s that Captain Al is writing headlines; he is 2nd leading sire on the general log by stakes but with 56% winners he leads the field and his 71 individual winners of 115 races also put him at the head of the class (all ages). His 10% stakes winner/ winners put him amongst the top 3 and he is 2nd by Earnings per Runner as well. It is going to be exciting to watch just what the next 5 weeks will reveal.

Interesting facts for this exciting young sire:

• 1st - leading sire of 2yo’s by number of individual winners – new SA record
• 1st - leading sire of 2yo’s by stakes – new SA record
• 1st - leading sire of 2yo’s by number of wins – new SA record
• 1st - leading sire of 2yo’s by % winners/runners – 63% possibly also a new SA record
• 1st - leading sire all ages by % winners/runners = 56%
• 1st - leading sire all ages by number of winners = 71
• 1st - leading sire all ages by number of races won = 115
• 1st - leading sire by number of horses stakes placed = 14
• 2nd - leading sire by stakes all ages
• 2nd - leading sire by number of individual stakes winners = 7
• 2nd – by AEPR all ages