Cape Flying Championship-Final Field

Race Replay

What a Winner (tu)

Winter is warmer than De Kock sprint hotpot

Report: South Africa, Saturday

Kenilworth: Betting World Cape Flying Championship (Grade 1) 5f, turf,3yo+

WHAT A WINTER (Mike Bass/Karl Neisius), so disappointing when favourite for last month's Cape Guineas, showed that sprinting is his forte with an impressive performance in the Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Neisius had the 100-30 shot handy from the off and sent him up to join odds-on favourite Gibraltar Blue two furlongs out.

A furlong later he was in front and he came away to beat stable companion Rushing Wind by a comfortable length and a quarter. Blue Tiger, also trained by Bass, was a neck away third.

Neisius said: "I bounced him out because I wanted to try and get close to the favourite.

"I was almost going too well at halfway but he hit a flat spot when I asked him to quicken. He then changed his legs and away he went."

Leicester-born Bass, winning this Grade 1 for the fourth time, added: "This is a superstar and at six furlongs he will be awesome. Karl was very confident but you don't say too much when Mike de Kock brings a champion here.

"He will run in the Golden Horse Casino Sprint in Scottsville in May and he might even go to Johannesburg for the Computaform Sprint.

"But I am still convinced he will get a mile and he may well run in the Queen's Plate here next January."

The former Tommy Stack-trained Gibraltar Blue started at 13-20 but she weakened in the last half furlong and could manage only fifth.

Rider Anton Marcus said: “I don’t think it was disappointing. She was up against some of the best sprinters around and she is six months behind them.”

What a horse!

I thought Gib Blue made it a one horse race.

So much for that, LOL.

Well done pirates!!

You got it spot on!

Gibraltar Blue is six months behind them - but six months ahead of the winner.<

(Just kidding - there was no northern hemisphere WFA factor built in).

Kabz Wrote:

---

> Terrific race
>
> Villandry will take on Gibraltar Blue for the
> lead. This will set it up for the finisher - What
> a Winter. I expect What a Winter to reel her in
> inside the 100m.
>
> He will hopefully go on to be one of the best
> sprinters we have seen in years.


Got 4/1 and 9/2 on Interbet. We will ber lucky to see him in the black again.
Exceptional horse. All the best to the connections.