King’s Plate Winner Gains Automatic Berth into FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile
Horse of the Year Princess Calla Headlines Cartier Paddock Stakes for Free Starting Position into Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
Breeders’ Cup Press Release
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Nick Jonsson’s two-time Group 1 winner See It Again (SAF) leads a 13-horse field in Saturday’s L’Ormarins King’s Plate (G1) at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town. The winner of the 1-mile affair will earn an automatic berth into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In. One race before the King’s Plate, Mario Ferreira’s Horse of the Year Princess Calla (SAF) is the one to beat in the 1 1/8-mile Cartier Paddock Stakes (G1) for a free starting position into the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
Now in its 18th season, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races, the winners of which receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar in Del Mar, California.
See It Again, a 4-year-old son of Twice Over (GB), has won six races in 13 starts, which includes his last two outings this season. Trained by Michael Roberts and ridden by Piere Strydom from post 4, See It Again prepped for this race with a stellar performance in the Dec. 2 World Sports Betting Green Point Stakes (G2) at Kenilworth, passing between Princess Calla and Charles Dickens (SAF) in the final 100 yards to win by 1 3/4 lengths. See It Again won two Group 1 races last season, both at 1 1 /4 miles, taking the Splashout Cape Derby over the course in February and the Daily News 2000 in May at Greyville Racecourse in Durban.
Drakenstein Stud’s Charles Dickens suffered his first career defeat after six wins in last year’s King’s Plate when he finished a neck behind Al Muthana (AUS) as the odds-on favorite. Trained by Candace Bass-Robinson, the 4-year-old son of Trippi avenged his defeat to Al Muthana last June when he won the 1-mile Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (G1) at Greyville. He then captured the Oct. 7 Hollywoodbets Matchem Stakes (G3) at Durban before his third-place finish in the Green Point Stakes. Charles Dickens will be ridden by Aldo Domeyer from post 7.
Drakenstein has also entered 3-year-old Snow Pilot (SAF) , who scored his first career Group 1 on Dec. 16, taking the 1-mile Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas at Kenilworth. Trained by Justin Snaith, Snow Pilot is a son of Lancaster Bomber, who was runner-up in both the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). J P Van Der Merwe has the mount on Snow Pilot from post 2.
D K Bundhoo, Mrs. M M Bundhoo, P G Joubert, K Kathapermal, M H Maingard, and T R McCrow’s 6-year-old gelding Al Muthana, the defending champion, shocked the crowd at Kenilworth last year when he captured the King’s Plate at odds of 80-1. The victory marked the second Group 1 triumph for the son of Deep Field (AUS), who captured the 2022 Hollywoodbets Gold Cup Challenge. Following his second-place finish in last year’s title defense in the Gold Cup Challenge, Al Muthana, trained by Ricky Maingard, had two off-the-board finishes, including a last-out, seventh-place finish in the Green Point Stakes. Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides Al Muthana from post 11.
Princess Calla Seeks Fifth Group 1 in Paddock Stakes
The Sean Terry-trained Princess Calla leads the seven fillies and mares entered in the Cartier Paddock Stakes for a free berth into the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Based on her two Group 1 wins against females and her Group 1 win over males in last July’s HKJC Champions Cup, Princess Calla was voted the 2022-2023 Equus Horse of the Year. A 6-year-old mare by Flower Alley, Princess Calla has won 10 races from 24 starts. She was in position to take the Green Point in her most recent outing but was outrun by See It Again in deep stretch and finished fourth. Richard Fourie rides Princess Calla from post 3.
Princess Calla has two formidable 3-year-old challengers in the Candance Bass-Robinson-trained Beach Bomb (SAF) and Red Palace (SAF) . Drakenstein Stud’s Beach Bomb, a daughter of Lancaster Bomber, comes into the race off a half-length victory in the Dec. 2 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas (G1) going 1 mile at Kenilworth. She will ridden by J P Van Der Merwe from post 4.
Mr. and Mrs. T D Andrews, Messrs M F Bass and C A F Concalves, and Mr. H G and Mrs. N S C Breydenbach and Mrs. C L Bass-Robinson’s Red Palace was a game second in the Dec. 16 Hollywood Cape Guineas (G1) against males, finishing second to Snow Pilot by three-quarters of a length. Anthony Andrews rides the daughter of Potala Palace (SAF), breaking from post 2.
As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders’ Cup will pay the pre-entry and entry fees for the winners of Saturday’s races to start in the World Championships. Breeders’ Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 21 to receive the rewards.
