KENILWORTH Racecourse played host to one of South Africa’s biggest racedays of the year last Saturday. Oisin Murphy had a ride in almost every race on the card and, for the first time, the three Group 1 races on the day offered ‘Win and You’re In’ places for the Breeders’ Cup in Keeneland next November.

Last year’s winner of the feature race, the one-mile King’s Plate, was One Stripe and he was subsequently transferred to the US and ran in the Breeders’ Cup Mile though he finished last.

This year’s winner, The Real Prince, is unlikely to trouble the world’s best if he goes travelling but he is no flash in the pan either, having won the Durban July last year in Greyville.

A five-year-old by Gimmethegreenlight (himself a previous winner of the race), The Real Prince is trained by the veteran Dean Kannemeyer and was ridden, as usual, last Saturday by Craig Zackey.

Despite his Durban July win, The Real Prince was a 16/1 shot last weekend in the 14-horse field. The 6/4 favourite was the three-year-old Guineas winner Jan Van Goyen but he only beat two home.

The winner raced in mid-division on the inside. Multiple Group 1 winner Dave The King raced into a clear lead but was headed a furlong and a half out by Jan Van Goyen and Legal Counsel. They had all gone for home too early, however, and were swamped in the closing stages by The Real Prince, Questioning and Sail The Seas.

Fast-finishing

The Real Prince edged a nose in front of Questioning on the line, with just a head back to the fast-finishing See It Again. Sail The Seas was a close fourth and they were three lengths clear of the others.

It was The Real Prince’s first win in three starts since his Durban July victory. Zackey said: “It’s always easy to be confident after the race, but I was never discouraged. I was always confident he was the best miler in the country, and he worked really well. I was just looking for a bit of a spark.

“When I cantered him down, the spark came at the right time and I was just so confident on the way to the parade. I couldn’t have had a better run in transit, it’s mapped out for the best horse in the race. It’s the greatest weight-for-age race in the country and it separates the men from the boys.”

It was a fourth win in the race for Kannemeyer who said: “They went fast early and that suited us. He has a superb turn of foot, but he looked hemmed in late. I thought Richard Fourie had sewn it up on Questioning. But we all need some luck, and Craig maintained his cool head and the gaps opened late.”

A day after the race the trainer seemed cool on any possible Breeders’ Cup tilt but did say that The Real Prince would run next in the Group 1 Cape Town Met over 10 furlongs at Kenilworth on January 31st.

Earlier in the day Wish List won the Group 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes for fillies and mares over nine furlongs. The three-year-old by Legislate (a Durban July winner) had finished third in the Guineas last month and, over the longer trip here, turned around the Guineas form with Guineas runner-up Reet Petite who finished second.

Winning trainer Justin Snaith has the option of sending the winner to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Kingdundee won the Group 1 Cape Flying Championship over five furlongs to gain an automatic starting position in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The four-year-old gelding is by The United States, a Galileo horse who was a Group 3 winner over 10 furlongs for Aidan O’Brien in 2013 before transferring to Australia where he became a Group 1 winner over the same distance.

Oisin Murphy finished a close second in last Saturday’s Group 1 sprint aboard I Am Giant. The Kerryman had a full book of rides at Kenilworth and won a minor stakes race and also finished second in the final race on the card.