Looking back at The Summer Festival of Racing 2024/5

The curtain was drawn on the Cape Racing Summer Festival Of Racing, with Hollywoodbets Kenilworth staging eight feature race days from 23rd November to 16th March.

There were eight Gr 1s contested, with the headlines being dominated by two exciting three-year-olds, One Stripe and Eight On Eighteen. Both colts picked up a pair of Gr 1s, with the Vaughan Marshall-trained One Stripe winning the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, both over 1600m.

The Justin Snaith-trained Eight On Eighteen followed One Stripe home in the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, but proved to be unbeatable over further, winning both the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met and SplashOut Cape Derby over 2000m.

One Stripe, who is now going to embark on an overseas campaign, has won six of his nine starts and holds a 132 merit rating, while Eight On Eighteen is a MR 127 and a winner of four of his eight starts.

Gimme A Prince also stood up as one of the star acts of the Summer Festival of Racing, winning the HKJC World Pool Cape Flying Championship in a most impressive manner and the Dean Kannemeyer-trained six-year-old also won the Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes. Gimme A Prince has been given a merit rating of 134, making him the highest-rated horse in South Africa.

Other multiple Graded and Listed winners over the campaign were Asiye Phambili (Gr 2 and Gr 3), Rainbow Lorikeet (two Listed) and Holding Thumbs (two Listed).

The first winner of the season was the juvenile Black Cheetah – who was also the first two-year-old to win in the Western Cape in 2024-25 – while Fatal Flaw was the first Gr 1 winner, taking out the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas.

In total there were 24 race meetings held over the season, with 22 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and two at Hollywoodbets Durbanville, and 222 races being contested.

GRADED AND LISTED WINNERS

Grade 1:

Fatal Flaw (World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas), One Stripe (Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas), Double Grand Slam (Cartier Paddock Stakes), One Stripe (L’Ormarins King’s Plate), Rascova (Maine Chance Majorca Stakes), Gimme A Prince (Cape Flying Championship), Eight On Eighteen (World Sports Betting Cape Town MET), Eight On Eighteen (SplashOut Cape Derby)

Grade 2:

One Stripe (Cape Punters Cup), Oriental Charm (World Sports Betting Green Point Stakes), Outlaw King (De Grendel Cape Merchants), Asiye Phambili (Cartier Sceptre Stakes), Rascallion (Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy), Gimme A Prince (Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes)

Grade 3:

Asiye Phambili (Southern Cross Stakes), Rainbow Lorikeet (Hollywoodbets Victress Stakes), The Futurist (Peninsula Handicap), King Pelles (Chairmans Cup), Rainbow Lorikeet (Tsogo Sun Summer Fling Stakes), Mucho Dinero (Western Cape Stayers), Zeitz (Politician Stakes), Direct Hit (Cape Of Good Hope Nursery), Siddeley (Prix Du Cap)

Listed winners:

Lion Rampart (Sophomore Sprint), Holding Thumbs (Cape Summer Stayers Handicap), Wild Wild Green (Summer Juvenile Stakes), I’m So Pritti (Olympic Duel Stakes), Give Me Everything (Cape Fillies Classic), The Real Prince (Jet Master Stakes), Holding Thumbs (Kenilworth Cup)