Racing: Owner finally tastes fruits of success

Prince Kaapstad, well handled by Sam Spratt, at Ellerslie on Saturday. Photo / Richard Robinson

This was a game of firsts.

Not long before Bart Cumming scored his first group one victory in Sydney for a decade with Roman Emperor in the A$1.5 million AJC Derby, Ron Chan was scoring his first for a lifetime with Prince Kaapstad in the $200,000 Land Pride Easter at Ellerslie.

Winning rider Sam Spratt was scoring her first win since she can hardly remember and trainer Richard Yuill scored the Easter victory with Prince Kaapstad's first race in two months.

Ron Chan can't remember how many horses he's raced, but it's plenty.

He's had almost as many businesses.

Three decades ago racing fanatic Chan operated the popular Orient Restaurant in Central Auckland.

Later, he moved back to Hong Kong to run a jewellery manufacturing business before returning to New Zealand to immerse himself in the fruit and vegetable retailing business.

Richard Yuill bought Prince Kaapstad as a yearling and looked around a few days later for an owner. Longtime stable client Chan responded in the affirmative when called and set up a partnership with Zarina Sing, wife of Auckland Racing Club director Frank Sing, and later added her friend Noon Wong, a director of Multi Media.

Getting this win was a masterstroke by Richard Yuill.

Prince Kaapstad ran in both the 2400m City Of Auckland Cup and Wellington Cup at the same trip and Yuill declared after Saturday's big win the horse is a natural 1600m type and would be unlikely to run past that distance in the foreseeable future.

If there is one exception to that, Yuill felt it would be the Kelt Capital Stakes.

He freshened the horse for just one race - he's spelling now - by leaving him untouched in his paddock except for boxing him at night.

"I let him tell me when he was ready to do some serious work."

A couple of decent gallops last week put the finish on Prince Kaapstad, who was one of the standouts in the back parade ring.

Sam Spratt rode him aggressively outside the leader Irish Opera and claimed the pacemaker at the 200m to score nicely.

Spratt's manager Mike Brown didn't know how many losing rides Spratt had recorded since her last win, but he knew it was plenty.

"She didn't ride a winner at the Ellerslie carnival and she had a full book on each of the three days then she copped a big suspension and has had eight or nine rides, so it's something like 40 losing rides."

This was a good way to end your duck.

But the record is wonderful overall - Brown thought Spratt's 13 black type victories so far this season is record-equalling.

Yuill attributed part of Prince Kaapstad's win to Spratt.

"She's our friend - she's everyone's friend.

"She's always smiling, she never shows up to work sour. She could have had the worst three days of her life and you'd never know it."

Yuill is unsure of what to aim Prince Kaapstad at in the spring when he returns.

"You could look at the Kelt or leave that alone and have one crack at a good mile race overseas."

The group one Emirates Mile on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival may be a possibility.

My Astron ran on for third ahead of Dashing Donna, who did well, ahead of Occidentalis and Ginga Dude, one of the few to make ground strongly from the back of the field.

Another running on nicely was the past Auckland Cup winner, Spin Around.

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Stewards had a busy day at Ellerslie suspending Leith Innes from the end of racing on April 15 to the end of racing on April 23, Katie Hercock from April 18-25 and apprentice Jason Collett (April 13-18).

Their cousins at Trentham were also in action suspending apprentice Rosie Myers from April 18 to April 26.