The remarkable Klawervlei Stud bred gelding Captain Lars recorded the 22nd win of his remarkable career when scoring an emphatic win at Goodwood on Wednesday.
Trained by Archie Watson, and ridden to victory in Wednesday’s race by Pierre-Louis Jamin, the tough as teak nine year old made it the tenth win of the year when justifying 9-4 favouritism in a handicap over five furlongs.
Captain Lars, who was also making it a hatrick of wins having previously scored at Catterick and Ffos Las in his two previous starts respectively, led two furlongs out and kept going gamely to record a convincing one and a half length victory. Remarkably, it was a second time in 2018, that Captain Lars has reeled off a hatrick of victories!
The gelding has now won or placed in no fewer than 40 races and is a tremendous advertisement for the durability and soundness of the South African thoroughbred. Captain Lars, who won or placed in ten of his 12 South African outings, scored his biggest local triumph when victorious in the Listed Drum Star Handicap.
One of stakes winners by Klawervlei’s deceased champion sire Captain Al, Captain Lars is a full-brother to Equus Champion Always In Charge, who is set to stand at Klipdrif Stud in 2019
Always In Charge, one of six G1 winning Equus Champions by Captain Al, was an exceptional juvenile who was never out of the first two as a two-year-old. He scored his biggest win thus far when victorious in the G1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, beating subsequent graded stakes winners Seattle Singer and Rivarine.
Now in the care of Candice Dawson, Always In Charge has been nominated for the G2 Joburg Spring Challenge.
Italian Oaks runner up Polar Charge, dam of both Always In Charge and Captain Lars, is an exceptionally well related mare. A granddaughter of G1 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Stufida, Polar Charge is a sister in blood to G1 winning sprinter and breed shaping sire Pivotal.
This is also the family of Brazilian classic sire Corregidor, G1 winning two-year-old High Counsel and Irish classic winner Araafa.