Cape Verdi
Encyclopedia
Cape Verdi is a retired, Irish-bred Thoroughbred
racehorse. She was trained in England and Dubai during a racing career which consisted of eight races between May 1997 and July 1999. In 1998 she won the 1000 Guineas by five lengths and was the beaten favourite in the Epsom Derby
. She was named the European Champion Three-Year-Old Filly at the 1998 Cartier Racing Awards. Cape Verdi was retired after two unsuccessful races as a four-year-old in 1999.
and the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup
in 1983 and went on to become an “excellent” stallion, siring the winners of more than 700 races including Generous
, Marienbard
and Warrsan
. Her dam Afrique Bleu Azur finished last on her only racecourse appearance, but was well bred, being a sister of the Breeders' Cup Classic
winner Arcangues
.
Cape Verdi was first sent into training with Peter Chapple-Hyam
at Manton, Wiltshire
. After her third race she was bought by Maktoum Al Maktoum
and at the end of her first season her ownership was transferred to the Maktoum family’s Godolphin organisation. She was then moved to the stable of Saeed bin Suroor
, spending her winters in Dubai before returning to race in England in summer.
Her name was reported to be an accidental mis-spelling of Cape Verde
.
in May for which she was made odds-on favourite. She started slowly but was soon racing with the leaders before taking the lead a furlong
out and winning by two lengths from the colt Trans Island, a future Group Race
winner. Cape Verdi again took on colts in her second race whensent to Royal Ascot for the Chesham Stakes
. She was held up in the early stages by John Reid before moving easily through to contest the lead in the last quarter mile. In the closing stages, the colt Central Park (a future double Group One
winner) ran on more strongly and beat the filly by one and a half lengths.
Cape Verdi was off the course for two months before running in the Lowther Stakes
at York
in which she was matched against the Princess Margaret Stakes
winner Embassy
. Reid once again held the filly up before challenging in the final quarter mile. Cape Verdi ran on strongly to catch Embassy in the final strides and win by a short head. . The result was not decisive; Embassy had been carrying three pounds
more than Cape Verdi, and appeared to have been given an easy race by Pat Eddery
. Cape Verdi was however, made 11/8 favourite when the two fillies met again in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes
at Newmarket in October. The race was her last for Chapple-Hyam's stable as she had been bought by Maktoum Al Maktoum
and was about to join the Godolphin team. Cape Verdi was held up as usual, but when Reid asked her to quicken she failed to respond, finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Embassy.
Embassy and Cape Verdi were sent to Godolphin's winter base in Dubai as the first and second favourites for the 1000 Guineas.
Cape Verdi returned from Dubai in May 1998 and was sent straight to the 1000 Guineas without a prep race. Cape Verdi was made 100/30 joint favourite and produced the best performance of her career. Ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori
, she moved up to take the lead a furlong out before "surging" clear and winning by a a growing margin of five lengths from the Irish-trained Shahtoush. The Independent
descibed the performance as an "arrogant dismissal" of the opposition while Dettori was enthusiastic: "I've never known a horse like her and she's amazing for a filly". Bookmakers responded by offering her at 2/1 for the Oaks
but within days were reporting significant support for the filly in the betting for the Derby.
After weeks of speculation it was announced on 28 May that Cape Verdi's owners would pay a £75,000 supplementary fee to run her in be the Derby, a race which no filly had won since Fifinella
in 1916 and which only two fillies attempted in the previous fifty years. Confidence and interest in the filly grew, and she was made favourite for the race. Her position looked even stronger when Shahtoush won the Oaks on the day before the Derby. On the day of the race itself she headed the betting at 11/4, ahead of the Irish colts Second Empire (Grand Criterium) and King of Kings (2000 Guineas), becoming the first filly to start favourite for the race since Sceptre
in 1902. She was held up in the early stages, but after being bumped and hampered by bigger, stronger opponents she made no impression in the straight and finished ninth of the fifteen runners, twelve lengths behind the winner High-Rise
.
Cape Verdi was expected to return in the Sussex Stakes
at Goodwood
but a hairline fracture of the hind pastern
, sustained in training, ruled her out for the rest of the season.
at Newmarket in July. Given the length of her absence her performance in finishing third to the French-trained Ronda after leading until the final furlong was promising one.
Cape Verdi started 7/2 second favourite for the Group One Nassau Stakes
at Glorious Goodwood, but ran poorly, weakening in the closing stages and finishing last of the eight runners. Saeed bin Suroor was unable to give an immediate explanation for her performance.
Three weeks after her final race it was announced that Cape Verdi would be retired to Sheikh Mohammed's
Gainsborough Stud.
She was assessed at a peak figure of 126 by Timeform
.
The "Cape Verdi" is a Group Two race named in the filly's honour run in January at Meydan Racecourse
in Dubai.
and Elusive Quality
but has yet to produce a top class racehorse. She has produced two minor winners in Benandonner and Salsa Verdi, both sired by Giant's Causeway
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse. She was trained in England and Dubai during a racing career which consisted of eight races between May 1997 and July 1999. In 1998 she won the 1000 Guineas by five lengths and was the beaten favourite in the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
. She was named the European Champion Three-Year-Old Filly at the 1998 Cartier Racing Awards. Cape Verdi was retired after two unsuccessful races as a four-year-old in 1999.
Background
Cape Verdi, a dark-coated bay filly, was bred in Ireland by her owner, Robert Sangster’s Swettenham Stud. Her sire, Caerleon, won the Prix du Jockey ClubPrix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup
International Stakes
The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
in 1983 and went on to become an “excellent” stallion, siring the winners of more than 700 races including Generous
Generous (horse)
Generous is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1991 won both Epsom and Irish Derbys. Sired by Caerleon, his grandsire was Nijinsky...
, Marienbard
Marienbard
Marienbard was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse bred by Saif Ali and raced by Godolphin Racing. Out of the mare Marienbad, he was sired by the French Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, Caerleon, a son of the 1971 British Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky....
and Warrsan
Warrsan
Warrsan was a Thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Ireland who competed in Europe and Asia. Owned and bred by Saeed Manana of the United Arab Emirates, he was sired by Caerleon, a son of the great Nijinsky, and out of the mare, Lucayan Princess.Conditioned by veteran trainer Clive Brittain, throughout...
. Her dam Afrique Bleu Azur finished last on her only racecourse appearance, but was well bred, being a sister of the Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
winner Arcangues
Arcangues
Arcangues is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France in what was formerly the province of Labourd.Home to the Marquis d'Arcangues, his Chateau d'Arcangues was used as the Duke of Wellington's headquarters during the December 1813 Battles of the Nive in the...
.
Cape Verdi was first sent into training with Peter Chapple-Hyam
Peter Chapple-Hyam
Peter Chapple-Hyam is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained Dr Devious to win the Epsom Derby in 1992 and repeated the feat with Authorized in 2007. He managed two Group One wins in his first season as a trainer in 1991...
at Manton, Wiltshire
Manton, Wiltshire
Manton is a small village in Wiltshire on the outskirts of Marlborough just off the A4 Bath Road.Manton village is part of the Parish of Preshute, and as such includes St Georges Church, and Preshute Primary The Outside Chance is the only pub in the village....
. After her third race she was bought by Maktoum Al Maktoum
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also referred to as Sheikh Maktoum was the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the emir of Dubai.-Biography:...
and at the end of her first season her ownership was transferred to the Maktoum family’s Godolphin organisation. She was then moved to the stable of Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor , is a horse racing trainer. Formerly a policeman, he took out his training license in 1994 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation....
, spending her winters in Dubai before returning to race in England in summer.
Her name was reported to be an accidental mis-spelling of Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
.
1997: two-year-old season
Cape Verdi began her career in a maiden race at the Guineas meeting at NewmarketNewmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
in May for which she was made odds-on favourite. She started slowly but was soon racing with the leaders before taking the lead a furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
out and winning by two lengths from the colt Trans Island, a future Group Race
Conditions races
Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...
winner. Cape Verdi again took on colts in her second race whensent to Royal Ascot for the Chesham Stakes
Chesham Stakes
The Chesham Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
. She was held up in the early stages by John Reid before moving easily through to contest the lead in the last quarter mile. In the closing stages, the colt Central Park (a future double Group One
Conditions races
Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...
winner) ran on more strongly and beat the filly by one and a half lengths.
Cape Verdi was off the course for two months before running in the Lowther Stakes
Lowther Stakes
The Lowther Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...
at York
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing track in the southwest of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England with a spectator capacity of 60,000. The most famous race to be held at York on an annual basis is the Ebor Handicap, which is run during the Ebor Festival meeting in August...
in which she was matched against the Princess Margaret Stakes
Princess Margaret Stakes
The Princess Margaret Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
winner Embassy
Embassy (horse)
Embassy was a British champion Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She won three of her four starts as a two-year-old including the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes and the Group Three Princess Margaret Stakes. She was named European Champion Two-year old Filly at the Cartier Racing Awards, and was...
. Reid once again held the filly up before challenging in the final quarter mile. Cape Verdi ran on strongly to catch Embassy in the final strides and win by a short head. . The result was not decisive; Embassy had been carrying three pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
more than Cape Verdi, and appeared to have been given an easy race by Pat Eddery
Pat Eddery
Patrick James John "Pat" Eddery is a former flat racing jockey. Pat's father Jimmy Eddery was a jockey, as is his brother Paul Eddery.-Career:...
. Cape Verdi was however, made 11/8 favourite when the two fillies met again in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes
Cheveley Park Stakes
The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event was...
at Newmarket in October. The race was her last for Chapple-Hyam's stable as she had been bought by Maktoum Al Maktoum
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also referred to as Sheikh Maktoum was the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the emir of Dubai.-Biography:...
and was about to join the Godolphin team. Cape Verdi was held up as usual, but when Reid asked her to quicken she failed to respond, finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Embassy.
Embassy and Cape Verdi were sent to Godolphin's winter base in Dubai as the first and second favourites for the 1000 Guineas.
1998: three-year-old season
In Dubai Cape Verdi seemed to flourish, and after a "sparkling" performances in a private trial race she supplanted Embassy as fvourite for the Guineas.Cape Verdi returned from Dubai in May 1998 and was sent straight to the 1000 Guineas without a prep race. Cape Verdi was made 100/30 joint favourite and produced the best performance of her career. Ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori
Frankie Dettori
Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, MBE is an Italian horse racing jockey and celebrity. Dettori has been Champion Jockey on three occasions and has ridden the winners of more than 500 Group races.. He has had many successes in his role of stable jockey to Godolphin Racing...
, she moved up to take the lead a furlong out before "surging" clear and winning by a a growing margin of five lengths from the Irish-trained Shahtoush. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
descibed the performance as an "arrogant dismissal" of the opposition while Dettori was enthusiastic: "I've never known a horse like her and she's amazing for a filly". Bookmakers responded by offering her at 2/1 for the Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
but within days were reporting significant support for the filly in the betting for the Derby.
After weeks of speculation it was announced on 28 May that Cape Verdi's owners would pay a £75,000 supplementary fee to run her in be the Derby, a race which no filly had won since Fifinella
Fifinella
Fifinella was a female gremlin designed by Walt Disney for a proposed film from Roald Dahl's book The Gremlins. During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots asked permission to use the image as their official mascot, and the Disney Company granted them the rights.-Origins:The story of...
in 1916 and which only two fillies attempted in the previous fifty years. Confidence and interest in the filly grew, and she was made favourite for the race. Her position looked even stronger when Shahtoush won the Oaks on the day before the Derby. On the day of the race itself she headed the betting at 11/4, ahead of the Irish colts Second Empire (Grand Criterium) and King of Kings (2000 Guineas), becoming the first filly to start favourite for the race since Sceptre
Sceptre (horse)
Sceptre was a British-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred racemare whose career ran from 1901 to 1904. In 1902 she became the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright.-Breeding:...
in 1902. She was held up in the early stages, but after being bumped and hampered by bigger, stronger opponents she made no impression in the straight and finished ninth of the fifteen runners, twelve lengths behind the winner High-Rise
High-Rise (horse)
High-Rise is a retired Thoroughbred race horse and active sire, bred in Ireland, but trained in the United Kingdom, Dubai and the United States. He is best known as the winner of the Epsom Derby in 1998...
.
Cape Verdi was expected to return in the Sussex Stakes
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...
at Goodwood
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...
but a hairline fracture of the hind pastern
Pastern
The pastern is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the long pastern bone and the short pastern bone , which are held together by two sets of paired ligaments to form the pastern joint...
, sustained in training, ruled her out for the rest of the season.
1999: four-year-old season
It was more than a year after her run in the Derby that Cape Verdi reappeared in the Group Two Falmouth StakesFalmouth Stakes
The Falmouth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:The event is named in honour of...
at Newmarket in July. Given the length of her absence her performance in finishing third to the French-trained Ronda after leading until the final furlong was promising one.
Cape Verdi started 7/2 second favourite for the Group One Nassau Stakes
Nassau Stakes
The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 192 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:The title of...
at Glorious Goodwood, but ran poorly, weakening in the closing stages and finishing last of the eight runners. Saeed bin Suroor was unable to give an immediate explanation for her performance.
Three weeks after her final race it was announced that Cape Verdi would be retired to Sheikh Mohammed's
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...
Gainsborough Stud.
Assessment
At the 1999 Cartier Racing Awards Cape Verdi was named European Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, despite winning only one race that year. She was also the highest rated European three-year-old filly in the official International Classification with a rating of 120.She was assessed at a peak figure of 126 by Timeform
Timeform
Timeform Publications is a publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry...
.
The "Cape Verdi" is a Group Two race named in the filly's honour run in January at Meydan Racecourse
Meydan Racecourse
Meydan Racecourse is able to accommodate over 60,000 spectators in a 1 mile long grandstand. When not used for races it will serve as a business and conference integrated facility. A horse racing museum and gallery are also planned...
in Dubai.
Stud career
Cape Verdi has been bred to many leading stallions including Gone West, Dubai MillenniumDubai Millennium
Dubai Millennium was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred in the United States but trained in the United Kingdom and Dubai during his racing career which ran from 1998 and 2000. He is notable for winning a series of major races in 1999 and 2000 including the Dubai World Cup...
and Elusive Quality
Elusive Quality
Elusive Quality is a thoroughbred racehorse.Elusive Quality stands at stud at Darley America's Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He raced in the colours of Darley's principal, Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum. Prior to standing at Darley America he stood at Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky...
but has yet to produce a top class racehorse. She has produced two minor winners in Benandonner and Salsa Verdi, both sired by Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway (horse)
Giant's Causeway is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred racehorse who competed primarily in Europe. In 2000, he won five straight Group One races. His performance that year earned him European Horse of the Year honors....