Messrs. C.T. Crowe and N. Jonsson's 4-year-old Jet Dark successfully defended his title in the Jan. 8 1-mile R1.5 million L'Ormarins Queen's Plate (G1) at Kenilworth Racecourse with a 2 1/4-length win over favored Kommetdieding. With this victory Jet Dark, trained by Justin Snaith and ridden by S'manga Khumalo, earned an automatic berth into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.
One race prior to the Queen's Plate, Mrs. S. Viljoen's 4-year-old filly Captain's Ransom defeated Chansonette by a head in the 1 1/8-mile R1 million Cartier Paddock Stakes (G1) and gained a starting position for the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).
Now in its 15th season, the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race in the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held this year Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland in Lexington.
Off slowly in the 11-horse field, Jet Dark, 10-1, saved ground along the rail towards the rear of the field behind Kommetdieding, last year's Vodacom Durban July (G1) winner. Both runners gained steadily into the final turn with Kommetdieding moving to challenge front runner Seeking the Stars to his outside at the 200-meter mark. At that point Jet Dark found another gear, surging past Kommetdieding to the front and charging home an easy winner. Kommetdieding held for second over the fast-closing Rainbow Bridge, with Seeking the Stars finishing fourth.
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Registering his sixth win in 11 starts, Jet Dark, a son of Trippi out of Jet Master mare Night Jet, completed the mile in 1:36.56 over a course listed as good. Jet Dark has now won three group 1 races, including the HKJC World Pool Champions Cup (G1) in July at Greyville. Bred by Drackenstein Stud, he came into Saturday's race off a fourth-place finish in the Dec. 4 WSB Prive Greenpoint Stakes (G2) at Kenilworth.
In the Cartier Paddock Stakes, the 2-1 favorite Captain's Ransom, trained by Justin Snaith and ridden by Richard Fourie, came from far back against 10 rivals and battled to the front inside the final 100 meters. Fending off the challenge of 3-1 second choice Chansonette along the rail and the fast-closing Marina in between them, Captain's Ransom hit the wire a short head in front. Chansonette held off Marina by a head to claim the runner-up position.
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Earning the free berth into the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Captain's Ransom, a 4-year-old filly by Captain Al out of the Red Ransom mare Cinnas Ransom, won her ninth race in 11 starts. She finished the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.43.
The win was also her third group 1, having taken the Majora Stakes (G1) last May and the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas (G1) in 2020.
Last year's Cartier Paddock Stakes winner, Queen Supreme, ran unplaced in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Del Mar.
As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the pre-entry and entry fees for Jet Dark and Captain's Ransom to start in the Fan Duel Breeders' Cup Mile and the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, respectively. Breeders' Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.
