I had to do quite a lot of research when writing script for the "Legend" series, which will soon see the light of day. Going back to the first half of the 20th century there were some very quick horses, like Sir Abe Bailey's Camp Fire II (by Pearl Diver), which he sent to race in England and which won at Epsom, Ascot and Newmarket, becoming recognised as the fastest sprinter in the UK that season. Bailey had an even higher opinion of his other sprinter, Abelard, a huge, evil tempered beast, who won six Merchants Handicaps over the Turffontein six furlongs (five furlongs and 188 yards) and who used to devour the ground with a huge stride .
In the 1940's there were Tenon and Gambut, both of which lumped huge weights to victory. Gambut was sent to England by Norbert Erleigh, when he was already getting on in years. Erleigh billed him as the fastste horse in the world, hoping to attract a buyer but he failed to do so. After returning with three top class victories to his credit, Gambut went on to win another half a dozen races in SA for Joe Balomenos. He became quite a useful sire at the Dwarsvlei Stud, in Middelburg, which Erleigh had bought from the estate of the late Henry Nourse and died at the ripe old age of 29.
Black Cap was the superstar sprinter of the late 1940's. Bred in Ireland, he won 10 sprinter/miler races, including Gr1 King’s Plate, at Kenilworth, twice, and Gr1 Newbury Stakes (beating Mowgli, whom he beat twice in succession in sprints).
Then, in the 1950's there were the great sprinters, Riza and Nagaina Hall, who fought out many a memorable duel, including a match race at Turffontein, which Riza won by a short head. Remarkably, the pair of them had also finished first and second in the SA Derby, won by Nagaina Hall, but sprinting proved to be their forte. Nagaina Hall won 13 graded races, including six Gr1 events.
One of the fastest horses ever to race in SA was Royal Affair (born in 1955), who could go up to a mile (he won the Queen's Plate) but who won seven consecutive races as a two-year-old, despire constant shin soreness. He was sent to America to race but his legs were too fragile to stand up to racing there though his trainer said he was the fastest horse he had ever seen. Breeder Donald Wright bought him at the end of his career and pulled off a huge coup in his final race, with trainer Gail Thompson. He also turned out to be a very influential stallion.
Sentinel, born in 1968 won 29 races (eight of them Gr1 events), on eight different racecourses, including the Cape Guineas (Gr1 – dead heat with In Full Flight), SA Guineas (Gr1), Clairwood Champion Stakes (Gr1 - twice), Hawaii Stakes (Gr1), Cape Flying Championship (Gr2), Concord Stakes (Gr2), Drill Hall Stakes (Gr2), Newbury Stakes (Gr2), Woolavington Cup (Gr1 - twice), Keith Hepburn Champion Stakes (Gr2), National Sprint (Gr1), Jack Stubbs Memorial (beat Harry Hotspur by ¾ length). Sadly, he was infertile.
Scarlet Lady, born in 1977, and trained by Alistair Gordon (with Craig Eudey as assistant) won the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship (Gr1), SA Fillies Sprint (Gr1 – beat Party Piece at level weights), Gilbeys Stakes (Gr1), Southern Cross Stakes (Gr3 – beat Sweet Chestnut receiving 3,5kg), Poinsettia Stakes (L), short head second in Gr1 Smirnoff Plate, to Duc Du Orleans.
Everybody has their favourite sprinters of the past 50 years but amongst the best, in my view (and in no particular order) must have been Lords, Sunera, Senor Santa, Montesano, Tommy Hotspur (the fastest horse in the world on no legs), Harry's Charm, Golden Loom, Jet Master, All Will Be Well, Flobayou, Laisserfaire, National Currency, National Colour, Mythical Flight and, of course, the wonderful J J The Jet Plane and Val De Ra.
I have probably missed out a great many but we mustn't forget that some of the truly great middle distance horses could go like the clappers over sprint distances. Sea Cottage could demolish most of the best sprinters in the land over six furlongs and Elevation won two CT Brand Cups, over 1000 metres, in preps leading up to the Holiday Inns. I'm sure Horse Chestnut could have done the same, had he ever been asked to.
-D 
