Hopes And Dreams have reported on the sad loss of their flagship mare, Captain’s Ransom, after foaling a filly to Drakenstein first season sire Jet Dark in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Labelled a match made in heaven, the former multiple Gr1 winning stable mates, Captains Ransom and Jet Dark who competed against each other for Equus Horse Of The Year and crowned jointly in KZN, were a 20/20 pedigree match inbred to Roberto. It was also a highly fertile match, with Captain’s Ransom conceiving multiple embryo’s that left the vets speechless.

Captains Ransom in the National Yearling Sales ring. Image: Candiese Lenferna

Originally due to foal on 17 September, Captains Ransom leaves behind a strong filly foal that carries her famous dam’s blaze.

Equus Horse Of The Year and contributing towards owners, Basie and Suzette Viljoen with Equus Owners Of The Year title, Captains Ransom (Captain Al – Cinnas Ransom by Red Ransom) won six Gr1 races, proving her versatility over sprint to mile distances, winning 13 of her 19 starts and over R3,5-million in stakes earned.

Equus Award winning image from Candiese Lenferna of Captain’s Ransom.

She was the darling of the South African turf who earned a following on racedays, with racegoers flocking to watch the mare in action, ridden on 16 occasions by Richard Fourie.

Richard used to visit the great mare every morning at stables after work and had a close bond with the daughter of Captain Al.

Trained by Justin Snaith, she sold for R225 000 off the BSA National Yearling Sale, where she was a neat, perfectly put together filly bred and consigned by Moutonshoek.

She was just a little on the small side at the sale – but she grew into a powerful athlete with a gutsy heart and a blazing turn of foot and amongst her memorable races, the Gr1 Mercury Sprint saw her annihilate the best sprinters in the country. She defeated amongst many Princess Calla, Clouds Unfold, Under Your Spell, Mississippi Burning, Marina, Sparkling Water and Do It Again in a Pinnacle over 1400m.

She was a filly who lived up to her name and loved her beach visits with team Snaith, which would see her standing shoulder deep in the water and splashing about, not wanting to leave.

Captain’s Ransom retired to stud alongside her half-sister, United’s Ransom (The United States), and the two mares peacefully shared a paddock together at Hopes And Dreams based in Wellington.

Our thoughts go out to Basie and Suzette Viljoen and the team at Hopes And Dreams Stud on their devastating loss.