Brett Crawford's top class five-year-old gelding Captain America fired the

opening salvo among the big horses competing in the Cape Summer Of

Champions when landing Saturday's Gr 2 R400,000 Lanzerac Alta Mater Green

Point Stakes, over 1600m, under a superb front-running ride by Corne

Orffer.

Equus Horse of the Year Futura was well placed on the rail throughout but

was initially a bit flat-footed in the straight. Instead it was the rank

outsider Paterfamilias, who quickened very well, who was the first to give

chase. Futura then took off but it was too late and he failed by 0,5

lengths to catch the winner and Paterfamilias was only a further 0,5

lengths back in third. The favourite Act Of War was dropped out from a wide

draw and had too much to do in the straight, but he stayed on well for

fourth. This was a foretaste of what is going to be a fantastic Gr 1

L'Ormarin's Queen's Plate in January.

Earlier the Gavin Van Zyl-trained KZN raider Budapest, a gelding by

Lithuanian bred by Witzenberg Stud, pulverized the field in the Non-Black

Type R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m under a

thoroughly professional ride by Anthony Delpech. The top jockey carried out

the plan of not allowing the favourite, Seventh plain, who was returning

from a long layoff, an easy lead from a wide draw, pressing him all the way

and when he then asked the question Budapest burst clear and was never

going to be caught. He won by 4,25 lengths from the filly Anglet, who ran

on from way back down the inside. Second favourite Captain Chaos got up for

third ahead of a brave Seventh Plain and Nordic Wind was next best.

Budapest earned a cheque of R1,25 million and his thoroughly deserving

owner is the charismatic Brian "Buffalo Bill" Burnard.

Earlier, Anton Marcus was at his brilliant best when winning the Gr 2

R400,000 Selangor Cup over 1600m on the Joey Ramsden-trained Warm White

Night colt Hard Day's Night. He kept him wide in the back straight from a

high draw before moving over into the lead on the first turn and then kept

the galloping bay going all the way to the line to just get up ahead of a

host of flying closers, who were headed by the Marshall-trained Victorious

Jay and the Brett Crawford-trained Nassa. The disappointment of the event,

which is regarded as the chief pointer to the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape

Guineas, was the favourite Muwaary, who found little in the straight after

being well positioned to strike and finished unplaced.

The Listed R150,000 Lanzerac le General Kenilworth Cup over 3200m was a

thriller and in the end it was the Vaughan Marshall-trained six-year-old

Silvano gelding Gothic who prevailed, winning his first race for over two

years, when Aldo Domeyer managed to get his nose down on the line to pip

Parachute Man with the favourite Ovidio running on for third.