When the in form Lotus Island won the Listed East Cape Oaks last Friday, she became the latest stakes winner for her venerable sire Ideal World.
The latter remains a stallion with very respectable statistics, siring 62% winners to foals, and 7% winners to foals.
Ideal World by Kingmambo ex Banks Hill (Pic – Supplied)
Lotus Island is one of 13 winners, from a mere 16 runners, to have emerged from Ideal World’s current crop of three-year-olds.
This crop also includes TAB Gr2 Gauteng Guineas winner Parisian Walkway, the stakes placed Diwali Rocket, Wilgerbosdrift Gr2 Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks contender Ancient Wisdom, and Mocha Blend. After finishing third on debut, to fellow Ideal World filly Meritorious, Mocha Blend went on to win her two subsequent starts.
To date, Ideal World has been responsible for 33 black-type winners, led by the Equus Champions Rainbow Bridge, Smart Call and Hermoso Mundo.
Each of Ideal World’s first nine crops have yielded at least one black-type winner, with his foal crop of 2015 yielding an impressive eight stakes winners from 51 runners, with this crop including the ill-fated Gr1 SA Derby winner Samurai Warrior.
The superbly bred Ideal World, not surprisingly, has also enjoyed success as a broodmare sire this season.
Earlier this month, Ideal View (out of the Ideal World mare Idaho) and River Power (out of the Ideal World mare Shirley Valentine) won the Independence Trophy and Listed Zimbabwe 2000 on the same day.
Smart Call – Ideal World’s first Grade 1 winner (Pic – Gold Circle)
Ideal View had earlier enjoyed black-type success when he won the 2023 Listed Castle Tankard. Another Ideal World mare, What Fun, is the dam of 2025 Listed Kings Cup winner Winter Games (What A Winter).
Ideal World’s close relative Dansili, a full-brother to Ideal World’s champion dam Banks Hill, continues to make his presence felt despite having died in 2021.
His Gr1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winning son Harbinger has sired eight Gr1 winners, including champion Arma Veloce, runner up in Sunday’s classic Gr1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas).
Dansili’s multiple graded stakes winning daughter Espumanti, already dam of July winning champion Sparkling Water (Silvano), enjoyed more big race success this season when her daughter Spumante Dolce (a Vercingetorix three-parts sister to Espumanti) won the Wilgerbosdrift Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas. That classy three-year-old would go on to finish a creditable second in the TAB Gr1 Empress Club Stakes earlier in April.
Another daughter of Espumanti, Gr2 Joburg Spring F&M Challenge runner up Gin Fizz (Soft Falling Rain) had a Hawwaam colt, Fizz Italiano, fetch R1 300 000 at the recent National Yearling Sale.
Dansili, maternal grandsire of Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and local sire Expert Eye, is also the sire of Gr1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Passage Of Time, whose unbeaten son Cosmic Year (Kingman) is regarded as a leading classic hope for 2025.
