That racing continues to transcend international borders was starkly illustrated this past weekend.
Frankie Dettori’s signature dismount from Kinross after Gr1 success at Ascot on Saturday (Pic – Racing TV)
On Saturday, the prestigious Qipco British Champions Day took place at Ascot, where the talking point on the day was undoubtedly the shock defeat of unbeaten Baeed in the Gr1 Champion Stakes.
However, our focus is on the Kingman gelding Kinross, who flashed an impressive turn of foot to run away with the Gr1 British Champions Sprint Stakes, one of four others top level races on the undercard.
The five-year-old has taken his form to new heights this season and won his fourth race on the trot whilst completing a fine Gr1 double following his success in the Gr1 Prix de la Foret earlier this month.
Of interest here is the fact that twenty-four hours later, the female family celebrated a new stakes winner – and, in South Africa of all places!
That honour went to the Carl Hewitson-trained Sea Master, a winner of the Listed Michaelmas Handicap at Hollywoodbets Greyville. There may be somewhat of a difference between a Listed and a Gr1 race, but black type is black type and for the son of Master Of My Fate, this proved a significant milestone.
A model of consistency and every owner’s dream, he has not finished further back than second in his last seven starts, whilst also completing a hat-trick of wins in the Michaelmas. Remarkably, he had won over 2300m just a week prior to his stakes success!
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, Sea Master is out of the imported mare Subyan Dreams. A stakes-placed winner in Britain at three, she became a prolific broodmare and is the dam of eleven winners from a dozen foals.
While Sea Master is her first stakes winner, she had already produced two Gr1 performers in Felix The Cat and MLjet.
Sea Master charges to victory in the PinkDrive Listed Michaelmas under Smanga Khumalo (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The former, a filly by Black Minnaloushe trained by Duncan Howells, finished second in both the Gr1 Durban Golden Slipper and Thekwini Stakes, whilst MLjet’s impressive string of Graded stakes places was topped by a third in the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes.
The salient point of Subyan Dreams’ connection to Kinross is that she is a half-sister to his grandam Villa Carlotta, an Irish stakes winner by Rainbow Quest. They are in fact three-part sisters in blood, as both Rainbow Quest and Spectrum are sons of Blushing Groom.
Sadly, Varsfontein Stud no longer has the family. Sentiment has no place in today’s ultra-competitive business of horse breeding and Sea Master’s stakes success came too late: Subyan Dreams is no more, and the farm has kept none of her daughters.
Sea Master’s success also carried with it a certain poignancy, for it came on the same day South African racing lost one of its stalwart owner/breeders, Henry Devine. Together with his charming wife Pat, he raced and owned the mighty Jet Master, who of course is the sire of both MLjet and Master Of My Fate.
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