This past weekend the late great Silvano added to his stature as a broodmare sire when he registered a notable stakes double in the space of just 24 hours.
Friday’s Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview went the way of the talented Futura filly Ekoria, who is out of Silvano’s stakes winning daughter Equina.
Ekoria wins the Listed Breeders Guineas (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Twice a winner in South Africa, her career took off in a big way when she relocated to Zimbabwe where she proved a revelation, accounting for the Zimbabwe Oaks, Castle Tankard, OK Grand Challenge and Republic Cup. Ekoria is her first foal.
Incidentally, pedigree pundits will surely have noted that both her sire and dam trace to the Koster-bred mare Bold Vixen. A Gr1-placed, stakes-winning daughter of Plum Bold, she is also ancestress of such notables as Gr1 Paddock Stakes and SA Fillies Classic winner Angelina, and Gr2 winner Epaulette.
During his impressive reign, Silvano was no stranger to siring the first two, even the first three across the line in stakes races (who will ever forget his historical ‘trifecta’ in the 2015 Durban July?)
On Saturday, the late Maine Chance linchpin took a leaf out of his own book in the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic at Turffontein, where he dominated as the broodmare sire of both the winner and runner-up.
Bless The Stars beats Feather Boa in Saturday’s Wilgerbosdrift Gr1 SA Fillies Classic (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
In a rousing finish to the second leg of the Triple Tiara, Bless The Stars outduelled hot favourite Feather Boa by a whisker.
Bless My Stars is out of Silvano’s accomplished daughter Star Express, a winner of the Gr3 Victress Stakes, whilst finishing second not once, but twice, in the Gr1 Majorca Stakes.
Silvano daughter Star Express (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, Bless My Stars is by resident stallion Gimmethegreenlight, who previously sired the Gr1-placed, dual Gr2 winner Barahin from a Silvano mare.
Spare a thought for runner-up Feather Boa. She has drawn the short end of the stick on more than one occasion and is way overdue a first stakes success. Her day will surely come. Yet another feather in the cap of noted ‘filly’ sire Flower Alley, she lacks nothing in pedigree either, her dam Osprey being a Silvano full sister to Gr1 Met winner Martial Eagle and to Nebula, twice winner of the Algoa Cup.
Given his dominance as a stallion, many expected Silvano to make an immediate impact as a broodmare sire, which sadly, has not transpired.
Bless The Stars is only the second Gr1 winner out of a Silvano mare, the first was last season’s Gr1 Thekwini Stakes victress Canadian Summer, a daughter of now-retired Oratorio.
Some would no doubt disagree, but as one noted bloodstock consultant remarked: “Maybe one of the reasons is that he’s a classic sire and they don’t come to hand that quickly and need a bit more time.”
Silvano with Monty Roberts (Pic – Jeremy Nelson)
Be that as it may, while the Gr1 winners have been slow in coming, his daughters have nevertheless produced 16 black type winners to date, which is a more than respectable total.
Although, by his own lofty standards Silvano has yet to dominate in that sphere, he has become a regular top ten damsire since 2017, according to NHRA statistics, finishing as high as fifth place in the past two seasons.
Casting an eye over the latest table, he once again finds himself in fifth in a tightly bunched group, just behind Fort Wood and ahead of Trippi and Dynasty.
Interesting to note too, that his seasonal tally of four stakes winners to date is purely made up of fillies: Bless My Stars, Ekoria, Canadian Summer, who added the Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes, and Gilded Butterfly, winner of the Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap.
That comes as no surprise, since his tally of 16 stakes winners includes just three males; aforementioned Barahin, Wonderwall and Native Tongue.
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