When Pomp And Power stormed home to land Saturday’s Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby at Kenilworth, he not only brought the focus on his increasingly successful sire Vercingetorix, but also to the fine record at stud enjoyed by his dam Peru.
The latter, an unraced half-sister to former South African champion and triple Gr1 winner Paraca, enjoyed a fine day on Saturday – her son won the Cape Derby, while her two-year-old daughter Pucallpa (also by Vercingetorix) caught the eye when running third, on debut, in Saturday’s Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery.
Peru is now the dam of six winners – it is surely only a matter of time before Pucallpa adds to that statistic – of which three are either black type winners or have been placed in graded company.
She is best known for producing the somewhat luckless Punta Arenas, a triple graded stakes winner who finished second in the somewhat controversial Gr1 Vodacom Durban July of 2015.
Punta Arenas is a three-parts brother to Pomp And Power, having been sired by Vercingetorix’s multiple champion sire Silvano.
Punta Arenas
Peru is by a sire, who despite never standing in this country, has enjoyed plenty of success in South Africa.
Candy Stripes (Blushing Groom), who was promoted to second in the 1985 Gr1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas), enjoyed a long and well travelled stud career before dying at the age of twenty-five.
His lengthy list of champions include the once beaten Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic/Gr1 Dubai World Cup hero Invasor, champion Leroidesanimaux (sire of Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and current Australian star Zaaki), and brilliant racemare, Different.
Candy Stripes, also broodmare sire of unbeaten star and outstanding stallion Candy Ride, more than made his mark in South Africa as both a sire and broodmare sire.
His first classy galloper to grace the South African turf was the luckless Pablo Zeta, who had the misfortune to be born in the same year as legendary South African champion Horse Chestnut. Winner of the 1998 Gr2 Gosforth Park Juvenile C&G Stakes, Pablo Zeta was a well beaten second to Horse Chestnut in all of the Gr3 Graham Beck Handicap, Gr2 Dingaans and Gr1 Cape Guineas.
He was followed on the South African turf by Candy Stripes’ Gr2 Golden Bracelet winning daughter Capa Maxi – whose stakes winning daughter Maximum Jet is the dam of this season’s Gr3 winning filly One Night In Paris – before Candy Stripes’ first bona fide South African star, Eventuail, arrived. Crowned Equus Champion Older Classic Male in 2007, Eventuail won seven of 16 local outings, headed by wins in both the Gr1 SA Guineas and Gr1 Summer Cup.
One Night In Paris wins the Gr3 (Pic – JC Photos)
Candy Stripes’ greatest South African star, however, was Ilha Da Vitoria.
That pint-sized grey was crowned Joint Horse Of The Year and Champion Older Female Middle Distance Horse of 2006, following a campaign which saw her win the Gr1 GommaGomma Summer Cup, Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes and Gr2 GommaGomma Challenge.
In total, Ilha Da Vitoria, who won or placed in 24 of her 26 starts, captured six graded races in a career which saw her earn more than R5,2 million in prize money.
Ilha Da Vitoria also enjoyed notable success at stud, producing Gr2 SA Oaks winner, and millionaire, Ilha Bela (Fort Wood) and Listed Oaks Trial winner Ilha Grande (Tiger Ridge). The latter went on to produce Gr1 SA Fillies Classic heroine Orchid Island (Silvano), while Ilha Bela is dam of the Gr3 placed Azores and the enigmatic galloper Reunion. Both are sired by Flower Alley.
Lundy’s Liability
Lundy’s Liability was the next progeny of Candy Stripes to impress in South Africa -winning the Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes and his only previous South African outing, before embarking on an international career which saw him land the Gr2 UAE Derby of 2004, while Candy Stripes’ final high-class local runner was Candy Critic. The latter, Equus Champion Female Stayer of 2006, won four times and scored a four length romp in the 2006 Gr2 SA Oaks, having finished second in both the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic and Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas previously.
Candy Stripes is also broodmare sire of former Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Emerald Beauty and Gr3 Jubilee Handicap queen Candy Singer (Singspiel) to name but two, while his son Equal Stripes was responsible for Gr1 SA Fillies Classic heroine Bambina Stripes.
