The curtain came down on a record-breaking 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last week with another successful day’s selling at Australia’s holiday playground.
A filly by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) that fetched A$700 000 had us looking at a family with roots in South Africa.
One of the most prolific broodmares in South African history has left behind a descendent who is more than making her mark in Australia.
Legendary South Africa producer, Drohsky, is the sixth dam of South African champion, Warning Zone (Elliodor).
The latter, Champion 2YO Filly in 2002-2003, captured both the Gr2 Golden Slipper and Gr3 Debutante Stakes in South Africa before going on to land the Marie G Krantz Memorial Handicap in the USA.
Sent to stud in Australia, Warning Zone, despite dying young, made her mark through her very smart daughter, Pittsburgh Flyer (Street Cry), who is pictured below.
The latter, a very quick daughter of her Dubai World Cup winning sire, won 3 times over 1109, with her biggest victory coming in the 2015 Gr3 VRC GH Mumm Stakes. She was also beaten less than a length when fourth in the 2016 MRC Gr1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.
Pittsburgh Flyer has been even more impressive at stud -to date, both her foals to race have won, with her best filly being September Run (Exceed And Excel). September Run has won five races, headed by the 2020 Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, where she accounted for, among others, Gr1 Longines Golden Slipper winner, Farnan (Not A Single Doubt).
Pittsburgh Flyer is also the dam of the useful three-year-old filly, My Yankee Girl, (American Pharoah) a winner of two of her four starts to date.
Understandably, Pittsburgh Flyer has become a much sought after mare, and her filly by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) fetched A$700 000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Interestingly, Warning Zone is not the only descendant of Drohsky to have left her mark on Australia, with Drohsky also featuring as the ancestress of GR3 MRC Quezette Stakes winner, Crown Witness (Star Witness).
Descendants of Drohsky also continue to fire in South Africa through her numerous high-class broodmare daughters and their descendants.
Promising three-year-olds Senso Unico (Twice Over) and Resonate (Twice Over) are direct descendants of the mighty Drohsky, as is this season’s Need For Speed Sprint winner, Barzalona (Pomodoro).
