Jet Master – still exerting his influence
This past racing season has seen a number of local sires fare extremely well. Pleasingly, a number of young stallions have made promising starts to their respective stud careers – no fewer than three first crop sires of the 2013-2014 season (Lateral, Mambo In Seattle and Seventh Rock) have been represented by Gr1 winners in their first local crops. All three look exciting prospects, and there are a number of other young sires also showing signs of promise with their first juveniles this season.
Jet Master once again headed the sires log, and, in doing so, earned his seventh general sires title. Not surprisingly, Jet Master was also the leading sire by stakes winners this season, and was represented by an impressive 16 black type winners during the season. His tally includes the multiple Gr1 winners Yorker and In The Fast Lane, Gr1 Mercury Sprint winner Fly By Night, as well as Jet Belle and Jet Aglow, first and second in Saturday’s Gr2 Gold Bracelet. Jet Master, whose final crop are now two, has some really top notch juveniles this season, with his 2yos include brilliant Gr3 Champion Juvenile Cup winner Jet Set Go, as well as Jayyed and MLJet, second and third in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes on Saturday. Both Yorker and In The Fast Lane look likely Equus Award winners in their own right, and should provide their mighty sire with more posthumous glory. Jet Master is the first stallion since Foveros to earn as many as seven general sires titles.
However, with Jet Master having reclaimed his sires title, which stallions stamped themselves as potential Equus Awards 2014 Outstanding Stallion winners? This award is annually given to one stallion who has enjoyed remarkable success, but is not usually given to the country’s official champion sire. Here are possible candidates for the Outstanding Stallion award –
Black Minnaloushe
Black Minnaloushe – He had a remarkable day at Turffontein on Champions day when his son, Louis The King, won the Gr1 SA Derby and daughter, Ash Cloud, the Gr1 SA Oaks. Few sires ever have two major classic wins on one day, and with Louis The King becoming just the second horse in history to win South Africa’s SASCOC Triple Crown, Black Minnaloushe certainly had his best ever season in South Africa. It is also worth remembering that Black Minnaloushe’s 3yos also include the sidelined Equus Champion Kochka – who could well have added further success to his sire’s season, had he not been injured.
Captain Al – It is a rare achievement for any one sire to win six 2yo sires title at all. But Captain Al has gone one better and achieved this in the last six seasons, which is a great feat and surely one deserving of recognition. Not only was Captain Al represented by the Gr1 winning 2yo filly, Carry On Alice (probably the leading contender for the Equus Award of Champion 2YO Filly), he was also responsible for 2014 J&B Met winner Hill Fifty Four. The former Cape Guineas winner has also enjoyed a good season as a broodmare sire – Captain Al is the broodmare sire of two of this season’s top 2yo fillies in Same Jurisdiction and Hot Affair.
Dynasty
Dynasty – The former Horse Of The Year had an unbelievable year in 2014. This season alone, the progeny of Dynasty have won no fewer than 16 feature races, and he ended the season runner up to Jet Master on the general sires log – making him South Africa’s leading active sire by prize money. Dynasty’s offspring won many of the country’s biggest races this year, and he was represented by both Gr1 winning colts and fillies. His champion daughter, Beach Beauty, romped home in three of South Africa’s premier events for fillies and mares, and Dynasty progeny picked up seven Grade One races this season.
For a second year in a row a son of Dynasty (Futura) won the Gr1 Champions Cup, while Dynasty was also represented by his first July winner (Legislate). Both Legislate and Beach Beauty look likely to win Equus Awards in August, while in Act Of War, Dynasty looks to have a live classic prospect for next season.
Var
Var – Apart from Jet Master, former sprint champion, Var, was represented by more stakes winners (12) than any other local sire during 2013-2014. In Variety Club, Var has sired one of the finest thoroughbreds bred in this country, and Variety Club made history when becoming the first overseas contender to win Hong Kong’s Gr1 Champions Mile. Variety Club was one of three Grade 1 winners to represent Var this season, with his other flag bearers being star filly, Via Africa, and Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint winner, Normanz. Remarkably, Via Africa (Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint) and Normanz won Gr1 races on the same day – and gave Var a remarkable double, as his progeny had won the SA Fillies Sprint and Golden Horse Casino Sprint one year earlier as well. A horse represented by some really nice 2yos this season as well, Var is a sire going from strength to strength.
Fort Wood
Another sire who enjoyed a memorable season in 2013-2014 was veteran Fort Wood. The 24 year old was represented by eight stakes winners this season, including Gr1 SA Fillies Classic winner Athina. His sons, Dynasty and Horse Chestnut, both enjoyed good seasons with their runners, while another champion son of Fort Wood who looks to have a bright stud career ahead of him is Elusive Fort. Remarkably, seven of the 16 runners in the 2014 Vodacom Durban July have Fort Wood in their pedigrees.
Last season’s Champion Sire, Silvano, had another good year, highlighted by Gr1 wins from Vercingetorix (Jebel Hatta) and Wavin’ Flag (Gold Cup). Silvano was represented by an impressive tally of 11 local stakes winners this season, with his tally including the impressive Western Cape 3yo Power King, amongst others.
– Sarah Whitelaw
