With the 2020-2021 South African racing season fast drawing to an end, it is perhaps worth looking at some of the top broodmares of the season.
Some of the mares below may not qualify to be Broodmare Of The Year this season, but they more than made their presence felt through their descendants.
- Halfway To Heaven:
South Africa’s Broodmare Of The Year the past two seasons running, the G3 Prix du Cap winning daughter of Jet Master enjoyed further success in 2020-2021.
Incumbent Halfway To Heaven
Her dual G1 winning son Golden Ducat (Philanthropist) captured the Gr2 Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy, while her outstanding son Rainbow Bridge (Ideal World) has won all of the Gr1 Cape Town Met Presented by Cape Racing, Gr2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes and the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge this season.
- Gay Fortuna:
A Fort Wood three-parts sister to Horse Of The Year Celtic Grove, Gay Fortuna came up with her third stakes winner when her brilliant daughter Marina (Silvano) captured both the World Sports Betting Stormsvlei Stakes and WSB River Jetez Stakes this season. Marina joins former Equus Champion, and Gr1 Vodacom Durban July winner, Marinaresco (Silvano), and Kenilworth Cup hero Mercurana (Ideal World) as stakes winners for her dam.
- Promisefrommyheart:
The now deceased champion more than made her presence felt in the 2020-2021 racing season.
Top class Promisefrommyheart
Promisefrommyheart’s Spook Express Handicap winning daughter Justthewayyouare (Fort Wood) is the dam of the 2020-2021 WSB Triple Crown winner Malmoos (Captain Al), while her Gr2 Premier Trophy/Gr2 Peninsula Handicap winning son Master Of My Fate (Jet Master) had an excellent season with his runners headed by Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes winner Zarina and Saturday’s Gr3 Goals And Gallops Final Fling Stakes winner Pretty Betty.
Malmoos is the second graded winner for Justthewayyouare, also dam of dual Gr3 winner Captain Splendid.
- Fashing:
Another late mare to make her presence felt this season was Fashing -South Africa’s Broodmare Of The Year in 2003.
The daughter of Dancing Champ ranks as the granddam of this season’s Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery winner Gimme Dat (Gimmethegreenlight), and third dam of both the Listed The Lighthouse Foundation Devon Air Stakes victress Twice The Trip (Twice Over), Sophomore Sprint winner Speed Machine (Legislate) and Listed East Cape Guineas/Listed World Sports Betting East Cape Derby winner Jaeger Moon (Capetown Noir).
- Nona In Command:
Winner of the Listed Swallow Stakes, Commands’ daughter Nona In Command made it two graded stakes winners from her first two runners when her son Warrior (Futura) won the Gr3 World Sports Betting Variety Club Mile.
Swallow Stakes winner Nona In Command
Nona In Command, bred on similar lines to champion Laisserfaire (Danehill), also ranks as the dam of Gr3 Prix du Cap/Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes winner Pretty Young Thing (Jackson).
- Cosmic Dream:
Silvano mare Cosmic Dream was another to produce a second graded winner this season when her son Cosmic Highway (Gimmethegreenlight) captured the Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery.
The latter, a half-brother to Gr2 The Debutante winner Cosmic Light (Querari), also went on to win the Listed Cell C Sharks Gatecrasher Stakes.
- Deceptive Charm:
The daughter of outstanding broodmare sire Kingmambo was another to come up with a second graded stakes winner when her two-year-old daughter Under Your Spell won the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship and Gr3 Protea Stakes this season.
Deceptive Charm (whose dam is a full-sister to Casey Tibbs) is bred on the highly successful Kingmambo/Sadler’s Wells cross, and also rates as the dam of dual Gr3 Track And Ball Oaks winner Witchcraft (Kahal).
- Mystery Dame:
Daughters of Jet Master continue to shine as broodmares, and the champion’s Gr3 placed daughter Mystery Dame came up with her second graded winner this season when her son Nexus scored in the Gr2 Cape Racing Peninsula Handicap.
Nexus (Dynasty) joins the Dynasty sired champion Lady In Black as a graded stakes winner for his well-bred dam.
- Betty Burke:
The daughter of Captain Al registered her third stakes winner in the form of this season’s Listed Ladies Mile/G3 Final Fling Stakes winner Pretty Betty.
Previously, Betty Burke had produced dual Gr3 winner Freedom Charter (Elusive Fort) and Sophomore Sprint hero Ernie (Elusive Fort).
- First Arrival:
The former Zimbabwe star, whose progeny include Gr1 winning champions Let’s Rock’N Roll and In The Fast Lane, came up with a remarkable sixth stakes winner, when her daughter Keep On Dancing (Silvano) won both the Gr2 Track And Ball Oaks and Listed KRA East Coast Cup.
