A winner of the 2024 Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint and one of the most well-bred fillies around, the top-class October Morn has come up for sale by the Executor of the Estate of the late David Abery.
A stakes winner at 2 and 3, with victories in then Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint, the Gr2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes and the Listed Perfect Promise Sprint, the 4yo daughter of Trippi, who was bred by Avontuur Stud and the late David Abery, has not been out of the money in all her 12 starts and her sale presents a rare opportunity to acquire a high-class racehorse and top broodmare prospect.
Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint winner October Morn (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
October Morn is currently based at the Bass-Robinson racing stable at Milnerton.
She has only run four times this year and has not seen action since winning the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint on 1 June.
The rules of engagement for the sale, together with the catalogue can be found by clicking here.
All offers need to be submitted in writing via email to [email protected] by 17h00 (SAST) on Thursday 24 October 2024.
The two highest offers so received will be contacted to revise, but not withdraw, their offers by no later than 17h00 (SAST) on Friday 25 October 2024.
October Morn has the pedigree to match her fine race record.
She is one of 92 stakes winners for Trippi, South Africa’s Champion Sire of 2015-2016, and is one of 14 Grade One winners for her superb sire.
She is the second daughter of Trippi to win the G1 South African Fillies Sprint, with the sire’s subsequent top-class producer daughter Real Princess (dam of dual Gr1 winner Gimme A Prince and the exciting Gimme’s Countess) having captured that Hollywoodbets Scottsville sprint feature back in 2016.
Trippi is also a top-class broodmare sire, with his daughters having already produced more than 40 stakes winners. Arguably his best broodmare daughter to date has been Miss Macy Sue, the dam of four black type winners including highly successful US stallions Liam’s Map (by Unbridled’s Song) and Not This Time (by Giant’s Causeway).
Other notable performers produced by daughters of Trippi include South African Gr1 winners Gabor, Gimme A Prince, Miss Florida and She’s A Keeper.
Even granddaughters of Trippi mares are enjoying success at stud, with Trippi mare Tuscan Sunset the granddam of 2024 Gr3 Lecomte Stakes winner and 2024 G2 Risen Star Stakes runner up Track Phantom (by Quality Road).
October Morn’s female line is outstanding and packed full of high-class black type performers.
She is out of high-class racemare Miss October, who showed top-class sprinting form, and won the 2014 Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap (one of her five career wins), she was also runner up in both the Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes and Listed KwaZulu-Natal Stakes and third in the Gr2 Sceptre Stakes, Gr3 Lebelo Sprint, and Listed Gardenia Handicap. A Var full-sister to Gr1 Mercury Sprint winner August Rush, Miss October has proved to be an excellent producer.
October Morn’s dam – the Var mare Miss October (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Her second foal, a full-sister to October Morn, was the Trippi filly Spring Break who won four times and ran second, beaten less than half a length, in the 2019 G2 Haval Motors South Africa Umkhomazi Stakes.
Miss October’s next foal was Tempting Fate (by Master Of My Fate), Equus Champion 2YO Colt of 2019-2020 and winner of both the Gr1 Golden Horse Medallion and G3r Godolphin Barb Stakes in 2020. Her foals prior to October Morn were Spielberg (by Futura) and October Fair (by Silvano), both of whom won twice.August Rush and Miss October are two of the nine winners produced by Huntingdale mare Bushgirl.
Bushgirl’s dam Devon Air, who began her career in England, was possessed of considerably more stamina than her descendants August Rush and Miss October.
Devon Air – 1984 Gr2 Jockey Brand Gold Cup
South Africa’s Champion Stayer of 1983, Devon Air’s first South African start saw the daughter of Sparkler romp home to an 11 length score over 1900m. Devon Air went on to win the Listed Sidney Benjamin Cup by 13 lengths before running third, to Wolf Power, in the 1984 G1 J&B Metropolitan.
Campaigned in KZN, Devon Air reeled off wins in the Gr2 Republic Day Handicap, Gr1 Rothmans July Handicap and Gr2 Gold Cup before retiring to stud.
She made a good start at stud, with her first two foals, the filly Cream Of The Crop and Plymouth Rock winning the Gr2 Chairmans Handicap and Listed Settlers Trophy respectively (Cream Of The Crop also went on to enjoy success at stud with her 7 winners headed by Gr2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes winner She’s On Fire).
However, Devon Air had only produced one more winner by the time she was bought at a 1996 auction at Summerhill Stud by Zimbabwean breeder Christopher Peech. Her first Zimbabwean foal was by Huntingdale and was called Bushgirl, who had to be delivered by caesarian section. She barely survived and was too weak and unsound to be raced.
Bushgirl was snapped on auction up by the astute Robin Bruss, and the rest is history with Bruss breeding both Miss October and August Rush.
The late Var, sire of Miss October, is fast becoming a top-class broodmare sire with his daughters having already produced the likes of G1 XXXX Golden Rose winning sire In The Congo and South African Gr1 winners Alesian Chief, and present day sires Master Archie and Thunderstruck, to name but a few.
