Japanese champion, and South African First Season Sire of 2022-2023, Danon Platina has made huge strides with his first two-year-olds in recent days.
The 2014 Gr1 Asahi Hai Futurity winner followed up two winners at Turffontein on Tuesday with another eye-catching winner at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday, when his son Rapidash won the first race on Daily News 2000 day.
Danon Platina’s son Rapidash charges home to win under Richard Fourie at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The very next race saw Danon Platina provide both runner-up Knockout and third place finisher Bitcoin Baby respectively.
Rapidash, who is out of the War Pass mare My Lovely, is the 11th winner for Danon Platina, who is currently engaged in a tight duel with the ill-fated Lancaster Bomber for the title of South Africa’s Leading First Season of the current season.
Rapidash, who was making just his second start on Saturday, hails from an outstanding family, with his notable relatives headed by the top-class stallions, and half-brothers, Invincible Spirit and Kodiac, among many others.
Seven of Danon Platina’s first 11 winners are fillies, with his sons Romance In Rome (twice a winner from four starts), Linkin Navigator, French Impact and now Rapidash having also gotten off the mark.
However, Danon Platina fillies have certainly made a big impression this season and include the hugely impressive Platina Princess, debut winner Oriental Bouquet and smart recent winner White Pearl, among others.
Danon Platina
At the time of writing, just R169 06 separates Danon Platina from Lancaster Bomber, with the former also having a number of extremely promising juveniles representing him this season.
With a number of two-year-old feature races yet to be run, the title of Leading First Season Sire for the season is one very much up for grabs!
Danon Platina’s growing success also suggests he can further add to the growing legacy made by sire sons of his legendary father Deep Impact. The latter, Champion Sire in Japan on 11 occasions and Leading Sire of 2YOs in Japan on an equal number of times, is fast compiling an impressive record as a sire of sires.
Deep Impact horse Satono Aladdin is currently the Leading Sire of Two-Year-Olds in New Zealand for 2022- 2023, with another Deep Impact stallion Staphanos fifth on the same list.
Both Satono Aladdin and Staphanos have been responsible for Gr1 winners this year, with Satono Aladdin not only the sire of dual Oaks winner Pennyweka but also Gr1 Sistema Stakes hero Tokyo Tycoon.
Staphanos, New Zealand’s third Leading First Season Sire for 2022-2023, made an instant impression with his first two-year-olds this season headed by Gr1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes winner Pignan.
Yet another son of Deep Impact, former Japanese Derby winner Kizuna, is the sire of 2023 Gr1 Victoria Mile queen Songline. The latter is one of 22 stakes winners for Kizuna, Japan’s Leading First Season Sire in 2019.
Another son of Deep Impact, 2018 Gr1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Study Of Man (a close relative of successful South African sire Judpot and champion South African stayer Nebraas), recently got off the mark as a stallion when his two-year-old son Deepone made a winning debut at Leopardstown.
Qipco 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior, a son of Deep Impact and the Gr1-winning Galileo mare Maybe, also made a huge start with his first crop, now three, headed by Breeders’ Cup winner Victoria Road and the promising Greenland.
The latter, whose dam was sired by Ridgemont’s five-time Gr1 winning sire Canford Cliffs, stamped himself as a likely French Derby contender when he won this year’s Gr3 Prix Greffulhe.
