“What a mare,” remarked trainer Mike de Kock at Turffontein on Sunday following the inaugural running of the Listed Summer Pudding Handicap (formerly the Syringa), which went the way of his three-year-old charge Silver Sanctuary.
The revered trainer was of course referring to the filly’s dam My Sanctuary, who by the way, produced another work of art from the yard, her full brother Safe Passage.
The Silvano siblings’ race in the silks of their breeder Drakenstein Stud.
My Sanctuary wins the Debutante in 2013 under the late Alec Forbes (Pic – Gold Circle)
From the first crop of the Danzig horse Antonius Pius, Highlands-bred My Sanctuary had been bought on spec as a yearling by the Duncan Howells stable for a paltry R55 000 and what a shrewd bargain she turned out to be.
Described by Duncan as a “big, athletic filly, a typical sprinting type,” she was an ultra-impressive winner of her first two juvenile starts, both at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, to which she later added the Gr2 Debutante.
By the time her racing career was over, she was a four-time winner and with earnings of R345 875, had returned her bargain purchase price almost seven times over.
Sold privately to Drakenstein, My Sanctuary duly exchanged the hustle and bustle of the racetrack for the tranquillity of the broodmare paddocks and after producing winners to Kingsbarns and Futura, she came up trumps with Safe Passage, her third foal.
He earned championship honours at three when his big-race haul included the Gr1 Daily News 2000, Gr2 Dingaans and Gr2 Gauteng Guineas, as well as taking the runner-up spot in the Gr1 SA Classic and third in the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Safe Passage – big contender for Betway Summer Cup (Pic – JC Photos)
Safe Passage returns to the Big T on 25 November for another crack at the Gr1 Betway Summer Cup, in a bid to go one better after his runner-up spot behind Puerto Manzano twelve months ago.
Silver Sanctuary joined her full brother at the De Kock yard and she promptly kickstarted her racing career as a late juvenile with an impressive debut victory at the Vaal.
Last weekend saw her pitched into the deep end whilst making her stakes bow against a doughty field of seasoned rivals as by far the least experienced runner, boasting two wins and a second from just four starts.
No hassles though, for she proved equal to the task and at the business end of the race, displayed a large dose of courage to squeeze through a narrow gap, before drawing clear for a maiden stakes success.
Enough has been written to fill an encyclopaedia about the deeds of her late sire, for whom she is the 105th locally-bred stakes winner.
Interesting to note that she is bred on the same lines as champion Vercingetorix, whose dam is by the National Assembly, like Antonius Pius a son of Danzig.
Now a freshly minted stakes winner, and clearly on an upward trajectory, Silver Sanctuary appears to have Triple Tiara contender written all over her.
Silver Sanctuary cracks her maiden stakes in the Listed Summer Pudding on Sunday (Pic – JC Photos)
For the record, Drakenstein already has a Triple Tiara winner to its credit in dual champion Rain In Holland, who took the honours in 2022.
While Safe Passage and Silver Sanctuary are strutting their stuff on the racetrack, what’s next from My Sanctuary?
Waiting in the wings are a juvenile colt by What A Winter purchased by the Azzie team for R1,1 million at this year’s National Yearling Sale, and a yearling full sister which is sure to be retained.
This season, My Sanctuary has been covered by Drakenstein newcomer Jet Dark.
This modestly-priced yearling has exceeded all expectations and as good as her track record was, there’s no disputing she has scaled new heights as a broodmare.
