With almost three months of the racing season consigned to the history books, the time draws ever closer when the first juveniles will step out.
Wilgerbosdrift-based Hawwaam (Silvano ex Halfway To Heaven)(Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
There is always a growing sense of anticipation, especially amongst those who have a vested interest in the progeny of new season sires, as their first runners hit the tracks.
In contrast to the Northern Hemisphere, where top colts are raced with a stallion career in mind, the majority of South African-raced males invariably suffer the ‘unkindest cut’.
No surprise then, that the 2021 stallion intake saw just four recruits to the sire ranks, comprising champions Got The Greenlight and Hawwaam, Gr2 winner Erik The Red and American stakes winner Declarationofpeace.
Sadly, that was whittled down to three, when Got The Greenlight failed to get any of his mares in foal.
So much depends on a freshman sire’s initial market appeal and first book of mares, and judging by the NHRA returns, none of the trio lacked support.
The Champion 3yo Male of his generation, Hawwaam returned to birthplace Wilgerbosdrift following a stellar career which yielded ten wins from just 13 starts. Eight of those were at Graded stakes level and included the Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge (twice), Gr1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut, Gr1 Daily News 2000and Gr1 SA Classic.
By the ubiquitous four-time champion stallion Silvano, he is the youngest of three Gr1 winners out of the remarkable Halfway To Heaven, the only mare in history to be named Broodmare of the Year three years running.
Her first foal Rainbow Bridge was named Horse of the Year and Equus Older Male, while second foal Golden Ducat won the Gr1 Cape Derby and defeated his sibling by a shorthead in an epic finish to the 2020 Gr1 Champions Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
As befits his credentials, Hawwaam enjoyed fine support from breeders and boasts a quality first crop, one which made quite a splash at this year’s sales and included several seven-figure yearlings.
Top of the heap was a R5-million half-brother to champion and Hollywoodbets Durban July victress Sparkling Water, while Justin Vermaak gave R2-million for the half-brother to Horse of the Year Princess Calla and Ebrahim Khan outlaid R2,2 million on two colts, one of which a R1,2-million son of Gr2 Fillies Guineas winner Festival Of Fire.
The R5-million colt was purchased by the Hollywood Syndicate and is out of the grand racemare Espumanti, who incidentally, was regularly partnered by former champion jockey and now the Hollywood racing manager Anthony Delpech. He reports that the colt, now named Cool Gambler is currently in pre-training: “He is doing everything right and is very professional.”
No decision has been made yet as to who will train the colt, but as Anthony remarked, “it looks like he will take his time and will not be early.”
Hawwaam’s first crop also includes siblings to a number of stakes performers, notably Rascova, Wrecking Ball, Montien, Joy And Peace, Secret Identity and White Pearl.
Varsfontein’s Erik The Red (Captain Al ex Covenant) in race action (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Varsfontein Stud homebred Erik The Red retired at the end of his three-year-old season as the first sophomore winner of the Gr2 Cape Merchants in 22 years, a notable effort.
Bred in the purple, he is by successful sire of sires Captain Al out of Gr1 winner Covenant, whose half-sister, the champion Promisefrommyheart, produced successful stallion Master Of My Fate and is also grandam of Triple Crown winner and young sire Malmoos.
As a fine sprinter, it was always a given that Erik The Red would be immensely popular, and so it proved. He was widely supported by both Varsfontein and fellow breeders, to the extent that he covered in excess of 100 mares first time round and will have plenty of ammunition to go to war with.
His arsenal includes siblings to champion Bless My Stars, Gr1 winners Lucky Lad, Kilindini and Undercover Agent, and the stakes winners Let’s Go Now, Blackball, Maleficent, Atticus Finch, One Night In Paris and Queen Forever.
In the sales ring, he too weighed in with a seven figure yearling, a R1 million filly out of Monroe Spring, the last foal of blue hen mare Mystic Spring and thus a half-sister to champion Bela-Bela, whose Erik The Red colt fetched R650 000.
Rounding out the treble of freshman sires and the sole import is the well-related and performed Declarationofpeace, who stands at Macrath Stud in Nottingham Road, as did his Gr2 winning half-brother Noble Tune before him.
Declarationofpeace (War Front ex Serena’s Cat) stands at Macrath Stud (Pic – Supplied)
From the proven Danzig sireline, Declarationofpeace is by War Front (sire also of Fire Away and much-missed Lancaster Bomber) and raced successfully for Ballydoyle, scoring the pinnacle win of his career in the Listed Qatar Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
A specialist sprinter, he is out of Storm Cat’s stakes winning daughter Serena’s Cat, the dam also of American champion and sire Honor Code.
Declarationofpeace was given the thumbs up by KZN breeders, who supported him to the hilt with a first book of over 80 mares, a good number of which were black type performers/producers.
He boasts amongst his first crop of foals siblings to champion Lady In Black, the Gr1 winner Bohica and stakes winners Nexus, Mercury Rising, Jo’s Bond, Harry Lime and Leaving Las Vegas.
As a footnote, there were hopes that Got The Greenlight’s fertility problems would only be temporary. Alas, from latest reports, the five-time Gr1 winner has yet to get a mare in foal this season. A cruel blow to Camargue Stud and KZN breeders indeed.
