Champion’s first foals
The first foals of former champion Kildonan (Rich Man’s Gold) were born this season. Kildonan, who stands at Wilgerbosdrift, is apparently throwing a nice stamp of foal, with more substance than he has himself. Mary Slack is very pleased with the quality of foal, that her home bred champion has produced so far. Kildonan, a grandson of the highly influential sire Forty Niner, is out of a half-sister to G1 SA Fillies Sprint winner Sound of Rhum. An attractive horse himself, Kildonan was an unbeaten Equus Champion at 2, before downing sprint champions Mythical Flight and War Artist in the G1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint at 3. He was sent to Dubai, but unfortunately Kildonan was unable to race there, due to injury.
He stands for a fee of R10 000 this season.
Horse of the Year’s life of Riley
One of the most memorable horses in years past, was the former Horse of the Year, Free My Heart (Jallad). A big horse, Free My Heart had an eye catching turn of foot, and regularly won races from seemingly impossible positions. His 12 career victories included seven at G1 level. Arguably his finest moment was when he beat Horse of the Year and subsequent champion sire Jet Master in the 2000 Gold Challenge at Clairwood Park. Free My Heart won no fewer than eight graded races during his racing career, and was placed in a further eight G1 races!
A gelding, Free My Heart was retired to Highlands Farms after his racing days ended. He was originally used as a riding horse, but Free My Heart now spends his days in a paddock – a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the racetrack! John Freeman, closely involved with the horse’s racing career, described the champion as “a real character. He tended to nip in training, but still loves having his tongue stroked.”
Incidentally, Free My Heart is a full brother to the dam of leading Vodacom July hopeful, Run For It (Dynasty).
Top mares’ foals
The record breaking mare, Secret Heart (Fort Wood), recently gave birth to a bay daughter of champion US turf horse Kitten’s Joy (El Prado). The filly is intensely inbred to legendary stallion Sadler’s Wells – sire of both El Prado and Fort Wood.
The Team Valor owned mare is the first SAF bred mare ever to produce a Breeders Cup winner, and hopefully her most recent addition can continue to add glory to her powerful family.
Placed in both the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas and G1 Paddock Stakes, Secret Heart is best known as the dam of Pluck (More Than Ready), a spectacular winner of the G2 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf. Pluck is likely to be aimed at either the French or Irish 2000 Guineas later this year. His dam is booked back to More Than Ready this year.
Another classy racemare to give birth recently was Joshlin (Joshua Dancer). Also owned by Team Valor, Joshlin produced a colt by the top-class US sire Unusual Heat. Unusual Heat is one of Nureyev’s finest sire sons, despite being only a minor stakes winner and having had relatively limited opportunities at stud.
Joshlin, who won both the G2 Sceptre Stakes and G3 Diana Stakes (beating champion Captain’s Lover) is booked to former Kentucky Derby runner up Proud Citizen this year.
Powerful male line dominates G1 race
The Gran Premio Saturnino J Unzue, one of Argentina’s most important races for juvenile fillies was run on Saturday. There were 11 runners in the 1200 metre event. To say the race was dominated by sons of Storm Cat is by no means an exaggeration – no fewer than eight of the 11 horse field (and four of the first five home) were sired by sons of Storm Cat, whose influence in South America continues to grow at a rate of knots.
Another G1 race on the same day, the Gran Premio Santiago Luro, was won by Angiola – a son of yet another Storm Cat horse, Grand Reward.
Winner of the Saturnino J Unzue was La Impaciente, a daughter of Storm Cat horse Bernstein who just denied runner up La Toscana Cat (by Storm Cat horse Easing Along) by a short head. In fourth place came the Bernstein sired filly French Cup ahead of the Storm Surge filly Storm Secrets.
Bernstein has twice headed the general sires list in Argentina, and, to date, has been represented by four Argentinian champions and 13 South American based G1 winners. Another Storm Cat horse doing well in Argentina is Pure Prize. A son of champion Heavenly Prize, Pure Prize is currently the second leading sire on the Argentine’s general sires list. He is the sire of, amongst others, one of the country’s top horses, Fuego E Hierro.
SA buyers go big down under
A strong contingent of South African buyers attended last month’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. They combined to purchase 19 yearlings for a gross total of AUS$1 million, with the average price being just AUS$54,000. The most expensive yearling was lot 329, an Encosta de Lago purchased by Form Bloodstock for AUS$ 125,000 (R872 000). Heritage Bloodstock purchased a colt by champion sire Redoute’s Choice out of SA record breaker Perfect Promise for $75,000.
SA buys of the sale were as follows:
lot 15 b c Tale of The Cat – Hampton Rover
lot 23 b c Rock of Gibraltar – Here for Glory
lot 85 ch f Rock Of Gibraltar – Les Ry Leigh
lot 111 b f Dylan Thomas – Madonna
lot 121 b f Royal Academy – Meru hill
lot 172 ch c Any Given Saturday – Our Dizzy Raine
lot 183 b c Redoute’s Choice – Perfect Promise
lot 198 b c Churchill Downs – Prayers’n’promises
Lot 329 b c Encosta de Lago – Traffic Watch
lot 362 b c Haradasun – Zabelette
lot 363 b f Redoute’s Choice – Zaldivar
lot 387 b c Rock of Gibraltar – Amah Dramas
lot 441 b c Rock of Gibraltar – Brandy Cocktail
lot 456 b f Danehill Dancer – Celtic Queen
lot 504 b c Rock of Gibraltar – Dash on Ruby
lot 520 br c Dubawi – Dash on Ruby
lot 536 b f Forestry – Elusive Lady in Red
lot 537 br f Rock of Gibraltar – Elusive Kash
lot 545 b c Royal Academy – Fantastrick
