Siblings at stud
There has been much demand for the first foals by superstar Sea The Stars. It is understandable as not only was the champion a truly great racehorse, but he is also a half-brother to the world’s top sire, Galileo.
It is, however, difficult to justify how someone can spend 850,000 (or R9.4 million!) euros on a foal by an unproven stallion. Sea The Stars’ first five foals to sell at the recent Goffs grossed a massive 2.86 million euros. This is a truly staggering amount to spend on FOALS of an unproven stallion. The foals averaged over 500,000 euros – the sale’s average was just over 28,000 euros.
Having a half, or full brother, as a champion sire is not always a good pointer to a horse’s future success at stud. For all the brothers which do succeed, ie Kris and Diesis, Sadler’s Wells and Fairy King, and Graustark and His Majesty, many more fail.
A perfect example is the case of Danehill. A legend of the international breeding game, Danehill had no fewer than four brothers, two of which were full brothers, retire to stud. His full brothers, however, failed miserably.
In contrast, there have been a handful of mares who have produced more than one champion sire. Plucky Liege is one of the most famous examples. The mare, who is the ancestress of the promising young SA sire Go Deputy, produced a remarkable four chefs de race in her champion sire sons Sir Gallahad III and Bull Dog, Bois Roussel and Admiral Drake.
Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad were the most recent full brothers to head the US general sires list.
Another famous mare to throw several top sires was Perdita II. Owned by The Prince of Wales, Perdita II bred Diamond Jubilee (champion sire in Argentina), Persimmon (champion sire in Britain) and Florizel II (a successful sire and outstanding broodmare sire).
Selene’s sons included champions sires Sickle and Hyperion. Cinna produced champion sires in New Zealand and Australia – remarkably her champion sire sons, Beau Pere and Balloch, won just three races between them.
No one mare has ever produced a pair of champion sires in South Africa. The last mare to throw two champion sire sons in Britain was Scapa Flow – her sons Pharos (1931) and Fairway (1936, 1939, 1943 and 1944) both headed the general sires list.
Sea The Stars’ dam, Urban Sea, is a great broodmare, but of her sons at stud, only Galileo has proven exceptional. Two other sons of Urban Sea, albeit of lesser quality than Galileo and Sea The Stars, are currently National Hunt stallions. Her other sons at stud include Black Sam Bellamy – a full brother to Galileo. Black Sam Bellamy and Galileo are sons of a phenomenal sire in Sadler’s Wells, while Sea The Stars is by Cape Cross – a good sire, but not in the same class as Sadler’s Wells.
As a great a racehorse, and as well bred a stallion as he is, Sea The Stars still has a long way to prove himself a stallion in the same class as his half-brother Galileo.
Green Pointer to success
The G2 Green Point Stakes, which was run at Kenilworth this Saturday just past, has been a terrific guide for future G1 winners. The race has a long history and was first run as the Spring Stakes, when it was originally run over 1800 metres. The first winner, in 1958, was Avon – who subsequently won the G1 Cape Derby. Since then the race, which was also run as the Computaform Stakes, has been won by such champions as Ecurie (Liloy), Over The Air (New South Wales), Prince Florimund (Dowdstown Charley), Royal Chalice (Royal Prerogative) and Star Effort (Esplendor). Prince Florimund certainly made his mark on the race – not only did he run a comfortable winner of the 1981 race, but his daughter, Stormsvlei, produced the triple Green Point winner, Pocket Power.
Recent winners include Winter Solstice, Dynasty and Pocket Power – all of whom went onto garner Horse of the Year honours. The race has also produced its fair share of Guineas winners, but, now, as a result of the programme having changed, seems less likely to do so – given that the Selangor Cup is held just one week later.
Given this history, surely the Green Point Stakes is deserving of an upgrade in status. It may be best known as a prep race for the Queen’s Plate and/or Met, but given the quality of horses competing in it annually, it is hard to deny that it is not a race worthy of G1 status.
Gone but not forgotten
The recently deceased champion sire, Jet Master, has some superbly bred youngsters representing him on the track this year. Not only is he the sire of unbeaten sensation Divine Jet (a half-brother to G1 winner Divine Jury) and the promising 3yo filly Thunder Dance (out of the Fillies Guineas winner Shadow Dancing), Jet Master some blue blooded 2yos in the wings.
Foremost among “The Jet”’s 2yos is One Sunday Morning. The colt, who topped the 2010 Cape Premier Yearling Sale at R2.5 million, is a half-brother to Klawervlei sire Jay Peg, South Africa’s all time leading money earner. It is hard to imagine what this colt’s worth would be should he prove of stakes class.
Jet Master also has 2yo siblings to G1 winners Alexandra Rose, Stratos, Talahatchie, The Sheik and Al Nitak, J J The Jet Plane, Floatyourboat and Smart Banker.
Jet Master also has 2yos out of top racemares Promisefrommyheart, Sarabande, Bella Bianca, Sabina Park and Joshua’s Princess.
With such well bred juveniles representing him, it is hard to imagine that Jet Master will not continue to feature prominently on the sires list.
A different view
Lately, Tellytrack viewers have been treated a host of different views thanks to various cameramen. At times, punters have been given views which have varied from seeing the field from the back of the field, to other shots, where the field has barely been visible from any angle!
This is unacceptable. If Tellytrack wants to be considered a professional channel, the powers that be can’t afford to put up with such shenanigans. No one should have to watch such a poor presentation of a sport.
US G1 winner latest champ for German superstar
When Sanagas won Saturday’s G1 Hollywood Turf Cup, he continued the good year enjoyed by his sire, Lomitas (sire of leading SA sire Silvano). Lomitas is, of course, also sire of recent Arc de Triomphe winner Danedream.
However, Lomitas is not the only German superstar to feature in Sanagas’ pedigree. Sanagas is a direct descendant of Schwarzgold, one of the greatest fillies ever bred in Germany and a hugely important tap root mare.
Schwarzgold, a daughter of the German Derby winner Alchimist, won nine of 12 and was placed in her other starts. Her wins included scores in the German Derby and Oaks, while her numerous high-class descendants include Sagace (Arc de Triomphe), Slip Anchor (Epsom Derby), Zagreb (Irish Derby) and Steinlen (Breeders Cup Mile).
