Death of promising performer
It was sad to hear of the passing, recently, of the talented performer Grisham (Kahal). A half-brother to former Vodacom Durban July winner Dunford, Grisham broke down after a gallop, and unfortunately had to be euthanized.
Grisham was a smart performer in South Africa, where he won three races and ran third to subsequent G1 President’s Challenge winner Happy Landing in the Listed Drum Star Handicap. It was decided to target some of Zimbabwe’s main feature races with him, and the gelding excelled, showing improvement in each start. Grisham reeled off impressive wins in both the Castle Tankard and OK Grand Challenge, and, at the time of his untimely demise, was the horse racing in Zimbabwe.
Sympathy goes out to his connections, their loss compounded by the fact that Grisham was just reaching his peak at the time of his death.
SA winner runs third in Singapore Derby
It is interesting to note that, Trafalgar Legacy – third in Sunday’s Singapore Derby, had previously campaigned in South Africa. The Australian bred son of Rock of Gibraltar won on debut, over 1200m, before finishing seventh on his only other start on South African soils.
He was then exported Singapore. From starts to date, the 4yo gelding has won three times, and, prior to his Derby run, run fifth in the Patron’s Bowl (SNG G1).
It is worth noting that South African trainers saddled three runners in Sunday’s $1.15 million race. Pat Shaw saddled Trafalgar Legacy and the ninth placed finisher Jamal Malik (ridden by South African Barend Vorster), whilst Basil Marcus had Storm Chispazo (who ran 14th) in the 2000m event.
Roberto dominates feature races
The weekend’s major international feature races were dominated by the descendants of the 1972 Epsom Derby winner Roberto. His grandson, the huge Rock Hard Ten (Kris S) is the sire of Nereid, who dead-heated in Saturday’s G1 American Oaks, and on Sunday, Blue Bunting, by the big, ugly Roberto sire Dynaformer, won the Irish Oaks. Banimpire, runner up in the Irish Oaks, is out of a mare by Roberto sire Kris S.
The Singapore Derby, ran on Sunday over 2000m (and bizarrely contested by 4yos), was won by Clint, whose sire, Kentucky Derby runner up Casual Lies, is a son of the Roberto son Lear Fan.
Roberto himself was a great stallion, but it could be argued that he has sired sire sons even better than himself. In Dynaformer and Kris S, in particular, Roberto sired two really outstanding stallions. Dynaformer’s 100 plus stakes winners include the ill fated champion Barbaro, as well as such G1 winners as Lucarno, Riskaverse, Americain, and this year’s Belmont Stakes third place finisher Brilliant Speed. Kris S, himself was the grandsire of the first two home, Blame and Zenyatta respectively, in last year’s G1 Breeders Cup Classic, and sired five individual Breeders Cup winners.
Roberto is well represented in South Africa, as the sire of the late, hugely influential sire Al Mufti, and the latter’s successful sire sons Captain Al and Victory Moon.
A measure of Al Mufti’s influence on the breed can be seen in the leading sires of juveniles list for the current season. His sons, Captain Al and Victory Moon, are currently 1-2 on the list, which was topped by Captain Al last season.
Al Mufti himself, sire of this season’s G1 winner Happy Landing, is also fourth on the broodmare sires list.
Meandre
When Meandre won last Thursday’s G1 Grand Prix de Paris he was keeping it all in the family, so to speak. His sire, Slickly, won the race in 2000, and trainer Andre Fabre was winning the race for the 11 time.
Meandre, who is Slickly (LImamix)’s first G1 winner, is a direct descendant of Frizette, one of the most important mares in recent history. Her descendants include Mr Prospector, Seattle Slew, Darshaan and Tourbillon – three of the most important stallions in the thoroughbred’s history. It is surely more than a coincident that Mr Prospector and Seattle Slew’s offspring have done so well when mated together! Another sire descended from this family is Forestry, sire of the 2011 Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford.
It is strange to note, that whilst Meandre’s first four dams never won a stakes race between them, his fifth and sixth dams, Apollonia (French Oaks, French 1000 Guineas) and Corejada (Irish Oaks, French 1000 Guineas) respectively, won a combined total of four classic races. Corejada herself was out of the intensely inbred mare Tourzima, who was by Tourbillon – out of a daughter of Banshee – granddam of Tourbillon.
July winning fillies at stud
August Rush, winner of Saturday’s G1 Mercury Sprint, has an pedigree which contains an interesting mixture of speed and stamina. BY the brilliant sprinter Var, August Rush’s dam, Bushgirl, is a daughter of 1984 Durban July winner, Devon Air.
There have only been a handful of females who won with July, with Igugu being the latest. But how have the fared at stud? Devon Air, herself, had a solidly successful stud career, producing two stakes winners, and she is now the granddam of two top class horses, in She’s On Fire and August Rush respectively.
The most recent July winning filly to be represented by runners is Ipi Tombe. The latter has been a disappointing broodmare, despite being mated to some of the world’s top stallions. To date, Ipi Tombe has produced two minor winners, to Pivotal and Sadler’s Wells.
Prior to Devon Air, the July had been captured by the Argentinian filly, Tecla Bluff. Whilst a disappointing broodmare herself (she bred just three minor winners), Tecla Bluff is the dam of the outstanding broodmare Teclafields. The latter produced three G1 winners, including J&B Met winner Zebra Crossing.
In 1962, Diza won the July for the fairer sex. She did well at stud, producing G2 Drill Hall Stakes winner Embassy and seven other minor winners . Diza is also granddam of SA Oaks winner Sea Mist, who in turn produced the champion Evening Mist. She is also ancestress of the top filly Star Award.
Five years earlier, the big race had been captured by Migraine. She produced four winners, none of which were stakes winners. However, Migraine is the granddam of a number of minor feature race winners.
It is worth noting that all the July winners mentioned have had more success as the dams of broodmares, rather than being particularly successful (with the exception of Diza and Devon Air) at stud themselves.
