With the 2018 South African breeding season just around the corner, many farms have finalised mating plans for some of their top broodmares.
Below are just some of the matings lined up for some of the Cape’s top broodmares.
End Of An Era for Cheveley star
This year marks the end of an era for the Cheveley Stud, with the farm’s outstanding broodmare Mystic Spring (Royal Academy) set for retirement. South Africa’s Equus Broodmare Of The Year in 2016-2017, Mystic Spring’s ten winners included four graded stakes notably the Equus Champions Rabiya (Jallad) and Bela-Bela.
All Is Secret
The grey Mystic Spring is also making her mark felt through her daughters Spring Lilac and Secret Of Victoria (Goldkeeper). The latter is dam of Equus Champion All Is Secret (Captain Al) and Gr1 winner The Secret Is Out (Captain Al), with the latter having tasted success this year in the Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes.
Cheveley is also home to Mystic Spring’s increasingly successful Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery winner Spring Lilac (Joshua Dancer), with that mare pencilled in for a possible visit to outstanding sire Dynasty –the sire of Spring Lilac’s champion half-sister Bela-Bela. Spring Lilac made a splash this season through the deeds of her daughter Snowdance – winner of both the Gr1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, and is also responsible for previous stakes winner Victorian Secret (Captain Al) and the highly touted 2yo Juniper Spring.
De Beyer stars to visit champions
Field Flower (Silvano), a half-sister to KZN Derby winner Royal Land (Badger Land), is one of South Africa’s most exciting broodmares. Not only did the mare capture the 2009 Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, but she has already left her mark at stud through the deeds of her exciting, exported G1 Sun Met runner up Last Winter (Western Winter). Field Flower, whose fourth dam Miss Disco produced US Horse Of The Year and eight times champion US sire Bold Ruler (Nasrullah), was covered in 2017 by What A Winter (Western Winter’s best sire son to date), and Peter de Beyer says they will return the mare to that multiple Equus Champion should Field Flower’s foal this year please them.
The Silvano mare could also return in the future to Equus Champion Elusive Fort, whose notable runners in 2017-2018 include the likes of Elusive Heart and Secret Potion, in 2019, with connections holding Field Flower’s Elusive Fort yearling in high regard.
Pine Princess ends Siren’s Call Triple Tiara dreams
Elusive Fort’s top class daughter Siren’s Call, desperately unlucky not to win the Triple Tiara in 2015 , is currently in foal to Trippi, South Africa’s Champion Sire of 2015-2016, and the mare, who hailed from the same generation as fellow filly standouts Carry On Alice, Inara, Smart Call, and Same Jurisdiction, is likely to visit Trippi once again in 2018.
Siren’s Call is owned by Peter de Beyer in partnership with Drakenstein Stud, and Peter is also a part-owner of another top-class racemare, in partnership with Maine Chance Farms, in the form of dual Equus Champion Princess Victoria (Victory Moon).
Like Field Flower a winner of the Cape Fillies Guineas, the brilliant Princess Victoria has spent much of her stud career thus far visiting multiple champion sire Silvano, but this year will visit a fellow Equus Champion in the form of Elusive Fort.
Lammerskraal stars visit top sires
One of the farms’ star producers is former Winter Derby/Winter Classic winner Sweet Virginia (Casey Tibbs), dam of Hong Kong star Horse Of Fortune (Stronghold) and 2018 Gr1 Vodacom Durban July winner and strong Equus Awards contender Do It Again (Twice Over).
Sweet Virginia is booked to visit the Captain Al sired Cape Guineas winner William Longsword in 2018, with the resulting foal set to be inbred to legendary stallion Sadler’s Wells.
The farm’s stalwart producer Strawberry Lane, dam of dual Guineas winner Solo Traveller and 2018 Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes winner Redberry Lane, will visit Lammerskraal’s G1 winning and increasingly successful resident stallion Visionaire (Grand Slam) in 2018. The foal will thus be bred on a similar Gone West line cross to the above mentioned pair of Redberry Lane and Solo Traveller, with the latter pair both sired by Lammerskraal’s triple champion sire Western Winter.
Capetown Noir – son of Akinfeet
Two other outstanding Lammerskraal mares will visit the court of Visionaire in 2018,with this pair including former Broodmare Of The Year Akinfeet (Fort Wood) and Gr1 winning champion Enchantress (National Assembly). Akinfeet, whose triple Gr1 winning son and Equus Champion Capetown Noir will be represented by his first runners in 2018-2019, was third in the UAE 1000 Guineas and she was produced by Cape Fillies Guineas winner Dance Every Dance (Northern Guest). The mare is currently in foal to red hot sire Gimmethegreenlight.
Equus Champion Enchantress, the dam of champion filly Laverna and Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup star Nevvay, is out of a Gr1 winner (Enchanting) and a half-sister to a Gr1 winner (Harry’s Charm).
The Gr3 Jacaranda Handicap winning Badger Land daughter Bardot, dam of Gr1 Woolavington 2000 winner Viva Maria (Jet Master) and Camellia Stakes vixen Bichette (Western Winter), is due to visit the Lammerskraal Stud bred Mercury Sprint winner Red Ray in order to produce a ¾ sibling to Bichette.
Galileo son for Ascot top mares
Bold Choice, a winning half-sister to July winner and increasingly successful Ascot sire Bold Silvano and dam of talented racemare Silvan Star (Silvano), will return to Silvan Star’s sire this year, while Ascot’s beautifully bred young Galileo sire Global View is set to cover two of the farm’s best matrons.
Ascot bred Bold Respect
Global View’s mates this season include the regally bred Grand Mary (Kyllachy) whose Gr1 Falmouth Stakes winning half-sister Rajeem is dam of one of Britain’s top 3yo sprinters (Invincible Army) this year , as well as Coral Tree (Rich Man’s Gold) –dam of 2018 Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Coral Fever.
Not surprisingly, Respectable Lady (Kabool) will re-visit Ascot’s homebred July winner Bold Silvano in order to produce a full sibling to 2018 Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner, and Equus Award contender, Bold Respect.
Avontuur’s Blue Blooded Mares
The farm’s outstanding Var sired champion Val De Ra, already dam of the talented Miss Frankel, is likely to visit champion sire Silvano. The latter looks also likely to cover Pocket Power’s Met winning sister River Jetez – already dam of Gr3 Lebelo Sprint winner Rivarine.
Jet Set Go –
Silvano’s champion son Vercingetorix has been pencilled in to cover Gr3 Champion Juvenile Cup heroine Jet Set Go, while four time Gr1 winner and July sire Twice Over is a likely mate for Var daughter Valeta, dam of Gr3 Starling Stakes heroine She’s A Giver, and Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap vixen Miss October.
Dubawi’s dual Gr1 winning son Erupt could be visited in his first season by Gr2 Camellia Stakes winner Mochachino and stakes winner Peep Show, while outstanding sire Dynasty is the chosen mate for star producer Viva and Miss Ipanema, runner up in the Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes and dam of the smart filly Carioca.
Redoute’s Choice’s Gr1 winning son Rafeef is the likely mate for the Cape Cross sired stakes winner Torra Bay.
High class graded stakes winners Varikate (Gr2 Post Merchants) and Lazer Star (Gr2 Joburg Spring F&M Challenge) are likely to be covered by Querari and The United States respectively, while Model IQ (dam of Gr1 filly Schiffer) is down to go to What A Winter, and Candy Vous (dam of the smart Vous Et Var) to visit Master Of My Fate.
Val De Ra wins the 2011 Computaform Sprint
The farm’s star broodmare Minelli, dam of Val De Ra and stakes winners Tevez, Cue The Music, Mitra and Palladium, is in foal to Cue The Music’s sire Oratorio, but is unlikely to be covered again. In contrast, Val De Ra’s young Oasis Dream sired daughter is one of two Avontuur mares likely to visit Cape Guineas winner William Longsword – with SA Fillies Classic winner Bambina Stripes the other likely candidate.
Avontuur’s sires Oratorio and Var, both of whom have enjoyed excellent seasons in 2017-2018, are also due to cover high class mares, with the likes of Star Burst Galaxy, A Daughters Legacy, Pan Amm, and Gr1 Majorca Stakes winner Sarabande among their likely mares for 2018.
