Exciting sires for the season
The South African 2012-2013 racing season will see a number of well bred and well performed stallions represented by their first local runners. Here is a look at some of these young sires:
A P ARROW
The winner of over $1.4 million on the track (or over R11 million), A P Arrow won or was placed in 11 feature races, and won the G2 Clark Handicap (now a G1 race) – a race which annually features some of North America’s top competitors. Like top sires Pulpit and Malibu Moon, A P Arrow is by champion US sire A P Indy out of a Mr Prospector mare.
His yearlings averaged over R100 000 at the National Yearling Sale, and at the National 2yo Sale, A P Arrow sold 4 lots for R210 000. It is worth remembering, however, that A P Arrow is likely to have his strongest draft at the November Ready To Run Sale, and that may prove a better indicator of how the market views him.
ADMIRE MAIN
The only son of the great Sunday Silence ever to stand in Africa, Admire Main was runner up in the Japan Derby of his year. Sons of Sunday Silence have really made their mark on world breeding, and his leading sire sons include Deep Impact, Hat Trick, Dance In the Dark and Stay Gold.
Admire Main has had relatively few representatives in the sales ring, thus far, and he is difficult to evaluate. He is another who will have a much stronger draft come Ready to Run time. His four yearlings grossed R260 000 at the KZN Yearling Sale.
ALTIUS
Danehill’s son Altius will have a small crop representing him at the races this year. Altius himself was a smart racehorse, who was placed in both the prestigious G2 Beresford Stakes and G3 Ballysax Stakes.
By one of the world’s great sires, and sire of sires, Altius is out of a mare by dual Prix de’l Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged, and is from the family of champion fillies Balanchine, West Wind and It’s in The Air.
He had just two lots go through the TBA sales ring this year, and is hard to assess.
ANTONIUS PIUS
A brilliant performer on the race track, Antonius Pius won his first two starts at two, including the G3 Railway Stakes. Unlucky not to win the French 2000 Guineas at three, Antonius Pius was second in the G1 Breeders Cup Mile. By the great sire Danzig, he is out of a unbeaten G1 winning mare.
Retired to Coolmore, he left behind a few stakes performers, before coming to South Africa. Antonius Pius’ sold six at the National Sale for an average of R93 000, and he sold seven, at the 2yo sale, for R425 000. His filly sold for R300 000 at the Cape Premier Sale. Well supported in his first season, Antonius Pius has youngsters out of such mares as Moonlit Prairie (dam of Jackson), Fading Light and Divine Nymph representing him.
ARGONAUT
Argonaut was an Equus champion at two, winning both the G1 Premier’s Champion Stakes and G1 Golden Horseshoe. He is one of five stakes winners for his dam, and is one of the first sons of champion sire Western Winter to retire to stud.
There has been plenty of praise for the champs first crop, and Argonaut sold seven yearlings for an average of over R60 000 at the National Sale. His first crop also included a R300 000 colt at Nationals, and a R350 000 filly at the Cape Sale – a great return on the sire’s R12 000 stud fee.
DARING BID
The only son of the great Unbridled to stand in South Africa, Daring Bid is a four time winning half-brother to ill-fated champion, and Preakness Stakes winner, Prairie Bayou. He is from the famous La Troienne family. Sire of winners in the USA, Daring Bid’s immediate relatives include champion sires Buckpasser and Bernstein.
HORSE CHESTNUT
Horse Chestnut was one of the greatest horses ever bred and raced in South Africa. Winner of nine of ten local starts, Horse Chestnut became the first three year old to win the J&B Met, and he also won the SA Triple Crown. A G1 sire overseas, Horse Chestnut’s first, full local crop included a filly which fetched R275 000 at the Cape Premier Sale, while his nine yearlings to sell at Nationals averaged over R130 000 (off a service fee of R35 000).
JAY PEG
South Africa’s all time leading money earner, few will forget witnessing Jay Peg score thrilling wins in both the G1 Dubai Duty Free, and G1 Singapore Cup. He also won both the G1 Cape Guineas and Cape Derby. A grandson of A P Indy, Jay Peg (a stakes winner at two) sold a colt for R300 000 at the Cape Premier Sale and sold seven yearlings for a total of R670 000 at the National Sale.
A few trainers have commented positively on the Jay Peg offspring, and he could well be a lurker for later in the season and next year.
JUDPOT
Judpot is one of the best bred horses in the world. He is a son of the great A P Indy, sire of leading sires Pulpit, Malibu Moon and Bernardini. Judpot’s dam is the great, dual Breeders Cup Mile winner, Miesque. Judpot counts French classic winner East of the Moon and world leading sire Kingmambo as siblings.
Another whose progeny have caught the eyes of several well respected judges, Judpot had a filly from his first crop fetch R800 000 (off a stud fee of R20 000) at the Cape Premier Sale (book one). His yearlings averaged R105 000 at the National Sale.
KILDONAN
An imposing looking horse, Kildonan was a horse of enormous ability, who had sadly had a relatively brief racing career. A G1 winning champion at two, Kildonan beat the likes of champions Mythical Flight and Rebel King in the G1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint. A grandson of the great Forty Niner, Kildonan has had relatively few offspring to go through the sales ring.
METEOR SHOWER
Meteor Shower is a G3 winning full brother to two G1 winners, Spartacus and Johann Cruyff. He is by Danehill, sire of such world leading sires as Danehill Dancer, Dansili and Redoute’s Choice. Meteor Shower, who stood his first season free to approved mares, is another horse lightly represented in the sales ring, but, despite very limited opportunities, his yearlings have fetched up to R160 000.
REBEL KING
Rebel King was an unbeaten G2 winner at two, who became a champion sprinter, and won four feature races. A muscular, imposing horse, he is throwing attractive individuals who are proving popular in the sales ring. His yearlings, conceived off a fee of just R10,000, have fetched up to R300 000, and averaged R112 000 at the National Sale, and they have been well received in general. Rebel King’s youngsters should prove fairly precocious, and he could well be represented early on.
ROYAL AIR FORCE
Royal Air Force is a G2 winning half-brother to Met winner, and G1 producer, Imperious Sue. Former winner of the Astrapak 1900, Royal Air Force is by the late, great sire Jet Master. His first crop, conceived off a very low stud fee, have fetched up to R110 000.
What is intriguing about this horse, is that he was mated to a number of mares closely related to him, and so Royal Air Force’s first crop of runners include some intensely inbred individuals, who may well prove worth well following.
SAIL FROM SEATTLE
A stakes winning son of Gone West, like champion sire Western Winter, Sail From Seattle is from the great No Class family. An attractive individual, Sail From Seattle has proved popular in the sales ring, and was the leading sire, by aggregate at the National 2yo Sale. His first crop, conceived off a fee of R15,000, have fetched up to R1 million, and his first runners will attract plenty of attention.
SEUL AMOUR
Seul Amour is a stakes winning son of the great sire Zabeel – who is the sire of no fewer than 42 individual G1 winners. Zabeel is also the grandsire of champion Australian sire Lonhro. Seul Amour, who is a proven stakes sire in Australia from a small number of runners, is out of the champion racemare, Grand Archway. He has been lightly represented in the sales ring thus far, but, on breeding, his offspring should improve as 3yos.
