Young Sires Catch The Eye
A P Arrow and Admire Main, who are both represented by their first runners later this year, were two young sires which proved popular at last weekend’s Emperors Palace Ready to Run Sale. A P Arrow, whose first crop were conceived off a fee of R20,000, had offspring sell for up to R320 000.
One of South Africa’s former leading jockeys, Robbie Hill, who purchased a colt by the stallion, described A P Arrow’s progeny as “horses with good actions,” and said he was impressed with what he had seen thus far.
Admire Main, whose first runners are showing tremendous promise in Japan, also proved popular in the sales ring. There was much pre sale hype surrounding the Admire Main filly Admiral’s Eye, and she duly fetched R340 000 in the ring. Another filly by the sire to do well in the ring was lot 199, and she also fetched R340 000.
These are handsome returns on Admire Main’s service fee of R25,000, and it will be interesting to follow the son of Sunday Silence as his stud career unfolds.
Breeders Cup notes
Mizzen Mast, who had two winners at the recent Breeders Cup meeting continued the great success enjoyed by his sire Cozzene at the world championship. Cozzene himself won the 1985 Breeders Cup Mile, and sired two Breeders Cup winners in Tikkanen (Turf) and Alphabet Soup (Classic) respectively.
Mizzen Mast, who is from the family of the top-class SA sire Dancing Champ and the legendary mare Zenyatta, became the first stallion since More Than Ready (Southern Halo) in 2010 to be represented by two Breeders Cup winners on the same weekend. His winners were Mizdirection (Turf Sprint) and Flotilla (Juvenile Fillies Turf).
Other sires to have had two Breeders Cup winners at the same race meeting include Awesome Again, Chester House, Smart Strike, Sadler’s Wells and Kris S.
Chester House’s half-brother, Empire Maker, is the sire of Royal Delta – winner of the 2011 and 2012 Ladies Classic – so their dam, Toussaud, has really made her presence felt on horse racing’s greatest event!
Two of the 2012 Breeders Cup winners whose respective pedigrees really provide food for thought are Little Mike (Turf) and Wise Dan (Mile).
Little Mike is by Spanish Steps, an unraced full brother to leading sire Unbridled’s Song (sire of 3 Breeders Cup winners, and sire of the 2012 Juvenile Turf runner up Noble Tune.) Spanish Steps, who stands for a fee of just $3,000, has sired just four other, minor stakes winners, and Little Mike is his only graded stakes winner.
Little Mike’s first four dams won seven races between them, although he is a half-brother to Little Nick, a minor stakes winner of nine. Saturday’s Turf winner is the sole US G1 winner in the first four dams.
Wise Dan, a half-brother to the G2 winner Successful Dan, is by the ordinary sire Wiseman’s Ferry (sire of just 6 stakes winners to date). His dam, Lisa Danielle, won just once, but is also the dam of the five times stakes winner, Royal Dancer.
Wise Dan is one of a large number of G1 winners inbred to the great champion Secretariat. He joins the likes of Sky Mesa, Eden’s Moon, Take Charge Indy, Stevie Wonderboy and Mi Sueno, to name a few. Interestingly, Wise Dan is one of two 2012 Breeders Cup winners inbred to the 1973 Triple Crown winner – Juvenile Sprint winner Hightail (Mineshaft) being the other.
The late Hennessy, second to Unbridled’s Song in the 1995 Breeders Cup Juvenile, is another sire to have really made his mark at the 2012 Breeders Cup meeting. The son of Storm Cat (himself the great grandsire of Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby) is the grandsire of Beholder (Juvenile Fillies), and Wise Dan (Mile), and the great grandsire of Sprint winner Trinniberg. This is a remarkable achievement for a stallion who died of a heart attack at the age of 14.
Fort Larned, winner of the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic and a contender for Horse of the Year honors, is a son of the Mr Prospector sire, E Dubai. The latter is from the same family as new SA sire, Just As Well – who stands at Spring Valley Stud. There have been very positive reports on Just As Well’s first crop of foals, and this blue blooded son of A P Indy looks a welcome addition to the local stallion ranks.
South African racing legends Hawaii and Wolf Power are also to be found in the pedigrees of Breeders Cup heroes of 2012. Hawaii, through his maternal grandson Hennessy, and Wolf Power is the damsire of Wise Dan – the leading contender for US Horse of the Year honours in 2012.
What is also worth noting about the winners of the 2012 Breeders Cup races, is how the results were dominated by offspring of relatively cheap sires. Of the 15 races run over the weekend, only the Dirt Mile was won by a horse (Tapizar) whose sire (Tapit) stood in the USA for a fee of $50,000 plus during 2012. Empire Maker, sire of Royal Delta, stands in Japan for an unpublished fee, could well stand for a fee of $50,000, but this is unclear.
Two male lines dominated the Breeders Cup meeting of 2012. Northern Dancer line descendants took 6 of the championship races, while Mr Prospector line horses landed the spoils in five Breeders Cup events.
Sire continues to hit the heights in SA
Rock of Arts, winner of Saturday’s R2.5 million Emperors Palace Ready to Run Race, is a son of the consistently high class sire Rock of Gibraltar. “The Rock” has really built up a superb record in South Africa, with his progeny including the likes of Europa Point, Alinga, Atyeb, Seventh Rock, Gibraltar Blue, Uber Rock, and Perana (all of whom are stakes winners) as well as unbeaten filly Sunshine Rock. This is a fantastic record from just a handful of runners.
Despite standing in Ireland and Australia, Rock of Gibraltar has managed to produce more high quality stakes winners in South Africa than many locally based horses!
It is also interesting to note that “The Rock” has sired stakes winners in South Africa from 1000-2850m.
Rock of Gibraltar also has no fewer than three sons at stud here – Rock of Rochelle, Rocky Street and Seventh Rock.
It will be interesting to follow the legacy of Rock of Gibraltar, one of the greatest racehorses of his generation, and one whose success at stud has more than matched what he achieved on the track.
