Middlefield Stud’s exciting young sire prospect, Byword, is said to be letting down into an attractive stallion. He is currently residing at Robbie Sage’s Randjies-ontein yard, where Byword has been based for the past few months.
Ashley McNabb says “He has has let down really well, and has put on between 50 and 60 kgs. Byword is more refined than his muscular relative Twice Over, Byword is a racy and athletic looking horse.”
Middlefield’s Rob Pickering, is delighted by his new stallion, saying” The most important thing for me is that Byword had heart and courage, he had a lovely action, carried his head low and put it down when it counted most! For me, the dam is of paramount importance and his dam (Binche – also dam of G1 winner Proviso) has done it! It is also exciting that the mare is going to visit Frankel in 2013).
It is also interesting to note that Byword is out of a mare by Woodman – also broodmare sire of the outstanding stallion, More Than Ready. His sire, Peintre Celebre, was one of the best racehorses of the past two decades, and has enjoyed plenty of success at stud, with his Gr1 winners including the likes of Castledale, Vallee Enchantee, Belle Celebre, Pride, Pearl of Love and Sudan.
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Creation of rain
Soft Falling Rain’s victory in the recent Gr3 UAE 2000 Guineas is one of the most impressive victories ever by a South African horse in Dubai. The unbeaten colt, who has now won all six of his starts, looks to be something very special. Bred by Highlands Farm, Soft Falling Rain was named Equus Champion 2yo colt last year.
His dam, Gardener’s Delight, is one of the best bred mares in South Africa. By Giant’s Causeway, a triple champion sire in the USA and excellent broodmare sire, Gardener’s Delight is out of a mare by the legendary Seattle Slew, and is from the family of numerous Gr1 winners, and former Breeders Cup hero Eldaafer.
Highlands’ Mike Sharkey says of the mare,” We sent Gardener’s Delight to National Assembly after the mare foaled a Spectrum filly (subsequently named Rose Garden). The Danzig nick with Giant’s Causeway works quite well, and we duly sent her there.”
Gardener’s Delight has proven extremely fertile, and has had foals each of the last five years. Among her foals is 2yo My Nephew Eric (by Sail From Seattle) who fetched R1 000 000 at the 2012 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale. Currently in training, there have been positive reports about the colt, whose progress, no doubt, will be followed closely.
Her Black Minnaloushe yearling colt was knocked down to Mike Azzie at the 2013 Cape Premier Yearling Sale for R800,000. Gardener’s Delight is currently in foal to outstanding resident sire Dynasty. She also has a colt foal by that champion at foot, which Mike says is lovely. What price for a Dynasty half-brother to racing’s latest sensation?
It is worth noting that Gardener’s Delight is a descendant of Princequillo matron, Quillopoly – whose descendants Dice Flavor and Swift Warrior won the weekend’s Gr3 El Camino Real Derby and Gr3 Tampa Bay Stakes respectively.
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Caviar’s remarkable hatrick
When Black Caviar won Saturday’s G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, she became one of just a handful of horses to win three consecutive runnings of a major Gr1 feature race. South African legend Pocket Power won the G1 J&B Met three times, and the G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate four times.
But what of other champions to score a hatrick of wins in major feature races? Makybe Diva won the Melbourne Cup from 2003-2005, while another Aussie legend, Kingstown Town, took out three runnings of Australia’s greatest WFA race, the Cox Plate from 1980-1982. Two other horses won the Cox Plate on three occasions – Chatham (1932-1934) and Rising Fast (1954-1956).
Legendary US champion Kelso won the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on five occasions (1960-1964). Remarkably this was not the only major race dominated by the champion, who also won the G1 Woodward Stakes three times and took a hatrick of wins in the Whitney Stakes. These three were, prior to the advent of the Breeders Cup, North America’s top races for all aged horses.
Another champion to win a major race three times was the great Goldikova. Not only did “Goldi” win the Breeders Cup Mile three times (and is the only horse ever to do so), she won the G1 Prix Rothschild four times.
Stayers tend to race longer than their faster counterparts, and one of the most popular Gold Cup heroes of recent years was the mighty Yeats. He is the only horse ever to win the Ascot Gold Cup four times, while another tough, and doughty, stayer, Vinnie Roe, won the Irish St Leger an equal number of times.
One of France’s top stayers Marsyas also dominated one of racing’s major staying races. He won the Prix du Cadran (France’s Gold Cup) four times, from 1944-1947. Marsyas made 27 starts, but won 17 of them, and was placed nine times.
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Master’s Spirit
One of the most intriguing yearlings set to be offered at the 2013 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale is a well bred colt, who goes by the name of Master’s Spirit.
Consigned by Klipdrift Stud, on behalf of Messrs McNabb & Miliotis, this is one of the last sons of the mighty Jet Master to come up for auction. At the time of writing, Jet Master has been represented by 18 Gr1 winners, including champions Pocket Power, Mythical Flight, J J The Jet Plane, River Jetez and Ebony Flyer.
The colt is out of the Gr1 winner Urabamba, and is just the second foal produced by his dam. Urabamba, herself a daughter of outstanding sire and broodmare sire Fort Wood, won three times including the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic.
However, there is more to this colt than meets the eye. Shortly after Jet Master died, a group of mourners were celebrating his life with a wake at Klipdrift Stud. As they moved away from the grave of the great stallion, they noticed a colt foal with his head close to the ground standing on Jet Master’s grave.
The colt was duly dispatched back to his dam, unharmed. However, the colt broke free once more only to return to the grave of his sire – where once again he held himself the way Jet Master did.
This foal, barely eight weeks at the time, managed twice to escape his dam, and handlers, and managed to overcome any number of obstacles that stood in his way – only to find his way to Jet Master’s grave. What price this colt being something special? The panel certainly thought so, as they gave the colt a nine on physical.
