South African bred stallions have left their mark on the breed in various ways.
Champions Hawaii, Horse Chestnut and Wolf Power all enjoyed success at stud overseas, with Hawaii siring Derby winner, Henbit, and featuring as broodmare sire of leading sire, Hennessy (grandsire of Scat Daddy).
Horse Chestnut
Wolf Power, whose best runners include Gr1 winner, Freedom Cry, is broodmare sire of multiple US Champion, Wise Dan (sired by a son of Hennessy), while Horse Chestnut (a Gr1 sire overseas) is enjoying increasing success as a broodmare sire, having produced international G1 winners, Cannock Chase, Zipessa, and Suggestive Boy. Horse Chestnut is also damsire of Saturday’s impressive 6.5 length winner of the Gr1 Santa Margarita Stakes-Fault (Blame).
But what of SA bred/raced broodmares?
In recent months, a number of locally bred broodmares have been represented on the international stage by stakes winners. The catalogue for the 2018 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale features progeny of two South African bred mares (National Colour and Trust Antonia), while the likes of South African bred Gr1 winners Dane Julia and Asylum Seeker both had yearlings sell at the 2018 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Former Equus Champion, Asylum Seeker (Count Dubois), had a Stratum filly make AUS$80 000, while Dane Julia (a Gr1 winner in South Africa and New Zealand) had a filly (by Cox Plate winner Shamus Award) fetch the same amount. Both Asylum Seeker and Dane Julia have produced winners, Asylum Seeker’s offspring four time winner Seeking Asylum (Sebring) and Dane Julia dam of the winner Arecibo (Star Witness).
Rock Opera
South Africa’s Champion 2YO Filly of 2005, the Ascot Stud bred, Rock Opera (Lecture), has really made her mark at stud through her remarkably durable son, Heavy Metal (Exceed And Excel). Winner of the Gr2 Richmond Stakes at two, the now eight-year-old Heavy Metal has won both the Gr2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 and Gr3 Firebreak Stakes this year.
Rock Opera also came up with another international winner this year when her gelded Dubawi son, Night Castle, broke his maiden, at just the second time of asking, by five lengths at Newcastle.
Perfect Promise
A Gr1 winner in both South Africa and Australia, Perfect Promise has enjoyed a degree of success while at stud in Australia. Perfect Promise, dam of young KZN based sire, Redoute’s Promise (Redoute’s Choice), has produced 2018 Listed Parramatta Cup hero, More Energy, as well as Gr3 Zeditave Stakes second, Hard Promise. Perfect Promise has certainly been given every chance to succeed at stud, having visited all of Redoute’s Choice, Fastnet Rock and Dubawi. Her QE II Cup winning sister, Irridescence, produced high class Russian galloper, Perfect D’Or (Medaglia D’Oro).
Sally Bowles
The London News sired Fillies Guineas winner Sally Bowles (whose third dam is the great South African mare, Party Time) is another locally bred and raced mare to leave behind a notable international runner.
London News wins the 1996 Rothmans July
Sally Bowles’ best runner is Consumer Credit (More Than Ready), who won 4 times in the USA including a trio of stakes races. Records show Sally Bowles has four winners to her credit, including Svenskt Derby runner up, London Citizen (Proud Citizen).
Secret Heart
The Prix Du Cap winning daughter of Fort Wood died when she was only 15 but she left her mark with a pair of graded stakes winners to her name. The bay made history when becoming the first South African bred mare to throw a Breeders Cup winner, when her son, Pluck (More Than Ready), won the 2010 Gr2 Breeders’ Cup Turf Juvenile. Also winner of the Gr3 Summer Stakes, Pluck currently stands at stud in Australia and he has three group winners to his name. Secret Heart is also dam of Gr3 Red Carpet Handicap heroine, Three Hearts, who was purchased by Highlands Stud for $650 000.
Noble Heir
Directly descended from Drohsky, arguably South Africa’s greatest ever broodmare, Noble Heir was a flying machine whose eight wins included the 2010 Gr1 Computaform Sprint, where Noble Heir accounted for Gr1 winning males, Mythical Flight (Jet Master), Private Jet (Orpen) and Warm White Night (Western Winter).
Exported to Australia, Noble Heir made her mark through her very speedy daughter Crown Witness (Star Witness), whose wins included the Gr3 Quezette Stakes.
Almah and National Colour
While neither have been represented by a stakes winner outside South Africa, both Almah and National Colour have left their mark on the local turf since retiring to stud in Australia.
Champion Older Female Stayer in 2002, Al Mufti’s daughter is dam of Gr3 Three Troikas Stakes winner, Sensible Lover, as well as South African winner, Global Strike and Australian winner, Duxeva.
Rafeef – horse of the season
Multiple champion National Colour has been represented by a pair of Gr1 winners in South Africa in the form of Highlands sire, Rafeef, (whose first foals arrive this year) and Equus Champion, Mustaqeem (both by Redoute’s Choice). National Colour also enjoyed success in the sales ring, with Mustaaqeem fetching AUS$1.75 million at the 2016 Inglis Easter Sale. To date, National Colour has been represented by four yearlings to sell for AUS$3.9 million-or average AUS $975 000! One can but speculate how much National Colour’s Redoute’s Choice colt will fetch at the 2018 Easter Sale.
Interestingly, National Colour is one of two Gr1 winning daughters of National Assembly represented at this year’s Easter Sale.
Trust Antonia, winner of the 2006 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship (beating Sally Bowles), has a Not A Single Doubt filly on offer. However, in contrast to National Colour, Trust Antonia has yet to be represented by a stakes winner, although her son, Huegill (More Than Ready), did run third to Helmet in the 2011 G1 Caulfield Guineas. Four All four of Trust Antonia’s winners have been sired by More Than Ready.
