Drakenstein Stud’s resident sire, Trippi (End Sweep), more than confirmed his status as one of the country’s elite stallions when he was crowned South Africa’s Champion Sire for 2015-2016, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
The sire ended the season with his offspring having banked R18 666 925 (according to The Jockey Club), denying former champion, Silvano (Lomitas), a second General Sires Title.
Trippi (End Sweep – Jealous Appeal)
Trippi, the fourth Leading Sire by stakes in 2014-2015, also enjoyed a great year as a sire of stakes winners.
His 11 individual black type winners won 18 stakes races, and he ended the 2015-2016 season as the third leading sire of stakes winners, behind Captain Al (Al Mufti), Dynasty (Fort Wood) and Silvano.
Trippi also continued the great run of success that Mr Prospector line stallions have enjoyed in South Africa.
Trip To Heaven – did well winning the Gr3 Joburg Spring Challenge and unlucky in Gr1 Gold Challenge
Other notable descendants from this remarkable male line include former triple champion sire, Western Winter (Gone West), former Equus Outstanding Stallion, Count Dubois (Zafonic), the outstanding but ill-fated sire, Secret Prospector (damsire of Elusive Fort and Variety Club), the very consistent KZN sire, Kahal (Machiavellian), proven Gr1 sires, Mambo In Seattle and Ideal World (both by Kingmambo), the very promising Cape sire, Pathfork (Distorted Humor), and former Leading First Crop sire, Visionaire (Grand Slam).
With a number of exciting young sires from this male line still to be represented on the racecourse (such as Flower Alley, Noble Tune, What A Winter), the influence of Mr Prospector’s male line on South African racing looks sure to grow further in coming years.
Trippi made a bright start to the season when his talented son Trip To Heaven reeled off back to back wins early in the season, culminating in the Gr3 Joburg Spring Challenge at the expense of a high class field.
Trip To Heaven, a former Gr2 Merchants winner, would be demoted to second after he passed the post first in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge. But his sire would go on to better things just over a month after the Spring Challenge.Trippi’s sons, Deo Juvente and Triptique gave their sire a famous graded double when landing the Gr2 Victory Moon Stakes and Gr2 Cape Merchants on the same day.
Deo Juvente – won Gr2 Joburg Spring Challenge and close in Gr1 Summer Cup
Deo Juvente would go on to finish a close second in the Gr1 Summer Cup before an injury interrupted his career.
Trippi also made history last season when his son, Illuminator, landed the inaugural CTS Million Dollar race. The only runner in the $1 000 000 contest for his sire, Illuminator provided a fairy story ending for apprentice, Heavelon Van Der Hoven, who scored by far and away the biggest win of his young career, when the pair teamed up to win the Million Dollar in January.
Just a few weeks after Illuminator’s big win, another son of Trippi scored a notable win, this time in Dubai.
Liquid Mercury – won in Dubai
Former Gr3 Winter Derby hero, Liquid Mercury, making just his second appearance in Dubai, strolled home to score a convincing win in a handicap during the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Another son who was been a real flagbearer for Trippi is the tough and durable, Trip Tease.
Trip Tease – loves winning
The latter picked up his 15th win (from just 26 outings), when landing a pinnacle stakes towards the end of the season. A four time stakes winner (and dual graded winner), Trip Tease also showed off his versatility when victorious in the Easter Dash over just 600m!
While a number of Trippi’s sons won graded or listed features for their sire last season, it was Trippi’s daughters who arguably made the biggest contribution to their sire’s tally this season.
Taffety Tart became the fourth daughter of Trippi to make the frame in the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas when she finished third to Equus Award nominee, Silver Mountain (Silvano), in last season’s race. Lanner Falcon, another by Trippi to be placed in the classic Cape Fillies Guineas, also did her bit for her sire last season.
The game chestnut picked up the Gr2 Diadem Stakes, beating subsequent Gr1 winners, Gulf Storm (Sail From Seattle) and Talktothestars (Overlord) in the process.
Fromafar won Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes
Yet another Trippi filly to land a graded race in South Africa during 2015-2016 was Fromafar, who defeated subsequent Gr2 Gold Bracelet heroine, Flying Ice, when she won the Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes. Real Princess became her sire’s 5th Grade One winner, when she landed the Gr1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint over a field which included Gr1 winners, Fly By Night and Carry On Alice.
The pricey former yearling buy also took home the Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes and Real Princess will surely be an exciting stud prospect when she retires to the paddocks.
However it was the wonderful filly, Inara, who was the real star of the Trippi show this past season.
Read about the Cape Racing & Breeding Awards winners
Unlucky to be overlooked for last year’s, Equus Award nominations, Inara showed both class and courage this season, with her three Grade One wins coming in three different provinces. Inara kicked off the season by landing both an allowance race and the Gr3 Diana Stakes at Durbanville.
Cape Horse Of The Year, Inara
She then upped her game by finishing second to subsequent Gr1 J&B Met winner, Smart Call (Ideal World), in the 2016 Gr1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes, before winning the Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes for a second year in a row.
Sent to Gauteng, Inara made it Grade One win number four, when victorious in the L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes. Returned to KZN (where she had been disappointing earlier in her career), Inara ended her campaign on a high when accounting for some of South Africa’s best fillies and mares in the Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.
Flying Myth wins Listed Storm Bird Stakes
Trippi’s first 2yo stakes winner for the 2015-2016 came when the regally bred, Flying Myth, made a winning debut to land the Listed Storm Bird Stakes in March.
He was by no means the only high class juvenile to represent his sire this year, with Gr1 Thekwini Stakes/Gr2 Golden Slipper runner up, Dawn Calling, another juvenile by Trippi to catch the eye.
