While Australian bred thoroughbreds filled the second, third and fourth spots in the Gr1 SA Classic, it was North American bred and raced sires who well and truly made their presence felt at Turffontein on Classic Day last Saturday, writes Sarah Whitelaw.
Al Mufti
The late, great sire Al Mufti was among the prominent US bred sires to make a mark on the day, with the son of Roberto sire of Captain Al (whose daughter Cloth Of Cloud won the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes). Captain Al’s son, Captain America, ran another consistent race when second to Legal Eagle (by the US bred Greys Inn) in the Gr1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and Captain America has now banked over R3.2 million in prize money.
His sire, last season’s champion sire, had no fewer than three winners on the day. Al Mufti is also damsire of former Equus Champion, Jay Peg, whose daughters, Peggy Jay, landed the spoils in the Gr3 Jacaranda Handicap, and Negroamaro (Fort Wood).ran second in the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic.
Another daughter of Jay Peg, She’s A Dragon, showed her class with a good third in the day’s Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic and she looks destined to win a good race before too long.
Trippi
Former US bred Grade One winner, Trippi, whose son, Brilliant Crimson, had won Friday’s Listed East Cape Guineas, was responsible for a pair of stakes performed runners on Saturday, with his son African Ruler finishing second in the Gr3 Man O’War Sprint and another son, Flying Myth, filling the third berth in the Gr3 Protea Stakes.
The US bred Judpot was represented by his third individual Gr1 winner when his daughter, Juxtapose, caused an upset in the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic. The runner up, Negroamaro, is a daughter of the great (US bred) sire, Fort Wood, while high class US bred Go Deputy (Deputy Minister) and Mambo In Seattle (Kingmambo) were responsible for Abashiri (Gr1 SA Classic) and Fortune Fella (Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup).
Interestingly, one mare, whose descendants feature with almost monotonous regularity on Classic Day was the mighty Lassie Dear (Buckpasser).
She is surely one of the greatest mares in the modern stud book, with Lassie Dear’s sons including the above mentioned Al Mufti, sire of Captain Al and damsire of Jay Peg (Camden Park).Jay Peg, whose offspring include a pair of graded winners out of daughters of Captain Al, is inbred to the great Lassie Dear.
The latter is dam of Broodmare Of The Year, Weekend Surprise, whose champion son, A P Indy, is grandsire of Jay Peg, while Lassie Dear’s son, Al Mufti, as mentioned, is the former champion’s broodmare sire.
Fortune Fella wins the Caradoc Gold Cup
Mambo In Seattle, whose dam is a Gr1 placed own sister to Horse Of The Year and dual US champion sire, A P Indy, continued the great run of form for Lassie Dear and her tribe on Saturday’s big day when his son, Fortune Fella, won the Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup. Mambo In Seattle’s third dam is Lassie Dear. (Remarkably, the first three home in the Caradoc Gold Cup all feature Lassie Dear in their pedigrees).
Fortune Fella is another inbred to Gr3 Villager Stakes winner Lassie Dear, with the gelding’s dam being a daughter of the ubiquitous Al Mufti (Roberto).
Yet another son of Lassie Dear, the former Gary Player stud inmate, Wolfhound, made his mark at last week’s Dubai World Cup night, with the former Gr1 Prix de la Foret winning son of Nureyev featuring as broodmare sire of Gr1 Golden Shaheen winner, Muarrab (Oasis Dream). Wolfhound, whose daughter, Licence To Thrill (dam of Muarrab) is a truly outstanding broodmare, currently ranks among the world’s top 50 broodmare sires (according to The Blood-Horse).
His half brother, Al Mufti, is currently South Africa’s third leading damsire, with the former champion sire having led that list back in 2013. (Yet another out of an Al Mufti mare is Arabian Winter, winner of Friday’s Oaks Plate).
Lassie Dear, dam of Al Mufti and Wolfhound and second dam of A P Indy et al, was one of the very best broodmare daughters of US champion Buckpasser, widely regarded as one of the finest broodmare sires in history.
Champion Broodmare Sire in North America on three occasions, the son of Tom Fool is damsire of numerous high class stakes winners including the important stallions El Gran Senor, Private Account, Seeking The Gold and Woodman.
California Chrome
He is also found in the pedigrees of such leading sires as Galileo, Unbridled, and Kitten’s Joy, among others, and countless Gr1 winners (including brilliant recent Dubai World Cup winner, California Chrome) are inbred to the great racehorse and broodmare sire. Lassie Dear herself is the second dam of champion, Lemon Drop Kid (a Kingmambo three parts brother to Mambo In Seattle), whose offspring include over 80 stakes winners and who is one of the best sire sons of Kingmambo.
Duke Of Marmalade
She is also third dam of European champion and successful sire, Duke Of Marmalade (Danehill).
The latter, who is now based at Drakenstein Stud, had yet another good weekend with his daughter, Diamond Made, winning Saturday’s Gr3 Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick.
Not surprisingly, given his pedigree (Kingmambo also being an outstanding broodmare sire) and success at stud, Lemon Drop Kid is also now making his mark as a broodmare sire. The nearly 30 black type winners out of Lemon Drop Kid mares include the Gr1 winners Elusive Kate (Elusive Quality), Lochte (Medaglia D’Oro) and Unbridled Forever (Unbridled’s Song).
