SA Bred – Ravishing
The Jet Master legacy is alive and well. His handsome son Ravishing, the first produce of the recently deceased multiple champion sire to take up stallion duties, produced his first winner on a South African racecourse when the Dennis Drier-trained Kishimoto won on debut at Clairwood on Sunday.
This was Ravishing’s first winner on South African soil, although not his first as a first season sire on the African continent. He already has a dual winner.
That honour went to the Lisa Harris-trained filly Little Chikitita, who blitzed home on debut at Borrowdale over 1100m on 11 March. She looks very talented and has won again by following up in the Breeders Fillies Mile at the last meeting of the season just past,when streaking clear to beat Do Me Right by four lengths. The Sarahdane Stud bred filly is out of the Kahal mare, Didoe
Backed marginally from 16-1 to start at 10-1, Kishimoto was ridden by Brandon Lerena to an impressive, but narrow victory in the opener, the KZN Oils Maiden Plate run over 1200m.
He came from second last and seven lengths off the pace, and accelerated smoothly inside the last 200m to pass six horses, including the 13-10 favourite Luxardo, who ran out of steam late. The first four home finished within 0,25 lengths of each other.
Kishimoto won in a time of 73,56secs.He was bred by Messrs Steve Sturlese and Peter De Marigny, in whose interests he races.
Kishimoto is out of the non-winning Averof mare Penlash, who has been quite productive. She has already produced the five-time winning Power Base(All Fired Up), the twice winning Piece Of London(London News), the thrice winning Power Flash (Fahal) and the five-time winning Muhtafal colt, Southern Heights.
The handsome Ravishing hails from the very good ‘Lily’ family. He is out of the Royal Prerogative mare Crimson Lily, who won only one race over 1600m but who also produced dual Gr 2 winner and Gr 1 placed Red Badge. Crimson Lily in turn was out of the excellent Jamaico mare Run For Lily, who won twelve races including the Gr 1 Garden Province Stakes. Run For Lily is the dam of Gr 2 winner and sire Royal Messenger (a full brother to Ravishing’s dam), the second dam of Gr 1 winner Vega and of Stakes winners Glowing Thatch, Painted Glory and Triton, and the third dam of Graded Stakes winners Geordoba, Day Lily Delight, and Bilboa.
Ravishing’s third dam Lily won five races and is the ancestress of Gr 1 winners Fort Defiance, Bold Thatch, and Saddlewood, and of Gr 2 winners Golden Man, Prince Of War, and Rememberance.
A R1.1 million purchase at the 2005 National Yearling Sale, Ravishing was trained by Geoff Woodruff to win three races between 1000m and 2450m, culminating in a win in the Gr 1 SA Derby of 2007.
Now aged nine, Ravishing took up stallion duties at Champion South African breeders Summerhill Stud in Mooi River in 2008. He is the property of the Muir family, in whose familiar pink and yellow silks he raced.
Ravishing’s fee for 2012 is advertised as R10 000, which appears tremendous value right now.
