Today’s Hollywoodbets Greyville feature, the non black-type Model Man Mile, pays tribute to one of South Africa’s greatest turf legends of the 20th century.
Between August 1985 and November 1987, Model Man won 14 races, including five prestigious Grade 1s, and earned the distinction of becoming South Africa’s first equine millionaire. He was crowned Horse Of The Year in 1987.
Model Man wins the 1987 Gr1 Schweppes Natal Administrators Champions Challenge (Pic – Supplied)
Model Man came from humble beginnings.
He was sired by Elliodor, at the time a first-season stallion who had received minimal support.
His dam, Top Model (Filipepi) was sent to Elliodor as a favour to a fellow-breeder. Despite this, Model Man would go on to prove that remarkable talent can emerge from unexpected and modest circumstances.
Elliodor’s own background initially gave little indication that he would become an influential sire. He was born from a mating recommended in 1976 by veteran horseman John Kramer, consulting to breeder Artur Pfaff.
Kramer, who was based in Germany at the time, recalled that the great Northern Dancer was the talk of Europe, and that his sons were in demand at stud. “I was keen on Lyphard, who was just at the start of his career. He was a physically small stallion and I felt that he would suit Ellida, one of a handful of mares standing at Pfaff’s property near Chantilly in France.”
Elida was a full-sister to 1967 UK Horse Of The Year, Busted, but she was moderate on the racetrack, winning just a single heat before being retired. Pfaff had acquired her on a mare sale, and while her race record was moderate, Kramer liked the fact that she was big, strong and robust, the opposite in size to Lyphard.
Elliodor won a 1600m race in France before he was retired due to injury.
Elliodor (Lyphard-Ellida)
He was shipped to South Africa to stand as a sire at Daytona Stud, a farm near Ceres acquired by Pfaff on Kramer’s recommendation. Kramer told: “Daytona stood stallions Brandy, African Hope and Black Melody. There were only 12 mares on the farm, most of them imported. When Elliodor arrived, they had almost more stallions than mares!”
Elliodor was afforded eight mares from Daytona’s broodmare band for his first season. Kramer and Pfaff had to scramble and plead for support from fellow breeders and managed to get him six more. Still, he enjoyed more success than the stallions who had covered double that number of mares.
Kramer said: “Colin Cohen of Odessa Stud sent us one mare as a favour. She was Top Model, a five-time winner about whom Colin had a bit of a hunch about, I guess. These are the kind of inexplicable things that happen in breeding sometimes. Elliodor covered just six mares from outside breeders that year and sired a star, as well as a number of other top division horses. The chances of something like this happening are remote. But it happened!”
Amazingly, Elliodor’s 14 foals produced 10 individual winners including Model Man, Lyphard’s Dream (6 wins) and Eli’s Star (8 wins).
When he retired, Elliodor had an excellent strike rate of 10% stakes winners to foals. He left behind 43 individual Grade 1 horses, including Model Man, three Gr1 Paddock Stakes winners, and fellow Gr1 winners Eldoriza (Gold Challenge), Forest Trogon (SA Nursery), Kale (SA Derby), Lord Shirldor (SA Classic, FNB 1600), Promisefrommyheart (Equus Champion) and July winner, Super Quality.
EP Derby hero Eli’s Star’s own first diminutive crop created shock waves when, from just four foals, he produced Gr1 Cape Guineas/Derby hero Eli’s Truth, who amassed over R1.06 million in stakes. Eli’s Star’s initial crop produced 100% winners to runners. He went on to sire a top sprinter in the form of Gr1 Cape Flying Championship hero, Eli’s Game.
Sarah Whitelaw reported in The Sporting Post: “Between them, Elliodor and Model Man’s daughters produced the winners of the Gr1 Mercury Sprint, Gr1 Empress Club Stakes, Gr2 Dingaans, Gr2 KRA Fillies Guineas, Gr2 Merchants, Gr2 Peninsula Handicap and the Gr2 Premier’s Trophy.
“The Elliodor legacy is made all the more remarkable when taking into consideration that his biggest crop of foals numbered just 54, and he averaged just 33 foals per year during his 24 seasons at stud – a far cry from what today’s leading stallions would number.”
Elliodor also left his mark internationally. His daughter Crimson Palace won in Dubai and landed the Gr1 Beverly D Stakes in North America, and Gr3 Middleton Stakes in Britain, while Warning Zone was a stakes winner in North America. He was also the broodmare sire of the world class sprinter, Tiza, who won four group races in France.
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