Champion racehorse Noordhoek Flyer is well related
The Gary Player Stud’s resident stallion Noordhoek Flyer has 10 lots on the forthcoming 2014 National Yearling Sale. Prospective buyers may also be interested in his strong ties to the 2014 Dubai World Cup winner African Story.
Both horses are Gr1 winning sons of the great stallion Pivotal – whose offspring now include 24 individual G1 winners.
However, Noordhoek Flyer and African Story’s links are deeper than simply sharing a sire.
Both horses are descendants of the important tap root mare Mesopotamia – a Champion 2YO Filly of 1961. Mesopotamia, who ran third in the Irish 1000 Guineas, is an increasingly important name in pedigrees with her descendants winning major races all around the world.
African Story, who has now won over $7 000 000, had run fifth in the Dubai World Cup of 2013.
Noordhoek Flyer at stud
However, African Story is not the only 2014 Dubai World Cup runner with ties to Noordhoek Flyer.
Noordhoek Flyer, one of the finest milers of his generation, is a great grandson of Secretariat’s daughter Celtic Assembly. The latter is also the fourth dam of 2014 Dubai World Cup runner up Mukhadram. A son of Shamardal, Mukhadram has now won over GBP 1.5 million, and been placed in all of the G1 Prince of Wales Stakes, Eclipse Stakes and Dubai World Cup. Surely it is only a matter of time before this close relative of Noordhoek Flyer bags a significant prize.
Remarkably, another member of this remarkable family ran a big race at Meydan on Saturday. Ahtoug, who was second in the Gr1 Al Quoz Sprint, is out of Celtic Assembly’s finest daughter – Gr1 winner Cherokee Rose (Haydock Park Sprint Cup).
Dual Guineas winner Noordhoek Flyer, whose first crop are yearlings, has 10 lots on sale at the 2014 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.
Noordhoek Flyer, who earned over R1 000 000 on the track, has some choicely bred lots on sale – including a half-brother to Nursery winner Empress Crown (lot 295), a filly out of the well performed mare Ice Lily (Lot 351), and a colt out of SA Oaks winner Monyela (Lot 461).
