Miesque’s Approval became the first of the current group of freshman sires to be credited with a two-year-old winner when colt Top Of The Chocs easily made a successful debut over 1000m at Clairwood on Sunday.
Miesque’s Approval was a high class performer on grass in his native United States, where he was voted the Champion Turf Horse of 2006. In total he won twelve races up to 1800m, earning stakes of more than $2.6 million, but it says something both for his class and his durability that he enjoyed his best year at the age of seven. Miesque’s Approval won four Graded races in that season, including the Gr 2 Mile Stakes and the Gr 2 Firecracker Handicap, but the performance which wrapped up the Turf champion award for him was his win in the Gr 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. He achieved a Timeform rating of 126.
It was something of a coup for South African breeders when Miesque’s Approval was acquired soon after that famous victory, for unlike a few Gr 1 winners we could name he came here straight from the racecourse and not after standing at stud with disappointing results elsewhere.
Miesque’s Approval is by Miesque’s Son, whose only career win came in a Gr 3 race in France but who was placed numerous time at Gr 1 level for a Timeform rating of 117. Miesque’s Son is the full brother to top class sire Kingmambo, the two both being out of the splendid dual Breeders’ Cup-winning mare Miesque.
Miesque’s Approval is out of the twice winning With Approval mare Win Approval, dam also of Gr 2 and multiple Gr 3 winner Revved Up. Win Approval in turn was out of the Gr 1 placed Hoist The Flag mare Negotiator, who is the ancestress of several Stakes winners in the USA, including Gr 1 runner-up Aggadan. Miesque’s Approval’s third dam Geneva was a dual Stakes winner in Argentina and is herself the ancestress of several Black Type winners.
Twelve-year-old Miesque’s Approval was imported in 2007 and stands at the Scott Bros’ Highdown Stud near Nottingham Road in KZN. His fee in 2010 was advertised as R35 000.
