There’s just something about this time of year that makes one’s pulse quicken. It’s almost time for the new crop of two-year-olds to make their racetrack debuts and we are especially looking forward to watching the progeny of new young sires, those who retired to stud in 2019.
Three years on, their racing careers are a fading memory, so this week, let’s recall the credentials of the more prominent newcomers.
Mauritzfontein Stud
Historical Mauritzfontein Stud, which built its fame around predominantly classic stallions such as Free Ride, Fort Wood, Strike Smartly and Ideal World, opted to add some precocity to its roster in the shape of the Japanese champion juvenile Danon Platina, a son of Deep Impact, Japan’s dominant stallion since 2012.
Essentially a miler, Danon Platina recorded all five career wins over the trip, with his career-defining victory coming at two in the Gr1 Asahi Hai Futurity on turf.
Danon Platina, who inherited his grey coat from damsire Unbridled’s song, proved popular at the yearling sales. Buyers liked what they saw and paid generously for his youngsters, the highest-priced of which a grandaughter of American champion Eliza, for which Suzette Viljoen outlayed R720 000.
Argentinian-bred Hat Puntano likewise is a grandson of the mighty Sunday Silence, albeit through another son, the globetrotting champion Hat Trick.
Hat Puntano
A product of Argentina’s famed La Biznaga Stud, the handsome brown colt arrived in South Africa a dual Gr1 winner of the Gran Criterium at two and that country’s Guineas at three. Trained by the Azzie team, he proved himself a top miler on two continents with a splendid victory in the Gr2 Charity Mile at Turffontein.
His first youngsters include a most interesting colt, a half-brother to the Gr1 winner MK’s Pride. Out of the Admire Main mare Ikimasu, he is linebred 3×3 to Sunday Silence.
It was only a matter of time before South African breeders took notice of the success of leading American sire War Front, Danzig’s most accomplished stallion son barring Danehill and Green Desert. Mauritzfontein’s ‘sister stud’ Wilgerbosdrift took the plunge when it welcomed his multiple stakes-winning son Fire Away.
Fire Away
In a campaign spanning five seasons, the Phipps homebred proved himself a tip top miler with two Listed Stakes victories at Aqueduct. While both these races were over turf, he also claimed Pimlico’s Gr3 Dixie Stakes on dirt.
Fire Away hails from arguably the most successful Phipps female family, that of American Broodmare of the Year and undefeated champion racemare Personal Ensign, who features as the grandam of Fire Away.
Wilgerbosdrift supported its newcomer with some pretty decent mares and reaped ample reward in the sales ring, most notably when the half-brother to Gr1 winning trio Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam and Golden Ducat fetched R1,6 million.
War Front also features as the sire of ill-fated Lancaster Bomber, who joined the Drakenstein stallion roster after spending one season at the National Stud in Newmarket.
Lancaster Bomber
Trained by O’Brien for the Coolmore partners, he was a smart juvenile, finishing second in both the stallion-making Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes and Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. A close fourth to Churchill in the 2000 Guineas, he then ran second in the fastest ever renewal of the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes (beating Churchill) and was also runner-up in the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. His crowning achievement at four was a thoroughly convincing two-length triumph in the Gr1 Tattersalls Gold Cup.
A half-brother to the multiple Gr1 winner Excelebration, Lancaster Bomber’s female line is out of the top drawer, his dam being a grandaughter of the Gr1 Irish 1000 Guineas and Gr1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine, Sarah Siddons.
As befits his fine credentials, breeders clamoured for his services and he will go to war with a superb first-crop arsenal which includes siblings to champions Kasimir and Gabor, the Gr1 winners Chimichuri Run, Forest Indigo, Russian Rock, Brave Mary, Afrikaburn as well as youngsters out of champion Beach Beauty and the Gr1 winner Snowdance.
Lancaster Bomber’s premature demise at the tender age of seven came as a huge shock. Ironically, as is so often the case when a horse dies, his progeny set the world on fire and given the superb first book of mares he covered, he rates a strong candidate for leading Freshman Sire honours!
Another young sire whose first runners are eagerly awaited is Heavenly Blue, the first son of champion Australian sire Snitzel to join the South African stallion ranks. A grey, just like his broodmare sire El Prado, he was unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile and went on to become a tip top classic performer, winning the Gr1 SA Classic and running third in the Gr3 SA Derby.
Heavenly Blue
Sadly, Heavenly Blue’s subsequent career was bedevilled by ill-fortune, and he was not seen out again for eight months due to various ailments and mishaps, which effectively ended a high-class career and led to retirement to Ascot Stud.
For the pedigree pundits, his dam, the El Prado mare Simply Carina, is inbred to the exemplary blue hen mare Special through the three-part brothers Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev.
“He’s a handsome grey and a beautiful mover, very light on his feet,” remarked Ascot Stud’s Rose Parker, herself a renowned show judge.
Let’s not forget, his illustrious sire has led Australia’s Juvenile Sires List on three occasions and already has a proven Gr1 sire son in Shamus Award, all of which bodes well for the handsome grey.
New Predator likewise hails from Down Under and is by Galileo’s successful son New Approach. While Galileo has been a classic influence par excellence, New Predator possessed a sharp turn of foot and proved effective from 1200m to a mile.
New Predator
A six-length maiden winner, the Wernars-raced colt immediately followed up with a splendid second in the Gr2 Dingaans when beaten by subsequent Gr1 Cape Guineas hero Noah From Goa in a head-bobbing finish.
A relentless frontrunner, the colt opened his stakes account in the Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes where he had the likes of Horse of the Year Legislate and Durban July winner The Conglomerate behind him. Also successful in the Gr2 Charity Mile at four, some of New Predator’s best efforts came in defeat at the very top level, notably when beaten just a length when third in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint.
As a smart sprinter/miler, New Predator’s appeal clearly resonated with buyers in the sales ring, his first crop yearlings selling for up to R300 000 off a R10 000 service fee.
Finally, there is Horizon. Arguably one of the best-bred horses to retire to stud in 2019, he ticked all the boxes: a record-priced yearling, a Graded stakes winner, by top stallion Dynasty, out of an own sister to champion Silvano. You don’t get much better than that.
Sold for a then record of R5,2 million as a yearling, Horizon was never going to recoup that lofty price, yet proved he was no slouch by scoring a signature win in the Gr3 Politician Stakes and earning Gr1 black type when third in the Daily News 2000.
Horizon
Dynasty’s record as a sire of sires is beyond reproach, suffice to say that his son Act Of War already has a pair of Gr1 winners to his credit, whilst all of Futura, Legislate and Jackson have sired Graded stakes winners.
Given his blue-blooded pedigree, there is every reason to believe Horizon could follow in their footsteps.
Cape Racing recently announced the launch of a rejuvenated juvenile programme.
The first sighting of juveniles will be the annual 900m dashes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth for both colts and fillies on Sunday 27 November.
These races will lead up to two newly created juvenile events on Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas Day, which is being run on the 17th of December.
Head of Racing Operations Justin Vermaak explained, “The juvenile offering needed a total rethink and a major cash injection. A core issue around some of the field size problems we are experiencing is that horses on average are just taking too long to race. Horses sitting on spelling farms until they are two and a half is not serving the interest of racing nor the owner. It is worth noting that in recent years there has been a shift in the stallion landscape. There is now a broader group of sires, especially the successful ones, who are excelling at producing precocious horses. By initiating major stake incentives and racing opportunities earlier in the season we are expecting to see horses prepared a lot quicker and competing a lot earlier. This will have a positive effect on the racing population in the months that follow the early juvenile racing and of course, highly rewards connections who are not sitting on their horses.”
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