We have said it before and will do so again! Ridgemont’s Sandown-based stallion Pathfork has largely flown under the radar his entire stud career, yet continues to make his presence felt.
Numbers don’t’ lie, and in the first two weeks of October, this underrated son of Distorted Humor has sired seven individual winners, the most recent being Royal Victory, who regained the winning thread in the PinkDrive Michaelmas Handicap at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday.
Royal Victory powers up the inside rail to win the PinkDrive Michaelmas Handicap on Sunday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
If not for the fact that it was run for the first time without Listed status, Royal Victory would have given his sire a quickfire stakes double, for his win came barely seven days after three-year-old Main Defender, who runs in the Betway Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes on 28 October, led his rivals a merry dance in the Gr2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge at Turffontein to score a scintillating 6.50 length maiden stakes win.
Lest we forget, Pathfork had already sired Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes winner And We Danced earlier this season.
Trained by Natie Kotzen, Royal Victory has always been a class act. He proved himself a rattling good juvenile when runner-up in both the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe and Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes.
He built on that fine juvenile form when travelling from his Summerveld base to finish third behind subsequent Gr1 SA Classic winner Anfields Rocket in the Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes before showing his Joburg rivals a clean pair of heels to land the Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes by the best part of four lengths.
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Royal Victory promised to make plenty of noise in the Classics, and after going down by a shorthead in the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas, was not disgraced when fifth in the Gr1 SA Classic.
However, he has failed to cut the mustard in three subsequent starts over 1200m, 1400m and 1600m. Whether the removal of blinkers or a step up in trip did the trick, the four-year-old came from off the pace to land the Michaelmas in a thrilling blanket finish.
Co-owner Peter Victor, who travelled down from homebase Johannesburg, commented in the post-race interview: “We decided to try him over more ground and besides, he’s more mature now.”
Kotzen added that the Betway Gr1 Summer Cup looks a distinct possibility, which means Royal Victory could once again make the journey up the N3.
What odds both Royal Victory and Main Defender will continue to keep their sire’s name up in lights this season?
Pathfork (Distorted Humor – Visions of Clarity)
The Michaelmas winner is a feather in the cap of Dr Mariane Thomson, who bred him from the mare Kailani, a four-time winning daughter of Kahal. Interestingly, the former Summerhill stalwart also features as the broodmare sire of Pathfork’s recent winners Common Grounds and Empress Game, both of which broke their maidens in fine style.
Royal Victory’s female line was also developed by Summerhill, who imported his Irish-bred third dam, Royal Relation.
A daughter of Lord Gayle, she won five times and went on to become a prolific broodmare as the dam of nine winners from eleven foals.
Significantly, she clicked with Summerhill’s champion stallion Northern Guest to produce Gr3 winner and Gr1 SA Derby runner-up Royal Tours and his Gr2/3-placed sibling Presidential Suite, whilst her Coastal daughter Coastal Relative bred stakes winner Coastal Waltz, who in turn became the dam of Gr1 performer No Worries.
A son of Kahal, he won the Gr2 Joburg Spring Challenge, ran third in the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes as a juvenile, and split Vercingetorix and Capetown Noir in a thrilling three-way finish to the Gr1 Daily News 2000.
As for Pathfork, he is quietly going about his business at Sandown and will be covering his 12th book of mares this season.
“He’s doing so well and should get between 30 and 40 mares,” confirmed stud owner James Armitage.
