When Zeitz (Vercingetorix) beat his paternal half-brothers Garrix (Vercingetorix) and Native Ruler (Vercingetorix) to win Saturday’s City Of Cape Town Gr3 Politician Stakes, he made amends for his full-brother The Grey King.
The latter, who ran second in the fifth race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, finished second, to champion Green With Envy (Gimmethegreenlight), in the 2024 Schweppes Gr3 Politician Stakes.
Zeitz, the 49th stakes winner for Vercingetorix, hails from one of the best female lines in the stud book.
Serino Moodley and Zeitz return accompanied by Callum Dixon and the Plattner Racing Team (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
His winning dam Zappy Choice was sired by triple Australian Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice, whose broodmare daughters have produced more than 160 stakes winners including outstanding sire Zoustar (Northern Meteor) and Australian Horse Of The Year Anamoe (Street Boss).
In South Africa, Redoute’s Choice mares have produced the likes of Master Redoute (World Pool Gr3 Gold Cup), Linebacker (Jonsson Workwear Gr1 Cape Derby, Gr1 Daily News 2000) and Al Muthana (L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate, Hollywoodbets Gr1 Gold Challenge).
Zappy Choice’s own dam Zarakiysha (Kendor) is a half-sister to unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Zarkava (Zamindar), the dam of three black type horses, notably Gr1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner, and top-class sire, Zarak (Dubawi). To date, Zarak, one of his sire’s best sire sons, has sired 28 black type winners, including Gr1 winners Metropolitan, Zagrey and Haya Zark.
Zarkava, whose dam recently died, is also granddam of Gr3 Prix d’Aumale winner Zarigana (Siyouni), a likely classic hope for 2025.
The brilliant mare is a direct descendant of one of history’s greatest racemares Petite Etoile (Petition), the fifth dam of Zarkava. Horse Of The Year in 1959. Petite Etoile, winner of 14 of 19 starts, including both the 1000 Guineas and Oaks, also features as the fifth dam of former South African Horse Of The Year Igugu (Galileo).
Petite Etoile was a descendant of the uber fast Mumtaz Mahal (The Tetrarch), whose numerous high-class descendants include breed shaping sires Nasrullah, Royal Charger, Mahmoud, and Kalamoun.
Octagonal (Zabeel-Eight Carat)
Mumtaz Mahal is also ancestress of the legendary broodmare Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight), whose five Gr1 winners included successful sire Kaapstad (Sir Tristram) and Horse Of The Year Octagonal (Zabeel), sire of champion racehorse and sire Lonhro.
New Cape sire Frantastic (Frankel), whose four time Gr1 winning full-brother Cracksman sired unbeaten Arc winner Ace Impact, is another descendant of Mumtaz Mahal as is the Frankel sired champion, and Gr1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista.
Zeitz has three lines of Nijinsky II in his pedigree, with the Triple Crown winner’s sons Niniski and Kahyasi, and daughter Dancing Show, all appearing in the 2025 Politician Stakes winner’s pedigree. Numerous stakes winners have more than two lines of Nijinsky II close up, including unbeaten US Triple Crown winner and top-class sire Justify (Scat Daddy).
Vercingetorix has another stellar crop of three-year-olds this season, with this crop currently including six black type winners and including such promising sorts as Garrix, Sail To The Seas, Boundless Energy, Salenio Peninsula, and Spumante Dolce. No doubt this crop will produce more stakes winners in the coming months.
