It is hard to look past outstanding broodmare Halfway To Heaven as the leading candidate for the title of South African Broodmare Of The Year for 2019-2020.
The daughter of Jet Master was 2018-2019 Broodmare Of The Year, and had another outstanding season in 2019-2020, represented by three individual Gr1 winners in Hawwaam (Horse Chestnut Stakes, Premier’s Champions Challenge), Golden Ducat (ARF Commemorative Cape Derby), and Rainbow Bridge (Gold Challenge).
Halfway To Heaven during her racing days
The Gr3 Prix du Cap winning mare, whose son, Celestial City (Silvano), made R7 000 000 to top the recent National Yearling Sale, appears head and shoulders above her rivals for the title of Equus Broodmare Of The Year.
But what of her competitors?
Sarah Whitelaw writes that a number of other broodmares enjoyed notable success during 2019-2020.
The Badger Land mare, Bardot, like Halfway To Heaven a graded stakes winner on the track, produced her second Gr1 winner when her son, Warrior’s Rest (What A Winter), claimed the 2020 Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint.
Third in the 2017 Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes, Warrior’s Rest follows Gr1 Woolavington 2000 winner, Viva Maria (dam of the 2020 Gr3 Campanajo 2200 winner, Sovereign Spirit) as the second Gr1 winner out of his Gr3 Jacaranda Handicap winning dam.
Bardot daughter Blizzard Belle wins in KZN in the Lammerskraal silks
To date, Bardot has produced five stakes horses (three graded stakes winners), with her speedy, stakes placed daughter, Blizzard Belle (Western Winter) dam of last season’s G3 Strelitzia Stakes runner up Slalom Queen (Querari).
The remarkably tough and durable River Jetez, the Met winning full-sister to triple Horse Of The Year Pocket Power, is another daughter of Jet Master to have made a superb start to her stud career. River Jetez had a memorable season in 2019-2020 with her son, Rivarine (Var), landing the Gr1 Computaform Sprint and Rivarine’s full-sister, Delta Queen, taking the Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery.
Beautifully bred Elusive Quality mare, Juvenescent, who hails from the same immediate family as 2020 Gr2 Superlative Stakes winner, Master Of The Seas (Dubawi), is another local mare to have enjoyed a good time of it in 2019-2020.
Juvenescent’s daughter, Golden Belle (Pomodoro). won the Gr2 Camellia Stakes, while another daughter, Shamrock Wind, captured the Ladies Mile last season.
