Sunshine Lover, dam of Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas winners Captain’s Lover (2007) and Ebony Flyer (2010), died over the weekend at the Western Cape farm managed by Sally Bruss, her caretaker since Team Valor International retired her from breeding after her last foal was born in 2018.
The daughter of Badger Land was born in October of 1998. She was voted Broodmare of the Year in South Africa.
Barry Irwin had bought Captain’s Lover at the National Yearling Sale and when it was obvious that she was showing extraordinary talent for trainer Justin Snaith, the Team Valor International CEO mandated his bloodstock agent Robin Bruss to do his best to secure the dam, Sunshine Lover.
Sunshine Lover – top broodmare will be missed (Pic – Supplied)
Sunshine Lover and her Jet Master foal at side were acquired by TVI and for many years resided at Klipdrif Stud in the Western Cape, where Sunshine Lover’s owner W. J. Engelbrecht often kept his breeding stock.
Says Irwin “The family was bleak when we bought Sunshine Lover, as the page was virtually blank. But we had a hunch it just might fill in with some black type based on what Captain’s Lover was showing.”
Captain’s Lover that same year won the Classic Guineas, was voted Champion Filly at 3 and, after running third in the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes, was transferred to Andre Fabre in France, where she beat males sprinting in the Group 3 Prix du Pin and finished fourth over 7 furlongs in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret. Sent to the United States, the Captain Al filly went on to win the Matchmaker Stakes and run fourth the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes (both on the dirt).
Ebony Flyer beat Igugu in the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas (Pic – Supplied)
Ebony Flyer, unlike her 16 hands 1-inch half-sister Captain’s Lover, took after her sire and was 17 hands as a juvenile and eventually topped out at more than 17 hands 2 inches. As big as she was, she still was able to come around early enough at 2 to take a notable scalp in the top sprinter Covenant. Although plagued by similar ailment of the wind like her illustrious sire Jet Master, she was in 13 starts able to win 8 races, including the Cape Fillies Guineas, the Majorca and the SA Fillies Sprint—each of them a Grade 1 race.
The talk black filly underwent 3 separate operations on her breathing apparatus, so she was never tried beyond a mile, which negated the possibility of a mouth-watering rematch with the brilliant filly Igugu, who she beat in the Cape Guineas, even when first evidencing signs of a breathing disorder.
Barry Irwin – master selector (Pic – Supplied)
Irwin, whose distaffers over the years include the likes of Ipi Tombe, Sweet Stream, La Petite Coco, Golden Ballet, Belvoir Bay and Cashier’s Dream, has stated publicly that he reckoned that Ebony Flyer may have had the most ability, and he bemoaned the fact that she was never able to show her best.
Neither Ebony Flyer nor Captain’s Lover has as yet to distinguish themselves as producers, but another daughter of Sunshine Lover named Cupid picked up the slack.
Tall like Ebony Flyer, Cupid was Sunshine Lover’s lone foal not to race, but she has produced three black-type winners in Vardy (Champion Miler, Grade 1 winner of the Queen’s Plate), Universal (Grade 3 winner of the Politician Stakes and third in the Grade 1 Cape Derby) and Eros’s Girl (winner of the East Cape Oaks and third in the Grade 3 Magnolia Stakes).
Sunshine Lover produced 10 foals, 9 to race, 7 winners, 4 black-type earners, as in addition to her two Grade 1 winners the mare foaled the stakes-placed runners Cape Cutter and Jabu.
The mare’s last foal, born in 2018, is Masterful Lover, a once-raced daughter of Master of My Fate which Team Valor still owns. She is with Sally Bruss and is in foal to Malmoos and booked this season to One World.
