Royal Pleasure wins unextended
Summerhill Stud’s exciting stallion Visionaire produced his first South African winner courtesy of the impressive Scottsville Sunday first race runaway victress Royal Pleasure. The Team Valor International bred filly, a R30 000 sales graduate, was unextended as she flaunted her high cruising speed to beat some experienced rivals by 6,75 lengths.
Trainer Glen Kotzen has hit a purple patch of form and he celebrated winners over the weekend out of all three of his yards countrywide.
The dogs were barking from early on about the Visionaire debutante in the Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m and she did not disappoint her supporters as she was backed from 25 to 1 into 3 to 1.
Showing maturity in the hands of young claimer Callan Murray, Royal Pleasure relaxed early before drawing clear 400m out
A son of Gone West stallion, Grand Slam, the USA bred Visionaire stood one season in Kentucky before being brought to stand at Summerhill in South Africa by the astute Barry Irwin from 2011.
Visionaire – magnificent
During his racing career, the chestnut flyer won 5 races from 1300m to 1700m, including terrific efforts to win the Gr1 King’s Bishop Stakes and the Gr3 Gotham Stakes.
Considered a stallion-making race, the 2008 Gr1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga was Visionaire’s finest hour and stamped him as a very special athlete.
Considering it is the traditional gathering ground of the fastest three year olds in the United States, and that there’s only 350 metres from the final bend to the post, his turn of foot that day is part of the folklore of the King’s Bishop.
He has sired 12 winners in the USA, of which one is a stakes winner and one stakes placed.
He sired first crop stakes winner Bacopa Breeze and stakes-placed Outlook. His other first crop winners include She Is Tango, I Need A Miracle, Trident Hero, Predicting.His oldest runners have just turned 4yo.
“I can understand now why Mr Irwin wanted so badly to bring this horse to South Africa. He’s as big and strong as any horse I’ve had in this barn, and he’s just about the best looking, too. He’s wanted to breed his mares in South African to a horse like this for years”, said the vastly experienced Stallion Manager Greig Muir, whose 24 year tenure at Summerhill includes vigilance over the top stallions Northern Guest, Home Guard, Liloy, National Emblem, Rambo Dancer, Kahal and Muhtafal.
A very robust horse with a pretty head, Visionaire made $300,000 as a Saratoga select yearling at Eaton Sales. That sum was two and a half times the yearling average for Grand Slam in 2006.
He is typical of his grandsire French Deputy and of the more substantial stock that Grand Slam can produce.
In terms of pedigree, he is another example of Mr. Prospector crossed on Northern Dancer.
Bred by Team Valor International, Royal Pleasure was picked up for just R30 000 on the 2014 KZN Suncoast Yearling Sale by Andy Williams’ Worldwide Bloodstock.
She is out of the King Of Kings mare, Royal Purse, who was unplaced in 3 starts at 2 to 4. The dam is a half-sister to Jalberry, the dam of Count Express and interestingly, Varsfontein’s Singapore winner from Friday, Mr Fantastic.
