All things happen for a reason. Following the untimely loss of resident stallion Mambo In Seattle in June, Clifton Stud has found a more than worthy replacement in Last Winter, who arrived at his new home in early August.
The last well-performed son of former Lammerskraal lynchpin Western Winter to take up stallion duties, Last Winter relocated from Bush Hill Stud, where he had stood his first two seasons. His first foals are now yearlings.
Last Winter stands at Clifton Stud
‘It all happened very quickly and I’m thrilled to stand a high quality son of Western Winter,” remarked Clifton Stud master Peter Blythe.
However, with no runners yet to show his powers and his racing career now a fading memory, the third season at stud is a dreaded one for any stallion and Peter wryly admits it’s not going to be easy to get his new recruit a decent number of mares.
Lest we forget, KZN has experienced a dwindling mare population in recent years, exacerbated by the loss of big guns Summerhill and the Scotts’ Highdown Stud. In addition, breeders invariably succumb to the allure of ‘new stallions’, so Last Winter also faces stiff competition from the likes of newcomers Got The Greenlight and Declaration Of War.
Last Winter chases Oh Susanna home in the 2018 Sun Met (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
“Both will probably take about 200 mares out of a limited pool of mares,” Peter added. “Nevertheless, we will give it a big shot.”
As a stallion, Last Winter undoubtedly ticks all the boxes. Trained by Dean Kannemeyer for Lady Laidlaw, the infinitely talented bay looked something special when going undefeated in the first four of just six South African starts. He came within a shorthead of claiming the Gr2 Premier Trophy and followed up with a storming half-length second in the 2018 Gr1 Sun Met won by subsequent Horse of the Year Oh Susanna.
Following that stirring effort, many considered him a strong candidate to give Kannemeyer another Durban July victory, but a chance to contest the country’s premier race came to naught when it was decided to send the horse overseas.
Sadly, an international campaign proved to be litany of bad luck and niggling injuries and after placing fourth once in just two UK starts, both in Listed company, he returned to South Africa.
.Last Winter – a powerhouse athlete
That Last Winter wasn’t snapped up by one of the leading Cape studs came as somewhat of a surprise. After all, here was a Gr1-performed horse, a smashing looker who had sold for R3.7-million as a yearling, sired by a powerhouse stallion out of a Gr1 winning daughter of Silvano, from the direct family of breed-shaping stallion Bold Ruler.
One can only speculate. However the lack of a Gr1 victory on his resumé no doubt played its part and Last Winter ended up standing in KZN.
He was rushed back to South Africa just in time for the 2020 breeding season. In fact, he arrived at Bush Hill on 2 September and covered his first mare the very next day.At the time, Bush Hill’s Warwick Render told Sporting Post: “It’s a tribute to his character that he slotted straight into his new role with ease. He covered a decent book of mares, especially considering the lack of time leading into the season.”
At this stage of his budding stallion career, Last Winter is very much an unknown quantity, however, this grand stamp of a horse represents so much that is great in South African breeding and is deserving of any shrewd stud master’s attention.
His advertised fee is R7500 live foal.
