Saturday’s impressive Turffontein winner Pistol Pete (Buffalo Bill Cody) is a direct descendant of a mare whose family have enjoyed considerable success in South Africa.
Pistol Pete’s fourth dam is Fearless Revival (Cozzene), who gained lasting fame as the dam of Gr1 Nunthorpe Stakes/Gr2 King’s Stand Stakes winner Pivotal (Polar Falcon).
Always In Charge (Anton Marcus) wins the 2016 Tsogo Sun Gr1 Gold Medallion (Pic – Cheveley Park Stud)
The latter sired more than 160 stakes winners including outstanding sire Siyouni, and champions Golden Apples, Somnus, Sariska, African Story and Farhh.
Pivotal’s offspring earned more than $156 million the world over, and he was responsible for Gr1 winners in all of Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, North America and South Africa.
An outstanding broodmare sire whose daughters have already produced more than 20 Gr1 winners, Pivotal also made his mark in South Africa.
The chestnut was responsible for South African Gr1 winners Noordhoek Flyer (Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas) and Amanee (Thekwini Stakes), and also sired classy local galloper Headstrong. The latter won the 2011 Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes and finished runner-up in the Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint in the same year.
A granddaughter of the mighty Miesque (Nureyev), Amanee had a Deep Impact colt make $1 100 000 at the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
Pivotal’s local influence is not restricted to his own runners, and he is also the broodmare sire of South African based sires Flying The Flag and The United States.
Pivotal in his racing career (Pic – Cheveley Park Stud)
The former has sired 2023 Gr3 Byerley Turk winner Strawberry Bear and the smart Electric Gold among others, while The United States has been responsible for a slew of stakes winners headed by the likes of Sheela, Billy Bowlegs, and Khaya’s Hope.
The United States is also the sire of classy graded stakes winner Without Question, who ran third in the 2024 World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Town Met.
Pivotal’s Gr2 Dante Stakes winning son Wings Of Desire was another representative in South Africa.
Polar Charge also produced the venerable Captain Lars (Captain Al), who won 24 races while scoring in both Britain and South Africa, and the useful Alascan Maiden (Captain Al). The latter, whose son Axl (What A Winter) has now won three times, ran second or third in six black type races and was third, to subsequent Equus Champion In The Fast Lane (Jet Master), in the 2013 Gr2 Choice Carriers Fillies Championship.
Fifty Fiver (Vercingetorix), winner of the 2021 CTS De Grendel Ready To Run Stakes, is out of another daughter of Polar Charge in the form of Polar Trip (Trippi).
Could Pistol Pete be the latest ‘revival’ for this family?
