Duncan and Natasha Barry of Riverton Stud had good reason to celebrate this past weekend. Not only did they breed Saturday’s eye-catching winner Melech, they also sold the top colt on Sunday’s November Two Year Old Sale.
Riverton supremo Duncan Barry chats to Bruce Le Roux after a weekend to remember (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Runner-up on debut, the Roy Magner trained Melech duly went one better when running out a convincing winner of the second race run at Turffontein on Betway Summer Cup day. A three-year-old son of William Longsword, Melech (a three-parts brother to useful galloper Captain Oupie) powered home to win the TAB4Racing Maiden Plate by a length and a quarter, and he looks a potentially smart sort in the making.
A R220 000 buy from the 2021 November Two Year Old Sale, Melech is out of the three time winning mare Pippi.
Unfortunately, Riverton no longer has Pippi, the dam of Melech, having sold the Greys Inn mare earlier. Pippi’s colt by The United States was knocked down to Paddy Kruyer for R130 000 at Sunday’s November Sale.
Riverton went close to having a double on Betway Summer Cup day, with the Riverton-bred Indlamu going down by just a long neck when second in the Pinnacle Stakes over 1400 metres. A one-eyed half-brother to the Riverton bred Gr1 TAB Premier’s Champion Stakes winner Astrix, Indlamu has earned nearly R500 000 in prize money himself.
On Sunday the Riverton consigned colt (Lot 160) by Vercingetorix fetched R650 000 at the November Two Year Old Sale. The colt, who was knocked down to Lynton Ryan, was the second top lot sold at Sunday’s sale, and the top priced colt.
He is out of the winning Parade Leader mare Fiesta Queen, who has been a superb producer for Riverton. To date, Fiesta Queen has been responsible for seven winners, with her four black type horses headed by Gimme One Night (Gr3 Cape Summer Stayers, Gr3 Chairman’s Cup) and Cousin Liz (Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery). The latter made headlines at the 2018 National Yearling Sale when knocked down for no less than R2 900 000.
Fiesta Queen, a winning half-sister to three stakes winners including Gr1 Empress Club Stakes victress Fair Maiden, is currently in foal to former Equus Champion, and Gr1 Sun Met winner One World, with One World’s sire Captain Al having sired Cousin Liz.
