Avontuur’s leading sire Var supplied a winner in Hong Kong on Wednesday, when his five-year-old son Bear Again won at Happy Valley.
Under jockey Blake Shinn, the Maine Chance Farms bred gelding hit the front two furlongs from home before staying on to land the Oi Tung Handicap (1650m) by a length and a quarter.
Bear Again, who is trained by David Ferraris, has now won twice in Hong Kong, with his two victories coming from his last four starts.
He raced under the name of Flying Free in South Africa where he won and ran fourth in both the G2 Golden Horseshoe and Gr2 Dingaans.
The gelding, a R450 000 buy from the 2016 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, is out of the high-class Foveros mare Frequent Flyer, winner of the 2012 Listed Jamaica Handicap and twice runner up in the Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes.
Bear Again’s sire Var, South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in both 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, is having another tremendous season and currently heads the country’s Leading Sires Of 2YOs list.
Var made more international headlines this week with his champion daughter Via Africa dam of a Snitzel colt who was knocked down to the China Horse Club for $350 000 at the recent Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Sire of this season’s Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Vardy, Var has ten lots on offer at the 2020 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.
