Not many racing personalities talk as passionately about thoroughbreds as veteran owner/breeder Hassen Adams, who is especially pleased with the 14-member draft presented by his Nadeson Park Stud at the 2021 Cape Premier Yearling Sale at De Grendel on 14 March.
Nadeson Park, with current Gr1-star Got The Greenlight and Gr1 Computaform Sprint hopeful Winter Stories among their recent graduates, is starting to fulfil a dream for Adams, who tells: “The stud is moving towards a pinnacle of many years of planning and hard work. Everyone knows breeding is not easy, but we’ve persisted and we’re seeing the results.
Hassen Adams – pleased with the draft
“Years ago, I started studying pedigrees. I was friendly with people like Karel Miedema and Charles Faull. I got into South African pedigrees with a focus on the best stallion lines and matching them the best mares. We’ve always strived to excellence and we’ve separated the good from the moderate,” said the man who imported the now potential champion stallion Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) to South Africa from Australia.
Adams made a pick of seven personal favourites from his consignment – four colts and three fillies, and, starting with the colts, noted: “I think Lot 63 will be our sales-toper. He’s an absolute brute of a colt, a typical Gimmethegreenlight bred from the Gr2 winner Fragrant Al (Captain Al). He’s well-balanced and strong, I can’t wait to see him go through the ring.”
Lot 38 is Greenbackcurrency, a dark bay named to earn money, by Gimmethegreenlight from Comebackandance (Jallad) from an accomplished stakes family of stakes winners. “This is a stellar pedigree that comes from Young Polly, a mare I bought for R5,000 in KwaZulu-Natal when she was a Maiden and we won six races with her.
“I think Greenbackcurrency is the best foal produced by this mare, he has a good pelvic extension, as the Australians call it, hip to hock, may take a bit of time but has the makings of a top horse.”
Grecian Green (Lot 78), is bred in the purple from the unraced mare Grecian Dancer (Antonius Pius). “I put the mare away and kept her because she represents rare blood and I think she will make it as a broodmare. Her own dam is the fantastic, late Isadora Duncan (dam of Consensual, Just Sensual etc), herself a broodmare of broodmares.
“The family keeps winning, she was a star broodmare,” he said of Isadora Duncan, whose granddaughter In Camera (already the dam of Gr1 winner Attenborough) also produced recent runaway debut winner Al Sakeet.
Lot 59, Timeinthewoods, is a good-looking chestnut colt sired by Time Thief, from the Gr2-winner Fairyinthewoods, who is from the family of Tarn Fairy, Blushing Fairy and current promising Comet Chaser. “He is short-coupled with a nice girth, looks like his dam.”
The top filly On Adams’ list is Lot 5, who comes up early in the sale and is a don’t miss. “She’s a bit of a brute, like the colt I mentioned, a terrific filly by What A Winter with a great gaskin, good balance and pelvic extension.
“I had some inspectors here, they scored her 8 ½ out of 10, she’s from a prolific, winner-producing mare called What A Gal (Qui Danzig), her half-brother Perovskia won the Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes and was exported to Mauritius.”
Lot 71 is a solid filly by Gimmethegreenlight from Ginger Hill, a deceased Western Winter mare from the immediate, potent family of Yard-Arm and Abashiri. “I loved this mare, she produced Simona, who was sold to Zimbabwe after she’d won a few races in South Africa and then won many after that, becoming Zimbabwe’s Horse Of The Year in 2017/18. If this filly doesn’t fetch the right price, I’ll race her myself.”
For buyers looking for value, possibly a decent type at a good price, Adams identified Lot 182, Time For Love, by Time Thief from Teresina (Jet Master) from the close family of Master Plan. The dam has thrown five winners from five runners, including Gr2-placed Ready Steady Go. “She’s nice, come and see her,” Adams concluded.
Lots 126/161 and 169 have been withdrawn from Nadeson Park’s draft.
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