Horse Chestnut (Fort Wood x London Wall)
Drakenstein Stud’s resident sire, Horse Chestnut, is already a proven broodmare sire, with his daughters having come up with offspring such as the champions Suggestive Boy (Easing Along) and Mark My Word (Market Rally), as well as the 2013 Gr3 Tercentary Stakes hero, Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid).
The former J&B winner and South African Horse Of The Year is also the maternal grandsire of Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense). The latter, who looks to be a potential runner in the 2015 Kentucky Derby, took his record to three wins from as many outings when he won Saturday’s Gr3 Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes. It was a game effort from the colt, who had to dig down deep to outlast the classy Mr Z (Malibu Moon), who had previously finished fifth in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Juvenile, and second in the Gr1 Breeders Futurity. In landing the spoils in this $1 million feature, Ocho Ocho Ocho took his stakes to over $690 000 – not bad for a horse who has only made three starts. His Delta Downs victory netted Ocho Ocho Ocho ten points towards a possible start in next year’s Kentucky Derby. The colt, whose dam is the Horse Chestnut mare, Winner, had previously won the Juvenile Turf Sprint on Breeders Cup weekend. Winner, in foal to leading sire Bernardini, was herself knocked down for $700 000 at the recent Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Tune’s brother awesome in return
Noble Tune
Rathmor Stud’s blue blooded young horse, Noble Tune, (Unbridled’s Song) is a half brother to former star juvenile, Honor Code (A P Indy). The latter, victorious in last year’s Gr2 Remsen Stakes, made a stunning return to the track when coming from well off the pace to land an allowance race over 1300m. Honor Code, whose dam is the superbly bred Serena’s Cat (by Storm Cat), has now won three of five outings (he was also second in the Gr1 Champagne Stakes), and has earned over $400 000. A former Kentucky Derby fancy, Honor Code looks destined for great things, and is very much a horse to watch in 2015. Half brother Noble Tune, who has covered an exceptional book of mares in his first season at stud, was a graded stakes winner at both two and three. The only son of the sensational US sire Unbridled’s Song at stud in South Africa, Noble Tune also ran second in the 2012 Gr1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf.
Serena’s Cat, dam of the above-mentioned horses, is a superbly bred broodmare. A daughter of legendary sire Storm Cat (currently top of the broodmare sires log for 2014 in the US), the stakes winning Serena’s Cat (whose first two dams are black type winners) is a half sister to one the UK’s most promising first crop sires, Vocalised (by Vindication). Vocalised, winner of the Gr3 Greenham Stakes, from a small first crop of runners has already produced a promising looking filly in the form of Steip Amach (winner of the Gr3 Killavullan Stakes). Serena’s Cat is bred on very similar lines to breed shaping US champion sire, Giant’s Causeway. The pair are both by Storm Cat, and while Giant’s Causeway is out of a mare by Rahy, Serena’s Cat’s second dam is by Rahy. Noble Tune and Honor Code’s third dam is legendary racemare Serena’s Song, North America’s Champion 3YO Filly of 1996, and winner of 13 Grade 1 races.
Tom Fool – a true legend
The original Tom Fool
It was interesting to see that the third race at the Vaal on Thursday was won by a horse with the name of Tom Fool.
I was somewhat surprised that the Jockey Club allowed the horse to share the same name as one of the greatest horses in North American history. Will Secretariat be the next to grace the mid week meeting at the Vaal?
Surely there needs to be more stringent measures in place to see that some of history’s greatest horses’ names remain unusable? With all due respect to the local Tom Fool, it is hard to see that he (or almost any other thoroughbred in South Africa) is worthy of bearing such a name.
The famous Tom Fool was a legend on the track and at stud – siring champions who also enjoyed a considerable influence in their own right in the breeding shed. North America’s Champion 2YO Colt of 1951, Tom Fool put together one of the finest campaigns ever seen in the US as a four-year-old. The son of Menow won all ten of his races that year – which earned him the title of Horse Of The Year, over no less an adversary than Native Dancer. He was also named Champion Sprinter and Handicapper for 1953, during which year he won from 1100-2000 metres. Tom Fool’s wins during his Horse Of The Year campaign included an eight length romp in the Pimlico Special (subsequently a Gr1 race), as well as New York’s Triple Crown (Metropolitan, Suburban and Brooklyn Handicaps).
In a modern day poll conducted by The Blood Horse, Tom Fool was named the 11th greatest US racehorse of the 20th century.
Inducted into North America’s Racing Hall Of Fame in 1960, Tom Fool, despite being a slightly reluctant breeder at the start of his stud career, quickly stamped himself as a top class stallion. His offspring included fellow Horse Of The Year, and hugely influential sire and broodmare sire Buckpasser, Kentucky Derby hero Tim Tam, champion Silly Season, and Travers Stakes hero Tompion. Tom Fool was also broodmare sire of Kentucky Derby winner and sire Foolish Pleasure, Kentucky Oaks heroine, Sweet Alliance, Santa Anita Derby hero Jim French as well as the hugely successful South African sire, Dancing Champ. Another daughter of Tom Fool, Dunce Cap, was Broodmare Of The Year in 1985. Tom Fool sired 36 stakes winners from 276 foals – an impressive 13% stakes winners to foals.
Tom Fool – surely a name worth preserving?
