Champion Musir is the latest horse, to prove infertile, to return to the racetrack. He made a promising return when fourth to stablemate Mushreq, and was second on Saturday in the Gr2 Zabeel Mile.
The son of Redoute’s Choice, who spent the last Southern Hemisphere breeding season in vain at Coolmore Australia, is, however, by no means the first stallion to fail at stud duties only to return to the track. But has this proved successful? Two of Coolmore’s former racing stars, George Washington (Danehill) and Starspangledbanner (Choisir), both returned to the racetrack after fertility issues hindered their first season at stud.
George Washington, known as “Gorgeous George”, made a brief and ultimately tragic return to the track which ended in his death following the Breeders Cup Classic of 2007. Starspangledbanner made his return to the track last year, making five starts.
While the former G1 July Cup winner failed to win, he was second in two pattern races, and clearly maintains some ability, although whether he is quite as effective as before he went to stud remains to be seen.
Another champion to return to the track following an unsuccessful spell at stud was former US Triple Crown winner Assault. After proving infertile, Assault returned to the track, where he won several races including the prestigious Brooklyn Handicap.
Keltos, a top-class miler, was another to return to racing after battling fertility issues. While he was not infertile, Keltos (Kendor) failed to get enough mares in foal to make him a viable commercial prospect, and he was duly dispatched to the track where he raced until eight. Keltos’ second career saw him win a further three races, and he was competitive in group race company without winning at that level.
He eventually returned to stud duties, and ended up in Spain. A more unusual case happened in Australia, when G1 winner Shellscrape (Dane Shadow) returned to training – after siring a number of foals born without tails. Over 20% of his first crop were born with deformed docks, and Shellscrape was thus returned to training.
The former G1 Galaxy winner, was scheduled to return to training at the end of 2012, but is yet to start.
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Lassie Dear
While Saturday’s local features were dominated by the offspring of two stallions, Silvano and Tiger Ridge, one of the sport’s all time great broodmares also made her presence felt. Lassie Dear, who has made a tremendous contribution to pedigrees throughout the world, has been a particular strong force in South Africa.
Two of her sons came to stud in South Africa, Al Mufti and Wolfhound, while Lassie Dear’s grandsons Tiger Ridge and Houston Connection also stand at stud locally. The promising young stallion Mambo In Seattle, whose first crop are yearlings this season, is a great grandson of Lassie Dear, whose grandson A P Indy is the sire of local sires A P Answer, A P Arrow, Just as Well and the uber promising Judpot.
A P Indy’s son Judpot is the sire of Saturday’s juvenile debut winner Forest Indigo, to take his tally to 3 winners from just a handful of runners. The former champion sire A P Indy is also grandsire of champion Jay Peg, whose first crop have already produced several useful looking performers. Jay Peg’s sire, Camden Park, produced three G1 winners before his premature death.
Lassie Dear’s finest local son Al Mufti is the sire of leading SA sire Captain Al, whose daughter Victorian Secret, landed the Listed Lady’s Pendant on Friday. Another son of Al Mufti, Victory Moon, is the sire of Saturday’s Gr2 Gauteng Guineas runner up War Horse.
However Lassie Dear’s star representative this weekend was undoubtedly Tiger Ridge. The latter, a former leading sire in Florida, was responsible for Saturday’s impressive feature race winners Amur Affair (G3 Acacia Hcp) and Cherry On The Top (G2 Fillies Guineas), as well as impressive Dubai hero Kavanagh. All in all, it was a great weekend for descendants of Lassie Dear, whose sire Buckpasser is one of the greatest broodmare sires of all time.
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Noordhoek Flyer – Irrisistible Kris
Lovely Foals For Champ
Dual Guineas winner Noordhoek Flyer has his first foals this season, and the Pivotal horse has come up with some cracking foals from his first crop. A magnificent looking horse himself, Noordhoek Flyer was well supported during his first season at stud, and has proven extremely fertile.
Tremendously talented, Noord-hoek Flyer has a great pedigree. He is by world leading sire Pivotal, sire of over 100 stakes winners and no fewer than 21 individual G1 winners – despite beginning his stud career at a very lowly fee. Pivotal is also the sire of successful speed sire Kyllachy, and the G1 sire Captain Rio.
Noordhoek Flyer’s dam is by champion miler and sire Kris, also broodmare sire of leading European sire Invincible Spirit, and Serra Negra (dam of Noordhoek Flyer) is bred on similar lines to the great champion and successful sire Halling (Diesis).
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Pablo Zeta
Like Sham who had to face the legendary Secretariat, Pablo Zeta lived in the shadow of a superstar. In his case, Pablo Zeta’s nemesis was Horse Chestnut, arguably the greatest racehorse ever bred in South Africa. Pablo, a son of leading Argentinian based sire Candy Stripes, whose progeny excelled in South Africa, took on Horse Chestnut (Fort Wood) four times during his racing career.
He was second to champion three times, but never got closer than four and a quarter lengths to Horse Chestnut. Since his racing career ended, Pablo Zeta, who won three of his five starts at two including the Gr.2 Gosforth Park Juvenile C&G Stakes, has lived the life of Riley.
He spends his days in a paddock with maiden mares at Klawervlei and apparently closely resembles a broodmare in appearance himself. The former top-class performer spends his days in a state of leisure – and Klawervlei’s John Koster says he is a good indicator of the mares’ state of mind!
