The beauty and her proud Mom, Gardener’s Delight
Highlands Farm Stud in the Western Cape were celebrating when the first photographs hit the wires today of a stunning half-sister by Avontuur’s multiple international Group winning sire Oratorio, to champion racehorse Soft Falling Rain.
The magnificent filly foal out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Gardener’s Delight follows in the footsteps of the outstanding specimens already produced by the exciting Oratorio in his first SA crop.
“He sure stamps them and she’s a beauty like the rest of them,” said an excited Avontuur General Manager Pippa Mickleburgh today.
“Strong, robust, balanced – that has been the general consensus of opinion and we just cannot keep these outstanding foals a secret anymore!” she laughed.
Not only has Gardener’s Delight produced three winners from as many runners, she has also proven an extremely fertile and successful broodmare, with six foals.
Her first foal was the winning Spectrum filly, Rose Garden, who also visited Oratorio in 2013 and foaled a smashing strong first foal, a colt for breeders Gary and Jackie Joliffe.
Her 4yo, by Sail From Seattle, named My Nephew Eric, is racing in Hong Kong after showing good promise early on with Vaughan Marshall. He cost R1 000 000 at the 2011 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.
Gardener’s Delight, whose sire Giant’s Causeway is a multiple champion in the USA, hails from the family of Gr1 winners Habibti, Gal In A Ruckus and Breeders Cup hero, Eldaafer.
She also produced the Black Minnaloushe colt, named Splendid Garden, who was sold to Mike Azzie for R800,000 at the 2013 Cape Premier Yearling Sale (Book One) and made a terrific winning debut on 19 July at Turffontein.
The home-bred international Group winning Soft Falling Rain was recently secured for stud by Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift Farm, in what his trainer Mike De Kock called a ‘coup for SA breeding.’
Soft Falling Rain was bred at Highlands Farm. He is by National Assembly from Gardener’s Delight and was a R350,000 yearling at the inaugural Cape Yearling Sale in 2011, purchased for Sheikh Hamdan by Angus Gold and Form Bloodstock.
The handsome galloper was successful on three continents. He won seven of 13 starts – on turf and all-weather tracks – and was placed twice for career earnings of approximately ZAR13-million.
Soft Falling Rain had a highest career rating of 122 following his second to Variety Club in Dubai.
He retired to stud with a final rating of 120.
Watch this space for our Oratorio gallery – seeing is believing!
