Not for the first time in recent memory, a South African bred and raced mare made headlines in Australia last week.
The top class Under Your Spell (Capetown Noir) was knocked down to Growing Empire Syndicate for AUS$1,2 million (Approx ZAR 14 million) at last Thursday’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
Under Your Spell wins the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship (Pic- Candiese Lenferna)
The noted site breednet.com.au had the following to say about Under Your Spell, “Elite South African race mares have made quite an impact in Australia, notably for producing current superstar 3YO filly Autumn Glow..”
Catalogued as Lot 18, Under Your Spell, who had the added bonus of selling in foal to multiple champion sire I Am Invincible, was a top-class performer and graded stakes winner for Sean Tarry at two, three and four.
At two, she captured the Grr1 Allan Robertson Championship, G3 Protea Stakes and Listed Ruffian Stakes, while the following season she captured the Gr2 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas before going on to claim the Gr2 World Sports Betting Hawaii Stakes as a four-year-old.
The well related Under Your Spell, a half-sister to dual Gr3 Track And Ball Oaks winner Witchcraft (Kahal), sports the famed mare Feemoss (Ballymoss) as her fifth dam, with Feemoss also the dam of Gr1 Gold Cup winning siblings Le Moss and Levmoss, as well as Gr1 Prix de Diane heroine Sweet Mimosa.
Another South African mare to catch the eye this year, albeit as a granddam, is another Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner in the form of Chocolicious (Kahal).
Chocolicious wins the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship (Pic – Supplied)
The latter is the dam of Gr3 Yarraman Park Tibbie Stakes runner-up Notation, whose two-year-old daughter Memo (Capitalist) captured this year’s Gr3 ATC Magic Night Stakes.
Incidentally, Chocolicious was not the only daughter of Kahal to enjoy success at stud in Australia.
The Kahal sired Gr1 Computaform Sprint winner Noble Heir produced Gr3 MRC Quezette Stakes heroine Crown Witness to the cover of Star Witness.
The South African influence continues to be felt Down Under.
Few South African mares made more impact in Australia than champion Via Africa (Var).
Top class Via Africa (Pic – Supplied)
A triple G1 winner herself, Via Africa has been responsible for a pair of high-class Australian runners thus far in the form of Gr1 ATC Golden Rose winning sire In The Congo (Snitzel), and unbeaten dual group winner Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun).
In The Congo, whose first weanlings have made up to AUS $190 000, has proved extremely popular since he retired to Newgate Farm in 2023. The busiest first season sire in Australia of his year, In The Congo looks poised to make his mark at stud.
The late South African champion Warning Zone is the granddam of Gr1 VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes/Gr1 MVRC William Reid Stakes winner September Run (Exceed And Excel) as well as Steel City (Merchant Navy), with the latter victorious in the 2023 Gr3 ATC Magic Night Stakes.
Heavy Metal (GB), son of Rock Opera (SAF), wins the US$1 million Godolphin Mile at the 2018 Dubai World Cup meet (Pic – Twin Spires)
Yet another champion, Rock Opera (Lecture), produced French Gr1 winner Royal Meeting, whose first crop yielded Gr1 MRC Blue Diamond Stakes winner Hayasugi.
While bred in Australia, the 2019 Gr1 Jaipur Stakes winner Oleksandra was produced by the high-class South African mare Alexandra Rose (Caesour). Given that Oleksandra, whose half-sister Alice Springs is the dam of this season’s high-class three-year-old World Of Alice, has already had foals by Flightline and Life Is Good, the future looks bright for this family.
Legendary South African broodmare Ethane features twice in the pedigree of US Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), whose two-year-old son Just Too Fly won the Gr3 Quayclean-WA Sires Produce Stakes in Australia last Saturday.
To date, Justify has been responsible for five group winners in Australia, including Learning To Fly, Australia’s Champion 2YO Filly of 2022-2023.
