When Sail South landed last Saturday’s Gr1 Champions Cup, he became the third Gr1 winner for his short-lived sire, Sail From Seattle.
Bernard Fayd’herbe gets Elusive Gold up to beat his stablemate Captain America in a thrilling finish to the 2013 Guineas
All his three Gr1 winners, Sail South, Elusive Gold and Gulf Storm – all trained by Brett Crawford – were produced in their sire’s first crop of 52 registered foals, which produced 5 stakes winners, including Gr2 Emerald Cup winning millionaire, Tommy Gun.
Sail From Seattle, who had 23 juvenile winners during the season is a son of Gone West, one of the finest sire sons of Mr Prospector, who established himself thanks to the likes of Elusive Quality, Speightstown, Mr Greeley and Grand Slam, as well as South African champion, Western Winter.
Gone West line stallions have once again been to the fore, the world over, in 2017.
The top-class Edict Of Nantes (Count Dubois)
Sail South is the second local Gr1 winner from this male line in 2016-2017, while another son, Western Winter is broodmare sire of this season’s dual Gr1 winner, Carry On Alice. Sail South’s Gr1 win was preceded by Edict Of Nantes (by Gone West grandson, Count Dubois), winner of both the Gr1 Investec Cape Derby and Daily News 2000.
Western Winter is also sire of triple Equus Champion, What A Winter, one of South Africa’s Leading First Crop Sires for the 2016-2017season. The four time Gr1 winner’s first runners in 2016-2017 included three stakes winners, headed by Gr3 Cape Nursery winner, Dutch Philip, and undefeated filly, Magical Wonderland. Another son of Western Winter, Gr1 Mercury Sprint winner, Red Ray, will stand his first season at Klawervlei in 2017.
Crusade (Mr Greeley – La Traviata)
What A Winter is not the only member of this male line to feature prominently on the first crop sires list for 2016-2017, with Gr1 Middle Park Stakes winner, Crusade (by Gone West son Mr Greeley), fourth on the log – Crusade was represented by a seventh first crop winner when his son Subtropical won at Greyville on Saturday.
Gone West’s deceased son, Grand Slam, a dual G1 winner, whose relatives include champion sires, Plum Bold and Alydar, is strongly represented in South Africa. Not only is Grand Slam the sire of former leading first crop sire and promising Lammerskraal based stallion, Visionaire, but the son of Gone West is also broodmare sire of Moutonshoek’s new sire, and Gr1 Secretariat Stakes winner, Admiral Kitten.
There is a plethora of Gone West line sires at stud in North America. One of his most prolific sons is Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner and champion, Speightstown, who is beginning to make his presence felt as a sire of sires.
Speightstown
His proven Gr1 sire son, Munnings was represented by another graded stakes winner when son, El Deal, won the Gr1 Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga on Saturday by a whopping eight lengths. Another son of Speightstown, Lord Shanakill, is sire of British Gr1 winner, My Dream Boat. Poseidon’s Warrior, another son of Speightstown and second leading first crop sire in Florida, is responsible for the promising 2yo Firenze Fire, unbeaten in two outings and winner of the prestigious Gr3 Sanford Stakes.
Speightstown is one of a growing number of successful stallions produced by daughters of Storm Cat, and is the sire of high-class US 3yo, Frostmourne, winner of the Gr2 Penn Mile and a dual graded stakes winner in 2017.
