With some outstanding performances at Hollywoodbets Greyville this past ‘Super Saturday’, a number of stallions, and broodmares, put their hands up for recognition.
Let’s have a look at them
Jet Master, Trippi – broodmare sires
Seven time South African champion sire Jet Master is well on course to register his first Broodmare Sires title for 2018-2019. Prior to Saturday, Jet Master mares had been responsible for the earners of in excess of R29,049 million in stakes.
Jet Master (Rakeen – Jet Lightning)
And, not for the first time this season, Jet Master daughters proved dominant at a major South African racemeeting, with Jet Master damsire of all of Rainbow Bridge (Gr1 WSB Champions Cup), African Warrior (Gr2 Haval Motors South Africa Umkhomazi Stakes), and Running Brave (Gr2 Kuda Gold Bracelet). Remarkably, Jet Master mares were responsible for four of the 14 runners in the Gold Bracelet.
Former champion sire Trippi is another who has made a big impression as a damsire in South Africa this season. When Gabor (out of the Trippi mare Se Agabor) won the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes winner on Saturday, she became the second Gr1 winning 2yo produced by a Trippi mare in 2018-2019 following Miss Florida – victorious in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship. The Captain Al sired Miss Florida is out of the Trippi mare Diva’s Daughter.
Kingsbarns – a notable loss
One can but wonder what Gr1 Racing Post Trophy winner Kingsbarns (Galileo) may have achieved with better luck and better fertility. The now deceased Gr1 winner has had just seven South African runners thus far, and each and every one has finished in the money. Kingsbarns’ all-too small first local crop now includes a Gr1 winner thanks to daughter Gabor, winner of Saturday’s Thekwini Stakes.
Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns gained yet another boost to his female line when his Gr3 Senorita Stakes winning half-sister Sweeter Still’s two-year-old son Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) made a winning debut at Sandown recently. Kameko holds an entry for the 2020 Investec Derby. Kingsbarns’ outstanding sire Galileo continues to go from strength to strength as a sire of sires, with his increasingly long list of top-class sire sons including Teofilo, New Approach, Frankel, Nathaniel, and the very promising Intello, Gleneagles and Australia.
National Assembly still a force
The unraced National Assembly enjoyed plenty of success as a sire in South Africa, with his 16 GR1 winners including champions National Emblem, National Colour and Soft Falling Rain. Now deceased, National Asssembly left his mark this past weekend in no uncertain terms.
His son Soft Falling Rain, also sadly deceased, was represented by his first graded stakes winner when his first crop 2yo daughter Montreal Mist captured the Gr2 Debutante Stakes on Saturday. National Assembly’s daughter Band Of Angels is dam of Debutante runner up Spiritofthegroove –giving National Assembly a clean sweep, of sorts, of the first two home in the Debutante.
Soft Falling Rain
Soft Falling Rain is also sire of Saturday’s Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes third place getter Alramz, while the Umkhomazi Stakes was captured by the durable two-year-old African Warrior. The latter hails from the first crop of his multiple Gr1 winning sire Vercingetorix – out of the National Assembly mare National Vixen. The influence of National Assembly is well felt in the Leading First Crop Sires List thanks to Vercingetorix and Soft Falling Rain.
With Vercingetorix appearing to be one of the most exciting sires in South Africa at the moment, and National Colour’s Gr1 winning son Rafeef still to be represented as a sire, National Assembly’s influence could continue to be felt for seasons to come.
Fourth stakes winner for outstanding broodmare
Champion sire Badger Land was a superb broodmare sire, and his Jacaranda Handicap winning daughter Bardot has proved to be one of his very best broodmare daughters. When her five-year-old gelded son Pilou (Western Winter) captured the Listed Darley Arabian on Saturday, he became the third individual stakes winner produced by Bardot. The latter is dam of five black type performers in total, including Gr1 Woolavington 2000 winner Viva Maria (Jet Master), Gr2 Camellia Stakes winner Bichette (Western Winter) and the stakes placed pair of Warrior’s Rest (What A Winter) and Blizzard Belle (Western Winter).
A Commanding performance!
Deceased Danehill sire Commands was another stallion to make his mark on Super Saturday last weekend. The former Darley sire’s multiple Gr1 winning son Epaulette is the sire of multiple Gr1 winner, and Equus Champion, Soqrat- second in Saturday’s Gr1 Champions Cup and Commands daughter Command Chi is dam of Saturday’s hugely impressive Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes winner Got The Greenlight (Gimmethegreenlight).
Commands
A Gr3 winning own brother to Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes winning sire Danewin (and a direct descendant of Mumtaz Mahal), Commands was a prolific sire of winners –so much so that he was Leading Sire of Winners in Australia on three occasions. His 79 stakes winners include 12 Gr1 winners- including Melody Belle (a close relative of Cheveley Stud’s multiple Gr1 winner Wylie Hall), a leading contender to be named Horse Of The Year in New Zealand for 2018-2019.
Also responsible for smart South African runners, Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes winner Queen’s Command, Swallow Stakes winner Nona In Command (dam of impressive recent winner Pretty Young Thing), and the stakes placed Satin Silver, Commands is also damsire of Gr1 winners Politeness and Contentment.
