When Hollywoodbets Durban July prospect Selukwe carried Sabine Plattner’s familiar silks to victory in last weekend’s World Sports Betting Gr3 1900, he added further lustre to a female family which stretches all the way back to the fine racemare Arctic Sweep, who, we are sure, will be remembered by KZN racegoers of a more vintage era.
Selukwe’s victory in the WSB Gr3 1900 added further lustre to a great family (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
An own sister to the great Renounce, this Karoo-bred was leased to well-known KZN owner and breeder Des Scott for whom she won nine races, the highlight of which was her victory in the Gr1 Garden Province Stakes under ‘Tiger’ Wright.
As good as her race record was, she far surpassed it as a broodmare, producing nine winners from as many runners, while achieving lasting fame as the dam of three exceptional Gr1 winners, a feat which earned her a Broodmare of the Year title.
She made an immediate impact with her first foal High Frequency, the result of a mating to Hartford Stud’s Middle Park winner Masham. Campaigned by the larger-than-life figure of Cyril Hurvitz and trained by Buller Benton, he won the Smirnoff Plate (now Gold Medallion) as a two-year-old and matured into a sprinter of the highest order, also winning the Gr2 Durban Merchants.
Terrance Millard (Pic – hamishNIVENPhotography)
Arctic Sweep’s finest foal was arguably Arctic Cove, a son of Jungle Cove.
Trained by the legendary Terrance Millard, he proved himself amongst the leading colts of his generation as a Gr1 winner of the Met, Cape Derby and Champion Stakes, was runner-up in the Cape Guineas, Schweppes Challenge and Queen’s Plate and finished third twice in the Rothmans July.
Rounding out Arctic Sweep’s trio of Gr1 winners was the Ambiopoise filly Forever Amber, whose career haul included the then Gr1 Natal Fillies Guineas under English champion jockey Pat Eddery for trainer Fred Rickaby.
Selukwe descends from her own sister Amberflo, who features as his fifth dam. Amberflo never raced and produced just three foals, all fillies, one of which being Goldenflo, by Jungle Cove, so technically a three-part sister in blood to Arctic Cove.
Successful in the Gr3 Breeders Fillies Champion Stakes at two, Goldenflo eventually retired to the Kahan family’s The Alchemy, where she bred no less than five stakes performers and achieved lasting fame as the dam of Flobayou, who dominated the sprint division in the mid-nineties to the extent that he was named Joint Horse of the Year in 1995.
Trained by Eric Sands for Sir Robert Bellinger, this grand stamp of a horse lifted three champion sprinter titles and scored 18 times from three to seven, amongst which three renewals each of the Gr1 Mercury Sprint, Gr2 Merchants and Gr2 Diadem Stakes. Truly a horse for the ages.
Half-brother Royal Flo was no slouch either, winning the Gr2 SA Invitation Stakes and reaching the frame in both the Gr1 SA Guineas and Daily News 2000.
However, it is their half-sister Foverflo who is of interest here, as she became the third dam of Selukwe. Sired by Foveros, she too lacked nothing in talent and strutted her stuff on the racetrack, landing the Gr3 Sceptre Stakes and running second to Jallad in the Gr2 Durban Merchants.
Goldenflo achieved lasting fame as the dam of Flobayou, who dominated the sprint division in the mid-nineties to the extent that he was named Joint Horse of the Year in 1995 (Pic – Supplied)
Her broodmare career was sadly limited to just four foals, three colts and a filly named Final Flo, a winner of three races up to 1200m. She too returned to her birthplace The Alchemy, where she bred Gr2 Golden Slipper runner-up Let It Flo.
In contrast, Final Flo’s Captain Al daughter Sovereign Flo showed little on the track, but in the paddocks did her bit to maintain family honours as the dam of three stakes performers: Selukwe, Supreme Warrior, who was runner-up in both the Gr2 World Sports Betting Guineas and Gr3 Lebelo Sprint; and Gr3 Cape Nursery third Mr Crumford.
Now rising 18, Sovereign Flo is alive and well and living at Sabine Plattner’s La Plaisance, where Selukwe was born and raised.
Stud manager Morne de Villiers is understandably delighted with the five-year-old’s 1900 win.
“Thankfully he found a gap and his turn of foot got him there,” he commented on the race.
Elaborating on Sovereign Flo, he remarked: “She hasn’t given us a foal for the last three years and we were toying with the idea of retiring her, but she is in such great nick, we may just have one final crack with her.”
As for Selukwe, he now has his sights firmly on the Hollywoodbets Durban July where he will bid to emulate his own sire Pomodoro, who captured the historical race thirteen years ago.
