South Africa’s current active premier sire of classic horses, Silvano, picked up his fourth SA General Sires title in 2018-2019, and his offspring impressed throughout the course of last year.
Sarah Whitelaw writes that with 2019 behind us, it is a good time to look back at some of the highs and lows of the thoroughbred breeding industry across the globe last year.
Silvano
Fast closing on siring his 100th stakes winner, Silvano was responsible for four Gr1 winners in 2019 – Hawwaam (SA Classic, Daily News 2000, Premier’s Champions Challenge), Silvano’s Pride (Woolavington 2000), Zillzaal (Summer Cup) and Kilindini (Cape Guineas). Three out of the four were produced by daughters of Jet Master.
Silvano produced 11 stakes winners in 2019.
His champion son Vercingetorix made an explosive start with his first runners in 2018-2019 and the Gr1 Jebel Hatta winner is now established as one of our most promising young stallions.
Deep Impact and Redoute’s Choice
The industry lost two outstanding stallions this year, with the passing of Redoute’s Choice (in March) and Deep Impact (in July)
A four time Gr1 winner, Redoute’s Choice had been Champion Sire in Australia (by stakes) on three occasions at the time of his death, and he would enjoy posthumous Gr1 success in 2019 with his progeny Dancetaria and Loire winning the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen and New Zealand 1000 Guineas respectively. His Gr1 winning son Snitzel was Champion Sire in Australia for a third time in 2018-2019.
Deep Impact
Legendary Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) had been Champion Sire in Japan seven times at the time of his death, and the champion is on course to record an eighth Japanese General Sires title in 2019. His success, however, has been felt well outside of Japan, with Deep Impact’s international Gr1 winners including Saxon Warrior, Vivlos, A Shin Hikari, Real Steel, Study Of Man, and Beauty Parlour.
Both Redoute’s Choice (Redoute’s Promise, Time Thief, Wylie Hall) and Deep Impact (Danon Platina) have or have had sire sons at stud in South Africa.
Urban Sea once again
Deceased Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea (Miswaki) was once again a major force to be reckoned with in the pedigrees of big race winners all over the world in 2019. The dam of four individual Gr1 winners (headlined by Galileo and Sea The Stars), Urban Sea appears in the pedigrees of each and every one of the 13 runners to have contested the 2019 Gr1 Investec Derby – a race won by Galileo’s son Anthony Van Dyck).
Masar, who won the 2018 Investec Derby, retires to stud for 2020, with the chestnut son of New Approach inbred to Urban Sea.
Galileo equals Danehill
Urban Sea’s outstanding son Galileo, who holds strong claims to being the finest stallion ever to stand in Ireland, had another exceptional season in 2019.
The son of Sadler’s Wells equalled Danehill’s number of individual Gr1 winners (84) when his tough daughter Magic Wand captured the Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes in November.
Galileo
Galileo, whose tally of Gr1 winners now includes four English Derby winners, had an exceptional season last year, and was responsible for no fewer than 11 individual Gr1 winners.
He was broodmare sire of a further ten top level winners in 2019 with his daughters producing among others, 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit) and Sottsass (Siyouni).
Giant’s Causeway’s legacy lives on
Storm Cat’s greatest son Giant’s Causeway died in 2018, but his descendants enjoyed a massive year in 2019.
Giant’s Causeway (photo: Coolmore)
His six individual stakes winners was headed by outstanding US galloper Bricks And Mortars-whose six wins, from as many starts, in 2019 included five Gr1 wins including the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. Giant’s Causeway also enjoyed success as a broodmare sire this year, and is damsire of recent Gr1 Gauteng Chris Gerber Summer Cup winner Zillzaal, and 2019 Gr1 Clark Stakes winner Tom’s D’Etat (Smart Strike).
However, it was Giant’s Causeway’s son Shamardal who proved his sire’s star turn in 2019.
The once beaten dual French classic winner was represented by five individual Gr1 winners over the year, including star sprinter Blue Point, French 1000 Guineas heroine Castle Lady, and high-class two-year-olds Pinatubo (Dewhurst Stakes, National Stakes), Earthlight (Prix Morny, Middle Park Stakes), and Victor Ludorum (Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere).
Shamardal’s dual French classic winning son Lope De Vega also got on the Gr1 board in 2019, thanks to sons Zabeel Prince (Prix d’Ispahan), and Phoenix Of Spain (Irish 2000 Guineas).
Exceed continues to Excel
Darley’s veteran shuttle sire Exceed And Excel (Danehill) had an outstanding year, both as a sire and as a broodmare sire in 2019.
Exceed And Excel
Exceed And Excel pulled off a rare feat when his daughters Believe ‘N’ Succeed and Seeking Solace produced Gr1 Investec Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck and Gr1 Darley July Cup winner Ten Sovereigns (No Nay Never) respectively.
Damsire of 2019 New Zealand Derby winner Crown Prosecutor, Exceed And Excel is also the sire of Gr1 winners Exceedance (Ascot Vale Stakes), Bivouac (Golden Rose), and Microphone (AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes) in 2019.
