Maine Chance Farms looks to have found a worthy successor to its late linchpin stallion Silvano, in none other than his champion son Vercingetorix.
The big bay is currently enjoying a purple patch of note and in the past week alone, sired no less than three Graded stakes winners.
Pride of place goes to three-year-old Chansonette, who opened her black type account in the first Gr1 classic of the season, the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth.
Majestic Vercingetorix (Silvano (Ger) ex National Vixen) (Pic- Jeremy Nelson)
Her sire’s third individual Gr1 winner, it is only fitting that Sabine Plattner’s filly was bred by Maine Chance and from a homebred mare to boot. Her dam Champery, a multiple stakes-placed daughter of fellow Maine Chance stallion Querari, scored twice over 1000m, was runner-up in the Laisserfaire Stakes and also finished third in the Perfect Promise Sprint.
Chansonette’s win also proved a milestone for Querari, as she is his first stakes winner as a broodmare sire. Former Maine Chance manager John Slade was quick to send a message: “I’m so excited that a Querari mare has bred a Gr1 winner. That is the nick to follow, Vercingetorix onto Querari.”
Interesting to note that Querari also featured as the sire of Homely Girl, who finished third behind Chansonette. She is bred on the reverse cross to Chansonette, being out of Silvano’s daughter Sherry. A winner of the Listed Lady’s Slipper Stakes, Homely Girl is one of five stakes winners bred on that cross.
It is no coincidence that both Silvano – and thereby Vercingetorix and Querari – carry in their genetic makeup the mighty German stallion Surumu, Silvano through his sire Lomitas, and Querari through his dam Quetena.
Described by Maine Chance owner Dr Andreas Jacobs as ‘the Northern Dancer of Germany’, Surumu’s influence on that country’s breeding industry has been profound, to the extent that his name can be found in more than 80 percent of German bloodlines, remarkable in a sense that he never covered big books and only twice had a foal crop as high as 39.
Vercingetorix’ four-year-old Seeking The Stars, completed his sire’s fine stakes double in the Gr2 WSB Club Prive Green Point Stakes.
Fresh off his victory in the Gr3 Matchem Stakes, Vaughan Marshall’s colt made full use of his superior fitness and under a superb tactical ride by Anton Marcus, kept the returning Horse of the Year Rainbow Bridge at bay. Although this was the colt’s first success over a mile and that he is out of Winter Oaks winner Schism, Marshall indicated that for now, Seeking The Stars will stick to sprinting, with the Diadem over 1200m a likely next target.
Vercingetorix’ son Alesian Chief skates home to win the Gr3 Merchants on Summer Cup day (Pic- JC Photos)
Vercingetorix’s Kenilworth double was preceded by a Gr3 success for three-year-old son Alesian Chief in the Gr3 World Sports Betting Merchants at Turffontein’s postponed Summer Cup meeting.
Building on a smart victory in the Listed Golden Loom Handicap, Corrie Lensley’s stable star made the step up to Graded company in his stride to score by the best part of a length. Alesian Chief is a feather in the cap of Dr Marianne Thomson, who bred the colt under her Ambiance Stud banner.
Although his dam All In The Mind is by champion sprinter Var, she hails from the family of the grand stayer Milleverof, winner of the Gr1 Gold Cup and Gr2 Premier’s Gold Vase.
That Vercingetorix has seamlessly taken over the mantle of his illustrious sire at Maine Chance is best illustrated by the fact that he currently leads the General Sires List, with his late sire in second place.
Whether he can maintain that position remains to be seen, however, Vercingetorix certainly has the ammunition to do so.
In addition to the aforementioned trio, his arsenal of black type runners includes Gr1 juvenile winner Ambiorix; Pomp And Power, a game winner of the Gr2 Concorde Stakes; Bereave, who chased Vikram home in the Gr2 Cape Merchants; champion stayer Nebraas; Spring Spree Stakes winner Vaseem, the consistent performer Astrix and of course Rascallion, who recently claimed the notable scalp of dual Durban July winner Do It Again at Kenilworth.
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