Western Winter
The death of leading sire Western Winter bought to a close a remarkable era in South Africa racing. The stallion, a triple champion sire, had been one of the best sires to have stood locally in the past few decades. Western Winter’s statistics, and superb stud record, established him as a stallion who was as versatile as he was brilliant.
A stakes winner of five races, Western Winter was placed in two of North America’s top races, when second in the Gr1 Met Handicap and third in the Gr1 Carter Handicap.
One of over 100 stakes winners produced by Gone West (sire of leading sires Speightstown, Grand Slam, Zamindar, and Elusive Quality), Western Winter traced back to the hugely important broodmare Nandi. While his female line was often described as week, a number of high-class performers and stars were related to Western Winter, including the mighty Windfields. The latter, once rated the fastest horse ever bred in Canada, was unbeaten in Canada, and the very first stakes winner bred by E.P. Taylor (breeder of Northern Dancer).
Windfields’ dam, Nandi, became the sixth dam of Western Winter.
The Nearctic inbreeding, one of the initial attractions of Western Winter’s pedigree, also produced Japan Cup winner Admire Moon, and other such stars such as All American, Bernardini, champion filly Beholder and Breeders Cup winners Better Talk Now and Big Drama, to name a few, as well as Western Winter’s very close relative, Horse of the Year Archers Bay.
Retired to stud in South Africa in 1997, Western Winter’s very first crop earned him leading first crop sires honours. His very first runner was a stakes winner (Simply Salmon), while that initial crop (responsible for 19 stakes horses from just 51 foals) also produced the stallion’s first Gr1 winner.
Set Afire was a top-class racehorse, whose six feature wins included the Gr1 Gold Challenge and Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes. He was as sound as he was classy – Set Afire made 51 starts, winning or placing in 35.
From that initial success, Western Winter quickly made a name for himself as an outstanding and versatile stallion. His Grade One winners came over distances ranging from 1000m to 3200m, and his stock were both precocious and durable. From star sprinters Warm White Night and What A Winter to Gold Cup winner Reveille Boy, Western Winter had it all.
At the time of his death, Western Winter had been represented by no fewer than 154 stakes horses – of whom 76 were stakes winners. His progeny included 19 Grade One winners, and a further 26 Gr1 placed horses.
He would be champion sire on three occasions, and enjoyed his great crop, in terms of stakes winners, in 2002, when his foal crop included a staggering 20 stakes horses. Three times, Western Winter would produce a crop which included three Gr1 winners.
He was also popular in the sales ring, with his yearlings fetching up to R3 000 000. Western Winter was the leading sire, by aggregate, at the 2007 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.
While Western Winter’s first few crops included a string of top-class males, most notably Yard-Arm and Winter Solstice – both subsequently named Horse of the Year, he took a while to make a name for himself as a stallion capable of throwing champions of both sexes. It was only in his fourth crop that Western Winter produced his first Gr1 winning filly (Fair Maiden), but a flood of high-class fillies emerged from subsequent crops. They included the likes of Equus Award winner Lady Windermere, Bad Girl Runs (Cape Fillies Guineas), Roxanne (Thekwini Stakes), On Her Toes (Allan Robertson Fillies Championship), Covenant (Majorca Stakes) and Nania (Thekwini Stakes). In total the stallion produced five Equus winners: Argonaut, Lady Windermere, What A Winter, Winter Solstice, and Yard-Arm. Another son, World Focus, was Horse of the Year in Mauritius.
Western Winter did particularly well when mated to daughters of the late, great Dancing Champ (who, like Western Winter, was imported by Form Bloodstock).
From just a few matings, the cross of Western Winter onto Dancing Champ daughters produced Horse of the Yard-Arm (J&B Met), Gold Cup hero Reveille Boy, Weston Blaze (Golden Horseshoe), and Swartland (November Handicap).
He also built up a fruitful relationship with the classy mare Annie – the pair combining to produce Equus Champion 2YO Ice Cube and the high-class galloper Jagged Ice. Western Winter’s stock also built up a respectable record overseas. His sons Yard-Arm and Silver Mist won the Gr3 Al Fahdi Fort and Gr3 Al Rashidiya in Dubai respectively, while another son, Oracle West, ran second to champion Vengeance of Rain in 2007. Champion Fearless won in Hong Kong, while another son, Anchor Ice, was successful in Singapore.
Another son, multiple Gr1 winner Surveyor, finished second in the 2004 G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup.
Western Winter’s daughter, Ginger Sea, produced the high-class US colt Howe Great – winner of the Gr3 Palm Beach Stakes and over $500 000 in prize money.
Remarkably Western Winter has no fewer than five sons at stud – Argonaut, Lion Tamer, Meet At Malamala, Warm White Night and What A Winter.
The final page in this remarkable sire’s history is as yet incomplete. Western Winter has some extremely exciting 3yos representing him this season, including Red Ray and Icy Winter Air, while his 2yos for 2013-2014 include siblings to such stars as Let’s Rock ‘n Roll, Royal IQ and Alderry, as well as offspring out of such classy mares as Private Reserve, Easyjadeeasy, Rambo’s Love and Moneycantbuymelove.
This great stallion will be sorely missed, and not soon forgotten by anyone who knew him.
Gr1 winners include:
- What A Winter (07c – Ahonoora, Troy; MR 120)
- Yard-Arm (99c – Dancing Champ, Beau Charles; MR 119)
- Warm White Night (05c – Foveros, Capriole; MR 114)
- Winter Solstice (00c – Melun, Drum Beat; MR 114)
- Capetown Noir (09c – Fort Wood, Northern Guest; MR 110)
- Fearless (03c – Foveros, Persian Wonder; MR 109)
- Reveille Boy (99c – Dancing Champ, P.Kingdom; MR 109)
- Set Afire (98c – Northfields, Plum Bold; MR 109)
- Solo Traveller (07c – Jallad, Centaine; MR 108)
- Surveyor (99c – Northfields, Con Brio; MR 108)
- Covenant (07f – Bush Telegraph, Regent Street; MR 107)
- Argonaut (04c – Del Sarto, Abadan; MR 107)
- Lady Windermere (05f – Averof, Sovereign Dice; MR 106)
- Nania (04f – Pas De Quoi, Northfields; MR 104)
- On Her Toes (05f – Badger Land, Accipiter; MR 103)
- Fair Maiden (01f – Priceless Asset, Flower Power; MR 103)
- Swartland (00c – Dancing Champ, Oligarchy; MR 102)
- Bad Girl Runs (02f – Sadler’s Wells, Sharpen Up; MR 100)
- Ice Cube (00c – Trigger Finger, Peaceable Kingdom; MR 100)
- Roxanne (02f – Royal Chalice, Jungle Cove; MR 96)
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Gr1 placed include:
- Braggadacio (03c – Priceless Asset, Flower Power; MR 111)
- Jagged Ice (02c – Trigger Finger, Peaceable Kingdom; MR 109)
- Lion Tamer (02c – Comic Blush, Spanish Air; MR 109)
- Natural Selection (01c – Man Of Property, Marazion; MR 109)
- Snowdon (07c – National Assembly, Averof; MR 108)
- Silver Mist (02c – Palace Music, London Bells; MR 108)
- Centaur (03c – Northern Guest, Jungle Cove; MR 107)
- Meet At Malamala (05c – Kenmare, Sir Tristram; MR 103)
- Barcelona Winter (07f – Golden Thatch, Del Sarto; MR 101)
- Anti-Freeze (02c – Centenary, Lear Fan; MR 101)
- Ice Belle (04f – Centenary, True Swallow; MR 100)
- Carry On Katie (03f – Best By Test, Free Ride; MR 100)
- Next Spring (02f – Sharp Romance, St Cuthbert; MR 99)
- Maelstrom (02f – Shoe Danzig, Dowdstown Charley; MR 99)
- Field Event (04c – Northfields, Stage Door Johnny; MR 98)
- My Kazzie (06f – Argosy, Golden Thatch; MR 97)
- Imperial Triumph (98f – Royal Chalice, Dancing Champ; MR 91)
- Red Ray (10c – Pas De Quoi, Northfields; MR 0)
