Fort Beluga’s First Crop Of Foals At Spring Valley

Fort Beluga’s First Crop Of Foals At Spring Valley

Spring Valley Stud have welcomed their first crop of foals from their regrettably deceased stallion, Fort Beluga.
Sadly, the stallion broke his neck earlier this year and had to be put down, but he has left behind an exceptional crop of foals. He was well-supported and covered a book of 90 mares last season. Yellow Star Stud, Bush Hill Stud and Invermooi Stud are all commenting on how impressive their Fort Beluga foals are looking.

The 16.1 hand dark-bay is a son of Fort Wood (who arguably has one of the best pedigrees in the country being by Sadler’s Wells out of the broodmare phenomenon Fall Aspen) who is fast becoming a notable sire-of-sires with the likes of Dynasty and Horse Chestnut (who have already produced Grade 1 winners). His other sons at stud include Tucson, Elusive Fort and Horse Chestnut’s full brother Whitechapel. Fort Beluga is out of the mare Langostine by champion broodmare sire Northern Guest and includes the speedy Harry Hotspur in his dam-line – making this pedigree a very useful one. Fort Beluga also boasts four SA Oaks winners under his fourth dam.

A R650 000 yearling sold by Cheveley Stud as Agent at the 2004 Caesar’s Palace National Yearling Sale, Fort Beluga kicked off his racing career in style, winning his first four starts. He started his fifth start at 18/10 in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas. Sadly he had an upset in the stalls prior to the race and finished unplaced and the experience had a negative influence on his subsequent racing career. He still managed to achieve six wins over a distance of 1200 – 1600m, from the age of 3 to 5 years.

He is a full-brother to eight-time winner Hundredacrewood, whose wins include the Grade 2 Premiers Trophy, as well 11-time winner Joshua Tree. The success of Fort Wood with this dam-line is again evident in the second dam, whose progeny include the likes of Syon, a nine-time winner including the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes and places in the top Graded sprint races in the country. Others include Noblewood, the Woolavington Handicap Listed winner and second in the Grade 1 Gold Cup. Under the third dam there is Golden Oriole, again by Fort Wood, and this 7-time winner includes the Grade 3 Summer Stayers Handicap, as well as Montavano, a seven-time winner Graded placed horse by Royal Prerogative.

His foals all appear to be stamped as correct, very strong and well-built individuals as seen in the photos below. These are the first five foals to be weaned from Fort Beluga’s crop at Spring Valley Stud. We will report on the rest of his foal-crop as the weaning process continues.

Passive Resistance has a bay filly (the dam is by Caesour out of good racemare Flaming Reality by Rainbow Dream). She is a two time winner of R154 380 in stakes and her wins include the Strelitzia Stakes Gr 3 while she placed third in The Debutante Gr 2 from only 4 starts, which is quite something. Her dam was a decent racehorse named Flaming Reality, by Rainbow Dream out of a Whoduzzit mare, Who’s My Gal. She is 3-time winner of R119 288 and included a Listed Race, the TR Lewis Memorial Stakes. She placed five times including a second in the Gosforth Park Juvenile Fillies Stakes Gr 2. Flaming Reality has produced three winners including Paradzi (by Caesour), a 6-time winner who has also placed 20 times and earned almost half a million Rand in stakes. Flaming Reality is a full-sister to Star Of Light, a Gr 2 placed 5-time winner.

This dam-line includes a lot of Black-Type horses including Linnett, Premier’s Trophy Grade 2 winner Grafton Street and 8-time South African Fillies Sprint Gr 1 winner, Marie Galante who has gone on to produce 6 winners. Others include Ardmore, a 15-time winner, Indira, Lincoln Tan, and of course Young Polly, the dam of Equus Champion Male Stayer in 1999, Young Rake.

Sonic Enquiry (Qui Danzig – Sonic Prospect by Secret Prospector) has a bay colt. Sonic Enquiry was a winner and placed twice from only 5 starts. She has produced 2 runners and 2 winners, each fillies by Announce, and each three time winners. She is also a half-sister to Announce Speed, a 5-time winner including the Tony Ruffel Stakes Gr 3.

Third dam Super Song, a 3-time winner is the dam of Trade Secret, who in turn is the dam of Equus Champion Broodmare in 2009 Trade Enquiry, who not only has proved herself as a Broodmare, but is herself a nine-time winner including multiple Listed race wins and Graded Stakes placed in four races. She has produced three strong Black-Type winners including Woolavington 2200 Grade 1 winner Count The Money, Champions and Daily News 2200 Gr 1 winner Buy And Sell, and SA Oaks Gr 2 winner Bedloe’s Island. A powerful dam-line indeed!

Dancing Rhapsody (Qui Danzig – Rhapsody In Red by Red Ryder) has a chestnut colt. Dancing Rhapsody placed at three and is the dam of a runner and an unraced two year old filly by King Of Kings. Her dam, Rhapsody In Red, was a six-time winner including the Grade 3 Henry Eatwell Memorial Handicap. She also placed in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint and a Listed race. She has produced four winners to date.

This dam-line has also produced 13-time winner by Kahal, Vangelis and the fourth dam of this foal is Travel Along, the dam of ARCSA Champion Stayer in 1995, Travel North. The dam-line goes onto include Black-type winners Double Blaze, All Jazzed Up, Jazzarazz, Equus Champion Older Female Stayer in 2001 Almah, Zambomba and 5-time winner Dragon Lord.

Dynamite Model (Badger Land – Dynamite Lady by Averof) has produced a bay colt. Dynamite Model is unraced but she has produced 2 winners to date, including the five-time winner, Napoleon Dynamite, who has also placed seven times. Her dam is Dynamite Lady, a seven-time winner including the Gr 1 Garden Province Stakes, the Gr 2 Merchants Stakes and the Gr 3 Rupert Ellis Brown Memorial Plate. Dynamite Lady has produced 7 runners and 5 winners including 4-time winner Gia’s Dynamite. Black-Type winners appearing in this dam-line include Marla, Marlagain, Picadilly Miss, Billy Bremner – a 4-time winner in Venezuela and Chivas Regal who has won four times in Denmark and has placed in a Gr 2 race.

I Said Hey (Alami – Protique by Proclaim) has produced a bay colt. She is a 3-time winner of R244 220 and placed 11 times. Her dam Protique is a 2-time winner and has produced three winners to date, including Water Nymph and Absolute Dancer. This is also the family of Black-Type winners’ Sarabande, a 6-time winner including the Gr 1 Fancourt Majorca Stakes. She has gone onto produce Gr 2 Premier Trophy winner Chesalon. Others are 9-time winner Desert Salute, Sharp Ledge, Cape Hunt, Island Retreat and the very good 8-time winner Name The Key. It doesn’t end there, we also have Next Edition, winner of the Gr 2 Post Golden Slipper and herself the dam of six winners. The other standouts amongst the many Black-Type horses in this part of the dam-line include multiple Gr 2 winner Refer To Daddy, 10-time winner Yankee Boy and another multiple Gr 2 winner of R324 060, Dance Every Dance.

If you would like to contact Spring Valley Stud, please contact either Keri or Bruce on 033-2631922 or alternatively email springvalley@lantic.net or you can catch them on Facebook.