KZN Breeding’s newest acquisition, New Predator, has a chance of following in the footsteps of other non-Group 1-winning KZN-based stallions Kahal, Mogok and Muhtafal, due to his magnificent pedigree.
New Predator was in fine condition and full of zest when paraded at the Bush Hill Stud stallion day last Friday and so were his colleagues Flying The Flag and Redoute’s Promise.
New Predator’s pedigree is particularly exciting as it contains the Galileo-Fastnet Rock nick 2X2. It is not surprising this nick is proving full of potency, because the mix of their respective fathers Sadler’s Wells and Danehill delivered some of the world’s best racehorses including Frankel and Minding.
Galileo needs no introduction, being a ten-times champion stallion and producer of 80 individual Group 1 winners.
Fastnet Rock is also held in high esteem and has been rated among the world’s top five stallions.
The world’s leading stud operation, Coolmore, once had a saying among their connections, “There are only three certainties in life, death, taxes and Fastnet Rock.”
Fastnet Rock won two Group 1 sprints over 1000m and 1100m respectively in Australia but then suffered from travel sickness when sent to race in Britain and was retired to stud.
He has produced 37 individual Group 1 winners.
The Galileo-Fastnet Rock nick has already produced seven Group 1 winners.
New Predator is the first son of stallion sensation New Approach to stand in South Africa and is out of a winning Fastnet Rock mare.
New Approach was trained by ireland’s Jim Bolger and this brilliant son of Galileo won all five of his starts as a two-year-old, all over seven furlongs, including the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh and the Group 1 Dewhurst at Newmarket.
As a three-year-old he was narrowly beaten by Henrythenavigator in both the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas.
Just two weeks after the Irish 2000 Guineas he showed just how tough he was by winning the Epsom Derby, despite having pulled in the early stages.
He ran three times as a four-year-old, all over a mile and two furlongs, starting off with a third place to the supreme Duke Of Marmalade in the Juddmonte International.
In his second start he beat Traffic Guard, who is now an underrated stallion at Summerhill Stud, by half-a-length in the Irish Champion Stakes. He then beat Twice Over, sire of South Africa’s best current racehorse Do It Again, by an incredible six lengths in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in record time. Third in the latter race was Linngari, who now stands in the KZN Midlands at Rathmor Stud.
New Approach produced two classic winners in his first crop, the brilliant 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach and the Epsom Oaks winner Talent.
He has produced over 40 stakes winners including seven Group 1 winners, and among the latter is Epsom Derby winner Masar.
He became the first stallion to ever sire three Royal Ascot Group stakes-winning juveniles in the same season.
Warwick Render, owner of Bush Hill Stud, said another advantage of New predator’s pedigree is it allows him to be matched with any mare.
As a racehorse, New Predator was all about speed and class and possessed a fine turn of foot.
Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren described him as a tremendously athletic individual. However, he admitted to wrapping him in cotton wool to a certain extent. He said given the luxury of more of his class he would no doubt have targeted more Grade 1’s and reckoned the strongly built bay would have picked one up on the way.
New Predator won the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m as a three-year-old, beating former Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate in the process as well as Grade 1 winners of the like of The Conglomerate and Gold Onyx. In his previous start he had finished third to twice Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle in the Grade 1 weight for age HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m. Later, he finished fourth in the Grade 1 wfa Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m just two weeks after not staying the distance in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000.
As a four-year-old New Predator won the Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile and once again had a number of Grade 1 winners behind him, including the Grade 1 wfa-winning miler Mac De Lago.
He later finished third in the Horse Chestnut Stakes again.
Janse van Vuuren was supremely confident before New Predator’s participation in the Mercury Sprint over 1200m but unfortunately his powerful finishing run came just too late and he had to be content with third place. Janse van Vuuren was in fact gobsmacked he had lost such was his bullishness that day.
New Predator is already receiving fine support and has about 60 mares booked. A number of them will be sent by his racing owner Laurence Wernars, who has syndicated him and retains shares.
The chestnut Flying The Flag impressed all of Friday’s patrons with his magnificent looks.
Mike de Kock rated him a Group 1 performer and has consequently sent some of his own mares to him.
This son of Galileo is out of a Pivotal mare. He won a Group 3 over a mile and two furlongs at The Curragh as well as a race over the same trip at Meydan in Dubai.
Render believes breeders have not taken enough advantage of Redoute’s Promise, an magnificently-bred unraced horse. He is the first son of Danehill’s sensational son Redoute’s Choice to stand in South Africa and is out of Perfect Promise. The latter was the first SA-bred horse to win a Group 1 in Australia and is a full-sister to another Group 1 winner Irridescence. Redoute’s Choice is a twice Australian Champion sire.
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