Curtain Comes Down On Successful #kznbred Season!

Sweet Empress closed the national 2018 / 2019 season. The #kznbred half-sister to a Gr2 winner is bred by Bruce Le Roux. Image: Candiese Marnewick

The national 2018 / 2019 racing season curtain came down yesterday, and appropriately the final race in the country to be run was won by a #kznbred, a Curved Ball half-sister to a Gr2 winner Tales Of Bravery, named Sweet Empress, bred by Bruce Le Roux of Spring Valley Stud.

Amongst KZN’s success for the year including a Gr1 win with Camphoratus and two Gr2 wins on Gold Cup Day, Summerhill continue as the leading farm provincially – achieving 4 Black Type wins for the season, amassing 160 wins and 107 winners in total and over R16,5-million in stakes earned. In Black Type wins for the farms of KZN, Graystone came second with 2 (Dawn Assault) and a winners to runners percentage of 39%, and an AEPR of R81 000. Middlefield excelled, the breeders and part owners of Camphoratus had two Black Type wins (the Gr3 Flamboyant and Gr1 Empress Club Stakes) and produced 60% winners to runners, with 24 wins from just 20 runners.

Bruce Le Roux followed suit, with an impressive 44% winners to runners and 2 Black Type wins for the season, Clifton with the smart filly Montreal Mist winning a Gr2 on Saturday and 31% winners to runners, followed by Piemonte – with earnings of R3,5-million, 1 Black Type Win (and a few close chances with Brandina), they had 42 wins and 37% winners to runners – impressive from their young band of broodmares.

New Predator at Bush Hill Stud. Image: Candiese Marnewick

Stallions expecting their first foals this season include KZN’s own born and bred Rabada, a twice Gr1 winning son of Brave Tin Soldier who has let down into a “bull of a stallion.” His sire recorded yet another Gr2 win on Saturday – and Rabada shares a broodmare sire with SA’s leading juvenile first season sire Captain Of All – the latter, out of a #kznbred Fard mare.

Mambo In Seattle, who stood his first season at Clifton last year, will be expecting his first crop of #kznbred foals this season. Mambo In Seattle finished off his season appropriately with a then 2yo winner at Hollywoodbets Greyville for Dean Kannemeyer, named Favour. The colt who is officially 3 today, has now won and placed from three starts.

KZN has two new stallions for the season, namely New Predator (AUS) and Hat Puntano (ARG), standing at Bush Hill Stud and Summerhill Stud respectively.

New Predator is a very exciting addition to the KZN stallions ranks and impressed at the recent stallion day. He has already let down superbly and was unlucky to not have a Gr1 win to his name, coming very close on several occasions but defeating a string of Equus Champions in both his Gr2 wins – the Daily News 2000 and the Dingaans.

Hat Puntano steps out of the Summerhill stallion barn for a client viewing. Image: Candiese Marnewick

Amongst them, was the likes of Vodacom Durban July winners Legislate, The Conglomerate, as well as Abashiri, Talktothestars, Attenborough, Deo Juvente and Rabada. A big thank you to breeder and prolific owner Laurence Wernars who is supporting KZN with a super sire prospect and an exciting band of broodmares to boot. Laurence’s first Gr1 winner came in the form of Hero’s Honour who took the Gr1 SA Derby.

Warwick Render reports he already has a significant book filled for his first season, and is the first son of New Approach to stand at stud in South Africa.

Summerhill have joined hands with Drakenstein to stand the brilliantly fast Hat Puntano, a triple Gr1 winner in the country of his birth including the Gr1 Gran Criterium, and a winner in South Africa of the Gr2 Charity Mile. He won on debut in devastating fashion by an incredible 13 lengths. A handsome son of Hat Trick the black Hat Puntano has attracted attention country wide after the release of his recent promotional video, reminding all of the dominating racehorse he was.

Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud reports it is the first time that they have stood 5 Gr1 winners in their historical stallion barn – including Willow Magic, the fastest Gr1 winning son of Dubawi in the Southern Hemisphere, Hat Puntano, Capetown Noir, Act Of War and Rabada.

Willow Magic was the leading first season sire at April Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, where they averaged R255 000 for nine yearlings sold, the bulk of them to South Africa’s leading trainer and a big supporter of the #kznbred, Sean Tarry, who trained Willow Magic.

Willow Magic pictured with the parents of HSH Princess Charlene, Michael and Lynette Whittstock. Michael is passionate about the breeding and racing game, and will be breeding one of their mares to Willow Magic this season. Image: Candiese Marnewick

Yearlings who we cannot wait to see hit the tracks in their now 2yo year as of today, include Bush Hill’s bred in the purple son of Galileo, Flying The Flag. He is producing them big, with quality, bone and pedigree – their “aunts” are no other than strong weapons in the arsenal of Aiden O Brian, including Gr1 winner Magical who has come close to downing the great Enable on two occasions, and her year older sister who is now in foal to Deep Impact, Irish 2YO Champion filly Rhododendron – a three time Gr1 winner who raced in the best company and made them run in an attempt to beat her. As Warwick Render reiterated in his stallion day speech, had Flying The Flag’s full sisters come before him, we would never had been able to acquire him to stand in South Africa.

Willow Magic’s first foals are very eagerly anticipated – most notable is their exceptional temperaments – they are all bomb proof, but carry their sires chestnut looks, powerful hindquarters and toplines. We also have the Act Of Wars coming along and reports are that his progeny at the upcoming Ready To Run Sale will be hot property.

We cannot wait to see the progeny of Flying The Flag hits the tracks in the new season. Image: Candiese Marnewick

A stallion very much flying under the radar who has produced mind-blowing results from the small band of mares he has covered, is The Apache. By a stallion who has little to prove at stud with two international Gr1 winners under his belt and multiple Stakes horses in each crop, The Apache by Mogok finished his season with 58% winners to runners, and an extraordinary AEPR of over R108 000 – why would you not want to own a horse by this incredible sire? It doesn’t stop there – from his 12 runners to date, he has had 16 wins and 43 places, to earn over R1,2-million in stakes.

Supporters of #kznbred racehorses, Mary Slack and Sean Tarry with jockey Gavin Lerena. They won the Gr2 Debutante with Clifton bred Montreal Mist. Image: Candiese Marnewick

The Apache was an outstanding racehorse in South Africa and internationally – home grown and proven on the track and breeding barn. It would be quite intimidating to think what he could achieve with a full book of mares! Like the champion he is, he survived colic surgery earlier this year and stands at Cathy and Jonathan Martin’s Hadlow Stud after his relocation from Highdown due to their closure. Interestingly, his best is still to come – when he stood at Scott Bros he was afforded good opportunities at Highdown Stud from his owners, and it will be exciting to see what the future holds for The Apache which should no doubt yield Black Type.

The foals have begun arriving for the season, with the first from Bush Hill, Rathmor and Summerhill Stud so far.

Thank you to our breeders, buyers and supporters of the KZN-bred racehorse over the past annual national season – we look forward to an even better season ahead!