Irish Flame Gets First Winner!
KZN’s young sires are off the starting blocks. Bush Hill Stud’s promising young sire and former Horse Of The Year Irish Flame got off the mark as a sire when his son Gizmo thrashed his rivals to break his maiden by three and a quarter lengths on Monday.
Bred by Kerry Jack, the Dorrie Sham trained Gizmo, who had been placed at his last two outings, is out of the National Assembly mare Border Baby. Gizmo is a half-brother to winner and Stakes Placed Shizam.
His sire Irish Flame was an outstanding racehorse, who was South Africa’s Horse Of The Year in 2010. He won six races locally, including the G1 SA Derby and G1 Daily News 2000, and also won over 2200m in Britain.
Irish Flame, who was also second in the 2010 G1 Vodacom Durban July, retired to stud having won from 1600-2450m and he earned more than R2.7 million on the track.
One of 10 G1 winners sired by Horse Of The Year Dynasty, Irish Flame was produced by Winter Oaks winner Clock The Rock, who also produced Irish Flame’s Winter Oaks winning own sister Irish Myth.
This is the same family as champion 2YO Smackeroo, recent Derby runner up Rocketball, and graded winners Flaming Corn, Meadow Magic and Vertical Takeoff.
Like outstanding sires Captain Al, Dynasty, and Jet Master, Irish Flame was bred in South Africa. One of the first sons of the great Dynasty to retire to stud, the triple Equus Champion is well represented by six quality lots at the 2017 KZN Yearling Sale next month.
Irish Flame has had five other places, including Piemonte Stud’s Giovanna who has placed twice from three starts. Giovanna was one of his top two prices at Nationals to date, selling for R150 000.
The other was a smashing filly off the 2017 Nationals that will be trained by Alistair Gordon, a half-sister to Black-Type Mr Whatever.
