Exciting Young KZN Sires – First Runners First Places

Exciting Young KZN Sires – First Runners First Places

Two of KZN’s most exciting young sires, A.P. Answer and Fort Beluga, have had places from their very first runners to hit the track, both in the same race at the Vaal on 28 November – Snow Call and Arrive At Five. Both horses were sent to the 2013 KZN Yearling Sale – as Lots 75 and 77 respectively.

The filly Snow Call, by A.P. Answer out of mare Snow Goose by Northern Guest, was bred by Bruce Campbell and she is owned in partnership with Bruce – along with Messrs E R Gertenbach & R J Murray, Miss T Roussos & Mr & Mrs A M Da C Quintas & T Spies. Trained by Corne Spies, her first run was a week ago. She placed second in her second start, going off at 25/1 at the Vaal on turf over 800m.

Interestingly, Snow Call didn’t meet her reserve at this year’s KZN Yearling Sale, and she was bought back. She is a half-sister to two winners – Epic Flight (by Kahal) and Lets Fly Away (by Muhtafal). Second dam is Gr 3 placed Tales Of Winter, and family of The Eiger, The Monk, Winter Chord and Winter Lad.

Hoohaa by Captain Al finished third – whilst more news for KZN saw the very first runner by the now deceased Fort Beluga finish fourth – another two year old filly named Arrive At Five bred by Yellow Star Stud. Arrive At Five is out of Socialite by Rocky Marriage, this was her first start.

Arrive At Five was also consigned at this years KZN Yearling Sale, sold for R45 000 to PM Magee. She descends from the family of Gr 3 winner Sugar Daddy, as well as Sunset Glow, Magical and Gr 1 Mercury Sprint winner Speak No Evil.

From an exceptional pedigree, A.P. Answer is by A.P. Indy out of one of Danzig’s top daughters Pas De Reponse. A.P. Answer is closely related to Green Tune and A.P. Warrior through his damline and stands at Peter and Jenny Blyth’s Clifton Stud, for a fee R10 000 this season.

A.P. Answer stands just under 16.1, Peter Blyth of Clifton Stud: “I think that he is a good looking horse, a racy looking horse with Danzig definitely coming through,” Peter says. “Sadly he damaged his knee and couldn’t produce it on the track as a result. People like the look of him and he has a good temperament. He has produced very nice foals – they are racy, scopey horses, and they are good looking. Most of the KZN breeders bought shares in him and he has been well supported thanks to them all.

“A.P. Answer won two races on turf over a mile in America, but his near fore knee plagued him. One of the partners that owned him, said that had the knee injury not happened, you would have heard a lot more about this horse. With his stunning pedigree, had he won Stakes races, there is no way that he would have been here.”

A.P. Answer has an incredibly strong dam-line, with the essential Gr 1 winners or placers under each of the dams going back four generations, that sires must have in their female lines. Pas de Reponse, his mother, was a champion 2 year-old filly with five wins in England and France, which include the Gr 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and 2nd in the GR1 Prix de l’abbaye de Longchamp, then third in the Prix Morny Gr 1. Her two brothers, Sunday Doubt and Saying are both Black Type winners too.

Green Tune’s (who has produced a Melbourne Cup winner in Green Moon and Zagora) dam is Soundings, the second dam of A.P. Answer. Soundings is by Mr Prospector out of Ocean’s Answer by Northern Answer, her dam a half-sister to sire Storm Bird.

Fort Beluga stood at Spring Valley before his untimely death, leaving behind just one crop of foals from 90 mares covered. The son of Fort Wood out of Langostine by Northern Guest stood 16.1, a handsome dark-bay 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 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.

Fort Beluga 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.

Congratulations to the winning owners and we look forward to seeing much more to come from the progeny of A.P. Answer and Fort Beluga!