International News From KZN

International News From KZN

Some exciting international news has come out – Chocolicious will possibly be sent to Frankel after her racing career in the UK, and Spectrum has yet another Group 2 winner with Sangster in New Zealand as a Broodmare Sire.

Backworth-bred Grade 1 winner Chocolicious, recently purchased by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock, is preparing to be sent to the UK to continue her racing career and being aimed at Royal Ascot. She will be joining the yard of Marco Botti and is expected to arrive in Spring of this year. A daughter of Kahal (standing at Bush Hill Stud), Chocolicious has won six of her 19 starts, including the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m as a three-year-old. She has also placed in the Gr 1 South African Fillies Sprint, and placed second in the Gr 3 Magnolia Handicap.

She ran three times in the 2011 Dubai carnival in Meydan. Ridden by Ryan Moore, she finished third in the UAE 1,000 Guineas and was a narrow second to Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained Crying Lightening in a 1400m race, as well as placing in the Guineas Trial.

Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock member Darren Dance told Australian media: “We’ve been looking for a sprinter to take to Royal Ascot for the last couple of years, and Chocolicious provides the perfect opportunity. We’d like to send her to Frankel at the end of her racing career.”

Chocolicious was bred and consigned by Keith Russon and Ian Todd of Backworth Stud at the 2009 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, where she sold for R220 000. Out of Exclusive Patriot mare Candy Box, she is a half-sister to Stakes Placed Top Of The Chocs by Miesque’s Approval, who won his last start at Greyville at the end of January.

Backworth Stud have another outstanding draft of yearlings headed to the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale at the end of April, including a half-brother to Gr 2 winner First Again as well as the Group placed Varlet.

Spectrum has produced yet another Group 2 winner as a broodmare sire, when his grandson Sangster won the Avondale Cup in New Zealand on 17 February over 2400m. Racing on turf in good going, the gelding by Savabeel beat another son of Savabeel named Savannah Rush by two lengths, and Chaparrone (by High Chaparral) into third place.

Sangster so far has been highly successful in 2013, winning the International Stakes Gr 1 as well as the Victoria Derby Gr 1 in 2011. He has placed second a Gr 3 and two Listed races, and third in the Spring Champion Stakes Gr 1 and Gr 2 Alister Clark Stakes.

Spectrum stands at Yellow Star Stud in Mooi River, KZN. Look out for an article about Spectrum in the next edition of International Racehorse Magazine.

– Extract racingpost.com