King Of Torts Takes Home Gr 3 Christmas Handicap

Mogok added another Group winner to his list when the Spring Valley-bred King Of Torts romped home on Boxing Day to take the Gr 3 Christmas Handicap at Clairwood, with three KZN-breds following (including another Spring Valley-bred in fourth with Silver Age) and crossing the line to place respectively from a strong field of well-bred horses including the likes of Australian import Dylan’s Promise.

A four year old half-brother to Vodacom Durban July winner Dunford, King Of Torts has now won four times and placed four times. Bred by Mr & Mrs Bruce Le Roux, he is owned by Messrs B A Schwegmann & H F Schwegmann and trained by Duncan Howells.

A R280 000 National Yearling Sales graduate of 2011, King Of Torts is a half-brother to the aptly named Grisham – a winner of three Listed races including the Castle Tankard and Drum Star Handicap. Dunford by Shalford was a 10-time winner trained by Mike Bass, earning R1,871,470 including a Vodacom Durban July Gr 1, Algoa Cup Gr 3 and the Peninsula Handicap Gr 3 and placing 18 times.

    

Dam Pelican Brief [pictured above left] is by Piaffer out of a Sea Cottage mare – and she has produced six winners from eight runners, three of them now Bold Black Type.

King Jace (by King Of Kings, bred by Clarkin Thoroughbreds) finished second, Fourth Estate (by Dynasty, bred by Seymour Harley) came in third and Silver Age by Requiem – who stood for a time at Spring Valley – finishing in fourth position.

Mogok [pictured above right], one of the few stallions in South Africa to produce prominent Group 1 winners and performers overseas such as Gypsy’s Warning and The Apache, stood for a fee in 2013 of R20 000. Mogok has also produced the likes of Orbison, Meadow Magic, Alcanina, Wild One, Island Retreat, Cruso and Markofdistinction, to name but a few. He stands at Scott Bros in Nottingham Road.

Congratulations to the winning connections.