First Winner For Bankable From Balmoral
| First Winner For Bankable From Balmoral |
From just six runners from his first and only crop, Bankable(IRE) had his first winner on Saturday at Turffontein in the familiar green and white colours of owner-trainer St John Gray.
The two year old filly named Parisienne Chic won fourth time out over 1400m at Turffontein – bred by Nicola and Marc Coppez of Balmoral Stud. The filly has placed previously at Turffontein over 1450m.
Parisienne Chic was purchased by St John at the 2014 Ready To Run Sale for just R50 000. She is out of Champs Elysees by Victory Moon; her dam won twice and placed five times, her first foal a three year old unraced Second Empire. This is the family of Cover Look, Winter Fever and Orange Alert, the latter racing as Brilliant One in Hong Kong with six wins.
The other Bankable seeking a win soon will be Pierre Du Toit’s Bank It, who has placed twice from just three starts. The two year old colt is a half-brother to the talented Kinematic Countess, owned by The Power Racing Syndicate and trained by Kom Naidoo.
Bankable was the first son of Medicean (by Machiavellian) to stand in South Africa, and unfortunately he only covered one book of mares before his untimely passing.
A handsome individual with a regal pedigree – being out of a Sadler’s Wells’ mare, in turn out of an Irish River/Habitat mare, he won three times in Dubai including a Gr2 and Gr3 with a Timeform Rating of 122 and was certainly gone too soon after succumbing to inoperable colic.
The only son of Medicean standing in South Africa, Bankable was an exciting prospect indeed. He weighed in at a monstrous 560kg in training and his trainer, Herman Brown Jnr, described him as the best-looking specimen of a thoroughbred he’s been associated with.
Bankable backed up these incredible credentials with a pedigree to match – being out of Dance To The Top by Sadler’s Wells.
Bankable is a half-brother to Gr3 Grand Prix de Vichy winner Cheshire out of the winner Dance To The Top, third in the Group One Fillies’ Mile. She is an own sister to the Listed-placed winner Dancing Prize, herself the dam of two black-type performers, and a half-sister to the Group Two-placed Listed winner Polar Bear.
Bankable boasted a Timeform Rating of 122 while Greig Muir described him as, “perhaps one of the best-looking horses to come through the Summerhill gates in the last decade. He descends from a great sire line and is out of a mare by one of the world’s all time greatest broodmare sires, Sadler’s Wells. He’s perfect”.
Bankable earned over R20 million in stakes over distances from 1200-1800m and ran World Champion Raven’s Pass to one length whilst giving him 6lbs. With eight wins (including four at Group and Stakes level)and eight places (including two places at Gr1 level), he raced in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Singapore from the age of 3 – 7 years.
Well done to St John Gray, a brilliant owner/breeder and trainer who amongst many good horses, has bred and produced five time Gr1 winning Dancewiththedevil.
Congratulations to all concerned!
– Image: JC Photos
