Cathy Martin of Hadlow Stud has given us an update on First Arrival at Hadlow Stud and the mighty mare’s daughter who has joined her, currently in foal to Visionaire.

Both mares are owned by Anne and Bruce Nicholas of Hallmark Thoroughbreds.

First Arrival is worthy of a Broodmare Of The Year accolade – the smart Northern Guest mare is the type that every breeder wishes to have standing in their paddocks, having produced two Group horses that were exported amongst them – that in itself an impressive feat.

Her daughter, The Party’s On (by Muhtafal) is in foal to Gr1 Kings Bishop winner Visionaire and has a Duke Of Marmalade yearling colt at Hadlow. She has bred three winners to date by Jay Peg and Pathfork, and already the grand dam to a winner.

First Arrival, herself no slouch on the track and earning Spey Bridge Champion 3YO Filly in 1999 with 6 wins including two Gr3’s, has produced 10 runners and 10 winners, 7 of them achieving Black Type.

They include Let’s Rock And Roll, a full brother to The Party’s On, voted Equus Champion 3yr old male sprinter in 2006 and include a Gr1 win in the Golden Horse Sprint. The next foaling produced Beat Patrol, another by Muhtafal who was Gr3 placed with 6 wins, and the next to impress was a 2008 colt by Western Winter, Rock The Country, who managed to win Zimbabwe’s major features including the Castle Tankard.

First Arrival produced a Jet Master filly in 2010, aptly named In The Fast Lane, trained in South Africa by the Snaiths. She would also provide another Equus Award for her dam, voted Equus Champion 3YO Filly in 2014, with 5 wins including 2 Gr1’s – the Woolavington 2000 and the Cape Fillies Guineas. She was exported to Great Britain.

Light The Lights, a full brother to Rock The Country, followed after that and won the Gr2 Peninsula Handicap for Glen Kotzen. The gelding was sold on to race in Dubai, where he has won three races including a Gr3 and a Listed in the care of Mike De Kock. He has since changed hands, trained by S Seemar for owner Sean Ewing.

Two more Black Types followed – a filly and a colt by Philanthropist respectively, Gr3 placed Party Crasher and Gr1 placed Pack Leader.

Wendy Whitehead was chosen to give Keep On Dancing a hands on approach, a beautiful daughter of Silvano. Wendy says after winning at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, “We went the extra mile for this girl as she had a severe injury as a youngster which left her claustrophobic, which caused her to box walk (run) her stable. Jane Thomas, thank you for your trust in me – we built her a paddock outside with a shelter roof and we haven’t looked back, she is happy and produced this fantastic result for owners Bruce and Anne Nicholas Hallmark Stud!” It appears we may see more from Keep On Dancing when racing makes a return in SA.

Jane Thomas has a 2yo colt in pretaining named Summa Cum Laude (by Vercingetorix) and First Arrival’s last foal is a yearling filly, another by Vercingetorix who has made a deep impression already in his young stud career.

The top priced yearling sold for First Arrival was Light The Lights, knocked down for R1,2-million at the 2014 National Yearling Sale. Her progeny averaged R494 444 each for 9 babies sold at auction in her lifetime.

Congratulations to the Nicholas family for a mare that has brought them plenty of success and joy, and may First Arrival enjoy her retirement in Mooi River.

Bruce le Roux of Spring Valley Stud is currently sitting on an outstanding percentage of 48% winners to runners – with 34 winners from 51 runners for the current season.

London Call gave the crowds at Scottsville a jaw dropping performance in the Pinnacle Stakes at Scottsville on Sunday which had a quality field of competitors that could have equalled a Group One race.

The son of Kahal out of one of Spring Valley’s founding broodmares Fancy Fantasy – absolutely adores the 1200m at Scottsville and beat a quality Group One field by almost two lengths for elated owners Messrs Clint Larsson, G N Cumming & R D Samuelson.

The Mark Dixon-trained KZN-bred defeated the likes of Gr1 winners Guiness and Seventh Plain, and Graded Stakes performers Hack Green, Barbosa, Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute (both having warm up runs for the Vodacom Durban July), Search Party, Cosmic Light and Natal. Sargeant Hardy and Seventh Plain placed behind him.

London Call sold at the 2012 National Yearling Sale for R120 000. London Call has won eight races from 13 starts and placed three times, with a Merit Rating of 108 he has earned almost R600 000 in stakes.

His dam, now sadly deceased, was a liver chestnut daughter of Rainbow Dream out of a French Tutor / St Cuthbert mare. She was an outstanding mare, producing 11 runners and 10 winners and becoming somewhat of a dynasty at Spring Valley with two daughters producing winners at stud.

Fancy Fantasy’s progeny included the likes of Indiscreet Fantasy (Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner), 10-time winning Malinga (mulitiple Group placed), Personal Fantacy (6 wins, Gr1 placed) and Silver Fantasy (6-time winner and Stakes Placed) – the latter a resident Spring Valley Stud broodmare and the dam of two winners – along with her 2-time winner half-sister Vasilisa – also the dam of two winners.

Her last foal is the Kom Naidoo-trained Roy’s Taxi, owned by Roy Moodley, the 4-time winner by Fort Beluga currently heads up the log of the KZN Breeders Series to be run at the end of June.

Spring Valley has bred the likes of Gr1 Vodacom Durban July winner Dunford, Buy And Sell and Count The Money amongst others.

Spring Valley resident sire Just As Well, first across the line in the Gr1 Northern Dancer Stakes, is currently sitting on an outstanding winners to runners percentage of 43%.

From very small books each year, the son of AP Indy from the family of Raven’s Pass and E Dubai, has produced CTS Ready To Run Cup winner Chilli Con Carne, Black Types and Gr1 performers Just As I Said, Just Africa and Well In Flight and the never-out-of-the-money Just Vogue. Just As Well descends from a blue blooded family – his sire, dam and broodmare sire as well as his half-brother Rainbow View, are all Gr1 winners.

The Le Roux’s always breed and turn out a handsome horse at sales – look out for Spring Valley’s draft at the upcoming National Yearling Sale where you will be guaranteed a winner.