The #kznbred King Of Kings chestnut Ronnie’s Candy is making a habit of producing the surprises on the big days.

Last season the St John Gray bred, owned and trained galloper won the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery as a twice raced maiden at any price on Champions Day.

On Saturday at Turffontein, having her first run as a 3yo, she scythed through the middle from off the pace to register an impressive victory in the R250 000 Gr3 Starling Stakes.

With five lengths to make up at the 350m marker, the racy chestnut grew wings under Corne Orffer to put 2,20 lengths between herself and the 10-1 Nafaayes, with the runner-up’s stablemate Ghaalla (a R5-million graduate off the National Yearling Sale) staying on for third.

The winner’s time was 83,23 secs.

A Graystone Stud home-bred, Ronnie’s Candy is by the ill-fated King Of Kings (Sadler’s Wells ) out of the three-time winner Bennie And the Jets (Jet Master). Ronnie’s Candy is a half-sister to winner and Gr3 and Listed Placed Mogok Master.

Her record now stands at 2 wins with 2 places from 6 starts and stakes of R437 500.

Her dam Bennie And The Jets was purchased by St John at the 2015 KZN Mare & Weanling Sale for just R40 000.

Cathy Martin has welcomed a smart Bezrin filly half-sister to Ronnie’s Candy this season for breeder St John Gray. Ronnie’s Candy is a nominee in the Champion 2YO Filly category of the upcoming KZN Breeders Awards, taking place 1 December at Fordoun.

St John has had phenomenal success over the years as a breeder, owner and trainer, his biggest success with five time Gr1 winning Dancewiththedevil.

Congratulations to all concerned.

-extract sportingpost.co.za

Amongst KZN’s broodmare band for 2018 is #kznbred five-time Gr1 winner Dancewiththedevil at Cathy and Jonathan Martin’s Hadlow Stud, for owner-trainer and breeder St John Gray.

Having produced two Silvano’s previously, her first foal now a quality two year old growing out at Hadlow Stud, Dancewiththedevil is due to foal to Querari this season.

Dancewiththedevil was voted Equus Champion Older Female in 2011 and St John earned Equus Breeder Of The Year. She was also voted KZN Breeders Horse Of The Year on two occasions.

By Modus Vivendi, she has an interesting damline that includes Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again, his Hong Kong based multiple winning half brother Horse Of Fortune, as well as Folk Dance and sire War Lord.

Retiring a 9-time winner and returned from the UK, she won R3,938,425 from age 3 to 5 over 1160 – 2000m, including the Horse Chestnut Stakes, Gr.1 on two occasions, Empress Club Stakes Gr1, Gold Challenge Gr1, Summer Cup Gr1, Acacia Handicap Gr3 and placed 5 times, second in the Joburg Spring F & M Challenge Gr3. 

Mooi River farm, Hadlow Stud, will be represented by a six strong draft at the 2018 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.

Among the Hadlow draft is a colt (Lot 254) from the first crop of triple G1 winner, and Equus Champion Capetown Noir.

Named Proud Eagle, he is out of a winning half-sister to the seven time winning dam of Cape Nursery winner Captain Chaos, and he is bred on similar lines to G1 winners Nania, Red Ray and Set Afire, all of whom were sired by Western Winter –the sire of Capetown Noir.

Red hot sire Querari is the sire of Your Pace Or Mine (Lot 345), a colt out of a winning Var half-sister to three stakes performers. This is the same family as multiple G1 winner Captain America, who has earned over R5 million in prize money.

Multiple champion What A Winter has made a sensational start to his stud career and was Champion First Crop Sire in South Africa last season. The four time G1 winner is sire of Carol Singer (Lot 453), a filly out of a three time winning sister in blood to G3 Tony Ruffel winner Announce Speed. This is the same family as multiple stakes winner and Broodmare Of The Year Trade Enquiry.

Breeders’ Cup runner up Noble Tune has made a bright start to his stud career and the son of Unbridled’s Song is responsible for Gaelic Storm (Lot 375). This bay colt is a half-brother to five winners, most notably 16 time stakes winner Celtic Fire. This is the same family as G1 winners Eldoriza and Juxtapose.

Noble Tune is also the sire of Buzz Word (Lot 522), a colt from the same family as Equus Champions Jay Peg and Kochka. Buzz Word himself is a half-brother to six winners, including 11 time stakes winner Formation, G2 Gold Bowl third Swarming, and the stakes placed four time winner Form Up.

Party Angel (Lot 415) is the name of the filly sired by Vodacom Durban July winning champion Bold Silvano. She is out of a four time winning Trippi half-sister to stakes winners World Focus and Green Keeper, who, between them, won 26 races!

Catalogue pages for the Hadlow draft can be viewed online at www.bsa.co.za

Hadlow Stud stand the stallions Bezrin, Announce and Modus Vivendi, as well as amongst many, the family of Dancewiththedevil for Graystone Stud.

Hadlow Stud have bred the likes of Celtic Fire, Thunderflash, Jimmi Choo and more recently, Gonnafly.

From 19 horses to race, Bush Hill Stud’s Curved Ball produced his sixth winner this afternoon at the Vaal for breeders Cathy and Jonathan Martin of Hadlow Stud – who also bred the first ever winner by Curved Ball, a juvenile filly in the previous season named Fast And Rocking.

Fast And Rocking, out of an Australian import Terrestrial Rose by Archway, sold for R30 000 at the National Two Year Old Sale and has doubled her purchase price in stakes, in the process defeating the consistent Might As Well  (by Just As Well) into second place, a filly that has won twice and placed 10 times – six of those in second place.

Rivers Edge, a three year old gelding trained by Mr S Ferreira and owned by Miss MM Van Wyk, won third time out this afternoon by almost two lengths after placing in his previous at the Vaal, both races over 1600m. Rivers Edge sold for just R40 000 at the 2015 National Two Year Old Sale, and is out of Badger Land mare River Maiden. This is the dam-line of champions Jeppe’s Reef, Freedom Fortune and Studio Fify Four as well as Disco Al.

Curved Ball is a winner of the Gr2 Dingaans and the only son of the sensational Coolmore sire Fastnet Rock, to stand at stud in South Africa. Fastnet Rock was crowned Champion sire in Australia 2011/12 & 2014/15, a Champion 3-y-o colt and Champion Sprinter in Australia 2004/05.

His top European performers include Fascinating Rock (Champion Stakes-Gr.1, Tattersalls Gold Cup-Gr.1), Intricately (Moyglare Stud Stakes-Gr.1), Qualify (Oaks-Gr.1), Diamondsandrubies (Pretty Polly Stakes-Gr.1), Rivet (Racing Post Trophy-Gr.1, Champagne Stakes-Gr.2), One Foot In Heaven (Grand Prix de Chantilly-Gr.2 & Prix du Conseil de Paris-Gr.2), Cougar Mountain (Joel Stakes-Gr.2), Turret Rocks (May Hill Stakes-Gr.2).

The most striking point to come from Fastnet Rock’s title is the class of stallions he bested – champions such as Lonhro, Redoute’s Choice and More Than Ready.

Curved Ball had three wins from only seven starts in South Africa, taking the Gr2 Dingaans as well as the Sea Cottage Listed. Curved Ball was probably best over a mile like many top sires, scoring his biggest victory in the G2 Dingaans. He met and defeated such top-class performers as Bulsara, Exhilaration, Smanjemanje, Club Victor and Galileo’s Galaxy.

Described as one of the best horses Charles Laird had ever trained, Curved Ball stood for a fee of only R8 000 this breeding season. We will be hearing more from his three year old’s this season!