Bush Hill Stud enjoyed a great double at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Wednesday, and in particular Race 4 with their retired imported stallion King’s Chapel, taking the 1st and 3rd positions.

It was also a double in the process for Bush Hill Stud breeder Allan Peters and trainer Gareth Van Zyl, as well as Warren Kennedy who is leading the Jockey championship this season.

Daidala (King’s Chapel – Koukla) won by over a length, with Hollywoodbets Sizzling Summer Challenge and KZN Breeders Series leader Bint El Malak finishing third.

Its the 2nd win for Daidala who has also placed twice previously. Race 5 saw Irish Flame Bush Hill-bred filly Slievanorra surge forward to win over 1950m under Warren Kennedy. Out of Bluebell Wood, the filly has been consistent and now won and placed twice from 4 starts.

Bush Hill Stud have the exciting Flying The Flag babies to debut, and his first runner Cecca finished 4th on Friday afternoon for trainer Alan Greeff under Teaque Gould over the Fairview Polytrack.

Well done to Bush Hill Stud.

BINT EL MALAK from the Paul Lafferty stable has been the epitome of this in the competition thus far. The filly sits 15 points clear of her nearest rival, with 2 wins and 2 second place finishes from her four runs. 

Paul Lafferty’s Summerveld yard are going all out to hang on to their lead in the Hollywoodbets Sizzling Summer Challenge.

Every race in KZN from the beginning of December until the end of February counts towards the competition. The points gathered for each race, whether a Grade 1 or a maiden, is dependent on the number of horses in the field and the finishing position. If there are ten runners in a race the winner will get ten points, the runner up nine points and so on all the way down to the tenth placed finisher who will get one point. If there are seven runners in the race then the winner gets seven points, the runner up six etc. The points are awarded to the relevant trainer, jockey and horse.

At the end of the competition the top six trainers, jockeys and horses will split respective prize money of R250,000 apiece. 

The top trainer, jockey and horse will each receive R100,000.

Lafferty led the trainers table after the last Scottsville meeting with 447 points.

The yard is on an upward curve and, for Hollywoodbets Sizzling Summer Competition purposes, the Lafferty horses are coming well at the right time.

The Lafferty-trained Bint El Malak won for the second time in four runs during the challenge and she leads the horse table on 55 points, 15 clear of her stablemate Explosive Beauty.

She is a King’s Chapel full sister to Malak El Moolook, now racing in Mauritius and a horse who placed in the Gr3 Graham Beck and Gr2 Gauteng Guineas in the care of Sean Tarry. Bred by Bush Hill Stud, their dam Lee Danzig has produced 5 winners to date, and she enjoyed tremendous success with matings to King Of Kings – who in turn is also the sire of the now retired King’s Chapel.

Kom Naidoo has a 2yo filly half-sister to Bint El Malak, named Magicallee (Willow Magic) who finished gamely by a whisker, 2nd on debut recently.

View the full leaderboard at the following LINK.

-excerpt Hollywoodbets and Gold Circle

King’s Chapel had a double yesterday at Flamingo Park, including a win with juvenile colt Bishop Of Bombay in the Non Black Type Flamingo Nursery over 1400m.

It was the second career win for each of his sons who won yesterday – the first being Bush Hill-bred Kali’s King for new owner Mrs S Ganase, who purchased him at the Super Sale from the stable of Duncan Howells and has more than repaid his purchase price. He had placed twice previously for Duncan, including a close second.

Bishop Of Bombay, bred by Karenza Fourie and owned by Mr CJ Aucamp, has now won twice and placed from only four starts for trainer Mr MN Prinsloo, over 1000 – 1400m. Out of Roman World by Caesour, Bishop Of Bombay beat Top Salute by a head, carrying 2.5kgs more than the winner.

His best performed South African produced horse – Malak El Moolook, an unlucky two-time winner who is Gr3 placed and placed second on four occasions to leading horses, has since won and placed in both of his starts since being relocated to Mauritius.

On his island debut, Malak El Moolook finished third to Mauritian star and another KZN-bred, Cherish The Charm.

King’s Chapel, a strapping liver chestnut son of King Of Kings, is currently on a winners to runners percentage of 37.5% for two year olds.

King’s Chapel will be represented by three individuals at the upcoming National 2YO Sale:

Lot 128 Fuzzy Rag – half-brother to Zimbabwean winner by Crusade, Butchie Boy,  including 2nd Champion Juvenile Stake, (L) from all his starts. Fourth dam Gr1 winner and ARCSA champion Tempest Queen. Consigned by Bush Hill Stud.

Lot 215 15Truly Scrumptious – half-sister to 2-time winner Stunning Guy. Damline of 11-time (and Gr1 winner) Sloop. Consigned by Bush Hill Stud.

Lot 292 Sassy Queen – Half-sister to winner King Of Blues (The Sheik) and to 3-time placed Eight Cities (Eightfold Path). Damline of Forest Wildcat, sire of Var. Consigned by Scott Bros.

Well done to all concerned!

Warwick and Karin Render’s Bush Hill Stud have had four winners in seven days at Greyville, the Vaal and Scottsville racecourses by resident sires King’s Chapel, Kahal (sadly deceased) and Curved Ball.

Kali’s King by King’s Chapel began the winnings streak at Greyville on the 18th, the Duncan Howell’s trained four year old colt has now won and placed three times for owner Mr J Sarkis. Out of Kali Dancer by Joshua Dancer, Kali’s King does enjoy longer and has won and placed over distances of 1900 – 2000m. Kali’s King is a half-brother to four-time winner Elegant Bay. King’s Chapel has notched up three winners in the past ten days, with 11 places.

Weiho Marwing-trained Aramouse, a full brother to Gr2 and Gr3 and nine-time winning The Mouseketeer, captured his third victory at Greyville from eight starts by a quarter of a length. The son of Kahal sold for R240 000 at the 2014 National Yearling Sale and is owned by Mr Hassan Adams and D Chinsammy. He has placed three times – including a very close second last time out by a nose from Big Si. Aramouse is out of Northern Guest mare Look Sharp – herself a winner at three, who is being covered by Flying The Flag this season. Look Sharp also produced Lt Jerry Mouse, a five-time winner including the East Cape Nursery Listed. This is the immediate dam line of The Sheik, Shoe Express and Al Nitak, as well as Top Seller.

Light House Lady, a daughter of Curved Ball had her first win for Mr WJ Laird and trainer Lucky Houdalakis. The filly who sold for just R10 000 off the National 2YO Sale in 2015 has also placed previously from only five starts. She is out of Jua by Silvano. This was the fourth winner for young sire Curved Ball, an imposing Gr2 winning son and the only of his sire Fastnet Rock to stand in South Africa. Fastnet Rock was Champion Sire in Australia in the seasons of 2011/12 and 2014/15.

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 (bred by Des Scott and the winner of the Champagne Stakes-Gr.2), One Foot In Heaven (Grand Prix de Chantilly-Gr.2), Cougar Mountain (Joel Stakes-Gr.2), Turret Rocks (May Hill Stakes-Gr.2) etc. In 2015 his European yearlings have sold for €875,000, €600,000, €455,000. We will see more of the Curved Ball’s emerging as three year olds, Curved Ball stands for just R8000 this season.

After Aramouse, Bush Hill Stud had a very exciting win with a handsome son of Kahal out of Miss Andrea by Restructure at Scottsville. Trained by Duncan Howells, the good looking three year old gelding has placed twice in both his previous starts, and went on to win over 1200m under Grant Van Niekerk for owners Miss Trinisha Pillay & Messrs D C Howells, P B Hosking, P J Maujean & R R Naidoo.

An exciting racing prospect named Amazon King, he sold at the 2015 National Yearling Sale for R375 000. His dam has produced a filly by Irish Flame (Dynasty) this season – a clever mating which has seen the successful cross of Dynasty and Restructure produce the likes of Gr1 Vodacom Durban July winner, Legislate. Miss Andrea will be visiting Bush Hill’s exciting young Galileo sire this season, Flying The Flag. Miss Andrea has produced four winners to date – this is the immediate damline of Count Du Barry, Rebel King and Uncle Tommy. Kahal is currently lying third on the National Sires Log behind Silvano and Trippi, with a winners to runners percentage of 21.3% early in the new season.

Another Bush Hill resident sire, Toreador captured a winner yesterday at Scottsville as Enlightenment had her second win in a row.

KZN Breeders have announced the 2016 KZN Breeders Awards nominees, and amongst them several nominees are by our former resident sire Kahal (with six horses in total), Toreador and King’s Chapel:

Warwick Render of Bush Hill Stud presented the stallions:

We believe that we are very fortunate at Bush Hill to have put together a band of stallions that offers an opportunity for all. We are proud that this has been vindicated in the market place this year by the fact that at the National Yearling Sales and the KZN yearling sales both of the top priced progeny of KZN stallions were sired here at Bush Hill. I highlighted last year that we offer the first and only son of champion sire Fastnet Rock to stand in South Africa, the first son of Champion sire Redoute’s Choice to stand in South Africa, the first Equus horse of the year son of Dynasty to stand in South Africa, to date the most successful son of the phenomenal Danehill to stand in South Africa, and the first triple Gr 1 winning New Zealand Horse Of the Year – and now we are thrilled to add an international graded stakes winning son of what is currently the most influential stallion in the world in Galileo.

The real reason we are here is to introduce to you our stallions for this season. In recent times it has not been easy in this industry that we are all so passionate about and it is indeed devastating to see the diminished number of breeders in South Africa and in particular this province, but as the Afrikaans saying goes “Aan houers wen”. But there has to be a little more to it than just hanging in there, we have to be bold, committed, positive and above all believe in the future. We also have to be smart and a healthy dollop of luck goes a long way. I want to take this opportunity to encourage you all to stick together, support each other and keep on at what we do because by all accounts there is a major turn around coming, its merely a matter of when. With breeding being the long term project it is we have to prepare ourselves now for the upswing, because if you wait for it to arrive the momentum will be too great to jump on board at that time. So please don’t miss the boat now because you will be sorry later!

A major part of that planning for the future lies in investing in breeding stock, both mares and stallions. We have done a phenomenal job of doing this in KZN in recent times for right now we have one of the most promising bands of young sires we have ever seen in this province. And today we are introducing the newest of these who in the words of his trainer Mike de Kock “has the credentials to stand up to anything else in this country.” And a little later in the day Mike will be telling you more about why he thinks so.

FLYING THE FLAG

We are most grateful to have Mike de Kock here to share with you his feelings on this horse which he will do a little later in the day when we show you a short video on him.

So where do I start when talking about a horse with the credentials of Flying the Flag. I guess the best way is to do it in a manner that I have mentioned in previous years and that is simply by using facts. Facts are a wonderful thing for a simple person like me because they don’t require any dressing up or flowery spiels, they talk for themselves.

But firstly on behalf of all breeders in KZN I have to express our extreme gratitude to Mary & Jessica Slack, Coolmore Stud, and Mr Javett for not only making a horse of this calibre available to us but also in allowing us the opportunity to invest in him. Without them we would undoubtedly never have managed to get a horse of this value here in these tough financial times. I am certain that as a province we will show our gratitude in the best way possible and that is by supporting him with the right mares.

So let’s look at some of these facts.

First and most obviously he is by the mighty Galileo who is certainly the best stallion in the Northern Hemisphere if not the world at the moment. It is no mistake Galileo is a champion for his sire Sadler’s Wells was a breed shaping champion whose sire in turn Northern Dancer was probably the most influential sire on the thoroughbred in recent times. Little wonder then that amongst all his other great horses Galileo has produced the greatest racehorse we have seen in Frankel and if the start he has made at stud is anything to go by he will add further proof that Galileo is just as good a sire of sires as his esteemed lineage predicted he would be. We can go on for ages extolling the virtues of Galileo, but I am sure it would just be a case of preaching to the converted. But suffice to say that in the current season – even without Frankel – he is again leading the European sires log with almost double the earnings of his nearest rival.

So let’s break down some of the less obvious facts. Flying The Flag is out of a mare who won no less than 3 Gr1 races in Ireland, we would be excited if she had won one Gr 1 race but to have a mare good enough to win three including the Irish 1000 Guineas is truly epic. Following on from her performance she has started her stud career in much the same manner with her first foal being a graded stakes winner in Flying The Flag and his younger full sister has just started what looks to be an equally promising career with her placing second first time, winning her second start and due to compete next week in a Gr 2 event in only her third start. This is a young and very active family.

Next fact, Halfway to Heaven is by Pivotal. Pivotal is a multiple Gr 1 winner himself, a sire of Gr 1 winners of both sexes and a damsire of Gr 1 winners. He is a multiple Champion sire in Europe, and a proven producer of speed and of two year old performers, little wonder there as he was a winner of the King’s Stand Stakes himself. But as importantly in this instance is his prowess as a damsire where he is in fact currently the only sire in Europe to rank in the top ten broodmare sires while still actively at stud.

Talking about that true mark of speed the King’s Stand stakes here is another incredible fact, both of the next names in Flying The Flag’s pedigree were winners of this great sprint race. Firstly his Grand dam the exceptional Cassandra Go and in turn her sire Indian Ridge also won this race, again he was a multiple Gr 1 winner himself, and sire and broodmare sire of Gr 1 winners of both sexes.

Cassandra Go was an exceptional race filly who was brilliantly fast with four of her six wins coming in stakes races and all of them at 1400m or shorter, highlighted by her win in the King’s Stand stakes and her second in the July Cup. This half sister to Verglas has gone on and proven herself a phenomenal broodmare, producing four stakes performers and second dam of a Gr1 winner in America and of a champion sprinter in France & Germany.

As mentioned Mike will tell you more about how he rated Flying The Flag, but before then let me go back to some of my facts. Fact he was fast enough and precocious enough to win his first start as a two year old, and to run second in a Gr 2 over 1400m in his second start, his final start as a two year old was in a Gr1 in dead going which he hated. Fact he was so highly regarded by his breeders and then owners Coolmore along with his trainer Aiden O’Brein that his first three starts of his three year old career in the space of three weeks were in three Gr 1 races in three different countries, namely the French 2000Guineas, The Irish 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. Thank goodness for us he never won any of them otherwise we would most certainly not be looking at him here in lowly Mooi River! His next two starts as a three year old were a third in a stakes race followed by a four length victory in a Gr 3. He then joined Mike’s yard and he will tell you more about that. But suffice to say he was victorious in Dubai and Gr 1 placed there after a break of a year. The fact that this horse raced effectively over the time period he did in as many countries as he did is testament to his character and temperament.

The final fact that I find so exciting with Flying The Flag is just how compatible he is to our local broodmare pedigrees – he is one of the easiest stallions I have ever found to mate mares to, an extremely important factor in his potential success as a stallion.

IRISH FLAME

Every year that we present this horse we say the same thing and invariably so do most of you when we chat afterwards. He is the epitome of class and quality and should not be underestimated. Yes we do not expect him to be a champion sire of two year olds – but neither is Dynasty. All good things come to those who wait and I am certain you will not have to wait too long if the quality of his progeny is anything to go by. After all at the end of the day we all want to win the big races and that’s exactly what Irish Flame did and it’s exactly what his sire did too.

If this horse’s credentials needed any vindication it surely lies in the fact that Drakenstein stud have just this year taken on not one but two stallions with the exact same credentials as him. All three very similar to their father, multiple Gr 1 winners and Equus three year old champions and Equus Horse Of The Year title holders. But just for a change we got the jump start and got the first of them from the first crop of Dynasty.

To quote one of Highlands biggest advertising points for Jackson and that is he is a son of Dynasty who has twice won the Equus outstanding sire award and is also the first 3yo Horse Of The Year in SA to sire a 3y.o Horse Of The Year from his first crop to race. And Irish Flame is that horse!

I think that one fact speaks volumes about just how good Dynasty has been as a sire and that is simply that never before have we seen any local stallion have so many sons retired to stud here. Looking at the quality of those sons and the regard they are held in it can only be a matter of time before he makes one hell of an impression as a sire of sires.

It is very interesting to draw a few parallels between Irish Flame and his father for they are most striking. Dynasty won The Daily News 2000 – Irish Flame won the Daily News 2000. Dynasty won The Cape Derby – Irish Flame won the KZN Derby and the South African Derby, and who can forget the sensational manner in which he downed the mighty Pierre Jourdan by a massive 9.5 lengths.

Dynasty won the Durban July at three – Irish Flame was touched off for second, thanks to bad luck in running, in the Durban July at three.

One can only wonder at what more he may have achieved here had he not gone overseas at this stage, as Mike de Kock conceded the conditions there never suited the horse.

They both had full siblings that though stakes winners never lived up to what they themselves achieved. Dynasty’s dam was a one time winner by an unfashionable sire while Irish Flame’s dam was a stakes winner by a July winner.

In short if you can get in you can pay the money to go to Dynasty or you can go to the younger version right here at home for a fraction.

KING’S CHAPEL

From a South African Horse of the year we move on to a New Zealand Horse of the year, also as a three year old. A triple Gr 1 winner over 1200m, 1400m and 1600m he broke the respective course records on each occasion. A horse good enough to take on the best in the whole of Australasia he was beaten by a nose in a Gr 1 by Grand Armee which meant he was also touched off by this horse from the title of Australasian Champion.

But as with any sire there comes a point at which we must not measure him only by what he has achieved himself but by the achievements of his progeny and while we have not yet seen his name in lights yet as a sire locally King’s Chapel has made an impact there too. Throughout the season he has produced winners on a regular basis and has had progeny placed at Gr 2 and Gr 3 level, in fact in one ten week spell he had eleven winners locally and 5 internationally and a third in a Gr 2. Had he continued that form for the whole season who knows where he would be on the sire’s lists. In saying that he has maintained a respectable position on the second season sires log and as I alluded to he continues week in and week out to produce results on the international stage, with obviously diminishing representation in all of Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and of course New Zealand.

With the great support he has had here to date we have little doubt you will still be hearing plenty more of him.

REDOUTE’S PROMISE

Redoute’s Promise boasts a pedigree that demands respect from any self-respecting Australian and so by all rights should do the same for us as South African breeders. Let’s use some of those fact things again to put this into perspective. I feel at this point I should digress very slightly and thank Susan Rowett for joining us today and I have no doubt she will view this horse with some special interest as both his mother and her sister were bred at the beautiful Varsfontein Stud. His mother, Perfect Promise, was the first and to date the only South African bred horse to win a Gr 1 in Australia, this subsequent to her showing her class locally by winning The Cape Fillies Guineas Gr 1, the Gr 2 Emancipation Stakes and the Diana Stakes, along with seconds in two further Gr1’s and a Gr 2.

But this is only part of the damline and the woes it caused the Australians because Perfect Promise’s full sister was a filly called Irridescence who in the Gr 1 QE II defeated the Australian’s beloved Ouija Board becoming the second South African to win this race after London News did so and reaffirmed all of our beliefs that we had a product in South Africa fit to take on the rest of the world. Irridescence further proved this by winning in all of Dubai, Hong Kong, UK and America. This after securing the title of Equus champion three year old classic filly courtesy of her victories in the SA Classic, The Woolavington and the Gerald Rosenberg.

With perfect Promise being by Caesour this young stallion is now a representative of the most successful cross in the world for Redoute’s Choice and that being with mares with lines of Nureyev.

Redoute’s Choice himself does not need much introduction and has been in the news very recently as a sire of sires with his son Snitzel breaking the forty year old world record of thirty individual two year old winners in a season. The likes of his local Gr 1 winners Majmu and Wylie Hall have proven the Redoute’s Choice’s potency is just as effective in South Africa as it is elsewhere in the world. Just how potent is that? Well we are talking 30 individual Gr 1 winners behind only, dare we say it Galileo and Giant’s Causeway in the world. He has 32 two year old stakes winners (7 of them Gr 1 winners) out of his 134 total.

He has been an equally dominant sire of sires with 17 of his sons having produced stakes winners and eight sons who are already sires of Gr 1 winners.

We have been thrilled with Redoute’s Promise’s first crop of foals and believe this horse has the potential to be just about anything, and we are obviously not alone in that for many of the prominent breeders in this province have seen fit to support him.

TOREADOR

I believe it speaks volumes about Toreador that when I sat down to write about this special horse, I read what I had written last year and typically everything held true for today, except maybe just a little bit stronger and more proven. I guess the biggest attribute is that I don’t really need to say much for he has done all the talking for himself already.

He is the third of the stallions shown to you today to have enjoyed the privilege of being trained by Mike de Kock and I have no doubt that Mike would happily vouch for the tremendous heart this horse had, something that can never be measured but a vital aspect of every successful racehorse and something that a sire needs to pass on. This he does in no uncertain terms for his progeny have always fought with distinction well above their weight and there is never a week that goes by when he doesn’t provide someone with a good return.

Every crop he produces an exceptional horse and last year on champions day he had a two year old colt run second in the Gr 1 in Prospect Strike, coming from an impossible draw, and this year on July day we saw Misty Burnam run second in what is now a Gr 2 for the two year olds, and hopefully tomorrow he can go one better. I would just like to take a moment to congratulate Anton & Judy on their great achievement on July day of running second in both two year features – remarkable feat from a small band of mares. We must also acknowledge the major part Anton has played in making this horse available to us all here in KZN and in turn thank everyone for doing the horse justice by giving him a full book of mares each year. Gratifyingly the rewards have been forthcoming at the sales with his first KZN crop of yearlings having been on sale this year where he has once again proven himself to be tremendous value for money. Little wonder there as he looks likely to end the season eight of the active sires on the National Sires log, and most significantly his earnings have not been dominated by any one individual, his biggest earner having earned a mere 8% of his stakes by comparison to some of the horses above him, a few examples would be Trippi who leads the log, principal earner 37 %, Silvano 21% , Go Deputy 50%. Again if more proof was needed of just how consistent a producer he is.

CURVED BALL

Grant Knowles representing Klawervlei Stud introduced Curved Ball, the only son of Fastnet Rock in South Africa at stud to date. Curved Ball has produced three juvenile winners from only just over a handful of his first crop to race, and many of those from that year we haven’t seen step onto a track yet. Trainers who supported his first crop have returned to the sales grounds to purchase the progeny of this handsome stallion subsequently, having reported back how happy they are with the Curved Ball’s in their stables and consider them and their abilities highly.

Out a Zabeel mare, Curved Ball is said to be one of the most talented horses Charles Laird ever trained, and Joey Ramsden reiterated the sentiment whilst Curved Ball was in his care. Powerfully stamped by his famous Australian based sire Fastnet Rock, who is producing the goods the world over – with Group Winners produced in England and America. A leading 3rd crop sire in 2015, Fastnet Rock’s winners include Fascinating Rock (Champion Stakes-Gr.1, Tattersalls Gold Cup-Gr.1), Qualify (Oaks-Gr.1), Diamondsandrubies (Pretty Polly Stakes-Gr.1) and Turret Rocks (May Hill Stakes-Gr.2). In 2015 his European yearlings sold for €875,000, €600,000, €455,000, €380,000, €310,000, €305,000 etc.

Grant Knowles thanked Bush Hill Stud for their brilliant care and management of Curved Ball, as well as the breeders present for the support Curved Ball has been given.

Mike De Kock’s thoughts:

“I know breeders are obsessed with speed, don’t think this was a slow Galileo. We know there was speed in his family that he does have. We tried him over a mile and half, we know that Aiden (O’Brien) tried him over a mile and a half as well, he actually failed to stay – he was better shorter. He was held back in his career with a wind problem. We buy a lot of horses out of Ballydoyle – well Jehan Malherbe does – but often they have got problems we have got to deal with. If we had horses like this in SA, if they were Gr1 performed with this pedigree, you wouldn’t be able to afford them – we just wouldn’t get them, so often we do buy horses that do have their little problems. In terms of conformation, he is quite a correct horse – he is a very big horse and he is going to be very easy to mate. The fact that he is by Galileo too – if one looks at the last 10-15 years in Europe, the most prolific sires have been Galileo and Montjeu, I stand to be corrected but neither of those horses won over less then than 10 furlongs or a mile and a half. So that puts paid to the whole speed obsession – you have to look at the Classics. If you put Galileo in a 6 furlong race, he would have won it but there was no point in running him over that trip, as he was a Classic horse – so I wouldn’t be put off by that fact when one considers breeding and mating your mares. In short, Flying The Flag is a horse that if I was a breeder, I would be very confident in supporting. I think he is going to give you size and very correct legs and quite I honestly I would support him with confidence.”

Warwick ended the afternoon by thanking all who contributed towards a wonderful and informative day, and thanked all who attended and supported the stallions.

Flying The Flag stands for a fee of R20 000 this season, and an incentive bonus of R100 000 has been announced for the breeder who produces the Graded Stakes Winner from Flying The Flag.

Bush Hill Stud’s King’s Chapel is in form as another of his sons won by a powerful five and a half lengths at Greyville over 1000m. The handsome bay three year old gelding, aptly named Mr Mcsteamy, happens to be a half-brother to recent Class record setter at Scottsville – Dreya’s Gold.

King’s Chapel has now accumulated seven wins in four weeks as well as a Gr2 Gauteng Guineas third place behind Abashiri, with Sean Tarry-trained Malak El Moolook. These include a win in New Zealand with Ohope Prince, who took his seventh career win during the week.

Mr Mcsteamy is out of mare Miss Andrea by Restructure, and she is currently in foal to Irish Flame (by Dynasty) – a clever mating, as Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate is by Dynasty out of a Restructure mare.

Miss Andrea’s magnificent Kahal colt sold at the 2015 National Yearling Sale for R375 000 to Mr RJ Koedyk, named Amazon King.

It is a dam-line that has nicked with Kahal previously, with extended family members including Uncle Tommy and Rebel Queen.  Miss Andrea is out of a Badger Land / Linacre mare and has produced five runners and four winners to date.

Well done to all concerned.

Its been a good weekend for Bush Hill Stud stallions, with Toreador and King’s Chapel featuring once again.

Toreador got off to a great start on Friday evening at Greyville with Hosanna winning over 1200m by two lengths, before the meeting was abandoned due to flooding after a big storm. The three year old filly owned by Mr L and Mrs H Potgieter, who flew in specifically to watch their filly race and flew back to Johannesburg immediately after, has placed previously from four starts from the stable of Weiho Marwing.

Trading Profit, a beautifully-bred filly out of Sadler’s Wells mare Mantaray Bay bred by Anton Procter, won the fourth race on Guineas Day yesterday at Turffontein, beating Gr2 winner Judicial by two lengths over 1800m in the Open Pinnacle Stakes.

A top class field of horses saw Diesel Jet finish third and dual Gr1 winner, French Navy, in fourth place. Anthony Delpech rode the filly to victory for the stable of Ormonde Ferraris.

Another Toreador stablemate from trainer Ormonde Ferraris, saw the speedy Gr2 and Gr3 winner Lazer Star race determinedly to finish just a nose off St John Gray’s Captain Aldo in the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes, with Ice Machine and Unparalleled placing respectively.

Owned by Mrs A Marwing and again ridden by Anthony Delpech, the filly out of Sri Pekan mare Empress Of Oz has a phenomenal race record and doesn’t like to lose – winning seven times and placing second twice – both placings in an extremely close fashion and only out of the money on one occasion throughout her career.

The race of the day – the Gr2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas saw King’s Chapel’s son Malak El Moolook finish an admirable third in the race behind Champagne Haze, a Summerhill-bred son of Kahal who stood at Bush Hill Stud until his passing two years ago.

Jumping from fifth draw, the Sean Tarry gelding finished just over two lengths off behind Abashiri. Owned in partnership by B Riley and breeder Mr R Hanna, the King’s Chapel gelding has now won twice and placed six times, this being his second feature place after finishing third in the Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes.

Kahal also produced a winner on the day with Witchcraft taking the third race, a third career win the three year old filly trained by Sean Tarry. Kahal has his last crop of yearlings on sale this year, and currently sits in fifth position on the National Sires Log.

Bush Hill Stud’s son of King Of Kings, King’s Chapel, has had three winners in a little over a week – including Rhumba Magic who did it in a devastating fashion to win by over seven lengths. Of the three winners, two were bred by Scott Bros.

Beginning with Raspberry Lips at Flamingo for Corne Spies, the big two year old filly bred by Scott Bros was unsold at the 2015 Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale, won over 800m by half a length under Ryan Munger. She finished second in her previous start for trainer Corne Spies over 800m.
King’s Chapel also had a second over the same course with Rathmor-bred Kartouche over 1400m, who has now placed twice from just three starts.

Meadow Magic’s half-brother by King’s Chapel named Rhumba Magic, won by a blazing seven lengths at Fairview over 2200m. Owned by Robin Scott and trained by Alan Greef, the three year old colt has placed four times previously over distances of 1600m – 2400m. Meadow Magic by Mogok was a winner of the Gr2 Emerald Cup, out of Meadow Rhumba by Shoe Danzig.

Cambridge Choir made it three for King’s Chapel at Turffontein yesterday, winning the second race of the day before the meeting was abandoned due to the weather. The three year old filly bred by Fay Megan Crocker and owned by Miss C Vlahakis, is trained by D Little. After placing three times previously, Cambridge Choir got up to win over 1600m from Right Approach filly Rose Of Castille and Dynasty filly Winning Sister.

With limited progeny left overseas in New Zealand, another two winners emerged for King’s Chapel at the beginning of February – both five year old chestnut mares, as Quartet got up to get a fourth career win over a 1400m feature race, and Notionannagins also won well – her second career win over 1400m.

A 10-time winner and New Zealand’s Horse Of The Year, King’s Chapel stands at Bush Hill Stud and commanded a fee of R15 000 for the 2015 season.

*update: Malak El Moolook, a son of King’s Chapel, placed third in the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas yesterday just two lengths off Abishiri.