With class acts Pomp And Power and Astrix carrying his flag in Saturday’s R5 million Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, Maine Chance stallion Vercingetorix was the toast of a well patronised BSA KZN Yearling Sale on Thursday.
After enjoying tremendous success at the 2022 National Yearling Sale, Maine Chance Farms’ champion sire elect Vercingetorix was again to the fore at Thursday’s KZN Yearling Sale.
Vercingetorix responsible for both the top priced colt and filly sold at the 2022 KZN Yearling Sale, and the champion son of Silvano also ended the one day auction as Leading Sire by Aggregate.
Vercingetorix’s unnamed colt (Lot 73) was knocked down to John Freeman for a record equalling R1 100 000 to top the KZN Sale on Thursday. The same price high was achieved in 2012.
Consigned to the sale by Boland Stud, the colt is out of the three time winning Var mare Varster and is thus bred on the same Vercingetorix/Var cross as recent Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint winner Alesian Chief.
The well bred Varster is a half-sister to Gr2 Betting World Derby winner Silvano’s Jet -sired, like Vercingetorix, by Silvano.
Klawervlei Stud consigned the top priced filly on Thursday – with the unnamed Vercingetorix filly (Lot 4) knocked down to longstanding Mary Liley for R625 000.
Vercingetorix had all six of his yearlings on sale sell for a gross total of R2,865 million, with Vercingetorix’s yearlings averaging R477 500 on Thursday.
Well clear on South Africa’s General Sires List for 2021-2022, Vercingetorix runners have earned over R14,53 million, and he has been represented by 13 individual stakes winners this season.
South Africa’s Champion Sire elect for 2021-2022, his flagbearers this season include the Gr1 winners Alesian Chief, Astrix, Chansonette and Pomp And Power.
With 146 of the 169 catalogued lots sold, the sale aggregate was a healthy R18 095 000, with an average of R123 938 and a median of R77 500. The sale was last held physically in 2019 and not during the past two covid-19 inflicted years.
The results of Saturday’s Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting once again underlined the dominance of the late Silvano.
Not only did Silvano’s daughter Sparkling Water became her sire’s fifth July winner when she claimed Saturday’s headliner, Silvano also made his mark as a broodmare sire and sire of sires.
Silvano
In landing the July, Sparkling Water joined Bold Silvano, Heavy Metal, Power King and Marinaresco as July winners by Silvano, with Power King leading home a 1-2-3 for Silvano when he beat paternal half-brothers Punta Arenas and Tellina to win the 2015 July.
This year’s July was a double triumph for Silvano, with his daughter winning the historic race and his son Safe Passage finishing third.
Sparkling Water is also the 28th Gr1 winner for her deceased sire and she joins the likes of Do You Remember, Field Flower, Flirtation, Happy Valentine, Nightingale, Orchid Island, Silver Mountain, Silver Darling, Silvano’s Pride, and former Horse Of The Year Summer Pudding as a G1 winning daughter of Silvano.
Silvano has sired more July winners than any other sire in the history of the race, a further tribute to the outstanding success he enjoyed as a sire in South Africa.
Following Sparkling Water’s landing Saturday’s R2.94 million first prize, Silvano has laid down a strong challenge to his son Vercingetorix, who currently heads South Africa’s General Sires List, and this year’s Champion Sire title chase could well go down to the wire.
However, Silvano’s success on Saturday was not limited to Sparkling Water’s impressive July win.
His daughter Marina and Silver Darling finished second and third respectively in Saturday’s Gr1 Brentford FC Garden Province Stakes, while Silvano is also sire of Imperial Ruby and Smoking Hot who finished third and fourth in Saturday’s Gr3 DSTV Gold Vase. Another son of Silvano, Silvano’s Timer, finished third in Saturday’s Listed Compendium Insurance Brokers Handicap, when beaten under a length by the winner.
Maine Chance Farms pulled off a notable achievement when their past and present resident stallions Silvano, Vercingetorix, Querari and Erupt all claimed sires titles for the just finished 2021-2022 South African racing season.
Once again, Silvano was crowned Champion Sire of South Africa, while his outstanding sire Vercingetorix, who finished runner up to his sire on the General Sires List last season, was South Africa’s Leading Sire of 3YOs for the 2021-2022 season.
Already a Leading Sire of 2YOs (he topped that premiership in 2108-2019), the ever reliable Querari was named South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs for 2021-2022, while Dubawi’s blue blooded son Erupt was officially crowned Leading First Season Sire for the season just ended.
The late, legendary Silvano claimed a remarkable sixth South African General Sires List, with the son of Lomitas ending the 2021-2022 season more than R1.262 million clear of runner up, and current star sire, Vercingetorix.
Silvano runners earned R17 688 263 million in the past season, with Silvano’s 10 black type winners of 2021-2022 winning 16 stakes races in that season. Pride of place goes to Silvano’s star daughter Sparkling Water, who became Silvano’s fifth July winner when she won the 2022 G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Silvano runners dominated the finish to this year’s July, with his daughter Sparkling Water winning South Africa’s most famous horse-race and his son Safe Passage finishing third.
Other stars representing Silvano last season included top three-year-olds Safe Passage and Silver Darling, who provided their sire with a G1 double when landing the G1 Daily News 2000 and G1 Woolavington 2000 respectively on the same day, and Marina, winner of Saturday’s G2 Gold Bracelet and runner up in the G1 Brentford FC Garden Province Stakes.
Silvano’s tally of 28 G1 winners is a modern day record for a South African sire, with Silvano responsible for a total of 29 G1 winners overall.
Silvano’s progeny excelled at Hollywoodbets Greyville last Saturday -not only did his daughters Marina and Follow The Star finish first and second in the Gold Bracelet, his son Silvano’s Timer captured the Listed Marshalls World Of Sport Darley Arabian, and another son, Imperial Ruby, finished second in the G3 Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup.
Silvano is also broodmare sire of both Canadian Summer and Bless My Stars, who ran 1-3 in Saturday’s G1 Thekwini Stakes.
It was an emotional, posthumous triumph for Silvano, who died almost 12 months before recording his latest title.
However, Silvano has left behind a worthy heir to his throne in the form of his outstanding son Vercingetorix- South Africa’s Leading Sire of 3YOs for 2021-2022.
It was an exceptional season for Vercingetorix, whose progeny shone both on the track and in the sales ring. Vercingetorix’s three-year-olds, headed by the G1 winners Alesian Chief, Chansonette and Pomp And Power, earned more than R7.835 million last season, and captured such notable races as the G1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas, G1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby, G1 Golden Horse Sprint, G2 Concorde Cup, G2 Post Merchants and G3 WSB Merchants.
His stablemate Querari had an exceptional season with his two-year-olds, with Querari sired juveniles earning more thanR2.855 million in 2021-2022. Querari was responsible for 23 two-year-old winners last season, including graded stakes winners Galla Vanting, Gobsmacked, and Prophet. His two-year-olds were seen to great advantage on Saturday when Godsmacked won the G2 Prosport International Debutante, and Querari sons Quantum Theory and Prophet ran third and fourth respectively in the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes.
Erupt looks like joining the likes of Night Of Thunder and New Bay as a top-class son of Dubawi. The close relative of Encosta De Lago and Holy Roman Emperor is officially South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire for 2021-2022, with Erupt’s nine early winners headed by G3 Protea Stakes/Listed Storm Bird Stakes winner Karangetang.
THE VERCINGETORIX SYNDICATE IS AUCTIONING A NOMINATION FOR THE 2022 SEASON.
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SECURE A
NOMINATION AS HIS BOOK IS FULL FOR 2022!
WHERE: TBA SALES COMPLEX GERMISTON, BSA AUGUST 2 YEAR OLD SALE
TIME: AFTER THE FINAL LOT(1 50) ON FRIDAY 26TH AUGUST 2022
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
– THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE IS DUE ON FALL OF HAMMER.
– THE FEE IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
– IN THE EVENT OF THE MARE NOT PRODUCING A LIVE FOAL AT 24 HOURS OF AGE,
THE SERVICE WILL BE CARRIED OVER FOR THE 2023 BREEDING SEASON ONLY.
PLEASE NOTE NONE OF THE STANDARD BSA TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE ARE APPLICABLE
TO THE SALE OF THIS SERVICE.
