Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Horse Chestnut happy to be back in SA

David Thiselton
Horse Chestnut is a very happy horse having returned from stud in America to stand in his homeland South Africa.
The legendary son of Fort Wood, trained during his racing career by Mike de Kock and regarded by many as the greatest racehorse to ever grace the South African turf, stands at Johann and Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud and is “stopping” (getting into foal) his mares so well that another 10 services have been released at the special first season price of nil nomination plus R35,000 payable on a live foal.
Ross Fuller, the stud manager of Drakenstein, reckoned that Horse Chestnut would end up covering 70 to 75 mares this season.
To date he has covered 38 mares and of the 21 scanned 17 are in foal.
This is a very good “stopping” rate.
Horse Chestnut had been limited to a book of 60 mares at his former stud, Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, had warned of a low libido and not to overbook the stallion.
Fuller, however, has seen no libido problems whatsoever.
“Maybe having the African sun on his back has helped,” he said. “He is the quickest coverer I’ve ever witnessed. He is in and out of the barn in a minute and is stopping his mares incredibly well.”
Horse Chestnut covers a maximum of two mares a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Fuller and his team have noticed that if Horse Chestnut covers everyday instead of being given a break his semen maintains a higher quality.
He has been very well supported with many people wishing to get their mares to him, so has a good book.
One example is the Robin Bruss-owned daughter of Complete Warrior, Circle Of Life, the twice Equus Champion older female, who is a half-sister to J&B Met winner, Zebra Crossing.
Horse Chestnut goes on the horse walker every morning, so is very fit and spends the rest of the day in his paddock.
The tendon injury that tragically put paid to his career after just one start in America when he was in his prime and before he had had the opportunity to be tested against the world’s best is still visible but does not bother him at all.
“He floats around the paddock with such grace, it is easy to see that he was a great racehorse,” said Fuller.
He described Horse Chestnut as “so laid back that he has the character of a twenty-year-old mare.”
Stallions are often very aggressive towards each other, for they are natural competitors.
Their stables are therefore kept very secure and often surrounded with prison like bars.
However, Fuller said that Horse Chestnut and his stallion colleague, Trippi, are “very good mates.”
“If they come out of their stables together they actually muzzle each other,” he said. “If only one leaves, the other will call for him. They can see the mares from their stables and are both just very happy horses.”
Trippi, a son of End Sweep, is the most expensive thoroughbred to ever be imported to South Africa.
He was the leading sire and leading sire of two-year-olds in Florida before coming to Drakenstein.
He is the sire of, among others, Jealous Again, a two-year-old filly who was flown over to Royal Ascot this year to win the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes over five furlongs impressively by five lengths.
William Hill quote Jealous Again at 12-1 for the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile fillies to be run on November 7 at Santa Anita.
Trippi, who commands a service fee of R100,000 (R30,000 nomination plus R70,000 for a live foal), has a book of 110 mares and has already covered 70.
Of the 41 scanned 35 are in foal.
His first South African crop will be on the yearling sales next year.
Fuller said Trippi’s Drakenstein foals were “very nice” and there had been very good reports from the other studs too.

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