Jack Mitchell and Nick Jonsson, who combined with Bernard Kantor to win the July with Do It Again, may have struck gold a second time.

Certainly their decision to buy Crown Towers out of a Markus Jooste dispersal at Durbanville looks a good one. The Australian-bred had some of those closest to him reaching for predictions -Richard Fourie: “He is going to the top” and Jonathan Snaith: “He will be a serious horse” – after the powerful way he drew clear of his rivals on debut at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Justin Snaith

The colt is bred in the purple, being by triple classic winner Camelot out of a Galileo mare who won five races, and he cost Jooste A$280 000 (then almost R2.8 million) at the 2017 Melbourne Premier. The present owners paid R1.7 million for the colt at the Central Route Trading sale in July.

Justin Snaith said: “The owners saw him at the sale and said they had to have him. We haven’t done a lot with him since so this was quite impressive.”

Snaith’s decision to adopt a far more patient approach with his two-year-olds last season, and so avoid the high ratings that so many juvenile winners prove unable to live up to, is making his three-year-old maidens a formidable proposition and Trip To The Sky’s rivals in the St Dalfour were simply unable to live with him in the final furlong despite some concern from the man on top.   “He was gasping for air the last bit but I did go a bit soon on him,” said Fourie.

The champion trainer and his jockey won four of the first five races and the Settlers Trophy at Durbanville on September 23 is next on the agenda for Magnificent Seven who made it four wins from his last five starts when comfortably leading throughout the Pravda Vodka Open Handicap.

But Nordic Breeze’s strong run to lead over 100m out in the Protea Toyota Bellville Conditions Plate was her swansong as she is to be retired to stud. Her first mate is, according to Oliver Foulkes, to be decided over several glasses of red wine “and the stallion we can remember the next morning is the one she goes to!” An early, and considerably more sober, assessment apparently makes Twice Over favourite.

The Snaith fancy that got away was Without Limits in the Carl Greaves Brokers Work Riders Maiden. Star stable rider Levis Kuse proved unable to weigh out at or near the required weight and the stipes suspended him for one race as a result. The change of rider came too late to be included on the yellow Card Changes Report and many of those who backed the filly from 13-10 to odds-on were unaware of the switch until after they had seen the hotpot drop away in the final furlong.

Lungisani Geledu, who has been with Vaughan Marshall for more than seven years, made all on 11-1 shot Double Rosie and the stable doubled up with the MJ Byleveld-ridden Potawatomi in the last.

Joey Ramsden’s vaccination nightmare is apparently almost over. Although Made In Hollywood had to be withdrawn after yet another dirty trach wash, Fours A Crowd got up in a blanket finish under Fransie Herholdt to spring an 18-1 surprise in the Infiniti Insurance Handicap. “We have gone very easy with the horses in the last two weeks but they are coming right and we are almost there,” said assistant Ricardo Sobotker.

By Michael Clower

After 30 successful years of training Ivan Moore has decided to retire and take up a more passive role in his recently licensed grandson’s yard. Young Darryl Moore struck up a partnership with his grandfather but has now taken the plunge and gone on his own. Darryl is extremely grateful to his grandfather for all the support and guidance he has given him over the years.

Moore said that this had enabled him to step up and take the yard to the next level. Ivan will still be active in the yard and Darryl will be able to call on his expertise at any time. “I do believe that I have youth, experience and a huge amount of passion and hopefully this will bring new owners into the yard as well as the racing industry,” said Moore.

“I have a solid base of current owners and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support and trust in me. I look forward to growing the stable along with my grandfather,” he added.

Moore stated that he was excited for the great things still to come. He was also an assistant for many years to the now retired Charles Laird and Darryl’s father, Robert, is the chief riding master of the South African Jockey Academy. He is based in Gauteng. Two of the stables shining stars are, Ballymaine and Unbelievable Lad and there is no doubt that when racing is in your blood, it is in your blood!

By Warren Lenferna

Featured Image: Newly licenced, young Summerveld based Trainer Darryl Moore  with one of his stable stars, Ballymaine. Moore is looking at taking his yard to the next level with the guidance of his recently retired grandfather Ivan and he is excited for the yards future.

Image by Candiese Marnewick

Scottsville turned up three gems yesterday and if you have a notebook of horses to follow, add Solid Gold, In The Stars and Thanksgiving to a list of horses that look headed for the top.

Master Of My Fate was not the easiest of horses to train as Dennis Drier will attest to and he appears to have passed on both his ability and temperament to In The Stars. Master Of My Fate stands at Varsfontein Stud and the filly races in the stud’s silks.

Seemingly hopelessly left at the start of the second race, she made up ground relentlessly. “When we got left five lengths, I thought I would just ride her for a place,” confided Sean Veale. “But going through the 500 I knew it was race over. I just had to find the right gaps.”

Captain’s Girl (Candiese Marnewick)

Well Veale’s name could have been Moses as the field opened up like the Red Sea and In The Stars simply cruised home.

“She’s not easy but she’s not a dilly filly. In her barrier trial she was well behaved until she got to the pens,” explained Drier. She was promptly hopelessly left which accounted for her seemingly poor trial.

“I rate this filly very highly. Her work at home has been phenomenal and I think she has a bright future.”

Duncan Howells expressed similar sentiments about the Dave MacLean-owned colt Thanksgiving in the Soccer 6 Maiden. Drawn wide, Muzi Yeni allowed the big-striding son of Dynasty to use his action and with a clear run to the line Thanksgiving won in the manner of a decent horse.

“I knew that I had a good horse coming to the races today and with a bit of luck he would pull it off for us,” said Howells. “Like all Dynasty’s he’s maturing and starting to come on nicely.”

Yeni had little more to do than keep his mount out of trouble and his mind on the job without using his stick as Thanksgiving was still green. “He’s a scopey horse. He takes time to get rolling so he should be well suited to a track with a long run-in like Turffontein.”

The third on the list of horses to follow got home by the smallest of margins but Solid Gold won like a good horse as apprentice Ashton Arries gave him a tremendous ride, coming from off the pace to snatch victory on the line.

“He’s a bit of a handful,” said Michael Roberts, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a bite-sized bruise on his bicep. “He’s not nasty, just playful.”

“He’s a horse that should go a mile easily but he shows a lot of pace. I was looking for a 1200 for him but because he shows so much pace I took a chance over the 1000.

Solid Gold has the pedigree for a mile and further and the fact that he was able to win over 1000m is usually a sign of a good horse.

By Andrew Harrison

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Conghua Racecourse officially opened Monday marking the beginning of a new era for the sport of horse racing in Hong Kong and for the ever closer relations between Hong Kong and Guangdong.

The Club celebrated this momentous occasion at an opening ceremony attended by more than 500 guests, including government officials from the Mainland and the Hong Kong SAR, Club members and horsemen, as well as partners involved in the development of the project.

Situated in the Conghua District of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, Conghua Racecourse is the first world-class racecourse and thoroughbred training centre in the Mainland. Operating as part of a dual-site model, Conghua Racecourse complements the existing training centre at Sha Tin.

Stabling

With its state-of-the-art stabling, training and horse-care facilities, it will enable the Club to further develop the quality of its world-class racing.

“The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world leader in the sport of horse racing and home to some of the world’s top racehorses. Conghua Racecourse will enable us to elevate our racing to an even higher level of excellence,” said Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip.

“It has outstanding training and horse care facilities, including the first world-class equine hospital in the Mainland. Conghua District itself has high environmental standards, with excellent air and water quality. In short, it is a superb place in which to train our horses.”

Essential to Conghua’s operation is its location in the Mainland’s only large-scale internationally recognised equine disease-free zone, which ensures that Hong Kong horses have the same health status in Conghua as in Hong Kong. Under a series of special arrangements agreed between authorities in the Mainland and the Hong Kong SAR, horses are able to travel freely between Conghua and Hong Kong.

Racing tracks

“At Conghua, we have highly experienced staff, ranging from racing, tracks and veterinary management to stables staff from Hong Kong, who are working alongside local employees trained under internationally accredited programmes developed in Hong Kong. Together they will provide an excellent level of horse care, equal to that available in Hong Kong,” said Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

Also speaking at the ceremony were Mr Chen Jianhua, Chairman of the Standing Committee of Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress, and Professor Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong SAR.

“After years of persisting efforts by relevant parties, a modern, high-tech, world-class racecourse and China’s largest world-class horse sport training center is now rising in front of us,” said Mr Chen.

“The opening of Conghua Racecourse lays a solid foundation for horse industry co-operation between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, opens things up for imagination and presents a promising prospect for development. The establishment of Conghua Racecourse is a collaborative achievement involving the Hong Kong SAR and the Mainland, building on the strengths of the Mainland’s infrastructural facilities, the Hong Kong SAR Government’s experience in equine inspection and quarantine, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s expertise in equestrian sport,” said Professor Sophia Chan.

“The establishment of Conghua Racecourse is in line with the direction of the Bay Area development, the equestrian sport and related fields in the area, setting an excellent example of the Bay Area development.”

Conghua Racecourse will also contribute to the development of equine sports in the Mainland as well as to the economy and to employment.

This continues the Club’s support for equine sports in the Mainland, including for the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

Some 90% of employees are recruited from Guangdong and the training they will receive will help advance professional standards. Conghua will also become a showcase for the sport of horse racing; the only place in the Mainland to experience world-class horses in action.

All of this will help raise Conghua’s profile both nationally and internationally.

Looking forward, Conghua Racecourse has great potential to support the development of an equine industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and in the Mainland as a whole.

“In other parts of the world, equine industries contribute substantially to the economy and to employment. They could do the same here,” said Dr Ip. “With its world-class expertise, the Club stands ready and willing to give its full support.”

The Pinnacle Stakes race at Scottsville on Sunday looks something like a Louis Goosen benefit as he saddles six of the nine runners. But the Ashburton-based trainer is not all that confident.

“I may have six in the race but there are a couple of others in with big chances. I may run second and third.”

“There were 16 nominations for the race but owners want their horses to race and there were no other races for these horses.”

Louis Goosen

Goosen is not easily drawn on what his chances are, preferring to wait until the day of the races after his five-point check before committing himself so it is up to the ante-post speculators to make their assessments.

All of Goosen’s runners show tremendous pace, as one would expect in a five-furlong dash but best of them could be Winter Blues. The diminutive son of What A Winter is a model of consistency and only once finished out of the money. He gets a 2.5kg claimer on board in the form of useful apprentice Luke Ferraris and his claim could prove the difference between winning or losing.

Hashtag Strat and Captain’s Girl are both quick and have form over course and distance while Effortless Reward is no slouch and she too gets relief from the saddles in the form of four-claimer Jason Gates. Like stable mate Lloyd’s Legacy, she does have breathing issues but if right on the day is not out of it.

However, the trio on opposition are no slouches either and as Goosen has intimated the race is no pushover. Bottom weight La Ferrari has been knocking hard at the door for his third success and finish ahead of all Goosen’s runners in the Umkomasi Stake on Gold Cup day. He must be a big runner on that form.

Vision To Kill ran well below form last time out but is a smart mare on her day while Statute still has something to offer.

It is an intriguing race but forced into a corner Winter Blues is taken to get home ahead of Hashtag Strat.

The so-called ‘off-season’ is not for the feint-hearted punter. The fields generally consist of the battlers, sick, lame and lazies and those that are not guaranteed to hold form.

That said, there are opportunities for the astute follower of form and one runner that has been under the radar for much of his career is Cat’s Legacy. As a young horse, Alyson Wright’s charge promised more than what he has shown recently and the handicappers have finally conceded that he was not quite as good as first rated and dropped him seven pounds in the handicap from his last effort behind Silver Rose. He takes on much lower rated opposition on the sixth off what may now be a competitive handicap mark.

Escape Club in the fifth has not been that fortunate and earned a further three-pound penalty for her runner-up berth behind My Zinzara on the Greyville poly last time out. However, Dennis Drier’s four-year-old filly has only had four outings and has yet to finish out of the money. Given that she is still relatively lightly raced she may still have further improvement to come as expected by the handicappers and could prove the ‘right’ one in the where Rae’s Dyna Jet, Arizona Sunset and Marsala look the most obvious threats.

Many have taken the view that barrier trials are misleading but if one takes the time to analyse each trial in the right context then they can prove beneficial. Antigonus showed up well in his trial and Belinda Impey’s charge was only run out of it late behind the strongly fancied Celebration Rock in his race course debut proper. That was an excellent showing and he should come on lengths from that effort when he lines up in the card opener. Recent triallist Wendylle showed good pace and was geared down over the last 100m. It was a useful time and he looks to have a chance while Alfonsa Spagoni showed up well on debut after a good barrier trial and can feature over this shorter trip. Add to that Solid Gold who was not asked to do much in his trial but still finished close-up. He should prefer it a bit further judged on pedigree and could find this on the sharp side but he looks to have a touch of class about him

By Andrew Harrison

Nordic Breeze, only fourth over 1 000m last time, should be much more at home over the extra furlong of the Protea Toyota Bellville Conditions Plate at Kenilworth tomorrow and looks value at 3-1.

Her good run over this trip in the Champagne suggests she should be able to confirm the placings with 33-10 shot Goodtime Gal despite Anton Marcus taking over from an (admittedly very useful) apprentice. The Mike Robinson-trained mare has to give weight all round including 2kg to the selection and is at her best over further.

Anton Marcus

Made In Hollywood has already been nibbled at from 3-1 to 28-10 favourite with World Sports Betting and it easy to see why Joey Ramsden described the race as “too good to miss” despite the vaccination cloud hanging over the stable. On merit ratings she has 3kg in hand over 16-1 outsider Midnight Moonlight and a minimum of 5.5kg over everything else.

And it’s not just the ratings. In the Champagne she was only three-quarters of a length behind Goodtime Gal and two lengths off Nordic Breeze. She meets them on terms 8.5kg and 6.5kg better.  In normal circumstances she would be odds-on.

But will she be able to run up to her best? Ramsden wouldn’t be running her unless he thought she could but the after-effects of those vaccinations has kept all but one of the rest of the stable in their boxes. For punters that should be a tip in itself.

The bookmakers seem to have heard what they believe are the right vibes about Sovereign Spirit (by Dynasty out of the Woolavington winner Viva Maria) in the first and accordingly WSB opened her favourite at 2-1. The Candice Bass-Robinson runner gets a tentative vote despite being drawn on the slower side of the course. So too is Marcus’s mount Silver Plains who has already been supported from 6-1 to 9-2. “He is a very nice horse but the race comes a little bit too soon for my liking, “says Eric Sands. “He is too big for Durbanville and this is my last opportunity to run him at Kenilworth for some weeks.”

Levis Kuse won on three of his five rides at Kenilworth last season and accordingly 15-10 favourite Without Limits gets the nod in the Carl Greaves Brokers Work Riders’ Maiden.

The Brett Crawford newcomer Engage And Beware (Marcus) has been backed from 7-2 to 22-10 favourite for the St Dalfour Maiden but the experience of Richard Fourie’s mount Trip To The Sky may swing the balance. This one was slowly away when over seven lengths third to the highly rated Pleasedtomeetyou.

Fourie and Justin Snaith should also win the next with odds-on shot Magnificent Seven while stable companion The Boston Rose has proved profitable for this column and can go in again in the Infiniti Insurance Handicap.

By Michael Clower

The Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m is the main race tomorrow on the Turffontein Inside track and it is a typically competitive sprint handicap.

Splendid Garden has proven his current merit rating is competitive. This seven-year-old by Black Minnaloushe is a half-brother to Soft Falling Rain and he over raced last time early on when the jockey restrained him from a wide draw over 1400m. Therefore, he should appreciate the step down in trip and in fact his last win was over this course and distance. He is off a three point higher merit rating now but he was drawn 12 out of 12 in that win and now has a plum draw of three. Chimichuri Run is highly regarded and showed his class last time when cruising home in the Grade 3 Umkhomazi Stakes over this trip at Greyville. It does not matter how good they are destined to become, early season three-year-olds running off high merit ratings generally battle to beat toughened older horses and his merit rating is 108.

Chimichuri Run (Candiese Marnewick)

However, he should still go close as it is not a vintage line up and he is well drawn. Angel’s Power was runner up last year, albeit from a better draw than this wide one of 12. If the six point raise given to all horses in March is taken into account he is effectively five points lower this year and should be staying on. Talktothestars is a former Equus Champion Sprinter and is known for his toughness, so he might well have benefited from his six month layoff and can’t be ignored jumping from pole position, despite a tailing off of form in his last few starts. Clever Guy won well from the front last time over 1000m with blinkers on and this might be the key to him. The blinkers stay on and he has a chance if able to find a handy position without using up too much energy from his wide draw.

Tar Heel had a lot of pace in his heyday and should have come on from his last start, which followed a five-and-a-half month layoff, so he can make his presence felt from a good draw off a competitive merit rating. Premier Show is not finding his current merit rating easy although he could earn. Mujallad has a wide draw and is off a tough merit rating but he should be staying on and could earn. Finchatton has a tough draw and it will be tough as he would likely prefer further. Wrecking Ball has a lot of pace but is usually found wanting in the closing stages. Mrs. O has come into her own but won’t find it easy against the boys. Just As I Said has pace but will find it tough returning from a three month layoff from a wide draw.

The first leg of the PA should see Dan The Lad following up on his last win as he packs a strong finish and proved last time when winning from a handy position over 1160m he doesn’t have to be held up to be at his best.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1450m Full Mast makes appeal as an in-form gelding by Go Deputy as this sire’s progeny improve noticeably in their four-year-old year.

In the next race over 1000m there is another horse who has come into her own, Mademoiselle, and from a plum draw she can make it a course and distance hattrick off just a two point higher mark than last time and a better draw.

The sixth is a minor feature, The Non-Black Type Ladies Stakes over 1200m, and the promising Pretty Penny is the one to beat. She cruised in last time by 4,75 lengths over this trip and might still be ahead of the handicapper. She was given the maximum eight point raise for that last win and looks to be running off a capped rating.

The eighth over 1200m should pan out well for the attractively merit rated Alex The Great.  He likes to be handy and there is not much pace on his inside so he might be able to find the box seat. Seventh Rule has good pace and will appreciate the step down to 1200m. He is widely drawn but without much pace in the race he can get to the front without using up too much. Furthermore, he has dropped to a competitive merit rating.

The Rising Legend can round up the meeting as he has some class and can use his fine turn of foot and sustained finish to mow them down after being dropped out from a wide draw.

By David Thiselton

Less than a month after finally hanging up his saddle, Piet Botha puts out his first runner as a fully-fledged trainer in the third race at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Maiden, Head Of The Pack does the honours, and comes into the bumper 16-horse event with form, boasting three places from his last four appearances.

“I’ve got him as well as I can, but he may need it slightly after four months off. He has issues with his back and knee, but should be competitive,” said the softly spoken former jockey.

Quarllo completes Piet’s complement of older horses, while he also has a sole three-year old and eight juveniles, making 11 in total.

“I am really enjoying training, although there are a lot of cost pressures getting things off the ground. I helped Glen Puller with the training when I was still riding, but it’s different when you are doing it for yourself.

“I am next to Patrick Kruyer at Milnerton, and he is always very helpful when I ask for advice. In fact, everyone I have approached has been supportive, which I appreciate,” he said.

– TAB news

All the recent rain in Cape Town is frustrating Eric Sands as he prepares his unbeaten Winter Guineas and Winter Classic winner Rainbow Bridge for a return to the fray.

Rainbow Bridge (Liesl King)

The Milnerton trainer said yesterday: “The horse is doing well and I think giving him the break was one of the best things we have ever done for him. He was supposed to gallop at Durbanville on Thursday but the gallops have been cancelled because of the rain.

“He may go in the 1 200m (Pinnacle) at Durbanville on Saturday week but I don’t want to race him in that if they are going to run him off his feet, and I don’t want to gallop him too close to the race.”

Sands has long had the Matchem at Durbanville on October 6 as the first feature target of the season for the four-year-old whose objectives, all going well, will be the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.

Stable companion Silver Plains, the mount of Anton Marcus, has been opened at 6-1 for his debut in the Perpetua House Maiden at Kenilworth on Saturday. World Sports Betting makes the Candice Bass-Robinson newcomer Sovereign Spirit a warm favourite at 2-1. Master Of Spain, 18-10 in the finale, is the only favourite among Marcus’s six mounts.

By Michael Clower

One of history’s greatest racehorses, Man O’ War, was bought this month 100 years ago for US$5000 and it is interesting to note that the current South African champion sire Silvano descends directly from a mare who was bred to the same cross as Man O’ War.

It is said that some modern breeders design matings to concentrate the influence of Man o’ War through deep inbreeding. For example, he appears at least 22 times in the bloodline of American Pharoah, who in 2015 became the first US Triple Crown winner in 37 years.

Fittingly, American Pharoah had two yearlings from his first crop sold for over a million dollars earlier this month at the same Fasig-Tipton August sale at Saratoga where Man O’ War was sold 100 years ago.

Silvano has Man O’ War only twice in his pedigree.

Silvano (Supplied)

However, his ninth dam, Etoile Filante, is by Fair Play out of a Rock Sand mare, which is the exact same sire and damsire cross which produced Man O’ War.

The similarities go further. Man O’ War won the second leg of the Triple Crown, The Preakness, on his three-year-old debut, and Silvano’s eighth dam Astrolobe, by Sir Gallahad III out of Etoile Filante, is a full sister to the Preakness winner High Quest.

It is interesting to note that Man O’ War was the runner up on the leading American Broodmare sire list 12 times and in eight of those years (1943-1950), he was runner-up to none other than Sir Gallahad III, who was the twelve-time leading broodmare sire.

Furthermore, Man O’ War was an American champion two-year-old male of 1919 and Etoile Filante produced the 1926 champion two-year-old filly Fair Star (Wrack).

Etoile Filante was a full-sister to the American champion sire Chatterton, but she has had a far greater influence on the American thoroughbred breed.

Her other stakes winner, Evening Tide by Bulldog, not surprisingly produced a stakes winner when crossed with Man O’ War’s triple crown-winning son War Admiral.

Etoile Filante foaled no fewer than seven stakes-producing daughters.

Man O’ War’s influence is particularly remarkable in that he was limited to just 25 mares a year by his owner Samuel D. Riddle. As a broodmare sire he typically had 40-50 less daughters in production than Sir Gallahad III.

As a racehorse Man O’ War won twenty races and was highly unlucky in his only defeat. He established three world records, two American records, seven track records and equalled another track standard. He was a sporting hero and attracted massive crowds to the racecourse.

According to Jockey Club records, he sired 219 winners (57.4%) and 62 stakes winners (16.3%) from 381 named foals. He led the American general sire list in 1926 and was runner-up in 1928, 1929, and 1937. He was also fifth in 1925, seventh in 1927 and 1938, and ninth in 1936. While he never led the American broodmare sire list, he ranked among the top 10 maternal grandsires no fewer than 22 times.

Man o’ War stood 16.2½ hands at maturity. He was a powerful chestnut with a slight Roman nose, prominent withers, excellent bone, virtually flawless legs and feet, and a deep girth. He was sometimes faulted as being coarse and having a slightly dipped back that deepened with age; according to Charles Hatton of the Daily Racing Form, he stood 17 hands at the highest point of his hips, an inch and half higher than his withers. He also had an unusually wide chest, though his action showed none of the paddling often associated with such conformation. His action was high and bounding but with a huge stride.

Man o’ War

Courageous and willing on the track, Man o’ War showed some of the high-strung temperament of his dam Mahubah and maternal grandsire Rock Sand around the barn, sometimes chewing on his own hoofs in the manner of a nervous human’s chewing of fingernails. Those who knew him well considered him highly intelligent but wilful; he could be handled by persuasion but not by force. He was deeply attached to his almost equally famous stud groom, Will Harbut, and was also fond of John Loftus, the jockey who rode him throughout his juvenile season.

Will Harbut summed up Man O’ War in his famous phrase, “He was the mostest hoss there ever was.”

Man o’ War died on Kentucky’s Faraway Farm in 1947 of a heart attack, less than a month after Harbut passed away. They say the unbeatable horse died of a broken heart.

Man o’ War’s most successful sons at stud were War Admiral and War Relic, and War Relic’s branch of the male line survives today. Tiznow, Tourist, Da’ Tara, In Reality, Desert Vixen, Honour and Glory, Bal a Bali, Skywalker and Bertrando are all sire-line descendants of Man o’ War.

Female line descendants from Man o’ War include Eight Thirty, Stymie, Nijinsky, Sword Dancer, Pavot, Riverman, Jim French, Sir Ivor and Kelso.

War Admiral was also a leading broodmare sire, especially when crossed with the influential mare La Troienne and his name can be found in many modern pedigrees through such horses as Seattle Slew, Buckpasser and Dr. Fager. American Flag also contributed to Man o’ War’s modern influence as he was the sire of the second dam of Raise A Native, who is an almost “omnipresent name in American pedigrees”.

Such is the in-bred nature of the thoroughbred breed, it is always easy to find links between horses, but there can be no doubt that Silvano, upon a closer look at his pedigree, descends from a high quality female line. Closer up, his dam, Spirit Of Eagles by Beau’s Eagle, has also produced the multiple Grade 1-winner Sabiango. Silvano himself won three Group 1s in three different countries and was the Germany Horse Of The Year in 2001. This year was the third time he had won the SA National Sire’s championships.

By David Thiselton