David Thiselton
Maine Chance Farms-based stallion phenomenon Vercingetorix at last has a title befitting of him i.e. champion stallion, and he smashed records left right and centre to do it in the 2024/2025 season, while Drakenstein Stud won the Breeders Championship for the second time and Varsfontein-based stallion Erik The Red won the freshman sire’s championship. Khaya Stables’ Real Princess will walk away with the Champion broodmare having produced two Gr 1 winners during the season.
Vercingetorix smashed Gimmethegreenlight’s South African record of R30,732,600 in stakes earnings in a season, set in the previous season, with earnings of R38,562,706.
The son of six-times champion stallion Silvano also smashed the SA record for individual stakes winners in a season with 23 stakes winners of 33 races.
Vercingetorix matched the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 feats of Gimmethegreenlight in being leading sire, leading two-year-old sire and leading three-year-old sire.
Gimmethegreenlight was the first stallion to achieve that feat in recorded history, which goes back to 1953.
Vercingetorix also smashed records at the Sales and his average for 25 lots sold at the BSA National Yearling Sale was a phenomenal 1,435,000, while his average at the Cape Racing Sales March Day 1 Sale was even better, 22 lots fetching an average of R1,661,364.
Vercingetorix had three individual Gr 1 winners during the season, the Justin Snaith-trained four-year-old Varsfontein Stud-bred filly Double Grand Slam, who won the Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes, the Sean Tarry-trained Klawervlei Stud-bred four-year-old filly Mia Moo, who won the SA Fillies Sprint, and the Stuart Ferrie-trained Erasmus Thoroughbred CC-bred Gladatorian, who won the HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m.
It can be said Vercingetorix enjoyed the best season by any sire in South African history.
His 2025 fee is R50,000 nomination and R300,000 for a live foal.
The late Drakenstein Stud-based stallion Lancaster Bomber can also be called a phenomenon, because despite only producing two crops to race he finished fourth in the sires championship and was the most prolific Gr 1 producer.
His three individual Gr 1 winners, Eight On Eighteen, Rascova and Legend Of Arthur, won five Gr 1s between them as opposed to the four Gr 1 wins of Vercingetorix’s Gr 1-winning trio.
Varsfontein-based sire Master Of My Fate, who finished third in the championship, also had three individual Gr 1 winners, each landing one Gr 1 apiece. Atticus Finch won the Betway Summer Cup and Master Of My Fate had the notable feat of producing both Gr 1 winners on World Pool Gold Cup day, the exciting pair Golden Palm and Jan van Goyen.
Wilgerbosdrift Stud-based sire Fire Away had two individual Gr 1 winners each, Fire Attack and Confederate, who won one Gr 1 apiece.
Varsfontein’s three-times champion stallion Gimmethegreenlight also had two individual Gr 1 winners, the full brother Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince, who won one Gr 1 each, with the former likely being the Champion Sprinter and the latter having won the coveted Hollywoodbets Durban July.
One World had one Gr 1 winner, One Stripe, and he won two Gr 1s.
New Predator also had one individual Gr 1 winner, Fatal Flaw, who won two Gr 1s.
Sires who had one individual Gr 1 winner of one Gr 1 race were Rafeef, Global View, Legislate, Querari, Buffalo Bill Cody, Captain Of All and Canford Cliffs.
Drakenstein had stakes earnings of R36,186,061, which was just over R2 million clear of reigning champions Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein, who returned 34,055,620, and they were close to R8 million clear of third-placed Varsfontein, whose progeny accumulated R28,332,868 in stakes earnings.
Drakenstein only just failed to break the South African record for stakes winners for the fourth time in succession. Their 21 individual stakes winners equalled their number of stakes winners of the previous season. Their 21 stakes winners this season won 30 races between them as opposed to 31 last season.
Drakenstein were also the most successful Gr 1-winning breeders of the season. They bred three individual Gr 1 winners, Eight On Eighteen, One Stripe and Legend Of Arthur, who won six Gr 1s between them.
Eight On Eighteen and One Stripe (One World) are the two leading contenders for Equus Horse Of The Year, which underlines the quality Drakenstein produce. Eight On Eighteen is the likely winner of the award, having won three Gr 1s to the two of One Stripe, but in fact in the pair’s only two clashes One Stripe emerged victorious both times, although that was over a mile, which is sharper than ideal for Eight on Eighteen.
Varsfontein had a fine season with 15 individual stakes winners of 23 races, as opposed to 14 and 21 last season.
Varsfontein’s Captain Al stallion Erik The Red was the Champion Freshman sire.
He had 38 runners for 14 winner of 16 races for stakes earnings of R2,102,014, which can be compared to Vercingetorix’s two-year-old return of 43 runners for 18 winners of 26 races and earnings of R3,990,558.
Vercingetorix had five two-year-old stakes winners of five races, while Erik The Red had his first stake winner on the last weekend of the season when the Paul Matchett-trained Zalatoris won the Gr 2 Follow @Worldpool on X Stakes over 1200m, formerly known as the Umkhomazi Stakes.
Lady Christine Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables had a season to remember as their Dean Kannemeyer-trained homebreds Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince both won Gr 1s. Gimme A Prince’s Splashout Cape Flying Championship demolition job was the performance of the season and earned him the highest merit rating in the country, 134.
Both of Khaya Stables stars were out of their Trippi mare Real Princess and the latter also produced their full-sister and stablemate Gimmie’s Countess, who won the Gr 3 Baker McVeigh Diana Stakes over 1400m. Real Princess will definitely be named Equus Broodmare Of The Year.
