On Saturday the highly regarded Abashiri will face the first leg of his bid for Triple Crown glory, but down in the Cape his sire Go Deputy has virtually been abandoned by breeders despite his continually good statistics.

Abashiri’s trainer Mike Azzie has called the magnificently long-striding bay gelding the best he has trained since National Currency, a three-time Gr 1-winning sprinter who finished second in the Gr 1 Hong Kong Sprint to the great Silent Witness.

Abashiri has a genuine chance of landing the Triple Crown, although the first leg on Saturday, the Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas, will probably be his toughest  obstacle as he would prefer further.

Yet, Go Deputy only covered two mares this past season. Both were sent by the stud which own and stand him, Lammerskraal Stud.

Lammerskraal’s long-time stud manager Sally Jourdan said, “His sire Deputy Minister was a champion racehorse, a champion sire and a champion broodmare sire. Breeders just don’t recognise him for what he is and it is hard to resurrect a stallion. But, if Abashiri does really well we will try and promote him again.”

Jourdan added Lammerskraal’s new owner Pieter Graaff only races two or three horses from each crop, otherwise Go Deputy would have received more mares.

She also spoke of her keen anticipation of the progeny of Go Deputy’s daughters, as she believes like his father he will be an outstanding broodmare sire.

Among his daughters with nice looking youngsters to date is the three-time Listed-winning stayer Adobe Pink, who has a foal by What A Winter, the champion sprinter by Lammerskraal’s late great Western Winter.

Abashiri comes from Go Deputy’s 2012 crop, the season in which he covered 50 mares, and was purchased for R400,000 at the National Yearling Sales.

Also among his 2012 crop is Flying Ice, a Listed winner who finished second in Saturday’s Gr 3 Prix du Cap, beating a few significant four-year-old members of what many believe to be  the greatest female crop in South African history.

Significantly, Go Deputy’s progeny improve notably with age. Following progeny of this sire after they have turned four years of age always reaps dividends, so his excellent 2012 crop still have plenty to come.

As it is he has the highest percentage of black type winners to runners in the country this season at 6,8%.

The other Black Type winner among them is Current Event, who won the Gr 3 Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers Handicap over 2500m. Go Deputy has a high figure of about 41% winners to runners this season and they have average earning of R45,552 per runner.

Abashiri’s deserving owners are Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren. The couple are among the biggest spenders at the Sales in the country and as Abashiri is likely the best they have purchased there must still be hope for Go Deputy.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Abashiri (Nkosi Hlophe)