Maine Chance Farms’ multiple champion sire Silvano reached a notable landmark in his stellar career when his brilliant three-year-old son Hawwaam won the G1 SA Classic at Turffontein on Saturday.
Hawwaam, bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, is a 21st G1 winner for Silvano, whose previous 20 top level scorers included another SA Classic winner in the form of Kings Gambit.
One of four runners in the R2 000 000 SA Classic for trainer Mike de Kock, Hawwaam registered his first G1 success when he romped home to a 5.75 length win in the G1 SA Classic under jockey Gavin Lerena on Saturday.
Remarkably, Silvano’s impact on the 2019 SA Classic did not end with Hawwaam, as the triple G1 winning son of Lomitas is also broodmare sire of Classic runner up Barahin (who is out of the Silvano mare Mocha Silver) and sire of SA Classic fourth-place finisher Zillzaal.
Hawwaam, who is bred on the same Silvano/Jet Master cross as high class stakes performers Silvano’s Jet, Silvano’s Pride, Omaticaya and Sylvan On Fire, was a R1 000 000 buy from the 2017 National Yearling Sale.
The colt, who looks a hugely exciting future prospect, has now won four of only five outings, with Hawwaam’s previous wins including scores in both the G2 Dingaans and G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes.
Hawwaam, whose sole defeat came when second in the recent G2 Gauteng Guineas, took his earnings to R1 978 125 with his brilliant SA Classic win.
He was one of three winners on the day for his champion sire, with Silvano’s G3 Yellowwood Handicap winning daughter Sylvan On Fire making it win number six when she won an MR 104 handicap (over males) at Turffontein on Saturday. Trained by Candice Dawson, the five-year-old Silvano mare showed her class by storming home to post a 0.9 of a length win, with Sylvan On Fire’s beaten rivals including former G1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup winner Liege, and G3 London News Stakes hero Dawn Assault.
Bred by her owner Vanessa Harrison, Sylvan On Fire (who has won or placed in 11 of her 16 races) has now earned in excess of R620 000 in prize money.
Her paternal half-brother Metropolitan was yet another winner for Silvano on Saturday, when that gelding shed his maiden over 2400m at Durbanville on Saturday.
Silvano is also the sire of the very exciting 3yo filly Blossom, who caught the eye when flashing up late for third, beaten just a length, in the G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic on Saturday.
Long regarded as one of South Africa’s elite stallions, Silvano is also responsible for the very exciting stallion, and fellow Maine Chance Farms resident, Vercingetorix –currently one of South Africa’s leading first crop sires.