Despite his brilliant G1 SA Classic winning son Hawwaam being a late scratching from Saturday’s G1 SA Derby, Maine Chance Farms’ multiple champion sire Silvano still enjoyed a big day at Turffontein this weekend.
His four-year-old daughter Sunshine Silk became Silvano’s 87th individual stakes winner when the Geoff Woodruff trained filly ran on stoutly to land Saturday’s G3 Caradoc Gold Cup, over a field which included high class stakes winners Wonderous Climber and Let It Rain.
Under jockey Marco Van Rensburg, the Gold Star Stud bred Sunshine Silk made it win number five when staying on to post a 2.1 length over male rival Walter Smoothie in Saturday’s graded feature, with third place finisher Tirzan finishing nearly five lengths adrift of the winner.
The filly, who had captured the Sun Chariot Handicap (Non Black Type) last time out, has now earned over R610 000 in prize money.
Sunshine Silk is out of the Al Mufti mare Vanilla Silk and is thus bred on the same Silvano/Al Mufti cross as the G1 winners Al Sahem, Bold Silvano and Kings Gambit.
She was one of three winners on the day for Silvano, whose talented son Pietro Mascagni (third in both the G3 London News Stakes and Listed Drum Star Handicap this season) won for a fourth time on Saturday, with another Silvano gelding, Silver Spectrum, shedding his maiden over 1400m for trainer Sean Tarry and jockey Lyle Hewitson.
Silvano also went close to enjoying a classic double on Saturday with his son Zillzaal finishing second in the G1 SA Derby and his daughter Blossom filling the runner up berth, beaten only by multiple G1 winner and Equus Champion Return Flight, in the G2 SA Oaks.
The sire of more than 20 G1 winners, including hot young sire Vercingetorix, Silvano has 21 yearlings on offer at the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.