Hopes And Dreams Stud’s resident sire Frantastic had a handsome boost to his pedigree when his full-sister Queen Of Thieves won as she liked at Yarmouth on Tuesday.
A three-year-old daughter of Frankel and the Pivotal mare Rhadegunda, Queen Of Thieves romped home to land Tuesday’s Weekend Winners On Sky Sports Racing Maiden Fillies’ Stakes by an emphatic 11 lengths.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the three-year-old, making her third start on Tuesday, may be aimed at the Listed Cheshire Oaks.
Frantastic and Queen Of Thieves are full siblings to four time G1 winner Cracksman.
The latter, whose progeny include unbeaten champion Ace Impact, was Champion Sire in France in 2023.
Cracksman’s lightly raced full-brother Frantastic, who won twice in a brief career, is a direct descendant of legendary racemare and producer Mumtaz Mahal.
Maine Chance Farms’ high-class stallion Querari hails from a top-class family, and this female line struck again on Monday.
Promising three-year-old Ernst Blofeld got off the mark at the second time of asking when he won impressively at Kempton.
The John and Thady Gosden trained colt was sent straight to the front in Monday’s Virgin Bet/EBF Novice Stakes. Always in control, the 11-8 favourite registered a comfortable 1 3/4-length verdict.
Ernst Blofeld, a full-brother to the smart Jeff Koons and three-parts brother to multiple group winner Spirit Dancer, is out of Querari’s high-class half-sister Quidura (Dubawi), winner of five races including the G2 Ballston Spa Stakes and G2 Canadian Stakes.
Quidura’s G1 winning half-brother Querari is having another fine season in 2024-2025, with his stars of the season headed by G1 Wilgerbosdrift H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Cosmic Speed and dual G3 winner Rainbow Lorikeet.
Ridgemont’s five time G1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs has had a great run of success of late.
The son of Tagula’s good form continued on Monday, when his progressive son Tenango won the G3 Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
Trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, four-year-old Tenango made amends for a luckless runner up effort last time out by claiming his biggest win to date.
In the process, the gelding became Canford Cliffs’s 29th stakes winner.
Under an inform Andrew Fortune, Tenango swooped late to win Monday’s R250 000 sprint by a comfortable two lengths.
Bred and owned by Ian Longmore, Tenango is out of the Trippi mare Tripadvisor.
Tenango has won five of 13 starts, and four of his last six starts.
The gelding was one of two winners at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Monday for Canford Cliffs.
The latter is also the sire of Show Off, who flew up late to win Monday’s VHM Racing Syndicate Open Maiden (1700m) by a long neck.
The lightly raced Show Off, making his fourth start on Monday, is out of the Dynasty mare Front And Centre.
The inform Canford Cliffs is also the sire of unbeaten two-year-old Direct Hit, who made it three wins from three starts when running out a four and three quarter length winner of Friday’s Listed East Cape Nursery.
Canford Cliffs is also sire of Instaworthy, who ran third in the East Cape Nursery.
Varsfontein Stud’s homebred stallion Erik The Red made it three winners in three days when his son Red Penny won at Turffontein on Saturday.
In the process, the gelded Red Penny became the seventh winner to have emerged from his sire’s first crop of two-year-olds.
Trained by Paul Matchett, Red Penny was given a fine ride by Muzi Yeni to land Saturday’s Take A Bet Wina Numba Numba Juvenile Plate (1400m).
Yeni bought his mount with a sustained challenge which saw Red Penny storm home to win going away by a length and a half.
Bred by Oldlands Stud, Red Penny, who was making his third start on Saturday, is out of the Vercingetorix mare Penny Whistle.
He joins Red Amber, a winner at the Vaal, and Augusta Rosso, victorious at Fairview on Friday, as Erik The Red sired winners over the past few days.
Currently South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2024-2025, Erik The Red is seventh on the Leading Sires of 2YOs premiership.
A son of Captain Al, Erik The Red hails from the immediate family of stablemate and high-class sire Master Of My Fate.
Maine Chance Farms’ outstanding stallion Vercingetorix is having a great run, and the son of Silvano’s good run continued on Saturday.
Vercingetorix’s two-year-old daughter Spiritrix made the perfect start to her career when she made a winning debut at Turffontein.
Trained by Johan Janse Van Vuuren, the Vercingetorix filly showed her class when downing more experienced male rivals to win the www.tab.co.za Maiden Juvenile Plate (1000m) in fine style.
Under S’Manga Khumalo, Spiritrix came with a powerful run down the outside of the track and she powered home to win by two and three quarter lengths at the first time of asking.
Bred by part-owner Laurence Wernars, Spiritrix is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Ancient Spirit, and is thus bred on the same Vercingetorix/Fastnet Rock cross as 2024 G2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Nursery winner Little Ballerina.
Spiritrix joins the likes of Elegantrix, I’m A Fireball and Quickstepgal as juvenile winners for Vercingetorix this season.
Vercingetorix, also broodmare sire of Saturday’s winner Red Penny, recently made headlines when his sons Garrix, Let It Be Said and Gallic Dream finished 1-2-3 in the G3 Variety Club Mile.
The champion son of Silvano has three sons entered for Saturday’s G2 TAB Colorado King Stakes, and five daughters nominated for the same day’s G2 TAB Camellia Stakes.
Ridgemont’s star stallion Rafeef has a cracking crop of two-year-olds this season, and the son of Redoute’s Choice came up with another smart looking juvenile winner on Saturday.
Rafeef filly Mystical Miss made the perfect start to her racing career when making a winning debut at Turffontein.
Under Craig Zackey, the Sean Tarry trained two-year-old romped home to land Saturday’s 4Racing Welcomes You Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) (1000m) by nearly two and a half lengths.
Another Rafeef filly making her debut in that race, Jazz Pianist, caught the eye by finishing third.
Bred by Narrow Creek Stud, Mystical Miss was a R750 000 buy from the 2024 National Yearling Sale.
Saturday’s winner is out of the Al Mufti mare Magical Miss.
Mystical Miss is the latest two-year-old winner this season for Rafeef, with the latter’s other promising juveniles in 2024-2025 including the unbeaten Easy Tiger, Listed Wilgerbosdrift Ruffian Stakes winner Glastonbury and G2 TAB SA Nursery runner up Esteemed.
Also responsible for recent G1 TAB Computaform Sprint winner William Robertson, Rafeef is fourth on the Leading Sires of 2YOs premiership for 2024-2025.
Ridgemont’s five time G1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs looks to have come up with a top-class filly in the form of Direct Hit.
The latter made it three wins from three starts when she romped home to a facile win in the Listed East Cape Nursery (1000m) at Fairview on Friday.
Trained by Alan Greeff, Direct Hit provided Richard Fourie with an armchair ride, as the unbeaten filly waltzed home to land the Nursery by four and three quarter lengths.
Bred by Ridgemon Highlands, who own Direct Hit in partnership with Devin Heffer, Direct Hit was making it back to back feature race wins with the filly victorious in the G3 SplashOut Cape Of Good Hope Cape Nursery last time out.
The filly has won her three races by an aggregate of nearly 15 lengths.
The 2025 East Cape Nursery was a triumph for Canford Cliffs, who is not only the sire of the winner but also of the third place getter Instaworthy.
Canford Cliffs is also the sire of the 2022 East Cape Nursery hero Cliff Top.
Direct Hit, who is out of the Great Britain mare Wrecking Ball, is one of four two-year-old winners for her sire this season.
Exciting young stallion Erik The Red made it two winners from two days when his first-crop daughter Augusta Rosso won at Fairview on Friday.
In the process, Augusta Rosso became her sire’s sixth first crop winner.
Trained by Alan Greeff, the two-year-old had finished second on debut and was duly sent off favourite for Friday’s 4Racing Welcomes You Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) (1200m).
Under Richard Fourie, Augusta Rosso was always up with the pace in Friday’s race. The filly stayed on strongly to win by a length, while winning at the second time of asking.
Bred by Neil Clarke and Richard Foden, Augusta Rosso is out of the Jet Master mare Augusta National.
One day earlier, Erik The Red filly Red Amber had got off the mark when she won at the Vaal.
Currently South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2024-2025, Erik The Red is seventh on the Leading Sires of 2YOs premiership.
A son of Captain Al, Erik The Red hails from the immediate family of stablemate and high-class sire Master Of My Fate.
Varsfontein Stud’s homebred stallion Erik The Red came up with a fifth first crop winner when his daughter Red Amber won at the Vaal on Thursday.
The two-year-old was making her third start, with Red Amber having finished seventh on debut before running second next time out.
Trained by Fanie Bronkhurst, Red Amber ran on strongly to break her maiden by a long neck in the Take A Bet Wina Numba Numba Maiden Plate (F and M) (1200m).
Bred by Clifton Stud, Red Amber is out of the Visionaire mare Three Trees.
Thursday’s winner was an R180 000 buy from the 2024 National Yearling Sale.
Currently South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2024-2025, Erik The Red is also the sire of early winners Tenjiku, Polar Light, King Harald and Vikings Revenge, as well as the stakes placed Reigning Alice.
A son of Captain Al and the Western Winter sired G1 winner Covenant, Erik The Red had yearlings make up to R650 000 at the recent National Yearling Sale.
Varsfontein Stud’s multiple champion sire Gimmethegreenlight had a treble of winners at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Wednesday.
The son of More Than Ready went close to having a four-timer on Wednesday, with Gimmethegreenlight filly Beach Queen finishing a close second in the fifth race.
Gimmethegreenlight is no stranger to siring high-class two-year-olds and his juvenile daughter Match That made the perfect start to her career when making a winning debut on Wednesday.
The Justin Snaith trained filly provided jockey Andrew Fortune with the first of three winners when she won the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Welcomes You Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1000m.
In a thrilling finish, Match That put her head down where it mattered most to score by a neck.
Bred by Lammerskraal Stud, Match That is out of the Western Winter mare Mizzen Mast.
Wednesday’s winner is a full-sister to G2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes winner Gimme Dat and Listed Drum Star Handicap hero Green Haze.
Gimmethegreenlight struck again at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the very next race when his son Green Planet won the Cape Turf Club Maiden Plate over 1200m.
Under Morne Winaar, the Des McLachlan trained three-year-old stayed on strongly to shed his maiden by a length.
Bred by Nadeson Park Stud, Green Planet is out of the Encosta De Lago mare Maureen De Lago.
His sire had his third winner on Wednesday when the Gimmethegreenlight filly Kleinzee stormed home to win the RaceCape Powered By Hollywoodbets Class 4 (F&M) over 1600m.
Trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, the three-year-old powered home down the inside of the track, under Andrew Fortune, to get up close home and win by nearly half a length.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Kleinzee has won two in a row, with the lightly raced filly victorious in two of five starts.
Wednesday’s winner is out of the Cape Cross mare Diamond Coast.