Avontuur’s top class stallion Var is l on course to record his first 2yo sires title this season, and the son of Forest Wildcat enjoyed yet more two-year-old success when his son Vicomte made a winning debut over 1000m at the Vaal on Tuesday.
Trained by Gavin Van Zyl, and ridden to victory by the Avontuur sponsored hoop Lyle Hewitson, Vicomte was green in running but found a powerful turn of foot to explode late on and to win first time out by three parts of a length.
In the process, Vicomte, who was dispatched the even money favourite for Tuesday’s race, became the 21st South African juvenile winner of the 2016-2017 for Var.
Tuesday’s winner, produced by the Noverre mare A Star For Maria, was a R325 000 purchase from last year’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
Var has had a superb season with his 2yos this season, and, to date, his juveniles have banked over R2.4 million already this season –and with four major juvenile feature races yet to be decided, this tally could increase further still.
Top 2yos representing Var in 2016-2017 include G2 Golden Horseshoe winner Purple Diamond, as well as Varallo and Speedpoint, runner ups in the G1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and G3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery respectively.
Var will be represented by seven lots at next month’s National Two Year Old Sale, including a half-sister to G1 winner Nightingale (Lot 124), a colt out of Captain Al’s well bred stakes winning daughter Victorian Secret (Lot 233), a colt out of a G3 winning ½ sister to champion Cherry On The Top (Lot 314), and a half-brother to Equus Champion Hammie’s Hooker (Lot 404).