Drakenstein Stud’s top class sire Duke Of Marmalade was back in the headlines this past weekend when his daughter Al Muraqabah won the G3 Qatar Oaks at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Centre on Friday.

Trained by Mohamed Jassim Ghazali, Al Muraqabah was steered to a half length win in the Oaks by jockey Harry Bentley.

Her sire Duke Of Marmalade has more than 50 stakes horses to his credit, with his offspring having banked in excess of $28 000 000.

A Cartier Champion and five time G1 winner himself, Duke Of Marmalade is no stranger to siring Oaks winners –with his daughter Star Of Seville having captured the G1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) back in 2015. Another daughter, Venus De Milo, won the G3 Munster Oaks and was second in both the G1 Irish and G1 Yorkshire Oaks.

Duke Of Marmalade, whose first South African conceived crop of foals race this season, is himself directly descended from Irish Oaks winner Uvira –also ancestress of the likes of A P Indy, Raja Baba, Lemon Drop Kid, Al Mufti and Duke Of Marmalade’s Investec Derby winning half-brother Ruler Of The World.

The Cartier Champion and five time G1 winner, whose first local crop race this season, has had another good year in 2017 with his top performers including G1 Gold Cup winner Big Orange, and group/graded winners Can’thelpbelieving, Marmelo and Traffic Jam.

The champion son of Danehill has 16 lots on the 2018 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.