Moutonshoek’s well performed young stallion Marchfield was represented by his first South African winner when daughter Spring Poetry picked up her first race at the Vaal over 1400m.

Bred by Moutonshoek, the filly, who had been placed at her two previous outings, tracked the pacesetting Glencassley, before challenging strongly with 200m left to go.
Spring Poetry, who is trained by Lucky Houdalakis and was ridden by Marco Van Rensburg, drew clear to post a one and a half length win at the expense of the promising first timer Cool Dream.

Her sire Marchfield was an outstanding racehorse who was twice Champion Older Male in Canada.
Marchfield won or placed in 15 of 23 outings, with his victories including the G2 Autumn Stakes, G2 Sky Classic Stakes and G3 Dominion Day Handicap, with Marchfield also capturing the classic Breeders’ Stakes as a thre-year-old.

The sire, who earned more than $1 000 000 on the track, won or placed in no fewer than nine stakes during a career which saw him competitively in feature races from two to five.

Marchfield is a son of US Horse Of The Year and dual champion sire A P Indy, whose numerous high class sons at stud include Pulpit (sire of Tapit), Bernardini, Malibu Moon, Flatter, Congrats and top class SA sire Judpot.

His G3 winning dam Pico Teneriffe was Canada’s Broodmare Of The Year in 2009 and is also dam of San Pedro Stakes winner Congor Bay.

Marchfield, whose first three dams are by Red Ransom, Mr Prospector and Northern Dancer, is from the same female line as successful sires Harlan’s Holiday, Home Guard, Peaceable Kingdom, Cryptoclearnace and Boldnesian –the latter also featuring as Marchfield’s great great grandsire.

This is the same family as last year’s US champion 2yo and G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Classic Empire, who ran a close up fourth in the recent G1 Kentucky Derby.