Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s leading sire Var, Champion Sire of 2YOs the past two seasons running, enjoyed a four-timer over the weekend, with the Var four timer including a Gauteng feature race win.

Var’s lightly raced daughter Schippers stormed home at Turffontein on Saturday to claim the Heritage 1200 Fillies & Mares Handicap for owner-breeder Geoff Van Lear, trainer Geoff Woodruff and jockey Gavin Lerena by 1.4 lengths.

In claiming the 1200m feature, the 4yo Schippers took her tally to four wins from just nine outings.
Schippers, who has won or placed in seven of nine races, has now banked over R375 000 in prize money.

It was a second consecutive feature win for the Var daughter (she is out of G3 Magnolia Handicap winner Fair Rosalind), with Schippers having won the Ladies Stakes (Non Black Type) at her previous outing.

She was one of four winners over the weekend for Var, who was also responsible for Mauritian scorers Zen Master and Henry Tudor, as well as Saltire. The latter, a four-year-old filly bred by Ridgemont Highlands, made it three wins on the bounce when landing a conditions plate over 1000m at Fairview on Friday for trainer Alan Greeff and jockey Greg Cheyne.

The uber consistent Saltire, she is yet to finish out of the top two in five races, is now unbeaten in two starts at Fairview.

Her sire Var, whose offspring include 22 individual G1 performers, enjoyed a big season in 2017-2018 when his runners included G1 South African Fillies Sprint winner Sommerlied, East Cape champion Star Burst Galaxy and G2 SA Nursery hero William The Silent.

The son of Forest Wildcat is also enjoying increasing success as a broodmare sire and ranks as damsire of the talented Miss Frankel, who made a pleasing return to the track when winning a barrier trial over 1000m at Greyville on Friday evening.