Avontuur’s bang in-form sire Var, whose daughter Ghaalla captured the G3 Fillies Mile recently, has been enjoying a tremendous spell of success and the Forest Wildcat son was at it again over the weekend.
Var had a memorable four-timer on Saturday, with his son Varside winning in Mauritius and three other of his offspring scoring in South Africa.
South Africa’s reigning Champion Sire of 2YOs (Var has been Champion Sire of 2YOs the past two seasons running) made headlines at Turffontein on G-Bets Summer Cup day this past weekend when his Geoff Woodruff trained daughter Schippers romped home to a four length victory in the G3 Epol Magnolia Handicap over 1160m.
Schippers, whose previous victories included the Heritage 1200 Fillies & Mares Handicap, has now won five of 11 outings and Saturday’s G3 win took her earnings to R537 350.
The consistent filly has been unplaced just twice during her career thus far.
In the process, the Geoff Van Lear bred and owned four-year-old became Var’s 44th individual black type winner.
Var has an exceptional record as a sire of high class fillies with his daughters including champions Val De Ra and Via Africa, G1 winner Sommerlied, Oaks winner Princess Of Light and the graded stakes winners Exquisite Touch, Ghaalla, Valdivia and Varikate.
The stallions’ other Saturday winners included his G2 Golden Horseshoe winning son Purple Diamond (who has earned over R590 000 in stakes) landing Turffontein’s third race, and 3yo daughter Spring Burst shedding her maiden over 1200m at Kenilworth for trainer Glen Kotzen.
The sire of more than 20 G1 horses (and counting!), Var has, once again a strong draft on offer at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale. His ten strong draft includes a full-sister to stakes winner Tar Heel and half-sister to Fillies Guineas winner Go Indigo (Lot 45), a colt out of a Galileo G3 winning half-sister to Australian G1 winner Srikandi (Lot 148) and a filly out of G1 J&B Met winner River Jetez (Lot ). The latter is a full-sisterto multiple stakes winner Rivarine.