Varsfontein Stud’s prominent young stallion Gimmethegreenlight has been enjoying a tremendous spell of success of late, with winners coming thick and fast for the G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner.
His latest winner came when his talented, and extremely consistent, daughter Beataboutthebush recorded her seventh career win at Fairview on Friday. Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the four-year-old (who has won or placed in 14 of her 16 races) won both the Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes and Listed Breeders Guineas in 2017.
Beataboutthebush was named Eastern Cape Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for 2016-2017.
South Africa’s Leading First Crop Sire in 2015-2016, Gimmethegreenlight has a particularly strong crop of three-year-olds this season. He has a remarkable 10 stakes horses, to date, from his current crop of three-year-olds, with Gimmethegreenlight sophomores including the likes of G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes winner Surcharge, G1 SA Fillies Classic second Green Top, G2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Green Plains (a good third in the recent G3 Man O’War Sprint), and Irridescence Stakes winner Rose In Bloom.
The gutsy Surcharge, who has already banked over R1 000 000 in stakes, is among the best of his generation, with the Varsfontein Stud bred colt having won both the G3 Tony Ruffel and Listed Secretariat Stakes and finished second in both the G1 SA Classic and G2 Gauteng Guineas.
Gimmethegreenlight could also be on course for a good weekend. His daughter Queen Forever is a runner in Friday’s Listed East Cape Oaks, while the sire’s G2 Fillies Guineas winning daughter, Gimme Six, looks a leading contender for the G1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein this Saturday.
Gimmethegreenlight, who covered some outstanding mares last season, has also already enjoyed sales ring success this year with his yearlings fetching up to R650 000.
The son of outstanding sire More Than Ready has an exceptional draft of 21 yearlings on offer at next week’s Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale. They include a full-brother to recent winner and G2 Umkhomazi Stakes hero Hack Green (Lot 27), a colt out of four time stakes winner Comtesse Dubois (Lot 123), a full-brother to Surcharge (Lot 124), and a filly out of Equus Champion Night Diva (Lot 218).