Varsfontein Stud’s prominent sire Gimmethegreenlight made headlines at the Zimbabwe Racing Awards ceremony held in Harare on Saturday evening.

His classy daughter Simona was named both Spey Bridge Horse Of The Year and Spey Bridge Champion Older Horse for the 2017-2018 season.
Now a five-year-old, Simona was uber consistent during her campaign last season, winning six and finishing second in four of her 13 outings in 2017-2018.

The daughter of Gimmethegreenlight’s six wins included the Ok Grand Challenge and Champion Fillies Stakes, with Simona also filling the runner up berth in the Castle Tankard.

(Varsfontein also tasted success on the evening, being named Champion Breeder in Zimbabwe for the 2017-2018 season).

South Africa’s Champion First Crop Sire of 2015-2016, former G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Gimmethegreenlight also enjoyed a great season in 2017-2018, when his star performers included G1 Daily News 2000 winner Surcharge, G2 Durban Golden Horseshoe hero Barahin and G2 Highlands Stud Camellia Stakes victress Green Plains.

The son of boom sire More Than Ready (whose progeny includes last weekend’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner Rushing Fall and leading Breeders’ Cup hope Catholic Boy) looks on track for a good season ahead, with Gimmethegreenlight well represented in a number of major feature races.

Gimmethegreenlight has at least one 3YO entered in all of the G2 Western Cape Fillies Championship, G3 Cape Classic, G3 Graham Beck Stakes, and G3 Starling Stakes.

The half-brother to G1 Coolmore Classic winner Ofcourseican has two colts on offer at the 2018 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, and a further three lots on sale at November’s CTS Ready To Run Sale.