Mauritzfontein’s blue blooded sire Ideal World has enjoyed a tremendous success of late with his runners winning feature races at a rate of knots and the son of Kingmambo enjoyed a rare Gold Cup double this weekend.
First Ideal World runner to strike in a feature was the Birch Bros bred Shady World, who captured the Listed Port Elizabeth Gold Cup for trainer Alan Greeff at Fairview on Friday. Out of the Fort Wood mare In The Shade, Shady World, who caused a 66-1 shock in the Gold Cup, has now won or placed in 10 of 21 outings and earned nearly R200 000 in prize money.
Shady World is the sixth stakes winner to have emerged from his sire’s current crop of four-year-olds, with this crop also including Derby winner Cape Speed and talented stakes winners Irish Pride (who has earned over R840 000) and Louisiana.
Ideal World was also responsible for the 1-2 finishers in Sunday’s G3 eLan Gold Cup, where his son Hermoso Mundo beat daughter Zante by a short neck.
In landing top honours in Sunday’s R1.25 million contest, the Mauritzfontein bred Hermoso Mundo maintained his unbeaten record since relocating to trainer Weiho Marwing –and also recorded a clean sweep of South Africa’s top staying races, having previously won the G3 Gold Bowl (by 5.25 lengths) and the G3 SABC Gold Vase on Vodacom Durban July day.
Now a five time winner, and South Africa’s latest equine millionaire, Hermoso Mundo now looks a leading contender for the Equus Award of Champion Stayer.
Other stakes winners to represent Ideal World in 2016-2017, include the above mentioned Zante, winner of the G3 Track And Ball Oaks, and Listed Champion Juvenile Cup winner Kimberley Star.
A son of champion and Breeders’ Cup winner Banks Hill (a sister to champion sire Dansili), Ideal World hails from the same family as champion US sire Giant’s Causeway, dual classic winner Gleneagles and recent G3 Silver Flash Stakes winner Happily –currently regarded as a potential a classic hope for 2018.
Ideal World, whose previous notable runners include Met winning champion Smart Call, has eight lots on offer at the 2017 National Yearling Sale, including a half-sister to G1 Summer Cup winner Wagner (Lot327) and a half-brother to G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic winner Orchid Island (443).