Drakenstein Stud’s champion sire Trippi really made his presence felt as a broodmare sire on Saturday.
Not only is Trippi broodmare sire of Saturday’s G3 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Leaving Las Vegas, he is also damsire of top US sire Not This Time, whose son Sibelius won Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen sponsored by Nakheel on the Dubai World Cup undercard.
Winner of the G3 Iroquois Stakes and runner-up in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Not This Time (by Giant’s Causeway) came up with his fourth G1 winner when his gelded son Sibelius won Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Turning for home it looked like a pair of United States-based runners would duel to the wire to decide the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen.
At the wire it would be two different horses, as a third U.S.-based runner in Kentucky-bred Sibelius held off defending race winner Switzerland, who started his career in the U.S., to win a sparkling edition of the dirt sprint contested at 1200 meters after Hopkins and Gunite led into the stretch. Meanwhile, under Tadhg O’Shea, Switzerland had unleashed his rally outside that trio. At the wire, Switzerland’s late move would come up just short as Sibelius prevailed by a nose. Sibelius prepped for the Golden Shaheen with a clear victory in the Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Last year the son of 2021 leading second crop sire Not This Time counted the G3 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park among his two stakes wins.
Unbeaten filly Leaving Las Vegas, who is out of the Trippi mare Seeking Venus, made it two wins from two starts when won Saturday’s Pretty Polly Stakes. A two-year-old daughter of Rafeef, Leaving Las Vegas picked up her first black-type win when staying on gamely to beat tote favourite Elegant Ice by a neck to claim the 2023 G3 Pretty Polly Stakes.
Bred by Klawervlei Stud, Leaving Las Vegas is bred on the same Rafeef/Trippi cross as G2-winning millionaire William Robertson.
Trippi, whose daughter Hunting Trip won the seventh race at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday, is also broodmare sire of Sheela and Silver Falcon, who won the first race at Turffontein and eighth race at Hollywoodbets Durbanville respectively.