Mauritzfontein’s successful sire Ideal World enjoyed a tremendously successful weekend this past week.
The son of Kingmambo and Banks Hill was represented by four winners, including a pair of very impressive feature race winners.
Ideal World gelding Rainbow Bridge made it two wins from as many outings when he won Saturday’s G3 Winter Guineas in off the pace fashion.
The Eric Sands trained three-year-old motored home to land the first leg of the ever popular Cape Winter Series by a length and a quarter, leaving the likes of G2 Selangor Cup hero Rocket Countdown and G3 Politician Stakes winner Doublemint in his wake.
An emphatic winner on debut, when scoring by 2.25 lengths over1200m, the Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein bred gelding looks a potential Winter Series winner.
Rainbow Bridge, a R300 000 purchase from the 2016 National Yearling Sale, is one of several high class sophomores for Ideal World this season, with others including short-lived G3 Graham Beck Stakes winner Zen Arcade, East Cape Guines third Kimberley Star, and Breeders Guineas winner Luna Child.
South Africa’s latest three-year-old sensation is the first stakes winner produced by Jet Master mare Halfway To Heaven.
The versatile Ideal World is also the sire of a very exciting two-year-old filly in the form of Inverroche, who impressed when landing the G3 Strelitzia Stakes at Scottsville. Bred by the Birch Bros, Inverroche made it two wins from two outings at the track when landing the Strelitzia by half a length over the blue blooded Captain Al filly Canukeepitsecret.
The Mark Dixon trained Inverroche, now a likely contender for the G1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship, was a R140 000 buy from last year’s KZN Yearling Sale.
An impressive three length winner on debut, Inverroche is out of the National Assembly mare National Sensation and hails from the same family as legendary US stallion Bold Ruler.
Other weekend winners for the regally bred Ideal World included progressive three-year-old filly Saragon (who scored under 59.5kgs at Turffontein on Saturday) and front running maiden winner Xanadu.
Ideal World, whose outstanding close relative and leading sire Dansili was recently retired from stud duties, also enjoyed notable success at last week’s Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.
The sire was responsible for a colt by the name of Karoo Lark (Lot 340) who jointly topped the second session of the National Sale when knocked down to prominent trainer Dennis Drier for R1 000 000.