Klawervlei Stud’s exciting young stallion Pomodoro, South Africa’s Champion First Crop Sire of 2017-2018, has made an exceptional start to his stud career and the bay son of Jet Master came up with yet another impressive first crop winner at Turffontein on Saturday.

The Maine Chance Farms bred Shuckra, a R650 000 buy from the 2017 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, justified heavy betting support (he was backed down from 9-1 into 6-1) by winning by just over a length, when making his debut over 1600m.

Like Pomodoro himself, Shuckra is trained by Sean Tarry and races for owner Chris Van Niekerk. The striking looking colt was ridden to victory by Lyle Hewitson, who has made a welcome return to the South African track after an injury induced layoff and a stint in Singapore.

Shuckra was not the only son of Pomodoro to catch the eye this week, with the Gavin Van Zyl Opensea, a winner of two barrier trials, finishing second on his official racetrack outing over 1000m at Greyville on Wednesday.

One of the very best sons of seven times champion South African sire Jet Master, Pomodoro was a top class racehorse who won or placed in all of the following G1 features -the Vodacom Durban July, SA Derby, SA Classic, L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, Gold Challenge, Champions Challenge and J&B Met.

The bay, whose Fillies Guineas winning dam Golden Apple was Broodmare Of The Year in 2011-2012, has gotten off to a superb start with his first crop headed by Equus Champion 2YO Filly, and G1 Thekwini Stakes winner, Return Flight, and leading R2.5 million CTS Ready To Run Stakes contenders Cirillo and Royal Italian.

Pomodoro has two fillies on the 2018 Ready To Run Sale in Germiston –a filly (Lot 26) out of the G3 placed Var mare Wounded Knee, and a daughter (Lot 108) of four time stakes winner Pacific Breeze