Drakenstein Stud’s new stallion Jet Dark got another boost to his fine female line when his half-brother Night Ruler won at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Monday.
A four-year-old son of Kingsbarns, Night Ruler powered home, under Joshwin Solomons, to win Monday’s play.tabonline.co.za MR 90 Handicap (1800m) by a length and three-quarters.
Trained, like Jet Dark, by Justin Snaith, Night Ruler has now won three times, with the gelding having also finished third, behind subsequent G1 winner Pomp And Power, in the 2021 G3 Goals And Gallops Langerman.
Bred by Drakenstein Stud, Night Ruler and Jet Dark were produced by the winning Jet Master mare Night Jet.
The latter’s own dam Pleine Nuit was sired by Machiavellian, the broodmare sire of such star stallions as Shamardal and Dark Angel.
Jet Dark, who is set to stand his first season at Drakenstein Stud for a fee of R30 000, won nine of 19 starts including the recent G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met and four other G1 features.
A son of Drakenstein Stud’s evergreen champion sire Trippi (whose son Charles Dickens is the favourite to land Saturday’s G1 Splashout Cape Derby), Jet Dark retired to stud with earnings of more than R5.697 million in earnings.