Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s top class resident sire Var has been on a roll in recent weeks, with the sprint king’s progeny scoring all over the country.

The son of Forest Wildcat was back in the headlines at Turffontein on Saturday with his daughter Exquisite Touch picking up the G3 Man O’War Stakes over 1100m.
One of seven winners on the day for trainer Sean Tarry, the Waterford Stud bred filly made it win number four, from just seven starts, when romping to a 3.2 length success in Saturday’s R250 000 contest.

Exquisite Touch was making it back to back feature race wins, having previously beaten older fillies and mares in the Listed Bauhinia Handicap over 1000m last time out. She has now three stakes wins to her name, having downed subsequent G3 Sycamore Sprint winner Seattle Singer when successful in last season’s Listed Ruffian Stakes.

The well related Exquisite Touch is bred on the same Var/Elliodor cross as multiple G1 winning champion Val De Ra.

She is yet another feature race winner for Var this season, following the likes of Rivarine (G3 Lebelo Sprint) and Normanz (East Cape Sprint Cup). Another son, Jabu, ran third in Friday’s Listed East Cape Guineas.

Var, whose two-year-old winners this season include the likes of Namibia, Bank On It, and Varallo who is unbeaten in two starts to date, has six lots on offer at the upcoming Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale, including a colt out of G1 winner Sarabande (Lot 32), a filly out of a seven time winning ½ sister to the record breaking Hear The Drums (Lot 104), and a colt out of Kahal’s Fillies Guineas winning daughter Fisani (Lot 108).

He is also strongly represented on the 2017 National Yearling Sale, with Var’s draft including a half-brother to stakes horses Isphan and Persian Rug (Lot 118), a colt out of Cape Fillies Guineas runner up Tick Tock (Lot 224), a filly out of a half-sister to G1 winning sprinter O Caesour (Lot 278), a colt out of G1 Summer Cup winner Flirtation (Lot 401) and a half-brother to champion Hammie’s Hooker (Lot 419).