Drakenstein Stud’s Cartier Champion Duke Of Marmalade enjoyed more success over the weekend, with the son of Danehill enjoying both local success and featuring as a broodmare sire of a pricey Arqana Yearling Sale buy.
Duke Of Spin became the sixth winner to have emerged from his sire’s first South African bred crop when he romped home, while making all the running, to score a facile 3.75 length maiden win on just his second official start on Sunday. Trained by Duncan Howells, the Varsfontein Stud bred colt relished the 1600m trip on Sunday when winning impressively and he looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
Out of the Fort Wood mare Justthewayyouare, Duke Of Spin was a R1.4 million buy from last year’s National Yearling Sale.
Other smart sorts to have emerged from Duke Of Marmalade’s exciting first local crop include Cape champion Temple Grafin and the talented Santa Clara –second in both the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery and Irridescence Stakes last season.
Duke Of Marmalade is also broodmare sire of a Camelot colt (Lot 62) who made €400 000 at the recent Arqana Yearling Sale. The pricey colt, purchased by Charlie Gordon-Watson, is out of Duke Of Marmalade’s top class daughter Venus De Milo, winner of the G3 Give Thanks Stakes and second in both the G1 Irish and G1 Yorkshire Oaks.
The five time G1 winning Duke Of Marmalade, whose 60 plus stakes horses include such G1 winners as Big Orange, Simple Verse and Star Of Seville, is also sire of 2018 Melbourne Cup hope Marmelo, who took his earnings to over £420 000 when finishing second in Sunday’s G2 Darley Prix Kergorlay.