G1 winning sprinter Red Ray will relocate from Klawervlei Stud to stand at the Birch Bros’ Vogel Vlei Stud in 2018.
A son of triple champion South African sire Western Winter (who is also responsible for Drakenstein Stud’s hugely popular and successful stallion What A Winter), Red Ray’s first foals are arriving now.
A R700 000 purchase from the 2012 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, Red Ray was a superb athlete who won or placed in 13 of 15 South African races and banked nearly R2 000 000 in earnings.
He won his first three races on the bounce at two (his wins included the Listed Somerset 1200 –a race also by current star sire Gimmethegreenlight), and finished his two-year-old campaign by finishing second in the G1 SA Nursery to Dubawi colt Willow Magic.
The Lammerskraal Stud bred Red Ray impressed even more at three when thrashing July winner and Horse Of The Year Legislate by two and a half lengths in the G3 Cape Classic, before placing in all of the G1 Cape Guineas (third), G1 Cape Flying Championship (second) and Golden Horse Sprint (second).
Red Ray claimed a well over due G1 victory when romping to a clear cut two length win the 2016 Mercury Sprint, leaving G1 winners Real Princess, Gulf Storm, Talktothestars and Fly By Night in his wake.
His triple Champion Sire enjoyed more success last season, thanks to his G1 winners Attenborough (Computaform Sprint) and Redberry Lane (Garden Province Stakes), with another son, Last Winter, flying up for second in the 2018 G1 Sun Met. To date, the deceased Western Winter (South Africa’s Champion Broodmare Sire of 2017-2018) has been responsible for more than 160 stakes horses, with this tally including champions such as Yard-Arm, Winter Solstice, Ice Cube, Bad Girl Runs, What A Winter and Capetown Noir.
The blue blooded Red Ray is one of a staggering six stakes winners produced by the four time winning mare Nacarat. The latter is also dam of Red Ray’s graded stakes winning full-siblings Nania (G1 Thekwini Stakes), Bishop’s Bounty (G2 Diadem Stakes) and Brutal Force (G2 The Merchants).