The Western Cape stallion band gained an exciting new addition by the announcement that Quasillo, a three-parts brother to highly successful sire Querari, will retire to Klipdrif Stud for 2017. Already fully syndicated, Quasillo will stand for a first year stud fee of R12 000.
He is the first son of world champion and leading young sire Sea The Stars to retire to stud in South Africa and should prove an exciting addition to the local stallion band.
Quasillo, who won by two lengths first time out, went on to land the G3 Bavarian Classic second time out and ran second in the G3 Maxios Trophy on his only other racecourse appearance.
His sire Sea The Stars, himself a half-brother to Galileo, was an outstanding racehorse, whose eight wins (from nine outings) including six at G1 level –notably the 2000 Guineas, Investec Derby and Prix de l’Arc De Triomphe. Already firmly established as one of Europe’s top young stallions (he stands for a fee of €125 000), Sea The Stars has more than 30 stakes winners (in his first three full crops of racing age) including six G1 winners –notably the Epsom classic winners Harzand (Derby) and Taghrooda (Oaks).
Sea The Stars is by the late great Cape Cross, himself a son of the breed shaping sire Green Desert, whose champion son Oasis Dream is responsible for Querari.
Quasillo is one of three Group/Graded winners produced by the Acatenango mare Quetena, herself a stakes placed daughter of champion Quebrada.
His half-sister Quidura is one of the top turf fillies currently campaigning in the US, where her wins include the G3 Valley View Stakes.
His G1 winning three-parts brother Querari is enjoying another fantastic season, and has already been represented by ten juvenile winners this season thus far. Represented in Saturday’s G1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship by Zarnitsa, Querari has been represented by stakes winners in all three of his first South African crops, with his top runners including G1 Thekwini Stakes winner Querari Falcon and the graded winners Cosmic Light and Kangaroo Jack.