South Africa lost one of its leading thoroughbred stallions of the past decade when Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm announced the death of resident sire Var.

A son of Forest Wildcat, Var, pensioned at the time of his death, was 23 years old at the time of his passing.

The only foal produced by Zilzal mare Loma Preata, Var was Joint Champion Older Male Sprinter in Britain in 2004. He won seven of 22 starts including the 2004 G1 Prix de l’Abbaye, where Var accounted for The Tatling by half a length, with the likes of Avonbridge, Patavellian, Bahamian Pirate, Continent, and Grand Reward further back in running.

Retired to stud at Avontuur in 2005, Var was South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, with his 56 stakes winners (thus far) headed by dual Horse Of The Year Variety Club, and fellow Equus Champions Val De Ra, Via Africa, Vardy and Anything Goes, and fellow G1 winners August Rush, Contador, Eden Roc, Normanz, Rivarine Sommerlied and Villandry.
The sire of more than 100 black type horses, Var was also responsible for G2 Gold Circle Oaks winner, and G1 Gold Cup runner up, Princess Of Light.

The late sire’s most recent stakes success came when his daughter Anna Capri captured the G3 Lebelo Sprint at the end of December.

Var has also become an increasingly successful broodmare sire, with his daughters having already produced the likes of champion Tempting Fate, Australian G1 winner In The Congo, G3 Starling Stakes heroine She’s A Giver, the progressive Master Archie, and Listed KwaZulu-Natal Stakes queen Miss Frankel.

Var, whose subsequently named daughter Ghaalla made R5 000 000 at the 2017 National Yearling Sale, has a single lot on offer at the 2022 Cape Premier Yearling Sale -a colt (Lot 27), bred on the same Var/Jet Master cross as G1 winners Rivarine and Vardy, who hails from the same family as Var’s G1 winning son Villandry.