Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s top sire Var dominated proceedings at Sunday’s virtual Equus Awards ceremony.
Not only was the son of Forest Wildcat responsible for a pair of Equus Award winning champions, but Var was broodmare sire of another!

Var’s unbeaten daughter Anything Goes was named Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Filly for 2019-2020, while Var’s high-class son Vardy was named Equus Champion Miler for the previous season.

Var’s G3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap winning daughter Miss October provided her sire with the cherry on the cake when her son Tempting Fate was named Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.

Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the Stuart Pettigrew trained Anything Goes is unbeaten in four starts, and downed a high-class field last time out when she won the G1 Thekwini Stakes. Out of the Parade Leader mare Dance Domain, Anything Goes was a R275 000 buy from the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.

Bred by the Tawny Syndicate, the Adam Marcus trained Vardy (bred on the same cross as last season’s G1 Computaform Sprint winner and Equus Award nominee Rivarine) won both the G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and G2 WSB Green Point Stakes to clinch the Champion Miler award.
The Avontuur bred Tempting Fate (by Master Of My Fate) won three of just four starts last season, with the colt landing both the G1 Golden Horse Medallion and G3 Godolphin Barb Stakes.

Leading Sire of 2YOs in South Africa in both 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, Var has now been responsible for five Equus Champions, with his son Variety Club named Horse Of The Year in both 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.