Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s in-form sire Var enjoyed yet another good pay day on Monday, when his durable son Juan Two Three, winning his third race in a row, won the World Sports Betting East Cape Poly Challenge (the 1st Leg of East Cape Poly Challenge).
The Alan Greeff trained six-year-old made it win number 11 when making all the running, under jockey Greg Cheyne, to score a courageous short-head win in Monday’s R110 000 contest, run over 1200m.
Bred by Haras del Carmo, Juan Two Three, who has won or placed in 16 of his 20 outings for prize money in excess of R743 275, had shown high class form at two, when the son of Var won three of five outings including the Listed Dahlia Plate.
It was a fine win from Juan Two Three, who was making his comeback off a nine month layoff.
His sire Var, the Leading Sire of 2Yos in South Africa the past two seasons running, is enjoying another tremendous season.
Not only do Var’s recent runners include such high class graded stakes winners as Ghaalla and Schippers, not to mention G2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes second Speedpoint, the star stallion is also broodmare sire of recent G3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap hero Down To Zero.
(Var daughters Exquisite Touch and Schippers ran third and fourth respectively in Saturday’s G2 Senor Santa Stakes).
The sire of more than 20 G1 performers, including champions Variety Club, Val De Ra and Via Africa, Var has 23 yearlings on offer at the 2019 National Sale, with his lots on offer including a filly (Lot 133) out of G1 Majorca Stakes dead-heater Love Is In The Air, a filly (Lot 186) out of G1 winner and Equus Champion Rat Burana, and a filly (Lot 408) out of the regally bred Jet Master sired G3 winner Jet Set Go.