Maine Chance Farms’ star stallion Vercingetorix had a memorable start to 2025. Silvano’s son came up with a trio of winners at Hollywoodbets Greyville on the first day of the New Year.
Vercingetorix fillies Flying Hafla and Ice Rain won the second and third races on Wednesday, with Vercingetorix mare On Board victorious in the eighth and final race.
Three-year-old Flying Hafla, trained like her sire by Mike De Kock, got off the mark when she won Wednesday’s Open A tabgold Account -0313141874 Open Maiden (1600m).
Under Gavin Lerena, Flying Hafla romped home to score convincingly by more than three and a half lengths.
Bred and owned by Al Adiyaat South Africa (Pty) Ltd, who raced Vercingetorix, Flying Hafla had finished second at her penultimate start.
Flying Hafla is out of the Trippi mare Hafla which makes her a full-sister to 2024 G3 Tab Sea Cottage Stakes winner La Moohal.
Vercingetorix daughters Ice Rain and Tomyris fought out a thrilling finish to finish 1-2 in Wednesday’s Gallop TV Youtube Channel Class 4 (F and M) (1600m).
The Andre Nel trained Ice Rain put her head down where it mattered most to beat her paternal half-sister by a short-head.
Bred and owned by Sabine Plattner, four-year-old Ice Rain is out of the Western Winter mare Winter Burst.
Vercingetorix is also the sire of On Board, who won the final race at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday.
Another trained by Andre Nel for owner-breeder Sabine Plattner, On Board was backed down to 7-1 for Wednesday’s Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 5 (F and M) and she duly obliged.
Under Serino Moodley, the five-year-old came from the back of the field to win going away by nearly three parts of a length.
On Board, winning for a second time on Wednesday, is out of Muhtafal mare Start Sailing.
Her inform sire Vercingetorix, South Africa’s Leading Sire for 2024-2025, looks poised for a big day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. Not only is Vercingetorix’s G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July son Oriental Charm a leading contender for Saturday’s G1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, but his multiple graded stakes winning daughter Double Grand Slam is a top contender for the same day’s G1 Cartier Paddock Stakes.