Drakenstein Stud’s promising stallion, and leading first crop sire of last season, What A Winter enjoyed a notable double this weekend.

The four time G1 winner’s first winner of the weekend came when his son Winter Blues won for in-form trainer Louis Goosen at Greyville on Friday.

The gelding, bred by Dr Ian Heynes, ran on smartly to make a winning polytrack debut. Winter Blues was a R125 000 buy from last year’s Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale.

His champion sire’s second winner of the weekend came when What A Winner simply blitzed his rivals to break his maiden by a facile 3.5 lengths, for trainer Candice Bass-Robinson (who also trains What A Winter stars Magical Wonderland and Dutch Philip.) The consistent gelding had been second at his previous two outings, and could not have been more impressive over the Kenilworth 1000m on Saturday. Bred by the Favour Stud, What A Winner was a R170 000 buy at the 2016 March Yearling Sale.

What A Winter has now been represented by no fewer than 18 first crop winners, including once beaten G2 Western Cape Fillies Championship runner up Magical Wonderland and G2 Selangor Cup entrant Dutch Philip.

A triple Equus Champion, from the same family as champion sires Hyperion, Mossborough and Sir Tristram, What A Winter has enjoyed a fantastic year in the sales ring in 2017, with his offspring fetching up to R2 800 000.