Varsfontein Stud’s increasingly successful stallion Gimmethegreenlight enjoyed a memorable weekend this past week when represented by four individual winners.
The 2012 G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner’s four timer was spear-headed by smart performance from his Listed Irridescence Stakes winning daughter Rose In Bloom.
That four-year-old filly, bred by Ridgemont Highlands, made a winning Turffontein debut on Saturday when downing talented recent winner Rings And Things by half a length in an assessment plate over 1450 metres.
One of the better horses of her generation at two and three, Rose In Bloom has now won or placed in 13 of her 16 outings, with her winning/placed efforts including a win in the Irridescence Stakes, a close third in the G1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, and runner up finishes in both the G3 Vasco Prix Du Cap and Listed Highlands Stud Sweet Chestnut Stakes.
Out of the Goldkeeper mare Raise The Bar, Rose The Bloom (who is likely now to line up in the G2 Joburg Spring F&M Challenge) has now banked over R580 000 in stakes.
She was one of three Saturday winners for Gimmethegreenlight, who shares his broodmare sire Canny Lad with outstanding stallions Redoute’s Choice and I Am Invincible, with the son of More Than Ready was also responsible for Saturday’s Champ De Mars scorer Purple Tractor and Empire Rising –who notched her third win when scoring over 1000m at Durbanville.
South Africa’s Champion First Crop Sire of 2015-2016, Gimmethegreenlight also enjoyed KZN success on Sunday when his son Cat’s Legacy benefitted from a superb ride by Anton Marcus to score a six and a half length win over 2400m at Scottsville for trainer Alyson Wright.
Gimmethegreenlight, whose first two crops included such notable performers as Surcharge, Gunner, Green Plains, Green Pepper and recently retired Fillies Guineas winner Gimme Six, has two lots on offer at November’s Ready To Run Sale –a colt out of a G3 winning daughter of Dubawi (Lot 33) and a colt out of a winning half-sister to Charity Mile winner Seattle Ice (lot 79).