Drakenstein Stud’s champion sire Trippi enjoyed another good weekend when he was represented by a trio of winners in South Africa.
Trippi kicked off the Easter weekend in style when his son Sir Duke, a former East Cape Horse Of The Year, lifted the second leg of the World Sports Betting East Cape Poly Challenge over 1400m.
Bred by the late Roy Eckstein, Sir Duke took his tally to 11 with a neck win over the smart mare Peach Delight.
Sir Duke, who has now won or placed in no fewer than 28 races, pushed his earnings past the R790 000 mark with his victory in Friday’s race.
The gelding’s past wins include the 2015 Listed East Cape Sprint Cup, where Sir Duke accounted for dual G1 winner Copper Parade by two and a quarter lengths.
Sir Duke’s sire Trippi also had a double at Kenilworth the following day, when sons Viking Voyage and Brilliant Crimson won races six and seven respectively. Bred and owned by Sabine Plattner, Viking Voyage made it win number three when running out an easy winner over 1200m on Saturday, while just one race later, his paternal half-brother, and former Listed East Cape Guineas winner, Brilliant Crimson, picked up his third win when successful over 1400n.
Trippi, whose flag bearers this season include brilliant sprinter Trip To Heaven, G2 Selangor Cup hero Gold Standard, and R3.7 million plus earner Live Life, has seven lots on this week’s Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale, including a filly (bred like Trip Tease) out of a seven time stakes winning Complete Warrior mare (Lot 15), a colt from the family of top US sires Fappiano and Quiet American as well as July hero Hunting Tower (Lot 38) and a colt bred on the same cross as ill-fated CTS Million Dollar winner Illuminator (Lot 75).
The champion sire also has six yearlings on next month’s National Yearling Sale, including a colt out of champion Laverna (Lot 12), a colt out of a stakes winning Rock Of Gibraltar mare (Lot 277) and a filly out of a stakes placed daughter of Galileo (Lot 427).