Yulong Prince / Surcharge (green silks) is off the mark in Australia.
THIS past week has ended on an absolute high for Gimmethegreenlight with the first victory Down Under by his outstanding son Yulong Prince (Surcharge).
The Varsfontein bred, who captured the 2018 Gr.1 Daily News 2000 in South Africa under his given name Surcharge, appropriately opened his Australian account in an 1800m Listed race on the Melbourne Cup undercard, when the eyes of the world were on the famed Flemington racetrack for the 'race that stops a nation'.
Under top weight, the blinkered entire came storming from near last and in a heart-stopping finish, nabbed the Listed Furphy Plate in the final stride.
Significantly, this international success came on the heels of a fine Gr.2 double back home, which no doubt contributed to Gimmethegreenlight now finding himself at the top of the General Sires log!
Varsfontein-bred daughter Third Runway initiated the double when she made virtually all in the Gr.2 WP Fillies Championship at Kenilworth.

Graded glory for Third Runway.
Allowed to stride on by jockey Morné Winnaar, she never let up and galloped on strongly to take the honours by the best part of two lengths. For good measure, Gimmethegreenlight also sired third-placed Roll In The Hay.
This was a back-to-back feature race success for the winner, who was making her first start since landing the Listed Irridescence Stakes back in June. Hats off to trainer Glen Kotzen for running her fresh against highly rated fillies. A fine training feat indeed and we look forward to seeing this talented filly in the line-up for the Gr.1 Cape Fillies Guineas on December 14 !!
Third Runway is the first foal of our Black Minnaloushe mare Outrage, a half-sister to Gr.3 Prix du Cap winner Croc Valley and Listed Durbanville Cup winner Galileo's Night.
French connection
Thefilly races for a partnership comprising local owner Philip Bamford and the French-based trio of Bertrand and Charlotte Le Metayer and Dr Helena Mennessier of the Baker McVeigh Chantilly practice.
Bertrand, who came to South Africa as a young man and worked at Varsfontein for a season, is now a successful bloodstock agent and manager in France. He attended the 2018 National Yearling Sale with the intention of buying a number of horses for export. While a veterinarian issue scuppered that project, he nevertheless liked Third Runway so much, he purchased the filly.
Remarked Susan Rowett: "These are international people supporting South Africa - and we need friends like that!"
Gimmethegreenlight narrowly missed out on a quick-fire Graded double on the day when Captain Tatters stormed home for a close-up second in the preceding Gr.3 Cape Classic.

Captain Tatters flies up for second in the Gr.3 Cape Classic.
Exactly a week later, talented Barahin completed his sire's local Gr.2 double with a demolition job of the Gr.2 Peermont Emperor's Palace Charity Mile.
Given a reminder at the top of the Turffontein straight, Sheikh Hamdan's four-year-old surged into the lead 300m out and it was race over as he romped to a dominant three and a half-length victory, his fifth from ten starts.
It was a welcome return to the winner's enclosure for the colt, who was scoring for the first time since defeating older rivals in the Gr.3 Jubilee Handicap in June.

As a juvenile, he also won the Gr.2 Golden Horseshoe at the expense of his stable companion and champion Soqrat.
Barahin came into this Gr.2 event off a ring-rusty fifth in his seasonal debut on October 12. That he stripped razor sharp was evident from this impressive win, which no doubt cemented his claims to the Gr.1 Summer Cup.
Boasting current earnings of R1,823,125, the colt has already made a sizeable dent in his R2.6-million purchase price. Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, he is out of the Silvano mare Mocha Special.

On his own: Barahin puts his rivals to the sword.

OLEKSANDRA ON A ROLL
THE ink had barely dried on our September newsletter when news reached us of the latest success of Oleksandra, the Animal Kingdom daughter out of Varsfontein-bred Alexandra Rose.
Victorious in the Listed Smart N Fancy Stakes at Saratoga, the five-year-old stepped up another gear for a first Graded win, a comprehensive two-length score in the Gr.3 Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland.
The Team Valor homebred has now scored six times, in addition to finishing third in both the Gr.3 Royal North Stakes at Woodbine and Gr.3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint.
According to Team Valor's Barry Irwin, Oleksandra
remains in training for next year: "We have put her away for the season and she will be targeted at the $2-million, Gr.1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai and may prep for it in a new $1-million dash in Saudi Arabia."
Irwin also had news of Oleksandra's full brother, the four-year-old Macedonian Ruler.
"He recently arrived from Australia and is now in training in Florida. He ran a few times, placed like his sister, and seems talented. He stands a whopping 17 hands high!!!"

Oleksandra streaks to a first Graded victory.

NO STOPPING BLACKBALL

FRESH off a three-month rest, Varsfontein-foaled and raised Blackball unleashed a sustained finish to register his first black type win in the Listed Michaelmas Handicap at Greyville.
"He is an honest and solid horse and hopefully he can build on this. We haven’t seen the best of him,” remarked Gavin van Zyl, who also trained Blackball's half-brother, the ill-fated Gr.1 SA Derby runner-up Rocketball (Judpot).
Rocketball's stakes winning own sister Maleficent resides at Varsfontein, as does their dam Kite Runner (Kabool). Maleficent is already in foal to Gimmethegreenlight, while Kite Runner will visit Lancaster Bomber this season.

TWO IN A ROW FOR KILINDINI
VARSFONTEIN-bred three-year-old Kilindini looks a colt of infinite promise, following a handsome two-length score at Kenilworth as the even-money favourite.
Brett Crawford's charge had caught the eye with a fine maiden win at Durbanville and three weeks later, hardly raised a sweat to made it back-to-back victories.
A R2.8 million purchase by ex pat Tony Millard at the 2018 National Yearling Sale, Kilindini is by Silvano out of Jet Master's daughter Kiss And Fly. This is of course the same cross which has produced champion Hawwaam.
Crawford has high hopes for Kilindini, who races in the colours of Hong Kong patron Edmond Siu.