NOTWITHSTANDING the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2019/20 racing season will forever be etched in our memories for the heights reached by our stallions and their progeny.
In addition to Gimmethegreenlight lifting the Juvenile Sires title, a stellar season on the track was acknowledged at the annual Equus Awards, where no less than six Varsfontein-bred or -sired contenders were nominated in the various equine categories.
Gimmethegreenlight stepped into the limelight when his son Got The Greenlight (above) was voted the Equus Champion Three-year-old Colt at the expense of Golden Ducat, who had finished behind him in both the Gr.1 Daily News 2000 and Gr.1 Durban July.
The Equus Champion Juvenile of 2018-19, who was successful in both the Gr.1 SA Classic and Gr.1 Daily News 2000 at three, notched up additional silverware when he scooped up the Equus Champion Middle Distance award.
In a particularly fiercely contested category, Got The Greenlight got the nod over eventual Horse of the Year Summer Pudding, Golden Ducat and his Gr.1 winning siblings Hawwaam and Rainbow Bridge, Gr.1 Sun Met winner One World and Gr.1 Vodacom Durban July hero Belgarion, whom we foaled and raised on behalf of our clients Alec and Gillian Foster. Although Belgarion missed out on an Equus Award (he was also in contention for Equus Champion Older Male honours), he received the ultimate accolade at the annual KZN racing awards when named Horse of the Season.
A pair of Varsfontein-breds vied for the title of Equus Champion Two-year-old Filly - the unbeaten Gr.1 Thekwini Stakes victress Anything Goes (Var) and  Master Of My Fate’s daughter Sentbydestiny, who defeated the boys in the Gr.1 Premiers Champion Stakes.
The Equus Award went to Anything Goes and she proved herself worthy of the accolade when stretching her perfect record to 5/5 on her seasonal debut at Turffontein this past weekend. Taking on her elders in the Gr.2 Joburg Spring Filly & Mare Challenge, she hardly raised a sweat to power home in brilliant style.

Equus Champion Juvenile Filly Anything Goes.

One of four nominees for the Equus Champion Two-year-old Colt award, our Gr.2-winning homebred Erik The Red had to bow to Master Of My Fate’s first top level winner, the Gr.1 Gold Medallion hero Tempting Fate. The Avontuur-bred colt was also named the KZN Champion Two-year-old Colt. Way to go!

Equus  and KZN Champion Juvenile Colt Tempting Fate.

ANOTHER FOSTER STAKES WINNER
THE Fosters had cause for celebration when their homebred Black Knap scored a game maiden stakes score in the Listed Settlers Trophy, thereby emulating Belgarion’s victory in the 2000m race twelve months ago.
Trained by Vaughan Marshall and ridden to perfection by MJ Byleveld, the Dynasty four-year-old gamely outduelled Bayberry in a thrilling finish to open his stakes account by a neck. 
Foaled and raised at Varsfontein, Black Knap is the third black type winner out of the Fosters’ grand mare Wintersweet. The daughter of Western Winter also produced Gr.1 Cape Guineas hero Tap O’Noth to Captain Al, while Silvano is the sire of the fine stayer Strathdon. Wintersweet foaled a Gimmethegreenlight colt on September 4.

Black Knap (right) strikes in the Settlers Trophy.

MALMOOS SCORES FIRST TIME OUT
VARSFONTEIN-bred Malmoos made a winning debut befitting his exalted yearling price of R4.4-million.
The dogs had barked about Sheikh Hamdan’s colt and he fully justified his 5-10 starting price when strolling to an impressive 3.50 lengths over 1200m at Turffontein.
A Captain Al full brother to dual Gr.3 winner Captain Splendid, the Mike de Kock-trained three-year-old was the second-highest price lot at the 2019 National Yearling Sale when knocked down to Shadwell and is out of Master Of My Fate’s stakes winning half-sister Justthewayyouare.

Malmoos pictured as a yearling.

FOALING SEASON GATHERS MOMENTUM
WE have already welcomed some outstanding foals this season and who knows, there may just be another budding champion amongst them!
Gimmethegreenlight covered many of the stud’s top mares in 2019 and so far, his foals on the ground include a half-brother to Gr.1 Gold Medallion winner Eden Roc (Var), who opened the new season on a winning note when defeating a high-class field over 1200m at Turffontein over the weekend. There is a half-brother to Gr.3 winner Ghaalla (Var), as well as colts out of Gr.2 Golden Slipper victress Final Judgement (Judpot), Babe Paley, a Fort Wood own sister to Gr.1 winner Athina; and Viking Princess, a Trippi sibling to the Gr.1 winners William Longsword and Real Princess. Champion Bela-Bela (Dynasty) foaled a filly, as did Gr.3 Victress Stakes winner Star Express (Silvano), the Gr.3-placed stakes winner Maleficent (Judpot) and Captive Lady (Sail From Seattle), an own sister to Gr.1 Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold.
Stakes winner Maleficent’s splendid Gimmethegreenlight filly.

Master Of My Fate is sire of a three-part brother to Gr.1 winner Master Plan, out of his Gr.2 winning half-sister Polyphonic (Judpot) and a colt out of Gr.1-placed Bi Pot (Judpot), whose six stakes-performed siblings include Alexandra Rose (Caesour), the dam of American Gr.1 winner Oleksandra (Animal Kingdom). Mares with Master Of My Fate fillies at foot include SA Oaks victress Arcola (Caesour); Secret Obsession (Captain Al), the stakes winning dam of Gr.2 winner Bunker Hunt; and Destiny Dancer (What A Winter), a three-part sister to champion Capetown Noir.

A racy Master Of My Fate half-sister to Gr.2 winner Bunker Hunt.

Silvano is the sire of a colt out of Bela Bela’s stakes winning half-sister Touch The Sky, whose first foal is the juvenile stakes winner Amy Johnson (Captain Al).
Princess Peach (Captain Al), a Gr.3 winning half-sister to last season’s Gr.1 winning juvenile and Equus Award nominee Sentbydestiny, has a filly at foot by Silvano’s champion son Vercingetorix, as does the dual stakes winner Victorian Secret (Captain Al).
War Front’s Gr.1 winning son Lancaster Bomber is the sire of a half-sister to Gr.1 winner Forest Indigo (Judpot), a filly out of Dual Horse of the Year Legal Eagle’s half-sister Imperadora (Philanthropist) and a colt out of Cascadia (Sail From Seattle), a half-sister to champion juvenile Kochka.

A smart filly by Lancaster Bomber out of Imperadora.