Wilgerbosdrift’s exciting young stallion Soft Falling Rain, whose first yearlings made such a splash at the recent Cape Premier Yearling Sale, gained a further boost to his pedigree page at Kenilworth on Sun Met day this weekend.
His Java Handicap winning half-brother Let It Rain dug down deep to record a first ever graded win when he won the G2 Heineken Cape Stayers for trainer Dan Katz and jockey Richard Fourie.
Let It Rain, who has now won six times and earned over R918 000 in stakes, had been fourth in the G3 Chairman’s Cup at his previous outing.
The son of Dynasty is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Gardener’s Delight, whose four other winners include champion Soft Falling Rain and G3 Tommy Hotspur Hcp runner up Splendid Garden.
Soft Falling Rain also shares his broodmare sire, triple US champion sire Giant’s Causeway, with Saturday’s G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes winner and newly crowned US Horse Of The Year, Gun Runner.
The latter pushed his earnings to an impressive $15 988 500 with his win in Saturday’s $16.3 million contest, with Gun Runner retiring to Three Chimneys Farm having won six G1 races during his career.
An unbeaten champion and G1 winner at two, Soft Falling Rain has three colts on offer at February’s Cape Yearling Sale namely:
Lot 7- a colt from the same family as G1 winning sprinter Noble Heir
Lot 76 – a colt whose Fort Wood sired dam is a sister in blood to G1 winners Athina and Heir Apparent
Lot 79 –a half-brother to 3 winners, this colt’s relatives include the Dubai based dual Guineas winner Janoobi as well as outstanding broodmare Scented Samantha (like Soft Falling Rain sired by National Assembly)