Wilgerbosdrift’s exciting young stallion Soft Falling Rain gained a major update to his pedigree, when his half-brother Let It Rain landed the Listed Java Handicap at the Vaal on Tuesday.
Trained by Weiho Marwing, and steered to victory by his brother Weichong, Let It Rain scored a convincing 0.8 of a length victory at the expense of Galileo’s son Kinaan in Tuesday’s R150 000 feature. Former G1 SA Classic runner up Amsterdam was back in third place, with previous Java Handicap hero The Elmo Effect back in fourth.
It was a first victory for the Highlands Farm bred gelding, who was sired by the Wilgerbosdrift bred champion and outstanding sire Dynasty.
Let It Rain, who holds a Summer Cup entry, has now won five times for earnings of over R650 000.(He was previously third in both the G3 Track And Ball Derby and G3 Gold Cup).
The 2017 Java Handicap winner was produced by the winning Giant’s Causeway mare Gardener’s Delight, whose son Soft Falling Rain was South Africa’s Equus Champion 2YO Colt of 2011-2012.
One of 16 G1 winners sired by Danzig son National Assembly, Soft Falling Rain went on to capture main feature races in both Britain and Dubai, and his first yearlings go on sale this season.
Gardener’s Delight’s champion sire Giant’s Causeway is also broodmare sire of Saturday’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, and likely US Horse Of The Year for 2017, Gun Runner.