Five time G1 winner Hawwaam, who recently retired to Wilgerbosdrift to take up stud duties, received a handsome boost to his stellar pedigree when the most recent LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings claimed his superb half-brother Rainbow Bridge as the best South African racehorse for the period 1 January 2021 to August 8th.
A gelded son of Ideal World, Rainbow Bridge was rated 120 by the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings placing him equal to the likes of Charlatan, Golden Sixty, Lord North and Skalleti.
Bred, like Hawwaam, by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Rainbow Bridge had a stellar season in 2020-2021.
The Eric Sands trained gelding ran first or second in five of his six starts, winning all of the G1 Cape Town Met, G2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes and G1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge.
To date, Rainbow Bridge (who has been nominated for three Equus Awards) has won or been placed in 22 of his 24 starts for earnings of over R8 million in prize money.
By the now pensioned five times South African champion sire Silvano, Hawwaam was South Africa’s Equus Champion 3YO Colt of 2018-2019, and his ten wins from 13 starts included five at G1 level.
One of three G1 winners for his dam Halfway To Heaven, Hawwaam shares his outstanding sire with current boom stallion Vercingetorix.