A daughter of Wilgerbosdrift’s sadly deceased champion Soft Falling Rain proved the star attraction at Tuesday’s Shongweni Mixed Sale, which was held at the Shongweni Polo Grounds recently.
From the estate of the late Chris Gerber, the beautifully bred two-year-old Captive Gold (Lot 92) was knocked down to KZN trainer Duncan Howells for R420 000 to top Tuesday’s auction.
The filly is out of the outstanding Al Mufti mare Circle Of Gold –whose trio of graded stakes winners is headed by exported G1 Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold.
Soft Falling Rain, who currently ranks among South Africa’s leading first crop sires, recently got off the mark as a sire when his two-year-old daughter Gin Fizz (bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein) scored a breathtaking 7.4 length win on debut.
That Mike de Kock trained filly has been entered for the Listed Ruffian Stakes and is one of two potential Soft Falling Rain runners for that 2yo feature, with the sire’s unraced Mawsool also among the Ruffian Stakes entrants.
Another two-year-old by Soft Falling Rain, Donderweer, has been entered for the Listed Storm Bird Stakes (a race won by Soft Falling Rain himself in 2012) –which, like the Ruffian Stakes, will be run at Turffontein on March 9th.