SOFT FALLING RAIN SIBLING SCORES


Splendid Garden, a Black Minnaloushe half-brother to Wilgerbosdrift’s popular young stallion Soft Falling Rain, picked up the sixth win of his career when scoring a one and a quarter length victory in a MR 96 handicap over 1200m at Turffontein on Workers Day.

Trained by Mike and Adam Azzie, the gelding was steered to victory by riding sensation Lyle Hewitson.

Bred by Highlands Stud, Splendid Garden took his earnings to well over R580 000 with Tuesday’s win.

The gelding, also a half-brother to Saturday’s Gold Bowl contender Let It Rain, had previously been runner up in the 2016 G3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap.

His champion half-brother Soft Falling Rain has made a very bright start to his stud career, with the Equus Champion’s first yearlings being exceptionally well received this year thus far.

Soft Falling Rain, who was the top First Crop Sire by aggregate at the 2018 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, was responsible for yearlings who fetched up to R1.4 million at last week’s Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.

The son of National Assembly ended up as Leading First Crop Sire, for the first and select session, with Soft Falling Rain’s 13 lots to sell grossing R7 205 000 and averaging R554 231.