Wilgerbosdrift, one of South Africa’s top thoroughbred farms, will be offering a top-class draft of yearlings at this year’s Cape Yearling Sale.
The Piketberg based farm will be offering yearlings sired by all of Flower Alley, Ideal World, Oratorio, Pomodoro, Rafeef, Soft Falling Rain, The United States, Twice Over, Vercingetorix and What A Winter, making this an extremely attractive consignment indeed.
Former Computaform Sprint winner Rafeef has made a cracking start to his stud career, and currently heads South Africa’s Leading First Season Sires List. The son of Redoute’s Choice has three lots in this draft –a filly (Lot 8) out of a winning half-sister to former record priced yearling buy Wonder Lawn, a filly (Lot 12) from the same family as champion Long Dollar, and a filly (Lot 54), closely inbred to Rafeef’s own sire Redoute’s Choice, whose granddam is a full-sister to Australian champion Fashions Afield.
Ideal World, whose progeny includes recent repeat Met winner Rainbow Bridge, has two yearlings on offer. Diani (Lot 55) is a colt out of G2 Tibouchina Stakes runner up, and four time winner, Mombasa, while Climate Control (Lot 139), a half-brother to 4 winners one of whom won eight, is out of a 3 time winning half-sister to G1J&B Met winner Martial Eagle.
Insightful (Lot 40), a colt by the consistently successful Oratorio, is a full-brother to the very smart galloper Petra, while Galic War (Lot 64) is a son of Equus Champion, and boom sire, Vercingetorix, with this colt hailing from the same female line as international G1 winners Accidental Agent, Dead Certain and Mohaather.
Wilgerbosdrift’s successful resident sire Flower Alley, sire of, among others, Kentucky Derby winning champion I’ll Have Another, has five lots on offer. Flower Alley’s representatives include Elijah Blue (Lot 44), a half-brother to G1 Thekwini Stakes runner up Melliflora, No Greater Love (Lot 62), a filly whose dam is a daughter of Oaks winner Sweetie Pie, and With Love (Lot108). The latter is a colt out of a winning Elusive Quality half-sister to Brazilian champion L’Amico Steve, and With Love’s granddam was Broodmare Of The Year in Brazil.
The aforementioned Oaks winning Sweetie Pie, herself a half-sister to the stakes winning dam of PE Gold Cup winner Onesie, has a colt (Lot 101) by champion sprinter What A Winter by the name of Cuddle Up on offer, while Onesie’s Queen Palm Handicap winning dam Treaj Pots is responsible here for a Twice Over filly (Lot 110) named Double Joy.
Crème Brulee (Lot 97) is a filly by Wilgerbosdrift’s tragically short-lived sire Soft Falling Rain out of a dual winning half-sister to Sweetie Pie and Treaj Pots, while the increasingly successful July winning sire Pomodoro’s sole representative here is River Romeo (Lot 143). The latter, a half-brother to the more than useful Savea, is out of the high-class racemare Amur Affair –winner of 3 races including the G3 Acacia Handicap.
Galileo’s G1 winning son, the regally bred The United States has three yearlings on offer. Beneath The Moon (Lot 58), a half-sister to 4 winners, is out of a three-parts sister to Mauritian champion Charles Lytton, Mulberry Street (Lot 120) is a filly out of Sun Classique Handicap victress Via Della, and East Coast (Lot 131) –a colt, closely inbred to Sadler’s Wells, from the immediate family of G1 winners Crystal Music and Zelzal, with this colt a direct descendant of 1000 Guineas winner Picture Play.