Last week, South Africa's production and racing champions made their presence felt at major racing events and awards ceremonies.
South African Champion Hawaiian-bred sensational stallion Justify was named the 2023 Eclipse Champion Two-Year-Old Filly by her daughter Just FYI at the Eclipse Awards Ceremony held in Palm Beach on Thursday, January 25th. When he shined, he crowned the first American champion. .
Further success for the former U.S. Triple Crown winner was last Saturday's victory in the Gr3 La Prevoyante Stakes presented by Ketel One Espresso Martini at Gulfstream Park for Justify's Alphabella.
Alphabella is the 26th stakes winner out of Justify, a son of the phenomenal Scat Daddy.
The latter's grandfather, Hennessy, is a sire of the Hawaiian mare Island Kitty and the sire of 2017 Gr1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn, whose son Mendelssohn Bay won at Meydan on Friday, January 26th. Won the Gr3 UAE 2000 Guineas.
South African bloodlines have recently attracted attention in Australia, with French G1 winner Royal Meeting (Invincible Spirit), whose dam is a South African champion, having made a very bright start to his stallion career.
Royal Meeting, who shares the same sire as I Am Invincible, Kingman and the exciting young South African stallion Digital Age, won the Gr3 Sportsbet Blue Diamond Preview when his first-bred Hayasugi won the Gr3 Sportsbet Blue Diamond Preview. I came up with my first winner and my first stakes winner. Friday, January 26th at Caulfield.
Until then, Hayasugi had only been a fourth-place horse at Royal Meeting, but Royal Meeting has since moved up to seventh place in the 2023-2024 Australian Leading First Season Sires Premiership.
The Royal Meeting will be run by champion South African bred Rock Opera (Lecture) – the 2005 South African Champion 2YO filly.
Rock Opera, the Gr1 dam of Gr2 The Nursery winner Hit Song and South African Gr1 winner Van Halen (from his half-sister Royal Drummer, Gr1 winning sprinter Gulf Storm, and Gr3 winner Seattle Singer) , the younger sister of East Cape Star Global). Drummer) won the 2-year-old race by two lengths and is the dam of four stakes winners, including the outstanding Gr1 broodmare Secret of Victoria (Saturday's Listed World Sports Betting Summer Venue Stakes winner Roman Agent) ) by two horse lengths. Alan Robertson Phillies Championship.
Like her dam, Royal Meeting was a Gr1 winner at the age of two and won the Gr1 Criterium International in 2018. She won the Criterium International Royal Meeting and the following year won the Gr1 Kipco 1000 Guineas/Gr1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas Hermosa. Her brother U.S. stands in the Mouton Chouks).
Although he was unable to win the Royal Meeting again, he finished third in the 2019 Gr3 Ladbrokes Moonga S behind Streets of Avalon (Magnus), who won two Gr1 races in Australia.
A half-brother to the durable Heavy Metal (15 wins include the 2018 G2 Godolphin Mile), Royal Meeting is a direct descendant of Polly Mahal (Arabian Nights II), whose numerous premium offspring include Also included is Gr1 winner Along Came Polly. Indira, Marie Galante, and Young Lake.