Morne

Mauritzfontein’s exciting new stallion Digital Age hails from a truly outstanding family and his female line was yet again to the fore on Tuesday when promising two-year-old Carmela made a stunning, winning debut at Yarmouth.
A first ever winner for her sire Tasleet (who like Digital Age hails from the Green Desert male line), Carmela broke well and was always travelling strongly in the five-furlong heat. It took only a shake of the reins from jockey Richard Kingscote for her to surge clear of her rivals, and she eventually won by a cosy two and a quarter lengths.

Her trainer Dave Loughnane holds Carmela in high regard and he plans to run her next in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The filly sports legendary racemare Time Charter as her fourth dam, with that brilliant mare also fifth dam of Digital Age.

One of the finest racemares to race in Britain in the 1980’s, Time Charter was Britain’s Champion 3YO Filly of 1982 and Britain’s top-rated older filly/mare for both 1983 and 1984.

Her descendant Digital Age, a son of outstanding sire Invincible Spirit, showed top-class form on the turf, with his victories headed by a win in the 2020 G1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes -a race won previously by such stellar performers as Manila, Lure and subsequently highly successful sire English Channel.

Invincible Spirit, whose G1 winning son Digital Age is set to stand his first season at Mauritzfontein in 2022, is the sire of outstanding Australian stallion I Am Invincible. The latter, who recently supplied his 12th G1 winner when his daughter Imperatriz landed the G1 Levin Classic, made headlines when ending up the Leading Sire by both Aggregate and Average at the recently concluded Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

I am Invincible, whose yearlings at the Easter Sale made up to $2 million, had 31 yearlings sell for $22.5million at an average $725,806.

His top lot sold at the sale was the grey filly out of Pinocchio who was knocked down to Mitchell Bloodstock on behalf of The Yellow Brick Road Company’s Phillip Visalli for $2 000 000.
I Am Invincible also had million dollar sales as follows:
$1.7million Filly from Ruud Awakening bought by James Harron Bloodstock
$1.5million Colt from Egyptian Symbol bought by Kia-Ora Stud / TFI / Ciaron Maher Bloodstock
$1.35 million Colt from Fireworks bought by James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership
$1million Colt from Calming Influence bought by Tom Magnier
$1million Colt from The Pinnacle bought by TFI / Kia-Ora Stud

Invincible Spirit, whose talented daughter Pearls Galore won Wednesday’s Listed Gradguide Heritage Stakes at Leopardstown, is also the sire of another top stallion in the form of the once beaten champion Kingman. The latter came up with an impressive debut winner on Wednesday when his three-year-old daughter Night Battle came from off the pace to land a fillies’ novice stakes at Lingfield by three-parts of a length, and Night Battle looks a promising sort in the making.

Mauritzfontein’s exciting new sire Digital Age gained a handsome update to his pedigree when his close relative Tinker Toy captured the Listed Mansionbet Lady Wulfruna Stakes at Wolverhampton on Saturday.
A gelded son of War Front and Digital Age’s G1 winning relative Cursory Glance, Tinker Toy, lined up for this second stakes start coming back off a runner-up finish in a Feb. 19 seven-furlong Lingfield handicap on seasonal return. Sharply away and positioned in a prominent second after the initial strides, he was scrubbed along for his challenge rounding the home turn and kept on strongly under a continued drive once gaining an advantage at the top of the straight to hold on in game fashion for a career high.

“We’ve always held him in high regard,” said winning rider Jack Mitchell. “He’s lightly raced because he’s a little bit fragile, but Roger (Varian) and the team have done a really good job with him and got him here on song. It was a very competitive race and last time at Lingfield he was still a bit rusty. He hadn’t run for a long time, but it was a track record that day. His class was there and we came here with a bit of confidence.”

Now a four time winner from just eight starts, Tinker Toy is out of G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Cursory Glance, a half-sister to Willow View, dam of Digital Age.

The latter, a son of outstanding sire and sire of sires Invincible Spirit, won five times including the 2020 G1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes where Digital Age accounted for the G1 winners Rockemperor and Bowies Hero among others.

The South African racing and breeding pulled off a notable coup when Mauritzfontein, in partnership with Wilgerbosdrift and Ridgemont Highlands, secured the services of top racehorse Digital Age for the 2022/2023 breeding season.
A son of world leading sire, and outstanding sire of sires, Invincible Spirit, Digital Age was a multiple graded stakes winner whose five career wins included a triumph in the 2020 G1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The Chad Brown trained colt, who won the Turf Classic at four, also showed top-class form as a three-year-old with Digital Age landing the G2 American Turf Stakes (a race won previously by outstanding sire Kitten’s Joy among others) at three and also finishing runner up in the Saratoga Derby Invitational.
Digital Age, who earned in excess of $1.263 million during his career, won five times in total, with the bay victorious in his first two starts at three.
The exciting Digital Age represents the best of all worlds as a stallion prospect -not only is he a top-class racehorse, but is a son of one of the world’s most popular and successful stallions.
Digital Age is one of more than 130 stakes winners sired by Green Desert’s G1 Haydock Park Sprint Cup winning son Invincible Spirit. Already responsible for 20 G1 winners, Invincible Spirit has already proved to be an excellent sire of sires. His once beaten, champion son Kingman rates among the best stallions in Britain, while his son I Am Invincible is currently leading the Australian General Sires List for the 2021-2022 season.
Consistently one of Australia’s top stallions, I Am Invincible also dominated the recent Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Not only did an I Am Invincible colt top the Premier Sale when sold for $950 000 to the bid of Coolmore’s Tom Magnier, but another colt by the same sire was knocked down for $550 000 at the 2022 Premier Yearling Sale. The son of Invincible Spirit was the most expensive stallion in Australia in 2021 when his stud fee was $220 000.

Already runner up on four occasions on the Australian General Sires List, I Am Invincible’s current tally of 75 stakes winners includes current G1 winning sprinters Home Affairs and Marabi.

From the same Green Desert male line as current boom Cape sire Querari, Digital Age also sports a stellar female line to his name.
A half-brother to last year’s G3 winning two-year-old Acer Alley, Digital Age is out of a mare by US champion, and outstanding broodmare sire, Lemon Drop Kid. The latter, a maternal grandson of Lassie Dear, sired more than 100 stakes winners and ranks as broodmare sire of more than 70 stakes winners (among the notable performers thrown by daughters of Lemon Drop Kid are the Breeders’ Cup winners Bar Of Gold and Forever Unbridled).

Digital Age, whose first three dams are by Lemon Drop Kid, Sadler’s Wells and Darshaan respectively, is out of a half-sister to a G1 winning two-year-old, in the form of Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Cursory Glance, and his fifth dam is outstanding racemare, and Epsom Oaks victress, Time Charter.