Farm news

Moutonshoek’s G1 winning stallion The United States continues to come up with good looking winners. The son of Galileo struck again when his daughter United Council won the Sun Chariot Handicap (2400m) at Turffontein on Monday afternoon.

Five-year-old United Council turned Monday’s Non-Black Type feature into a one horse race, with Gavin Lerena booting home the Robbie Sage trained United Council to score by four and three quarter lengths. It was back to back Sun Chariot wins for United Council, with the daughter of The United States having triumphed in the same race in 2023.

Bred by Ascot Stud, United Council, who had finished fifth in the G3 Allied Steelrode Yellowwood Handicap on her penultimate start, has won four of 20 starts and has earnings of R406,000 to her name.

United Council, who is out of the Danehill Dancer mare Unconditional, was a R270 000 purchase from the 2021 August Two Year Old Sale.

The mare is bred on the same The United States/Danehill Dancer cross as multiple stakes winner Khaya’s Hope.

Her G1 Ranvet Stakes winning sire The United States, whose son Texan Red ran second to the top-class Main Defender on Monday, had also enjoyed success at Hollywoodbets Scottsville the previous day. His son Tyrconnell was rewarded for consistency when victorious in Sunday’s Gallop TV Youtube Channel MR 88 Handicap (1400m).

Trained by Mike de Kock, Tyrconnell has won or been placed in ten of 11 starts.

Moutonshoek’s top-class sire The United States started the 2024-2025 season with a bang with supplying two eye catching winners on the first day of the new season.

The United States’s three-year-old son Stated made a big impression when he won the Cape Turf Club Syndicates Maiden Plate (1400m) at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Thursday.

Under Sean Veale, the Justin Snaith trained colt turned the race into a one horse contest as he romped home to win as he liked by six and a quarter lengths.

Bred by Syrilla Stud, Stated is out of the Duke Of Marmalade mare Duchess’s Greeting.

The United States is also the sire of the smart mare Indian Ocean. The latter picked up her third win, from 12 starts, when she won the Take A Bet Wina Numba Numba FM 93 Divided Handicap (1800m) at the Vaal on Thursday.

Under a great ride from Piere Strydom, the five-year-old unleashed a fine turn of foot which propelled Indian Ocean home to score by a long neck.

Bred by Wynand Nel, the Lorenzo Karriem trained Indian Ocean, who had contested feature races in each of her six starts prior to Thursday’s win, is out of the Windrush mare Lil’ Bacio. The mare was a R160 000 purchase from the 2021 August Two Year Old Sale.

Her G1 Ranvet Stakes winning sire The United States went close to having a graded stakes double when his son The Specialist and daughter Rodeo Drive ran second in the G1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes and G2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante respectively.

By the same sire as Galileo, Teofilo, Gleneagles, and Nathaniel, The United States has 17 lots on offer at the August Two Year Old Sale.

Legendary Japanese racehorse and sire Deep Impact, whose champion son Danon Platina stands at Mauritzfontein, continues to make a significant mark on major races all over the world -and he is also enjoying growing success as a sire of sires.

On Sunday, Deep Impact’s son Potager provided his late sire with his 55th individual G1 winner when he won the G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin. In the process, the regally bred five-year-old accounted for a high-class field headed by reigning Japanese Horse Of The Year Efforia.The Yasuo Tomomichi-trained Potager was ridden by Hayato Yoshida, with the pair initially chasing the strong pacesetting second favourite Jack D’Or.
Lei Papale, who was defending her Osaka Hai crown, snatched the lead off Jack D’or at the top of the home straight but was run down by Potager in the final strides. Both the winner and runner up in the 2022 Osaka Hai were sired by Deep Impact.
This was Potager’s sixth win from 15 career starts but his first at Graded stakes level.

Deep Impact’s classic winning son Saxon Warrior also made news on Sunday, when that Coolmore based stallion’s very first runner made a winning debut.
Winner of the G1 Racing Post Trophy at two, and the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at three, Saxon Warrior made the perfect start to his stud career when his first runner Ser Sed made a winning debut over five and a half furlongs on Sunday.

His sire Saxon Warrior, whose first yearlings made up to ¥190,000,000, has 112 juveniles registered and he stands at Coolmore for a fee €20,000 this season.

Deep Impact’s G1 winning son Danon Platina, whose yearlings made up to R550 000 at the 2022 Cape Yearling Sale, has 17 members of his first crop on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale.

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 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 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, accounted for some outstanding performers during his career. Among those beaten by the son of Invincible Spirit were the G1 winners Bowies Hero, Cape Of Good Hope, Casa Creed, Henley’s Joy, Ivar, and Rockemperor.
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. (Already the sire of more than 40 stakes winners, Kingman stands for a fee of 150,000 pounds).

Other sons of Invincible Spirit to have sired G1 winners include Lawman, Mayson, Shalaa and Territories, while a pair of the stallion’s sire sons National Defense (whose first runners included the Breeders’ Cup winning Twilight Gleaming) and Profitable both made cracking starts with their first two-year-olds last season.

Invincible Spirit is also the sire of the Coolmore Stud based 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia, whose first crop are yearlings in 2022.

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.
Mauritzfontein have been able to secure this exciting prospect with the help of Ridgemont Highlands and Wilgerbosdrift.

The syndicate will comprise 50 shares and each share will get a bonus service in the first 4 seasons.
The share price (which includes transport from Kentucky, ARM insurance and first season congenital infertility) is currently R105,000 per share. (It could vary slightly depending on exchange rate)
Should you wish to join the syndicate, or require further information, please contact Jehan Malherbe on 083 252 8147 or email Jehan at jehan@aro.co.za