BOLD Silvano, the 2010 Gr 1 Durban July winner and a Gr 3 winner in Dubai in 2011, will be returning to South Africa to take up stud duties at Dr Ashley and Mrs Rose Parker’s Ascot Stud, the farm where he was raised.

The five-year-old bay horse by Silvano from Bold Saffron, by Al Mufti, is the first and most accomplished son of South Africa’s leading stallion to go to stud.

Mike de Kock, who trained him to win the Durban July, the Gr1 Daily News and the Gr 3 Al Maktoum Challenge (Round 2), said:  “He looked smashing in Dubai this season but he didn’t run well, which showed us that he wasn’t all that happy on the racetrack. He’ll make a good stallion.”

Form Bloodstock’s Jehan Malherbe commented:  “Bold Silvano is an internationally proven performer and a really beautiful specimen at that.”

Ashley Parker said the team at Ascot was excited to have one of their best-loved sons back at the Port Elizabeth stud farm. “We haven’t finalised syndication details yet, but we’ve already had a good response on shares in Bold Silvano. We expect him back here around June and he will start his duties in September.”

Bold Silvano raced 17 times and won seven races for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and Gill Thompson.

Headlline photo by Andrew Watkins.