TOREADOR and Irish Flame (photo) will be standing in the KZN Midlands at Warwick and Karen Render’s Bush Hill Stud next season.

Both horses were trained by Mike de Kock in their racing careers and Toreador has already proven himself a useful sire.

Toreador, an Irish-bred sprinter-miler by Danehill, won three races in South Africa having been imported here after his two-year-old season in Ireland in which he won one race. However, his best achievements were runner up finishes in all of the Grade 1 Gold Challenge over 1 600m, the Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1600m and the Grade 2 Sentinel Stakes over 1 200m.

In the breeding shed his best progeny has been the De Kock-trained Link Man, a two-year-old Grade 1 winner over 1 200m and also winner of two Grade 3s over 1 450m and a Grade 2 over 1 600m.

Toreador has produced five stakes winners in all and the record of his tough filly Las Ramblas, who has won a Listed race over 1 800m and finished runner up in the Grade 1 SA Classic and the SA Oaks, proves that he can get the odd one to stay.

Toreador previously stood at The Alchemy near Robertson in The Western Cape.

Irish Flame, a South African-bred by Dynasty out of Flaming Rock mare Clock The Rock , won the Grade 1 SA Derby by 9,5 lengths and also won the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 before finishing runner up in the Vodacom Durban July.

He subsequently campaigned in Dubai where he was a bit disappointing, but locals are unlikely to have forgotten his excellence as a three-year-old. – Gold Circle.