WILGERBOSDRIFT Stud will, once again, be offering a high-quality draft of yearlings at the 2018 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale that starts at the TBA Complex today.
The farm’s 28 strong draft is dominated by yearlings by Wilgerbosdrift’s resident sires Flower Alley and Soft Falling Rain, with the former represented by 13 members of his first South African crop. His stable mate, Soft Falling Rain, is represented by 11 first crop yearlings.
Soft Falling Rain.
Peace Flower (Lot 5) is the first into the ring, and this Ideal World filly is bound to prove popular. Out of Fort Wood’s G3 Magnolia Handicap winning daughter Quickwood, Peace Flower is a half-sister to 3 winners including retired G1 Majorca Stakes winner Nightingale, SA Oaks second Oriental Oak and recent Oaks Plate winner Chinkapin.
Proven G1 sire Flower Alley is the sire of Christmas Flower (Lot 2 4), a filly who hails from a world-class family. Her winning Holy Roman Emperor sired dam is a half-sister to G1 Awesome Again Stakes winner Mubtaahij (third to Thunder Snow in the 2018 Dubai World Cup) and G1 Prix de L’Opera winner Lily Of The Valley.
Flower Alley is also sire of Painting The Sky (Lot 29) and Black Mountain (Lot 31). The former is a half-brother to no fewer than 10 winners headed by G1 J&B Met winner Angus and dual Algoa Cup winner Nebula, while Black Mountain is a half-brother to five winners notably dual Guineas winning sire Noordhoek Flyer.
Last season’s Champion 2YO Sire Var is the sire of Cher Ami (Lot 53), a colt bred on the same cross as G1 winner Contador. Cher Ami is out of the Fort Wood sired Oaks winner Sweetie Pie and he hails from the same family as US champion Riboletta.
Attorney General (Lot 55) is the first son of champion Soft Falling Rain to come up for sale in the Wilgerbosdrift draft. Out of a winning Jet Master ½ sister to G2 winning millionaire Kavanagh, this colt is a direct descendant of the mighty mare La Troienne and his immediate relatives include Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Kentucky Derby second Bluegrass Cat.
Reigning champion sire Silvano is the sire of Tree Tumbo (Lot 72), a bay son of Oasis Dream sired millionaire and G2 Diadem Stakes winner Welwitschia, while Flower Alley is responsible for the regally bred colt Bayberry (Lot 101). This bay is out of Danehill Dancer’s G1 daughter Berry Blaze, whose Irish 1000 Guineas runner up dam is a full-sister to Oaks winner Imagine and half-sister to brilliant Epsom Derby winner Generous.
Dynasty’s Oaks runner up own sister Clandestine has a lovely Soft Falling Rain colt, by the name of Late At Night (Lot 116) on offer. He is a colt with a stallion’s pedigree!
Another closely related to Dynasty is Fairy Godmother (Lot231). This bay daughter of Soft Falling Rain is out of a half-sister to the July winner and outstanding sire as well as to the above mentioned Clandestine.
Flower Alley son Light Foot Lad (Lot 249), also from the family of Dynasty, is a half-brother to 4 winners including 2yo stakes winner Meryl, and smart G2 performer Finchatton.
Flower Alley has some cracking first crop yearlings on offer, and they include Lohengrin (Lot 127). This chestnut colt, inbred to the very influential sire Forty Niner, is a half-brother to five winners notably G1 Summer Cup hero Wagner and rising Hong Kong star Nassa.
Another colt closely related to current high class performers is Chaac (Lot 149). This bay colt is a son of champion Soft Falling Rain and Jet Master’s G3 winner Express Queen. This makes Chaac a half-brother to this season’s G3 winner Our Emperor and to the very progressive filly Platinum Queen, a winner of three in a row.
The regally bred Azores (Lot 168) is a grey son of Flower Alley and Oaks winner Ilha Bela, with the latter one of two stakes winners produced by former Horse Of The Year Ilha Da Vitoria.
Flower Alley is also the sire of Date Palm (Lot 204), with this chestnut colt, a half-brother to 2 smart winners, out of Belong To Me’s G3 Acacia Handicap winning daughter Milk And Honey.
Globetrotting champion Soft Falling Rain’s daughter Cottage Garden (Lot 250) is out of G2 winner Rosier, from the family of outstanding US gallopers Behrens and Commentator.
Parterre (Lot 284) is the name of the Flower Alley colt out of Oasis Dream’s stakes placed daughter Square Dance. The latter was produced by an Oaks winning daughter of the great sire Sadler ‘s Wells and this is the same family as another great sire in the form of Blushing Groom.
Flower Alley is also sire of Treasure Trove (Lot 302) a bay colt out of stakes winner Treaj Pots, while the Soft Falling Rain filly Makara (Lot 312) is out of a stakes placed Var mare-whose granddam won the G2 Prix Robert Papin.
Another by Flower Alley is Tivoli Gardens (Lot 315), with this filly being produced by National Assembly’s four time stakes winner Via Della.
Brilliant, unbeaten 2yo Soft Falling Rain’s daughter, Blessed Rain (Lot 343) hails from the same remarkable family as 2000 Guineas winning sire Refuse to Bend, Melbourne Cup hero Media Puzzle, and record breaking Belmont Stakes winner Go And Go.
Another daughter of the sire to hail from a remarkable international family is Acorn Alley (Lot 352). Out of stakes placed daughter of champion and increasingly successful broodmare sire Singspiel, Acorn Alley is from the same family as former champion SA sire Fort Wood and champions Dubai Millennium, Timber Country and Cozzene.
Timeless Beauty (Lot 417) is a chestnut daughter of Soft Falling Rain, whose winning dam is a half-sister to former record priced yearling and G3 winner Wonder Lawn, while Backpacker (Lot 420) is a Silvano full-brother to Dubai based G3 Graham Beck Stakes hero Whistle Stop and recent East Cape Guineas winner Sabbatical.
Horatius (Lot 460) is an intriguingly bred son of champions Soft Falling Rain and Laverna. By a son of leading 2yo sire National Assembly, this colt’s champion second dam is a daughter of said National Assembly!
Soft Falling Rain filly Balletto (Lot 464) is a half-sister to current 3yo filly star Folk Dance, while Flower Alley filly Gardenia (Lot 469) was produced by Horse Chestnut’s close relative and Swallow Stakes winner Loupe.
Last, but by no means least, in the draft is Pomander (Lot 526). This chestnut daughter of Flower Alley is out of a winning half-sister to G1 SA Oaks winner Pine Princess and is from the same family as outstanding racemares Dark Mirage and Indian Skimmer.
