Kommetdieding enjoying himself in his Klawervlei Stud paddock (Picture: Troy Finch)
Sarah Whitelaw
Kommetdieding is a young stallion with plenty going for him. Not only was he a top-class racehorse and son of a successful sire, but Kommetdieding hails from an outstanding female line.
The Klawervlei Stud resident is out of Listed Gardenia Handicap runner up Adorable, whose outstanding sire Captain Al was South Africa’s Leading Broodmare Sire in 2022-2023.
Adorable, the dam of four winners, made headlines at the 2023 National Yearling Sale where her daughter Kommetjie Storm was knocked down for R3 200 000 to top that auction.
Captain Al is again heading the Broodmare Sires premiership this season, with his daughters’ runners having already earned more than R17.052 million in prize money.
Among the notable performers produced by Captain Al mares, Kommetdieding aside, are the recently exported Horse Of The Year Princess Calla and fellow G1 winners Eden Roc, Gunner, Potent Power, Same Jurisdiction Sandringham Summit, Snow Pilot, and Vernichey. (Rising star Double Grand Slam is out of the Captain Al sired G3 The Debutante winner Princess Peach).
A three-parts sister to the Captain Al sired triple G1 winner Captain America, Adorable was produced by dual Prix Du Cap heroine Dacha. A half-sister to the stakes placed dam of Captain America and G2 Gold Bracelet queen Cruise Collection, Dacha’s own dam, the useful Riding Light, was sired by French Derby winner Top Ville. The latter was an outstanding broodmare sire, whose daughters produced such legends as Montjeu and Yeats -both of whom were sired by Sadler’s Wells, the great grandsire of Kommetdieding. (Top Ville is also the sire of Dinalina, the third dam of current sire sensation One World).
Kommetdieding himself is descended in female line from the mighty Paradoxical -whose numerous high-class descendants include La Troienne, one of the most influential broodmares of all time. Among the numerous top-class descendants of La Troienne are such important stallions as Buckpasser, Woodman, Caerleon, Bernstein, Private Account,and Sky Mesa to name but a few. (Former high-class South African stallion Secret Prospector is another descended in female line from La Troienne as was Complete Warrior, the broodmare sire of Captain Al).
The Klawervlei Stud resident’s seventh dam is another outstanding producer in the form of Child Stakes/Criterion Stakes winner Queen Of Light. A daughter of Borealis and 1000 Guineas winner Picture Play, Queen Of Light’s numerous top-class descendants include successful sires Lawman and Welsh Pageant, as well as the likes of English classic winners Fairy Footsteps, Light Cavalary, Moonshell (granddam of G1 Golden Slipper winner Miss Finland) and Royal Palace.
This female line made news yet again at the recent Dubai World Cup meeting. Durable gelding Tuz, whose seventh dam is Queen Of Light, smashed a high-class field when he romped home to a six and a half length win in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Tuz, who has earned £1,242,915 in stakes, hails from the immediate family of G1 Fillies Mile winner Crystal Music, G3 Jersey Stakes winning sire Space Traveller, and G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Zelzal to name but a few.
Kommetdieding was a superb racehorse who won his first four starts including the G3 Politician Stakes -where his beaten rivals included such graded stakes winners as Rascallion, Hoedspruit and Crimson King. The son of Equus Champion Elusive Fort went on to finish third in the G2 World Sports Betting Guineas and G1 Daily News 2000 before Kommetdieding downed a star studded field to win the 2021 G1 Vodacom Durban July. In landing the July, Kommetdieding accounted for such notable G1 winners as Linebacker, Got The Greenlight, Do It Again, Rainbow Bridge, Belgarion, and She’s A Keeper.
Kommetdieding went on to record a July/Met double when he claimed the following year’s G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, with Jet Dark, Linebacker, and 2024 G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met winner Double Superlative running second, third and fourth respectively.
Remarkably consistent, the charismatic Kommetdieding retired to stud having won or finished in the first four in 16 of his 18 starts and he earned more than R4.25 million in prize money. Safe to say, Kommetdieding is one of the great bargain buys in South Africa in the recent era, having cost a mere R55 000 when bought from the 2019 Klawervlei Farm Sale.
He was trained by Michelle Rix and Harold Crawford, and Michelle had the following to say about the yard’s popular star, “I feel the best quote to describe Kommet is from the Rocky Bilboa movie. Every Champion was a contender that refused to give up! I feel he raced against some of the strongest opposition in his career and came from an unpopular farm sale and was the an underdog with a relatively unknown owner who worked his way to G1 victory.
He was the utmost professional and always knew he had a job at hand.
Everyday was memorable and even on the mundane days in between seasons we appreciated. He was apart of our everyday life, but looking at pictures and videos. Definitely the Met win when the crowed were 10 deep cheering him walking into the winning enclosure. He absolutely loved the camera and always took full advantage of it. “
Understandably, Kommetdieding, a great grandson of the mighty Sadler’s Wells, proved very popular in his first season at stud and his eagerly awaited first foals are set to arrive later this year.
He was bred by Klawervlei Stud, also breeders of current sire sensations One World and Vercingetorix, as well as their own very much inform resident sire William Longsword.
