Varsfontein Stud are coming off their best ever season and are excited to announce the arrival of a colt with a pedigree of rare class.
The colt, born on August 2, is the first progeny of Mauritzfontein’s new stallion Digital Age to be born at Varsfontein and he is the first foal of a mare called Party House, whom Varsfontein imported from Ireland last year.
The Irish-bred Party House, by Camelot, was raced by Varsfontein’s joint owner John Kalmanson and trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons.
She won as a three-year-old on debut at Naas over a mile and two furlongs and followed up with a third place finish in a Listed event over a mile and five furlongs at Navan. In her final career start as a four-year-old she finished a narrow second in a Gr 3 over a mile and seven furlongs in Italy.
However, more important is her pedigree.
Party House is out of the Machiavellian mare Crazy Volume, who won one race but was a multiple black-type producer.
Party House is a three-parts-sister to the Montjeu colt Gallante, who won Gr 1s in both France and Australia, as she is out of the same dam and her sire Camelot is by Montjeu. In France, Gallante won the Juddmonte Grand Prix De Paris over a mile and four furlongs and among the vanquished was The Grey Gatsby, winner of both the Gr 1 Irish Champions Stakes and Gr 1 French Derby. Gallante went on to win the Gr 1 Sydney Cup in Australia.
Party House is also a half-sister to the Gr 3 and Listed winner Silence Please. The latter is by Gleneagles, who, like Camelot, is a Sadler’s Wells line sire, being by Galileo.
Party House’s sire Camelot was a 2/5 shot to win the Gr 1 St. Leger and thus become the first since Nijinsky in 1970 to complete the English Triple crown, having won both the 2000 Guineas and Derby, but he failed by 0,75 lengths under a much criticised ride.
Party House’s second dam was a Listed winner, who produced three stakes placed runners, and her third dam was a well related Gr 2 and dual Listed winner, who produced three stakes winners.
Stud manager Carl de Vos said, “It is a real privilege to be able to breed from this type of family here at Varsfontein.”
One well known powerful nick is Danzig crossed with Sadler’s Wells and this became evident when numerous Gr 1 winners were produced by a cross between Danzig sire War Front with Sadler’s Wells mares.
This makes the choice of Digital Age to cover Party House interesting because Digital Age is by Invincible Spirit, who is by Danzig sire Green Desert, while Party House hails from the Sadler’s Wells sire line.
Furthermore Digital Age’s second dam is by Sadler’s Wells, while Party House’s second dam is by Green Desert, so there is a lot of line-breeding in the Varsfontein Digital Age foal’s pedigree.
Digital Age is one of 22 Gr 1 winners produced by Invincible Spirit, who is known as the “King Of Speed”. Invincible Spirit won a Gr 1 over 1200m himself.
Digital Age had some stamina, not surprisingly considering his second dam was by Sadler’s Wells, and he won a Gr 1 over 1800m and a Gr 2 over 1700m.
Varsfontein’s newly born Digital Age colt looks to have a potent classic pedigree.
There is class and speed from numerous proven world class sources and plenty of stamina too.
Here is another picture of the foal below.
