Beach Bomb working out at Del Mar before the Breeders Cup last year (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
It is expensive sending a horse overseas to race, but it was worthwhile in the case of the diminutive Drakenstein Stud homebred Lancaster Bomber filly Beach Bomb, because she earned the equivalent of R7,547,937 in her USA campaign during the months that made up the 2024/2025 South African season.
The Graham Motion-trained filly ran seven times for two wins, three seconds and a third.
Both of her wins were on the Gulfstream Park turf, the first being on March 1 this year in the Gr 3 Very One Stakes over one mile and three furlongs and the second being in the Gr 3 Orchid Stakes over one-and-a-half miles on March 29.
Motion showed just what a fine trainer he is by converting her into a frontrunner after it was proving tough to win with her normal hold up tactics.
The result was two successive victories.
Luis Saez rode her in both of those wins and she earned US89,280 and US$92,070 for the two victories respectively.
Beach Bomb’s only unplaced run was in the Gr 1 Breeders Cup Filly and Mare turf at Del Mar, where she finshed 8th.
Beach Bomb stepped up to Gr 1 level again last time out and finished a gallant half-a-length second in the New York Stakes at Saratoga over one mile and one-and-a-half furlongs.
Beach Bomb is set to run in the Gr 2 Beverly D. Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday over a mile and one-and-a-half furlongs. That race has previously been won by a South African-bred, the Advocate Altus Joubert-bred Elliodor mare Crimson Palace winning it in 2004 under Frankie Dettori for owners Godolphin.
The second highest overseas earner was also a Drakenstein Stud-bred, the What A Winter gelding Mid Winter Wind, who is trained by Mark Newnham in Hong Kong. He won his Hong Kong debut in devastating style, coming from last to first under Luke Ferraris in a 1200m class 3 event worth HK$ 1,860,000. In a further five starts he only managed two fifths, but his earnings were the equivalent of R2,816,227, which underlines just how high the stakes are in Hong Kong.
The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein homebred Gimmethegreenlight filly Gimme A Nother left these shores unbeaten in seven start, including two Gr 1 wins, so it is thus disappointing she has not won in North America yet, but she has come second three times in just four starts and those were in two Gr 2s and a Gr 3. She ran below par in the only Gr 1 she contested. At the long-straighted Turffontein racecourse she gained a reputation for turning it on in the final 300m from off the pace, so with that style there have been some teething problems finding a racing style to suit her as the courses are tighter in the USA and the straights shorter.
In fourth place for overseas earning on the equivalent of R1,999,701 is Narrow Creek Stud-bred Hollywood Racing-owned What A Winter gelding Isivunguvungu. He won on debut in the USA in the Black Type Da Hoss Stakes over five-and-a-half furlongs at Colonial Downs on the turf, where he used his early pace and fine turn of foot to good effect and held on under Manuel Franco. He had another third place finish sandwiched in between his runs in the Gr 1 Breeders Cup Turf Sprint over five furlongs, where he was taken out when prominent in the straight, and in the Gr 1 Al Quoz Sprint over six furlongs, where hold up tactics proved all wrong. He disappointed in his last start but gets a chance to make amends in the Van Clief Stakes over five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf at Colonial Downs on Saturday.
Graham Motion trains both Gimme A Nother and Isivunguvungu.
The fith highest earner was the Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein-bred Flower Alley gelding Parterre, who earned the equivalent of R703,156 after a disappointing season in Hong Kong in which he managed one third in eleven starts. He has now been retired.
