War Of Athena winning the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic in front of empty sands during the Covid-19 lockdown period (JC Photos)
Corne Spies is targeting the Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara with Breedon Stud-bred Hazy Dzy and if she does it she will be the second Act Of War filly to have won the Triple Tiara to date.
The five Triple Tiara winners to date are Igugu (Galileo), Cherry On The Top (Tiger Ridge), Summer Pudding (Silvano), War Of Athena (Act Of War) and Rain In Holland (Duke Of Marmalade).
So if Hazy Dazy does it Act Of War will become the first stallion to have sired two Triple Tiara winners.
The KZN Midlands-based sire had two Gr 1 winners in his first crop.
However, his fate has ultimayely been affected by his unfashionable status when he arrived at stud.
When such a horse goes to stud he will be reasonably well supported in his first year, but the numbers then dwindle before the first progeny have run.
If the first crop contain some stars, the support then multiplies dramatically.
However, later down the line it appears that the stallion could be a one crop wonder, because his second and third crops are not performing as well, whereas in actual fact it the lack of numbers and quality of mares in those crops that are actually chiefly responsible.
The prices at the Sales then decrease.
Astute buyers would have known that the crop that Hazy Dazy came from was in fact his best crop to buy, because that was the year in which he got the most support.
Act Of War’s number of mares per year according to the NHA have been 47, 33, 13, 40, 76, 125, 41, 29 and according to their report zero mares last year.
Hazy Dazy was bought for a bargain R37 500 on a BSA Online December Sale and has won five races with one place from her 7 starts for stakes earnings of R929 550.
It just shows the shrewd can still land bargains in the dream industry.
Act Of War is by the top class July winner Dynasty, who was a stamina influence at stud and he would have been Champion Sire in the 2014/2015 season had the Gold Cup not been postponed from a date in July to a date in August due to inclement weather.
Act Of War himself won the Gr 1 Cape Guineas and was runner up in the Gr 1 Cape Derby over 2000m.
Hazy Dazy has a speedy female line. It did not effect her ability over 2000m, a trip she has won over before, and in fact the Corne Spies yard were a touch concerned the mile on Saturday would be too sharp.
But will those speedy genes affect her ability to stay the 2450m of the SA Oaks?
Hazy Dazy’s dam, the Hartley SA-bred Eightfold Path mare Rabbedoe, had three runs from 1000m to 1160m for one win and a second and she in turn was a daughter of the three time-winning sprinter Brataloochee, who was a daughter of sprinter Cataloochee.
Eightfold Path did not make much impact as a sire, but was one of the best bred horses to be standing in South Africa in his time.
He was by Giant’s Causeway out of the wonderful racehorse Divine Proportions, who was a European Champion two-year-old filly and European Champion three-year-old filly and she won five Gr 1s in all.
Eightfold Path is beginning to make an impact as a broodmare sire, so his pedigree might now be coming through.
The Gauteng Fillies Guineas fifth-placed Littlemissmillion is also out of a Hartley SA-bred mare, although in this instance she is by Kahal.
