Drumbeat is by Wootton Bassett out of Captain Al mare Cloth Of Cloud and he is now joint third favourite for the 2027 Epsom Derby after winning the Gr 1 Criterium De Saint-Cloud on Sunday at Saint-Cloud (Picture Via YouTube)
South African-bred broodmares have been hitting the headlines overseas.
The former champion sprinter Via Africa’s success in Australia is well known, with the Var mare first producing the Gr 1 winner In The Congo by Snitzel and then the superstar five-times Gr 1 winner Autumn Glow, who is by the Autumn Sun.
The former Equus champion two-year-old filly Cloth Of Cloud by Captain Al is now following suit as her Aidan O’Brien-trained son Drumbeat by Wootton Bassett is now a Gr 1 winner in France.
In his previous start the two-year-old colt won the Gr 3 Zetland Stakes by 5,5 lengths at Newmarket when stepped up to a mile and two furlongs for the first time.
On Sunday in France he scored his third career victory in the Gr 1 Criterium De Saint-Cloud over the same one mile and two furlongs distance and he did it by a comfortable two lengths in just his sixth career start.
The horse got Ryan Moore out of trouble, because he looked to be badly boxed in when turning for home in the small seven horse field, having improved from second last position coming around the final turn on the inside of Godolphin’s chief hope, Al Jabbar (Sea The Stars).
However, he managed to squeeze through a gap as the pacemaker, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Victory Speech (Wootton Bassett), faded tamely.
Once he saw daylight it was race over as he stretched impressively to overtake stable companion Shakespeare (Dubawi) and win by two lengths.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Jesus Green (Ghaiyyath) was a length further back in third.
Drumbeat has been priced up as the joint-third favourite for the Epsom Derby next year with prices varying from 12/1 to 20/1.
The favourite is the Aidan O’Brein-trained Gr 1 Dewhurst Stakes winners Darkness Falls (Camelot), who beat Jesus Green by 4,25 lengths when winning the Gr 1 Golden Fleece Stakes over a mile and one furlong at Leopardstown.
The second favourite for the Derby is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Giant Sequoia (Frankel), who was an impressive winner of Saturday’s Gr 1 Futurity Trophy Stakes over a mile at Doncaster.
The strange part about Drumbeat’s prominence in the Epsom Derby market is that his Captain Al dam, Cloth Of Cloud, was a precocious speedster who won her first three starts from 1000m to 1160m, including the Gr 3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1100m and the Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m.
Furthermore, Cloth Of Cloud was infamously temperamental and a very difficult ride, which ultimately led to her only having four career starts.
Drumbeat, on the other hand, looks to be relaxed in his racing style.
Cloth Of Cloud was out of the USA-bred Fusaichi Pegasus mare Our Table Mountain, who was named Equus Champion Broodmare as her progeny Cloth Of Cloud and the SA Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain won Gr 1s in the same 2015/2016 season.
Our Table Mountain won a Listed race over 1200m and was Listed-placed over 1800m.
Cloth Of Cloud was bred by Highlands Stud and was purchased for R2.2 million at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
Blandford Bloodstock, Diane Nagle and Linda Shanahan were reportedly the purchasers.
Blandford Bloodstock is a Newmarket-based bloodstock agent, David and Diane Nagle of Barronstown Stud are Hall Of Fame breeders in Ireland and Linda Shanahan is from a prominent racing family in Ireland.
Drumbeat was bred by Barronstown Stud, but as luck would have it Cloth Of Cloud was sold in December 2024, fetching top price of 180,000 Gns in a Tattersalls online sale.
Cloth Of Cloud’s first runner by Galileo had to have wind surgery after two runs and only won one race thereafter.
Her next runner by No Nay Never is to date unplaced in seven starts in Ireland.
When sold Cloth Of Cloud was in foal to Too Darn Hot, bred to Southern Hemisphere times.
She was purchased by Irish-based Bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh.
Meanwhile, Autumn Glow’s next race is the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington Racecourse on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Interestingly she is by a Redoute’s Choice sire The Autumn Sun, while her Gr 1-winning half-brother In The Congo is also by a Redoute’s Choice sire, Snitzel.
Redoute’s Choice has had fine success in South Africa with Rafeef being his main flagbearer and interestingly Rafeef was also out of a South African-bred champion sprinter, National Colour, a daughter of National Assembly.
