The gelding was sired by four time G1 winning sprinter What A Winter, South Africa’s Champion Sprinter of 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, and Champion Older Male of 2011-2012.

 

Already sporting a Leading First Season Sires title and Leading Sire of 2YOs crown, What A Winter has made fine start to the current season, and, at the time of writing, heads the South African General Sires List for 2022-2023.

 

The son of triple champion South African sire Western Winter also enjoyed plenty of success last season, where What A Winter was responsible for six stakes winners who picked up seven black type races.

 

Far Away Winter, a R550 000 purchase from the 2021 Cape Premier Yearling, lacks little in terms of quality on his female line. A half-brother to a winner, he is out of G3 Umzimkhulu Stakes winner Fromafar, a daughter of champion sire and increasingly successful broodmare sire Trippi.

 

The latter is already broodmare sire of highly successful US stallions, and half-brothers, Liam’s Map and Not This Time (sire of recent G1 Runhappy Travers Stakes winner Epicenter among others), South African champion Gabor and G1 winners Miss Florida and She’s A Keeper.

 

Fromafar herself is a half-sister to the exported G3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery/Listed Somerset 1200 winner Armando -who, like Far Away Winter, was sired by What A Winter. Unbeaten in three South African starts, Armando has been retired from racing in Hong Kong where he failed to feature.

 

Fromafar and Armando were produced by Big Mona, herself a placed daughter of top US sprinter and successful sire Yes It’s True.

 

A half-sister to the stakes placed Curiosity, Big Mona was produced by the twice winning mare My Big Sis, a half-sister to G1 Kentucky Derby winner Lil E. Tee.

 

Her third dam Sailaway, herself a daughter of South African champion Hawaii, left her mark on the thoroughbred breed through the deeds of her granddaughter Baby Zip (by Relaunch). The latter, herself a stakes winning of four, was Broodmare Of The Year in Kentucky in 2005 with Baby Zip producing a pair of G1 winning sons in City Zip (Hopeful Stakes) and Ghostzapper (Horse Of The Year, Breeders’ Cup Classic, Vosburgh Stakes, Woodward Stakes, Met Hcp) -both of whom have since become hugely successful sires. Ghostzapper, one of the most brilliant horses seen in North America, is not only sire of brilliant recent Queen’s Plate winner Moira and 2022 G1 Ballerina Handicap winner Goodnight Olive but his daughter Stage Magic is dam of unbeaten US Triple Crown winner Justify, who has made a sensational start with his first two-year-olds this season.

 

Between them, City Zip and Ghostzapper are responsible for more than 180 stakes winners.

 

Far Away Winter is himself directly descended in female line from the flying Correction -the best sprint mare of her day in North America, and a full-sister to the legendary racehorse and influential sire Domino.

 

Among the other notable luminaries descended in female line from Correction is US Triple Crown winner, and successful sire Affirmed, as well as current top-class US sire Twirling Candy.