Picture: Ryan Munger brings Integrity home after leading all the way last Friday (Pauline Herman Photography)
PEDIGREE PROFILE -INTEGRITY
by Sarah Whitelaw
Wilgerbosdrift’s resident sire Flower Alley has made a flying start to the 2022-2023 racing season. The former G1 Travers Stakes winner came up with two winners at the Vaal last Thursday, before coming up with three more winners the following day.
Flower Alley also dominated proceedings in Friday’s Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes, where his daughters Integrity and Santa Therese finished first and second respectively.
It was back to back East Cape Paddock Stakes wins for Flower Alley, with Santa Therese having prevailed in the 2021 renewal.
In landing Friday’s Listed feature, Integrity became the 32nd stakes winner for her sire. Flower Alley, whose sons include Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another and Canadian champion Lukes Alley, is building up an impressive record of stakes winning daughters.
Among these are the G1 winners Lilacs And Lace and Princess Calla, last season’s graded stakes winners Bold Fortune and Maharanee, champion My Wandy’s Girl and 2020 G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic runner up Marygold.
Another daughter of Flower Alley, Feather Boa, won last season’s Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies), while beating subsequent G1 winner Canadian Summer into second spot, before adding to that win with a fluent success at the Vaal last week.
Integrity, however, also owes plenty of ability to her female line.
Originally knocked down for R600 000 at the 2018 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, she is out of a stakes winning daughter of an outstanding sire and broodmare sire, and she also hails from a high-class female line.
Integrity’s dam Illumiere won six times including the Listed Lady’s Bracelet, and she also finished fourth in the 2012 Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes. Integrity is her dam’s first stakes winner, with Illumiere also dam of Integrity’s winning full-brother Iron Will.
Illumiere was sired by Cartier Horse Of The Year and triple US champion sire Giant’s Causeway, who, not surprisingly, has become an outstanding broodmare sire.
Already damsire of more than 180 stakes winners, Giant’s Causeway (who was known as the “Iron Horse” as a result of the courage he showed on the track) also ranks as the damsire of US Horse Of The Year, and outstanding young sire, Gun Runner, as well as South African champions One World and Soft Falling Rain.
Daughters of Giant’s Causeway have been responsible for 16 black type winners in the Northern Hemisphere already this year, with this tally including G1 Dubai Turf deadheater Lord North.
Integrity herself traces back to the Rock Flint mare Sweet Rocket –who also ranks as the granddam of outstanding, but ill-fated, filly Rockfel, winner of the 1000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, and Champion Stakes.
Other standout performers from this female line include charismatic G1 Prix Du Cadran winner Sergeant Cecil, group winning two-year-old Kings Point (a full-brother to Integrity’s granddam Inspired), and Kampala. The latter won the G3 Hungerford Stakes before going on to sire Arc winner, and champion Japanese sire, Tony Bin.
