New Predator being displayed at a KZN Breeders stallion day (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

The only New Approach stallion in the country, New Predator, made such a promising start to his career he was moved to the country’s centre of mare strength, the Western Cape, where he was to stand at Ridgemont.

However, efforts to save him at Drakenstein hospital after a paddock accident at Ridgemont in which he shattered his knee were not successful and a decision was made to euthanise him. 

Craig Carey, stud manager of Ridgemont, said, “It’s very sad. And there are not enough stallions in the country. We need them all, so this was most unfortunate.”

Owned by Laurence Wernars and trained by Johan Janse van Vuuren, New Predator’s two major wins were the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m and the Gr 2 Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile.

His sire New Approach by Galileo was a European Champion Two-year-old and European Champion Three-year-old and he topped the World Thoroughbred rankings in 2008 and was Ireland’s horse of the year. Among his five Group 1 wins was the Epsom Derby.

New Predator was out of a Fastnet Rock mare, meaning he was a cross of Galileo and Danehill, the two most prolific Gr 1 producing stallions in history.

New Predator’s progeny began firing immediately and in their first eleven appearances did not miss a cheque and had four individual winners.

In all he has produced five winners of six races.

His best son, the Fanie Bronkhorst-trained Pure Predator, has won twice and finished fourth in the Gr 2 SA Nursery and third in the BSA Sales Cup, beaten 3,80 lengths by the smart Main Defender, who was later runner up in the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premier’s Champion Stakes.