PEDIGREE PROFILE -SHANGO
Sarah Whitelaw
When Shango won Saturday’s G3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup, he was scoring for a third time at graded stakes level.
The gelding, a R425 000 purchase from the 2018 CTS Ready To Run Sale, had previously triumphed in both the 2019 G2 TAB/Betting World Dingaans and 2021 G3 Hollywoodbets 2200.
A son of champion sprinter Captain Of All (he was his sire’s first graded stakes winner), Shango’s pedigree contains two of the most successful stallions to have stood in South Africa this century.
His sire was sired by Captain Al, while Shango’s dam Scorched, herself a four time winner up to 1400m, was sired by Jet Master.
Between them, Captain Al and Jet Master claimed nine general sires titles, nine leading sire of 2yos titles, and three leading broodmare sire titles (Captain Al and Jet Master are currently first and second respectively on this season’s Leading Broodmare Sires log). As further testimony to their success at stud, between them, Captain Al and Jet Master have nine sire sons officially registered at stud.
Another interesting factor of Shango’s pedigree is that he is inbred to Bramalea-winner of the CCA Oaks and dam of breed shaping stallion, and Epsom Derby winner, Roberto. One of nine English Derby winners ridden by the late Lester Piggott, Roberto (by Hail To Reason) not only enjoyed success as a sire, but also made his mark as a very influential sire of sires and broodmare sire.
Roberto’s champion sire Al Mufti is grandsire of Shango’s sire Captain Of All, while Bramalea is also found in Jet Master’s pedigree -Bramalea’s daughter Glorious Song is the dam of Jet Master’s broodmare sire Rollins.
Not only did Roberto sire such top-class sires as Kris S, Red Ransom, Lear Fan, Silver Hawk and Brian’s Time, his champion daughter Sookera is ancestress of a host of top-class horses including champion sire Dansili and successful South African stallion Ideal World.
However, Bramalea’s influence in South Africa was by no means restricted to the Roberto influence. Granddam of the useful, but short-lived sire Rollins, Bramalea’s son Mullineaux sired the dam of G1 Summer Cup winner Flirtation.
Shango, a three-parts brother to 2017 G2 Durban Golden Horseshoe third Captain And Master, hails from a family which has done consistently well over the years, particularly when it comes to producing classy speedsters.
One of six winners for his dam, Shango’s granddam is the three time winning Run To Daddy -whose sire Damascus Gate also features as the broodmare of this season’s high-class three-year-old Gem King (sired by a son of Jet Master).
This is the immediate family of G1 winner, and Equus Champion Legally Blonde, as well as such graded stakes winning sprinters Casey Cool, Trip Tease and Nobely Born. The latter, who won six times including the 1997 G1 Cape Flying Championship-where she beat outstanding sprinter Flobayou, was sired by Complete Warrior, the broodmare sire of Captain Al.
The gelding is directly descended in female line from the immortal racemare and hugely influential broodmare Pretty Polly, with Shango tracing back to that champion, and Fillies Triple Crown winner, through Pretty Polly’s famed great-granddaughter Sister Sarah.
Picture: Shango (Candiese Lenferna).