Picture: The Glen Kotzen-trained Visioinaire gelding Dowser (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Schalkie van der Walt reports that he has received plenty of enquiries from Karoo Breeders about Visionaire in his first season standing at his Gelykfontein Stud in Venterstad.
He is expecting the son of Grand Slam to receive at least 30 mares from Karoo breeders, whose number includes multiple national champions Birch Brothers, David Southey’s Southford Stud and The Gary Player Stud etc.
Visionaire’s progeny have been firing lately.
Glen Kotzen has done well with Visionaires and added two more two-year-old winners to his record with them over the last week or so.
On Sunday on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly the yard’s Visionaire gelding Dowser upset the applecart by beating the 46/100 favourite Ready Or Not (Rafeef) by 4,90 lengths. The favourite did admittedly have some traffic problems but Dowser looked a picture before the race and ran accordingly. It was a convincing win.
Dowser is owned by staunch UK-based racing partners Gisela Burg and Martin Wickens in partnership with MA Govender, F Vahab and popular KZN couple Marius and Gill Mostert.
This gelding has apparently been earmarked for the R7.5 million CTS Gold Rush race in January, which means one of the owners must have a ticket.
A week earlier on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly over 1400m the Kotzen-trained two-year-old Visionaire gelding Famous And Rich won in good style under Jason Gates. Sally Bruss remembered how good he had looked as a foal when she was still stud manager at Lammerskraal and this chestnut has plenty of substance today.
Kotzen’s highly tried Visionaire maiden Imposing, who finished a close second on debut, is out of a half-brother to the dam of Good Traveller, so is closely related.
He finished a 4,30 length sixth in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion second time out and an accolade to his class was that Richard Fourie then chose to ride him in the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe, which was won by stablemate Cousin Casey. Another stablemate in the race, Countdown, won by a street on Monday on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly.
Kotzen said before the Golden Horseshoe he believed Fourie had made the wrong choice because he believed Imposing would still need one more gallop and he was proved right. However, Imposing should be a player in next season’s classics.
Meanwhile, the Roy Magner-trained Visionaire filly Emirate Gina had some good early form against the best juvenile fillies on the Highveld and then won a good race over 1450m in her sixth start. She beat Feather Boa (Flower Alley) and Kill Shot (Elusive Fort) and the latter pair came out and finished first and third in the BSA Sales Cup for fillies on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.
The Sean Tarry-trained two-year-old Visionaire filly Antigua Night won well second time out over 1160m and three winners have come out of that race. She has drawn well in the Grade 2 The Debutante over 1200m on Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup day.
Visionaire sadly attracted no support from Cape breeders when sent there after doing well in KZN without ever getting top class mares.
Lammerskraal Stud, where he stood, were forced to support him themselves.
However, owner Peter Graaff then sold his share which is why he now stands at Schalkie van der Walt’s Gelykfontein Stud in the Karoo.
Visionaire has produced two Grade 1 winners to date, Taking The Peace and Good Traveller.
He has produced eight individual stakes winners and 20 individual stakes placed horses.
He could have done better with better support, but a few of his progeny can be followed next season.
His black type statistics should increase.
