Drakenstein Stud’s top class resident sire Duke Of Marmalade has been in great form of late, with his offspring landing three feature races over the past few days.
First of Duke Of Marmalade’s progeny to score was his daughter Responsibleforlove, who picked up her second black type victory when landing Wednesday’s CTT & Toc Handicap at Del Mar.
The tough four-year-old, now a four time winner, had previously won the Listed Premio Mario Incisa and been second in the G3 Santa Barbara Stakes.
Restrained well off the pace, Responsibleforlove pulled early,then chased inside as favored East Coast transfer Goldy Espony was allowed to gallop along through six furlongs in a pedestrian 1:15.08. Angled out into the stretch, she was momentarily short of room, but split rivals shortly thereafter and dropped her head on the line first.
Trained by Neil Drysdale, Responsibleforlove, who has won or placed in eight of ten career outings, was ridden to victory in the 2200m contest by Joe Talamo.
Duke Of Marmalade then enjoyed a notable group/graded double when his son Marmelo won Sunday’s G2 Prix Kergorlay at Deauville, and another son, Can’thelpbelieving (whose dam resides in South Africa), landed the same day’s G2 Sky Classic Stakes in Canada.
Marmelo, bred on similar lines to his sire’s top class performers Simple Verse and Venus De Milo, made it win number three (and group victory number two) when landing Sunday’s Darley Prix Kergorlay for trainer Hughie Morrison.
The four-year-old colt, who had previously landed the G3 Prix de Barbeville, had been second in the G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil last time out. Marmelo, whose victims on Sunday included reigning Melbourne Cup favourite Red Cardinal, holds entries in both the G1 Corner Group International Irish St Leger and G2 British Champions Long Distance Cup.
The Duke’s third recent feature race winner came when his son Can’thelpbelieving landed his first G2 victory when capturing Sunday’s Sky Classic Stakes at Woodbine.
Trained by Graham Motion, Can’thelpbelieving, whose previous victories include the G3 Cliff Hanger Stakes, had been runner up in a pair of graded features at his last two outings but made amends in Sunday’s feature with a 1.25 length win in the Sky Classic. Can’thelpbelieving, runner up in the G1 United Nations earlier this year, has now earned in excess of $490 000 and he could go next in either the G1 Northern Dancer Stakes or G1 Pattison Canadian International.
Cartier Champion Duke Of Marmalade, who is from the same family as champion South African sire Al Mufti, has some exceptionally well bred two-year-olds representing him in 2017-2018, with his first local crop including siblings to the likes of such graded stakes winners as Jeppe’s Reef, Disco Al, Halve The Deficit, Horizon and G1 Golden Horseshoe winner Afrikaburn.
Original Article Written By: Cape Breeders Club