Triple Equus Champion, and Champion First Crop Sire, What A Winter enjoyed a notable treble this past weekend.
The four time G1 winner’s trio of winners was headed by his daughter Magical Wonderland’s impressive victory in the G2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes, on the first day of the 2018 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate race meeting on Friday.
Trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, and booted home by Aldo Domeyer, Magical Wonderland proved that sprinting is her game with a facile two length win over Listed Irridescence Stakes winner Rose In Bloom, with such graded stakes winners as Princess Peach, Jo’s Bond, Live Life, Green Plains and Equus Champion Just Sensual well beaten behind her.
In the process, Magical Wonderland stamped herself a potential G1 contender in the making!
Bred by the Maine Chance Farms, Magical Wonderland (a R450 000 buy from the 2016 Cape Premier Yearling Sale) has now won five of her seven outings and is unbeaten in five starts over sprint trips. It was a first graded success for Magical Wonderland (a member of What A Winter’s stellar first crop) who had previously won both the Listed Kenilworth Fillies Nursery and Perfect Promise Sprint last season.
The filly was Cape Racing’s Champion 2YO Filly last season.
What A Winter, a multiple champion sprinter himself, also had a hugely impressive juvenile winner over the weekend in the form of the Drakenstein Stud bred and owed Clouds Unfold.
Also trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, Clouds Unfold produced an impressive turn of foot to make a winning debut over 1000 metres on L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day.
The filly, who holds an entry in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes on Sun Met day, romped home to score by 2.25 lengths and Clouds Unfold looks another bright prospect for What A Winter.
She is yet another impressive winner to have emerged from her sire’s second crop, with What A Winter sired 2yos this season including another smart debut winner in the form of Vertical Descent.
What A Winter’s third winner of the weekend was the Dr Ian Heyns bred Imagine That who enjoyed a step up to 1600m when breaking her maiden by three parts of a length over 1600m at Scottsville on Saturday.
Undoubtedly one of the country’s most exciting young stallions, What A Winter has 11 lots on this month’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale, including a full-sister to G3 Cape Nursery winner Dutch Philip (Lot 165).
Original Article Written By: Cape Breeders Club