Drakenstein Stud’s four-time G1 winning sire What A Winter has been responsible for a plethora of stakes winners this season, and the champion son of Western Winter struck again when his daughter Humdinger won the G2 East Coast Radio Tibouchina Stakes (1400m) at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
Winner of the G2 Topbet Joburg Spring F and M Challenge earlier in the season, four-year-old Humdinger was given a fine ride by JP Van Der Merwe in Saturday’s G2 contest. Van Der Merwe bought the Mike de Kock trained filly with a challenge 200m from home, and the pair kept finding to hold off a strong late challenge from G3 Poinsettia Stakes queen Marigold Hotel and win the R300 000 contest by a neck.
The Tibouchina Stakes was a great result for What A Winter, whose daughters Humdinger and Miss Cool ran first and fourth respectively.
It was a smart win from the victorious Humdinger, who had a poor draw to overcome and was keen early on in the running.
Bred by Ridgemont Highlands, Humdinger has won seven of 21 starts and earned R928 125 in prize money.
Humdinger, who is out of the Fort Wood mare Himalayan Hill, was winning her third black type race on Saturday, with the What A Winter filly having also won the 2022 Listed Off To Stud Stakes.
A full-sister to Listed Milkwood Stakes winner Glacier Gold, Humdinger is one of a growing number of stakes-winning daughters of What A Winter. This list also includes dual G1 Majorca Stakes winner Clouds Unfold, and graded stakes winners Magical Wonderland, Winter Cloud, Distant Winter, Celestial Love, Winter Smoke, Cold Fact, and the aforementioned G2 Heineken SA Nursery winner Miss Cool.
South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2020-2021, What A Winter’s flagbearers this season also include G1 Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint winner Isivunguvungu. The champion went close to enjoying yet more feature race success on Saturday when his two-year-old son Winter Games finished runner up in the Listed The Sharks Gatecrasher Stakes, with Winter Games making just his third start on Saturday.
Runner up on South Africa’s General Sires List for the current season (his progeny have already earned more than R14.658 million in 2022-2023), What A Winter has seven yearlings on offer at this week’s Cape Racing Winter Mixed Sale.
Original article written by Cape Breeders Club