PROMISING TWO-YEAR-OLD “SPRINGS” FROM A GREAT FAMILY
Beautifully bred two-year-old Roland Garros (by Vercingetorix), a R1 300 000 buy from the 2024 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, is the latest promising winner descended in female line from Cheveley Stud’s late, great mare Mystic Spring.
Roland Garros
Roland Garros is the first winner produced by the Captain Al mare Amy Johnson, winner of the then Listed Perfect Promise Sprint. Herself a daughter of the Jet Master sired Oaks Trial / Listed Syringa Handicap, Listed winner Touch The Sky, Amy Johnson is a granddaughter of the outstanding Mystic Spring, Equus Broodmare Of The Year in 2016-2017.
Touch The Sky was one of an astonishing seven stakes winners produced by Mystic Spring, with the latter responsible for five graded stakes winners.
Bela-Bela
This tally included a pair of Equus Champions in the form of Bela-Bela (herself the dam of Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship winner Ciao Bella and the stakes placed Bela Vista) and the ill-fated Rabiya respectively, with Mystic Spring also dam of such graded stakes winners as Secret Captain (Gr 2 KZN Guineas), Secret Of Victoria (Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes, Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes, Gr 3 Strelitzia Stakes), and Spring Lilac (Gr 3 Fillies Nursery).
Secret Of Victoria and Spring Lilac both proved outstanding broodmares with Secret Of Victoria (by Goldkeeper)’s impressive tally of 11 winners headed by Equus Champion All Is Secret and fellow Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship winner The Secret Is Out.
Snowdance
Secret Of Victoria’s Joshua Dancer sired half-sister Spring Lilac foaled a further 11 winners, with her tally headed by dual Gr 1 winner Snowdance (dam of Gr1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot), and at the time Gr 2 New Turf Carriers Cape Summer Stayers winner Navy Strength.
One of the finest broodmares to grace South Africa this century, Mystic Spring, despite failing to sparkle on the racetrack continues to make her presence felt on the turf. At the time of writing, Mystic Spring’s descendants included at more than 20 stakes winners, including this season’s Gr 1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met / Gr 1 SplashOut Cape Derby winner Eight On Eighteen (by Lancaster Bomber). The latter was produced by the Captain Al mare Sempre Libre, a daughter of Mystic Spring.
Eight On Eighteen
Captain Al, the sire of Amy Johnson and Sempre Libre, has enjoyed tremendous success with both Mystic Spring and her daughters. Captain Al sired Mystic Spring’s Gr 2 KZN Guineas winning son Secret Captain Al, and he also ranks as the sire of Mystic Spring’s Gr 1 winning descendants All Is Secret, Snowdance (dam of Snow Pilot), and The Secret Is Out.
