At Hong Kong's prestigious international meeting on Sunday at Sha Tin sensational Group I Hong Kong Mile winner Able Friend (Shamardal) provided further confirmation of Volksraad (Green Desert) as a burgeoning broodmare sire influence.
Volksraad was a dominant stallion from the day his
progeny first set foot on a racetrack, winning New Zealand's Champion Sire of
2YO's title with a first crop that numbered just 49 foals.
Volksraad's first crop contributed 9 stakes winners to an overall total that, eight sire premiership titles later, numbers 64 to date.
Able Friend became the second grandson of Volksraad to take out this prestigious race following the success of Beauty Flash (Golan) in the race in 2010.
Volksraad stood the majority of his stallion career at Windsor Park Stud and the Hong Kong Mile has been a rewarding race for the Cambridge based stud farm.
Besides breeding and selling Beauty Flash and 1997 race winner Catalan Opening (Kaapstad), Windsor Park also sold Ponte Piccolo (Volksraad), the dam of Able Friend and Miss Priority (Kaapstad), the dam of 2003 race winner Lucky Owners (Danehill) out of their yearling drafts.
Like champion sires before him, Volksraad is now fashioning an excellent record as a broodmare sire with his tally of stakes winners in that role now totaling 27 and including Gr.1 VRC Newmarket Handicap winner Shamexpress (O'Reilly).
At next month's New Zealand Bloodstock yearling sale series at Karaka 36 yearlings out of Volksraad mares are catalogued for sale across all three sale sessions.
News from Windsor Park
