Varsfontein stallion Gimmethegreenlight capped a glorious Classic Day feature treble at Turffontein on Saturday by siring the first three home in the R1.5 million Grade 1 SA Classic (1800m).
Last season’s champion two-year-old, Got The Greenlight led home Green Laser and Youcanthurrylove to register his second win at the highest level.
Although he carries the SAf suffix, Got The Greenlight’s sire and dam originated in Australia.
Bred by Nadeson Park Stud, Got The Greenlight races in a partnership of Dayalan Chinsammy, Hassen Adams and Joey Soma and was one of three graded stakes winners on the day for Varsfontein sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) and is out of the one-time winner Command Chi (Commands).
Winner of the Grade 1 Queen’s Plate (1600m) at Kenilworth, Gimmiethegreenlight (More Than Ready) was also represented by Grade 3 winner Lady Of Steel and Listed winner Green Haze on the Turffontein card.
The leading first-season sire in South Africa in 2015-16, Gimmethegreenlight currently has 23 stakes winners from 313 runners and his fee at Varsfontein last season was advertised at R75,000.
He has three Grade 1 winners including the Greyville Daily News 2000 Stakes winner Surcharge, now racing in Australia as Yulong Prince where he is a Listed winner.
Got The Greenlight sold for R110,000 as a yearling at the Cape sale to Joey Soma. His dam Command Chi is inbred 3×4 to Danzig and by Commands (Danehill), a winner in South Africa after being sold as a yearling for A$100,000 at the Inglis Melbourne yearling sale and then a R475,000 2yo at the Cape sale later in 2013.
Got The Greenlight’s granddam Chivana is by Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr Prospector) and won twice in Australia, Listed placed in the Gibson-Carmichael Stakes at two.
The third-dam Giovana (Blues Traveller) is inbred 4×4 to Sir Ivor and won four times at Group 1 level in Australia and New Zealand including the 2000 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm and the 2002 Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham.
Further back Got The Greenlight is descended from the 1985 Queensland Derby winner Tristina (Sir Tristram).