NEWS YOU CAN USE!

A high-quality field of ten will line up in Saturday’s R1,5 million Gr1 Daily News 2000 at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

The race is a Hollywoodbets Durban July golden ticket event and is run alongside the Gr1 Woolavington 2000.

There are four Gr1 winners in the line-up. The Gr1 Daily News 2000 has proved an excellent barometer of equine excellence. Among its recent winners were the likes of Safe Passage,

Got The Greenlight, Hawwaam and Edict Of Nantes – all of whom went on to be named Equus Champions.

Surcharge (Gimmethegreenlight), winner of the 2018 Daily News 2000, reached arguably even greater heights as he went on to capture, under the name of Yulong Prince, the 2020 Gr1

Kennedy Cantala in Australia. However, the Daily News’ real lasting legacy is perhaps the quality of stallion the race has thrown up.

Elevation, who won when it was named the Dick King Stakes, went on to become Champion Sire in South Africa, while champion Bush Telegraph, victorious in 1987, left behind a host of stakes winners led by Horse Of The Year, and fellow Daily News 2000 winner, London News.

The latter’s multiple stakes winning own-sister Secret Pact (Bush Telegraph) has become a very influential broodmare, with Secret Pact dam or ancestress of a host of top-class horses including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winning sire Pluck (More Than Ready) and Triple Crown winning sire Malmoos to name but two.

Secret Pact is also granddam of Gr2 Premier Trophy/Gr2 Peninsula Handicap winner Master Of My Fate (Jet Master), one of South Africa’s most successful stallions currently active at stud. Arguably the best two stallions to have emerged from the Daily News 2000 are the 2003 winner Dynasty (Fort Wood) and 2013 victor Vercingetorix (Silvano).

Former Horse Of The Year Dynasty, whose flagbearers this season include dual Gr1 winners Desert Miracle and Make It Snappy, made a big impression on the Daily News 2000 itself. Not only did the champion win the Daily News 2000, but Dynasty sired a trio of Daily News 2000 winners in the form of Jackson, Legislate and Irish Flame.

All three went on to stand at stud, with Legislate and Irish Flame named Horse Of The Year in 2013-2014 and 2009-2010 respectively. Jackson and Legislate have both gone on to sire numerous stakes winners, with Legislate doing particularly well from small numbers of foals on the ground.

Dynasty is also the sire of champion Futura,

South Africa’s Horse Of The Year in 20142015, and an increasingly successful sire whose stakes winners this season include Gr3 Politician Stakes winner Rockpool (who caught the eye with a fast finishing third place effort in Saturday’s Gr3 WSB Legal Eagle Stakes), impressive Gr3 WSB Gold Bowl victor Future Pearl, as well as the likes of Dawnofanewday, Ekoria, and Thefutureisbright.

Another son of Dynasty, Gr1 Cape Guineas winner Act Of War, is the sire of Friday’s Listed WSB East Cape Derby hero Machete Man, as well as champion War Of Athena and 2021 Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint winner Battle Force.

Champion Vercingetorix has proven an excellent sire since retiring to stud in 2015. The son of five times champion South African sire Silvano has already come up with seven Gr1 winners, with Vercingetorix’s progeny ranging from Gr1 winning sprinter Alesian Chief to champion stayer Nebraas.

His champion son Cousin Casey represents Vercingetorix in Saturday’s big race.

Elusive Fort is another Daily News 2000 winning champion who has gone on to have a successful career at stud.

The triple Gr1 winner has left behind a plethora of high-class performers notably Gr1 winners Siren’s Call, Out Of Your League, and Kommetdieding.

The latter, winner of the 2021 Gr1 Vodacom Durban July and 2022 Gr1 WSB Cape Town Met, will look to further his sire’s legacy with Kommetdieding standing his first season at Klawervlei Stud this year.