Adams signals bid to make Nadeson Park a powerhouse stud farm
Purchase of five-time grade 1 winner Got The Greenlight completed amid some hard bidding
28 February 2022 - 13:38
byDAVID MOLLETT
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The outright acquisition of five-time grade 1 winner Got The Greenlight by Hassen Adams for R4.75m at an auction on Saturday is proof of the former business mogul’s intention to make Nadeson Park Farm one of the powerhouse studs in SA.
It wasn’t plain sailing for Adams to keep his horse, as John Freeman was a spirited underbidder.
Adams had a sterling business career and his main positions included chair of Grand Parade Investments, executive chair of Burger King SA, director of Gold Circle, director of Cape Town Fish Market and director of Afriserve.
Got The Greenlight — trained at Turffontein by Joe Soma — had an outstanding career with his 21 starts yielding eight wins and 10 placings. As a son of Gimmethegreenlight, he was always going to be popular in the stallion ranks.
Got The Greenlight raced for Adams, Soma and Dayalan Chinsammy. He was strongly fancied for the 2021 Durban July but had to settle for third behind Kommetdieding.
Nadeson Park Stud is at the foot of the Hemel & Aarde mountain range and Gotthegreenlight was bred there out of the Commands mare Command Chi.
Adams’s faith in Gimmethegreenlight — the first three-year-old in 40 years to win the Queen’s Plate — is born out by the fact that he consigned 10 of his progeny to the recent Cape Premier Yearling Sale held at De Grendel wine estate.
Nadeson Park ended up fourth on the vendors list with an aggregate of R3.31m and that total was bettered only by Klawervlei Stud, Ridgemont Highlands and Drakenstein Stud.
Of the 10 yearlings sent to the CTS sale, a colt by Gimmethegreenlight was sold for R450,000 and three fillies for R400,000, R275,000 and R250,000 respectively.
The Vaal hosts an eight-race programme on Tuesday and the filly Night Lily rates a banker bet for punters in the first leg of the jackpot.
Bred at Bosworth Farm — breeders of 2013 Durban July winner Heavy Metal — Night Lily has placed three times in her four outings and trainer Robbie Sage looks to have found the right opportunity for the filly to leave the maiden ranks.
The main threat to the favourite is likely to be Pretty In Pearls while Elusive Rocket could also take a hand in the finish.
It’s good news that jockey Richard Fourie — successful on Pomp and Power in last Saturday's Cape Derby — is making regular trips to the highveld and he should go close on Mike de Kock’s filly Florentine in the fifth race.
While Florentine, out of the talented racemare Franny, would prefer a longer trip, she is bumping modest opposition with Sacred Lotus and Cleveland her major rivals.
De Kock sends out his recent winner Sybaris in the final event on the card and the well-bred filly could follow up provided she can beat Keagan De Melo’s mount Greengrowthelilacs.
De Melo has been in top form this year and he rode three winners at Kenilworth last Saturday including Cosmic Highway (Diadem Stakes) and Certainly (Cape Yearling Sale Cup). Certainly’s full-sister, a daughter of Wylie Hall, was sold for R130,000 at Sunday’s BSA Cape Yearling Sale.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (2) Risky Business (1) Song Of Liberty (8) Colour Code (4) Namibgroos
2nd Race: (1) Fire Lord (2) Petaca (4) Sonnenstrahl (7) Privilege
3rd Race: (2) Pottinger (4) Jaipur Jewel (1) Dj Junior (7) Gimme A Dream
4th Race: (2) Night Lily (10) Pretty In Pearls (3) Elusive Rocket (6) Hydrangea
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Adams signals bid to make Nadeson Park a powerhouse stud farm
Purchase of five-time grade 1 winner Got The Greenlight completed amid some hard bidding
The outright acquisition of five-time grade 1 winner Got The Greenlight by Hassen Adams for R4.75m at an auction on Saturday is proof of the former business mogul’s intention to make Nadeson Park Farm one of the powerhouse studs in SA.
It wasn’t plain sailing for Adams to keep his horse, as John Freeman was a spirited underbidder.
Adams had a sterling business career and his main positions included chair of Grand Parade Investments, executive chair of Burger King SA, director of Gold Circle, director of Cape Town Fish Market and director of Afriserve.
Got The Greenlight — trained at Turffontein by Joe Soma — had an outstanding career with his 21 starts yielding eight wins and 10 placings. As a son of Gimmethegreenlight, he was always going to be popular in the stallion ranks.
Got The Greenlight raced for Adams, Soma and Dayalan Chinsammy. He was strongly fancied for the 2021 Durban July but had to settle for third behind Kommetdieding.
Nadeson Park Stud is at the foot of the Hemel & Aarde mountain range and Gotthegreenlight was bred there out of the Commands mare Command Chi.
Adams’s faith in Gimmethegreenlight — the first three-year-old in 40 years to win the Queen’s Plate — is born out by the fact that he consigned 10 of his progeny to the recent Cape Premier Yearling Sale held at De Grendel wine estate.
Nadeson Park ended up fourth on the vendors list with an aggregate of R3.31m and that total was bettered only by Klawervlei Stud, Ridgemont Highlands and Drakenstein Stud.
Of the 10 yearlings sent to the CTS sale, a colt by Gimmethegreenlight was sold for R450,000 and three fillies for R400,000, R275,000 and R250,000 respectively.
The Vaal hosts an eight-race programme on Tuesday and the filly Night Lily rates a banker bet for punters in the first leg of the jackpot.
Bred at Bosworth Farm — breeders of 2013 Durban July winner Heavy Metal — Night Lily has placed three times in her four outings and trainer Robbie Sage looks to have found the right opportunity for the filly to leave the maiden ranks.
The main threat to the favourite is likely to be Pretty In Pearls while Elusive Rocket could also take a hand in the finish.
It’s good news that jockey Richard Fourie — successful on Pomp and Power in last Saturday's Cape Derby — is making regular trips to the highveld and he should go close on Mike de Kock’s filly Florentine in the fifth race.
While Florentine, out of the talented racemare Franny, would prefer a longer trip, she is bumping modest opposition with Sacred Lotus and Cleveland her major rivals.
De Kock sends out his recent winner Sybaris in the final event on the card and the well-bred filly could follow up provided she can beat Keagan De Melo’s mount Greengrowthelilacs.
De Melo has been in top form this year and he rode three winners at Kenilworth last Saturday including Cosmic Highway (Diadem Stakes) and Certainly (Cape Yearling Sale Cup). Certainly’s full-sister, a daughter of Wylie Hall, was sold for R130,000 at Sunday’s BSA Cape Yearling Sale.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (2) Risky Business (1) Song Of Liberty (8) Colour Code (4) Namibgroos
2nd Race: (1) Fire Lord (2) Petaca (4) Sonnenstrahl (7) Privilege
3rd Race: (2) Pottinger (4) Jaipur Jewel (1) Dj Junior (7) Gimme A Dream
4th Race: (2) Night Lily (10) Pretty In Pearls (3) Elusive Rocket (6) Hydrangea
5th Race: (4) Florentine (2) Sacred Lotus (5) Cleveland (3) Nordic Rebel
6th Race: (8) Team Gold (9) Irish Tractor (4) Willow Express (6) Noble Striker
7th Race: (9) Mirren (8) Aryaam (2) Opera Glass (7) Woman Of Substance
8th Race: (4) Sybaris (1) Greengrowthelilacs (3) Cap Estel (6) Run For Isla
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