Drakenstein Stud has a stallion band at present which would be the envy of many breeding operations in the world and includes their newly crowned National Champion Sire Trippi.

What better way could the latter have celebrated his new status than by the birth of a first foal to the former darling of the South African turf, Beach Beauty.

The diminutive Dynasty filly gave birth to a Trippi colt last week on Monday and stud manager Ross Fuller said, “He is a very nice size, has good legs and all is good.”

There would have been much relief from a few quarters.

Last year Beach Beauty’s foal by Duke Of Marmalade was still born, much to the sadness of the stud owners and staff as well as the broodmare’s former racing connections.

Beach Beauty of course provided one of the all time fairytales of the South African turf. The story is well documented but a new verse can now be added as her first foal was born on the birthday of Hannah Armitage, daughter of the late Mark Armitage in whose honour Beach Beauty raced.

The colt is likely to be blessed with exceptional speed as well as class.

Trippi won seven races, including five major stakes events, from 1200-1800m. His best trip appeared to be 1400m, the distance of his win in the Gr 1 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park. Interestingly, the horse he beat by half-a-length in that race was More Than Ready, who is the sire of South Africa’s newly crowned Champion Freshman Sire, Gimmethegreenlight.

Beach Beauty won five Gr 1s, three over a mile and two over 1800m, and had an exceptional turn of foot.

Trippi, who is by Mr Prospector-line sire End Sweep, made an immediate impact at stud in the USA. In 2005 he finished eighth on the North American first-crop sires list. The following season he was third on the North American second-crop sires list and in 2007 was third on the third-crop list. He was later as high as 20^th on the general North American Sires list.

He landed in South Africa in 2008 and remains the most expensive horse ever imported to this country.

He has been worth every penny as is proven by last season in which he produced eleven individual black type winners of 18 stakes races. Among these winners was Inara, who won a Gr 1 weight for age mile event in all of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. Real Princess was another Gr 1-winning daughter of Trippi during the season, landing the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint over 1200m, before finishing third against the boys in the Gr 1 weight for age Mercury Sprint. Trippi also produced the winner of the most expensive race ever run in South Africa, the CTS Million Dollar, won by his son Illuminator in January.

Trippi has to date produced three individual Gr 1 winners in South Africa and one in the USA. Furthermore, his daughter Jealous Again won the Gr 2 Queen Mary Stakes over five furlongs at the Royal Ascot meeting from pillar to post by an impressive five lengths in 2009.

End Sweep’s pedigree includes the Northern Dancer-Mr Prospector nick and so does Beach Beauty’s.

Drakenstein’s stallions also include former European Champion Older Horse Duke Of Marmalade, who is the first sire to have an English classic winner while standing in South Africa; two Equus Horses Of The Year in Legislate and Futura, who like Beach Beauty are both by Dynasty; Equus Champion Sprinter What A Winter; Kingsbarns, the first Gr 1-winning son of the immortal Galileo to stand in South Africa; and middle distance racehorse Philanthropist, an outcross sire who won a Gr 3 in North America and produced a champion as well as a Gr 1 winner in his first crop over there.

Beach Beauty is certainly spoilt for choice will be covered by Duke Of Marmalade this season.

Inara has arrived at Drakenstein and an announcement will soon be made regarding who will cover her.

David Thiselton