CONFORMATION

“She took my breath away when she was led out of her stall at the sale,” recalled Barry Irwin. “She is going to be over 16 hands 1 ½ inches when fully mature.

“She stands over a ton of ground and has great depth. She looks more like a colt than a filly.

“Her sire can get horses that are too tall for their own good, but I would not say this filly is one of them.

“I was enthralled by her beauty. We were going to buy her at any price.”

PEDIGREE

Click here for pedigree of Hip 54 - Catch The Wind

SIRE - Jet Master

Jet Master was the first horse in the history of South Africa to win as many at 8 Grade 1 races. In spite of a wind ailment that required two separate surgeries to correct it, the grandson of Northern Dancer was able to return to the races and become a Champion.

At stud, he began his career at a top flight farm, but after two season he was forced to change venues just before his third season, which caused him to have a smaller book.

Beginning at stud with a fee of about $1,250, Jet Master has become the most dominant sire in the nation, leading the list this season by a margin of nearly 50 percent more earnings than the runner up.

Seven sons and daughters have already won Grade 1 races.

He will become the first South African foaled stallion to lead the country’s sire list in decades.

His fee has been raised to $40,000 for 2007.

Barry Irwin offered a substantial sum to the owners of the stallion to bring him to the United States, but the octogenarian owner refused to part with his pride and joy.

FAMILY

This filly does not have a lot of quality production in the first three dams, but her sire has made a habit of siring top performers out of mares like this.

The dam was a winner and has produced 4 winners from 6 runners. She is a full sister to Cardinal Sin, a 6-time winner of the Newmarket Guineas. This colt was Graded placed in a Grade 2 prep for the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas.

The most notable offspring in the fourth dam was Star Effort, a Champion Filly at 2 in South Africa.

BROODMARE SIRE - Great Brother

Say what? Great Who?

Great Brother. Didn’t he star in that movie “Brother From Another Planet?”

But seriously…Great Brother was a half-brother to Cavo Doro, a two-time Group winner in Ireland who ran second in the English Derby to Morston. Cavo Doro was also the broodmare sire of Torgau, the highweight 2yo filly in Ireland, which was campaigned by Team Valor.

NOTES

Jet Master is represented this season by two Horse of the Year candidates in Mythical Flight, an unbeaten multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter, and Pocket Power, winner of the Grade 1 J & B Met in his last start.

TRAINER

Glen Kotzen is Barry Irwin’s favorite trainer. He trained Alexandra Rose for Team Valor.

“I like Glen because he is never afraid to tell me bad news, which is so very important in this endeavor,” Irwin said.

He has proven to be a very talented horseman. His father is a horseman and his brother is Mike de Kock’s assistant in Durban.

Kotzen also has his own training establishment outside of Cape Town, where he maintains a good racing surface.