South African connections enjoyed a low-key winner at Kyneton Racecourse in Australia on Wednesday when the beautifully bred Written Tycoon filly National Code scored under Daniel Stackhouse at a track often referred to as the ‘prettiest’ country venue in Victoria, due to the picturesque landscape and the imposing established elm trees, which line the track.
Racing in a partnership of Mike de Kock, Larry Nestadt, Hollywood Racing and the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud, the four-year-old cracked her maiden on Wednesday under jockey Daniel Stackhouse for the trainer team of Ben, Will & JD Hayes.
The four-year-old boasts a female line well known in South Africa. Her dam Sarraqa is a Snitzel daughter of Champion Female Sprinter National Colour, whose exploits on the racetrack yielded Gr1 victories in all of the Computaform Sprint, Mercury and SA Fillies Sprint in South Africa, subsequent to which she ran second in the prestigious Gr1 Nunthorpe Stakes in the UK.
National Colour spent her broodmare career in Australia, yet her best progeny raced in South Africa, notably the Redoute’s Choice colts Rafeef and Mustaaqeem, both of which were trained by Mike de Kock for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The former emulated his dam in winning the Gr1 Computaform Sprint and has made a name for himself as one of the country’s elite stallions. Remarkably, his sons Master Archie and Thunderstruck became third-generation winners of the Computaform, winning the 1000m dash in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
Mustaaqeem, who stands in South America, was named the country’s Champion Juvenile Colt and won the Gr1 SA Nursery. Their Sebring half-sister Circle Of Speed scored twice for Sean Tarry and has produced the classy filly Full Velocity, who claimed both the Gr3 Poinsettia and KwaZulu-Natal Stakes for Hollywood Racing and the Tarry stable.
National Code’s dam Sarraqa never raced, but has followed in the footsteps of her dam as a Gr1 producer, striking with her very first foal, the Dundeel colt Celestial Legend, who landed both the Gr1 Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Handicap. National Code is her second foal and was followed by a Maurice colt.
National Code’s sire Written Tycoon needs no introduction.
He was Australia’s leading first-season sire in 2010/11, and leading sire of two-year-olds in 2015/16 and again in 2023/2024.
Nine-times Victorian Champion Sire, the now 23-year-old stands for a private fee again this breeding season and while he may be in the twilight of a brilliant stallion career, he sired three Gr1 winners last season: the Australian Guineas winners Captured By Love and Private Life, plus Southport Tycoon, winner of the Gr1 Manikato in New Zealand.