Halfway To Heaven is halfway to sainthood

Was it Hawwaam’s ridiculously easy win in his last race in South Africa? Or was it Summer Pudding’s eye-popping performance in the Woolavington? Or Rainbow Bridge or Got The Greenlight in their flawless Durban July prep run victories?

There were so many stunning performances at the “super” weekend of 20 graded races that it’s hard to pick a stand-out. But perhaps the true star of the action was a horse that wasn’t even at the races.

Halfway To Heaven was happily munching grass in a paddock in Picketberg on the West Coast as her legend was being burnished thousands of kilometres away in Joburg and Durban.

The mare was already the most celebrated mother in the country, with her first three foals – Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam and Golden Ducat – all having won Grade 1 races. At the weekend she almost made it another “slam” of Grade 1s – within just two days.

Rainbow Bridge and Hawwaam delivered in the Gold Challenge and Champions Challenge respectively, but Golden Ducat just failed in the Daily News 2000 – nonetheless managing a commendable third.

Halfway To Heaven was named Broodmare of the Year in 2019 and will surely follow up this year and attain “blue hen” status – a rare honour reserved for the world’s most exceptional equine mothers.

Like so many horseracing yarns, Halfway To Heaven’s story is remarkable.

She was bred by Gavin Walker at his Bush Hill Stud in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, from his mare Pas De Basque and the champion sire Jet Master. Her granddam was Our Elegant Girl, who Walker bought after seeing her toss off a jockey at Scottsville and trot back to check on him and allow him to remount.

In an interview, Walker told racing writer Andrew Harrison: “I had never seen a racehorse behave in this manner and decided she was a must to add to my broodmares.”

Our Elegant Girl’s daughter by Rambo Dancer, Pas De Basque, won eight races for Walker and trainer Gavin Smith before her visit to Jet Master. The progeny, Halfway To Heaven, was weaned at another of Walker’s farms, near Tulbagh in the Western Cape, where she ran into a pole and nearly killed herself.

Soon thereafter, Harrison relates, Halfway To Heaven narrowly escaped drowning when the nearby 24 Rivers system flooded the farm. Moved to The Alchemy stud, she fractured her off-hind and had to be box-rested for six months. The next escapade was breaking free and galloping through a vineyard, where wire supports ripped up her flesh. Then, in pre-training, a soft sand track resulted on shin soreness.

Eventually, at four years of age, trainer Eric Sands got her onto a racecourse, where she blossomed, winning a clutch of races including the Grade 3 Prix Du Cap.

Racing doyenne Mary Slack spotted Halfway To Heaven’s paddock potential, bought her from Walker and won the Off To Stud Stakes before sending her to stud at Wilgerbosdrift on the West Coast.

The first covering was by Ideal World, standing at Slack’s daughter Jessica’s Mauritzfontein stud near Kimberley. The male foal was named Rainbow Bridge.

Burgeoning sire Silvano was next in line, with Halfway To Heaven producing Hawwaam, who was bought by Sheikh Hamdan of Dubai and put in the care of Mike de Kock. Philanthropist got the honour in 2015, with Golden Ducat the result.

When the latter won the Cape Derby in February this year, Halfway To Heaven became just the eighth South African broodmare to produce three different Grade 1 winners, joining the likes of Maritime and Julie Andrews.

The early promise of Hawwaam saw the mare paying two more visits to Silvano. Her first filly foal, named In Limbo, will soon be racing in Slack’s black and red silks, while a colt is catalogued for auction at next month’s National Yearling Sale and might well break price records.

A weanling by Querari is next on the production line.

Sheikh Hamdan is keen for Hawwaam to strut his stuff on the international stage and is likely to be exported soon. De Kock has spoken of Grade 1 ambitions in Australia and some pundits have identified the Cox Plate as a possible target for the big bay.

Never mind halfway to heaven, our champion mum looks ready to become sainted.

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