Twice Over's first-crop son Do It Again claims second Durban July

In entering the history books at Greyville on Saturday when becoming the first horse in about two decades to win consecutive runnings of the Grade 1 Durban July, Do It Again also proved how Juddmonte Farms' bloodlines are rising to the top in South African breeding.

From the first crop of Juddmonte's 2010 European champion older horse Twice Over, Do It Again surged past multiple Grade 1 winner Rainbow Bridge to gain the top prize in the race billed as Africa's greatest horseracing event, and become only the fifth horse to gain back-to-back wins in a contest inaugurated in 1897.

Rainbow Bridge is a son of Juddmonte-bred multiple French stakes winner Ideal World, who was sired by Kingmambo from Juddmonte’s American champion turf mare Banks Hill. Ideal World in turn has sired the likes of multiple South African Grade 1 winner Smart Call, who also won stakes in Britain.

Twice Over and Ideal World both currently rank among South Africa’s top 12 leading sires, as does Querari, a son of Juddmonte champion and outstanding sire Oasis Dream. Querari’s daughter Cockney Pride prevailed in the Grade 2 Golden Slipper on the Durban July programme.

But rising five-year-old Do It Again was the undeniable superstar for the day and for the 2018-19 South African season, during which he also prevailed in two other Grade 1 events, the Queen's Plate and the Gold Challenge, while making a bid for the Horse of the Year title.

Do It Again is led in after his Durban July heroicsCredit: Michele MacDonald

By siring Do It Again in his first crop, Twice Over has stamped himself as a stallion capable of getting a valiant champion who can carry top weight and succeed where many others failed or did not even try; the 11-furlong Durban July is a handicap in which past winners have often conceded significant weight to rivals, making it particularly testing to win the race consecutively.

Do It Again, who was honoured as South Africa’s champion three-year-old male for the 2017-18 season, carried 60kg (over 9st 6lb) in this year's Durban July, giving from 0.5kg (slightly more than 1lb) to 8kg (just over 1st 3lb) to his adversaries.

“He’s a legend,” praised jubilant trainer Justin Snaith, who indicated Do It Again is likely to be given a vacation and then return to racing in South Africa next season, with international targets a possibility if restrictions on the exportation of South African horses are eased, as expected.

“We had so much faith in him, and I’m just glad he showcased what he’s about. I wanted everyone to have the respect for this horse that he deserves."

Among those in attendance at Greyville to witness Do It Again’s historic feat was John Koster, managing director of Klawervlei Stud, where Twice Over stands and which is located near Bonnievale in the Western Cape.

Koster described Twice Over as an amazing horse, partly due to his amiable personality, and he indicated that the stallion, who has commanded a fee of R50,000 (£2,815/€3,140), has benefited from increasing quality in his books of mares.

“One hundred mares is a very good book in South Africa, and he normally gets between 100 and 120 [each year],” said Koster. “He’s had great support with a very good syndicate that supports him, and he’s had a lot of outside support as well. He’s definitely been getting better mares than he’s had before.

“He was an extremely courageous horse and he’s an unbelievably kind horse," continued Koster, adding with a laugh that Twice Over is so smart "he can read and write".

"And If you put an apple in your pocket, he'll find it and take it out of your pocket and eat it. He's the kindest, kindest horse. He hasn't got a nasty bone in his body. And he covers well, he's fertile, and he's just a pleasure to work with."

Breeding records indicate Twice Over has 240 foals of racing age in his first three crops and has sired seven black-type performers, including another Grade 1 winner from his initial crop, Sand And Sea. Among his other top progeny is multiple Graded winner Doublemint, who finished ninth of 16 in the Durban July field while also trained by Snaith.

A son of Observatory and the Caerleon mare Double Crossed who is advertised as standing at 16.3 hands tall, Twice Over has 82 two-year-olds and at least 60 yearlings, with some yearlings possibly not yet captured in international pedigree databases.

While trained by Sir Henry Cecil and competing in five different countries in his career, Twice Over was the rarest kind of sound individual, winning stakes at ages three, four, five and six, including four Group 1 races in Britain and Group 2 events in France and the UAE.

He also placed third in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic won by Zenyatta over a synthetic track at Santa Anita and in the 2010 Irish Champion Stakes won by Cape Blanco, as well as in six other Group 1 races in Britain, including a runner-up effort in the 2010 Prince of Wales's Stakes won by Juddmonte's Byword by half a length.

If you enjoyed this, you should read:

Summer Romance giving her breeders the Donworths a major thrill

Galileo's fingerprints on another Group 1 as Enable claims Coral-Eclipse

Tiggy Wiggy's son Year Of The Tiger roars to success at Naas