Champion stallions Encosta De Lago, Redoute’s Choice and More Than Ready were right among the winners in South Africa on Saturday.

In Johannesburg, Dan De Lago (Encosta De Lago), Thin Red Line (Redoute’s Choice) More Than Zealous (More Than Ready) completed a treble for Australian based sires at Turffontein.  In Cape Town, racegoers saw Maureen De Lago (Encosta De Lago) score a brilliant win on debut at Kenilworth.

The Turffontein winners are all trained by Charles Laird for major clients Marcus and Ingrid Jooste.  

DAN DE LAGO (4c Encosta De Lago – The Golden Dane by Danehill) had not been seen since winning the G2 Gold Circle Derby (2400m) in June.  He was racing first-up over 1600m in the Racing Association Hcp and the one-length victory took his record to 5 wins from 9 starts.

Dan De Lago was a $480,000 buy from the Coolmore draft at the 2007 Gold Coast Magic Millions.  His dam The Golden Dane was a Listed winner of the Darby Munro Stakes at Rosehill and the Reginald Allen Hcp at Randwick.  She was also a G1 runner-up to Unworldly in the 2000 Group 1 Flight Stakes.

THIN RED LINE (4f Redoute’s Choice – Isadora by Gold Fever) was a two length winner of the Computaform Express Plate down Turffontein’s 1000m straight course.

Laird also paid $480K for her at the 2007 Gold Coast Magic Millions.  Saturday’s win was just her second in 17 starts although she had earned black-type when runner-up in the G3 Turffontein Fillies Mile and Listed Starling Stakes.

Thin Red Line was given a tough task when asked to run 1600m first-up on November 7 but Laird dropped her back to the minimum trip then added blinkers and that did the trick second-up.

Redoute’s Choice sired the Jo’burg winner from a winning half-sister to Apollo Wonder (Rory’s Jester), a G2 winner of the VRC Bloodhorse Breeders’ Plate and LR SAJC Morphettville Guineas.

MORE THAN ZEALOUS (3c More Than Ready – Zedagal by The Judge) won second time out in the UK Soccer 6 Maiden Plate (1400m) to bring up the hat-trick.  Laird bought him for $120,000 out of the Widden draft at the 2008 Magic Millions National Sale.

Vinery’s Champion 2yo sire got him from 1990 VATC Blue Diamond Prelude (G3) winner Zedagal.  She has thrown 6 winners starting with AJC Widden St (LR) winner Unison (Marauding).

Zedagal is a sister to G1 racehorse and sire Zeditave (The Judge) and a half-sister to G3 winner Alannon (Noalcoholic) who sired Falvelon in a short career at stud.

MAUREEN DE LAGO (2f Encosta De Lago – Seeking A Way by Seeking The Gold) could come back to haunt would-be buyers who overlooked her at the majors earlier this year.  Consigned by Coolmore (as agent), she was passed-in at the Inglis Easter Sale in April and the Magic Millions National Sale in June.

Maureen De Lago was among 10 first starters in the Var Juvenile Plate (800m) at Kenilworth and she justified a 15-10 quote to score by over a length.

Prepared by Justin Snaith, for owner Hassen Adams, she is Encosta de Lago’s third juvenile winner this season following De Lago Bloom (Eagle Farm) and Encosta Diablo (Riccarton).

Maureen De Lago is from Seeking A Way who was a Newmarket winner for trainer John Gosden in October 2003.  The dam is a half-sister to the stakes winners Vidalia (Nijinsky), De Niro (Gulch) and Sofitina (Alydar).

Second dam Waya (Faraway Son) was a Group 2 & 3 winner in France before transferring to the US where she added G1 victories at Aqueduct, Belmont (2) and Santa Anita.