Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago) continues to make waves this year. Sire of 2017 Gr1 Sun Met winner Whisky Baron, Manhattan Rain was represented by his first Australian Gr1 winner on Saturday when his bargain buy daughter She Will Reign prevailed by 2.25 lengths in the Gr1 Longines Golden Slipper, the world’s richest race for 2yos.

In the process, She Will Reign made it four wins from just five outings and pushed her earnings to over AUS$2.5 million –a handsome return on the $20 000 paid to acquire her as a yearling!

Manhattan Rain, who was relocated from Arrowfield Stud to Blue Gum Farm, earlier this year, is now the sire of 163 runners- of whom 96 have won and ten are stakes winners.

A top class racehorse, Manhattan Rain won the Gr1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Gr3 Skyline Stakes and also ran second to champion So You Think (High Chaparral) in the 2009 Gr1 Cox Plate.

His star South African son Whisky Baron, undefeated since being gelded, is set to be exported for a crack at the Gr1 Hong Kong Cup at the end of 2017.

The Slipper also provided yet more proof of the enduring legacy of the great broodmare Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) –dam of Manhattan Rain.
Herself a daughter of a Golden Slipper winner, Shantha’s Choice has now been represented by two Golden Slipper siring sons –with her great son Redoute’s Choice having sired former Slipper winners Miss Finland and Stratum. The latter, now deceased, himself made history when he sired ill-fated Gr1 Golden Slipper heroine Crystal Lily.

(Interestingly She Will Reign also has ties to South Africa through her broodmare sire Charge Forward (Red Ransom), whose dam is former SA Gr1 winner Sydney’s Dream (Bletchingly)).