Regally bred stallion Assafa sired his first winner at Warracknabeal on Saturday and then doubled up at Mudgee on Sunday.

Afassafire (3f Assafa – Fire And Desire by King of Kings) was having her first start for Geelong trainer Niall Phillips when she opened his account in the XXXX Gold Maiden Plate (1100m).

Plenty in the Kit (3f Assafa – Marmie by Armidale) was appearing for the just the second time after 12 months on the sidelines when she saluted in the Happy Easter Sunday Maiden Hcp (1200m).  She is prepared by Danny Parsons at Cowra.

Assafa (Danehill) stands at John Todd’s Allandale Thoroughbreds for a $2,000 fee.  The Bathurst based stud is also home to Martin Place (Street Cry), Barbajuan (Danehill Dancer), Diogenes (Marscay), Annenkov (Danehill) and Carry the Crown (Carry the Crown).

Assafa cost Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa $640,000 at the 2003 Gold Coast Magic Millions.  He was trained by John Sadler to win at Sandown-Hillside in September 2004 and he followed up with a G3 placing behind Fastnet Rock in the L’oreal Paris Plate at Flemington.  

Transferred to Trevor McKee the following year, he won at Te Rapa before retiring to stud after just 16 starts.

Danehill got him from Leopardstown winner Marigot Bay (Fairy King).  Second dam Prawn Cocktail (Artichoke) foaled 8 winners including Danehill’s Australian stakes winners Langoustine (G2 VRC Maribyrnong Plate) and One World (G3 VRC Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes).

Prawn Cocktail was a half-sister to Royal Academy (Nijinsky) and the dam of Storm Cat (Storm Bird).