South Africa lost one of its leading thoroughbred stallions of the past decade when Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm announced the death of resident sire Var.Var (by Forest Wildcat) was Joint Champion Older Male Sprinter in Britain in 2004. He won seven of 22 starts including the 2004 G1 Prix de l’Abbaye, where Var accounted for The Tatling by half a length.

Retired to stud at Avontuur in 2005, Var was South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, with his 56 stakes winners (thus far) headed by dual Horse Of The Year Variety Club, and fellow Equus Champions Val De Ra, Via Africa, Vardy and Anything Goes, and fellow G1 winners August Rush, Contador, Eden Roc, Normanz, Rivarine Sommerlied and Villandry.Var has also become an increasingly successful broodmare sire, with his daughters having already produced the likes of champion Tempting Fate, Australian G1 winner In The Congo, G3 Starling Stakes heroine She’s A Giver, the progressive Master Archie, and Listed KwaZulu-Natal Stakes queen Miss Frankel.
At the time of writing Var, had been responsible for more than 100 black type horses including recent G3 Lebelo Sprint winner Anna Capri.