First foal for Rio de la Plata

Slickly mare Maka produces a colt this morning

Three-time G1 winner Rio de la Plata sired his first foal on Tuesday January 21 when the Stakes-placed juvenile Maka, by fellow Haras du Logis stallion Slickly, foaled a lovely bay colt.

Bred by Haras du Logis, Julian Ince was glowing in praise of the new arrival, "He has size and strength, great bone, a deep shoulder and powerful hind quarters".

Maka, who was second in the listed Prix Vallee d'Auge at Deauville as a juvenile, has already produced a Stakes winner though her first foal Make It Reel (Country Reel), who won the listed Prix Yacowlef for two-year-olds in France last season.

Rio de la Plata, who stands for a fee of €7,000 Oct 1st, SLF, was crowned French Champion juvenile after winning the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium), and proving to be tough, sound and progressive, he went onto win a brace of Italian G1's as an older horse. He is just about to embark on his second season at stud, with three-quarters of his first book very closely related to Stakes winners.