The pattern of imported runners capturing major North American turf events is long established. More often than not, they have been sourced from Europe, but this weekend we saw success on the lawn June 13 from a pair from the Southern Hemisphere: Chilean-bred Dona Clota, who took the Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes (G3T), and South African-bred Gimme a Nother, the clear winner of the Eatontown Stakes (G3T).
Chile has supplied numerous top-class performers in the United States over the last 50 years or so. Cougar II earned honors as champion turf horse of 1972 and, since then, other Chilean-breds to have won grade 1 events in the U.S. include Miss Brio, Host, Puerto Madero, Lido Palace, Malek, Mash One, Noches De Rosa, Cocoa Beach, Wild Spirit, Dacita, Wow Cat, and Robert Bruce. The influx from South Africa has been smaller, but it can also claim a U.S. champion turf horse in Hawaii, who earned that honor in 1969.
Dona Clota
Dona Clota came to the U.S. as a champion—she was the top 3-year-old filly in Chile for 2024-25—and a multiple grade 1 winner. She won only one of her first eight starts, although she did finish third in the Arturo Lyon Pena (G1). After finishing fourth in the Polla de Potrancas (G1), Dona Clota turned a corner in the fall of 2024, taking in succession the listed Lisimaco Jaraquemada, the Nacional Ricardo Lyon (G1), and the El Ensayo (G1).
Brought to the U.S., Dona Clota failed to fire in the January 2025 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T), finishing 10th of 11. Given a break until August of that year, she made four starts prior to the Robert G. Dick Memorial, hitting the board just once when third in the Feb. 26 The Very One Stakes (G3T).
Dona Clota's sire is the Irish-bred Ivan Denisovich. A son of Danehill out of champion Hollywood Wildcat—and therefore a closely related half brother to the 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner War Chant—Ivan Denisovich won the 2005 July Stakes (G2) in England and the 2006 Solonaway Stakes in Ireland. He also finished second in the 2005 Prix Morny (G1) and 2006 Secretariat Stakes (G1T), and third in the 2006 St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) and Hollywood Derby (G1T). Beginning his stud career shuttling between Coolmore's Irish and Australian operations, the now 23-year-old has since stood in Chile and Uruguay and is now back in Chile at Haras Don Alberto. He has sired 25 stakes winners, 17 graded, including nine Southern Hemisphere grade/group 1 winners.
Dona Clota's dam Delfa won twice at sprint distances in Chile. She is by Total Impact, a Chilean-bred son of Stuka, who was a group 1 winner in his native country and also captured the 2004 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), 2003 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap (G2), and 2005 Windy Sands Handicap in the U.S. Total Impact was by the 1994 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Stuka, a son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Jade Hunter. Delfa is bred on a similar line to 2012 Chilean champion 2-year-old male Demuestrame, who was by Stuka out of a half sister to Delfa. The family traces back to the British-bred mare Reine Claude, who was imported to Argentina in 1911. Reine Claude is connected to a notable slice of U.S. racing history, as her sister Lisma is the dam of Omar Khayyam, who in 1917 became the first imported horse to win the Kentucky Derby.
Dona Clota follows Preparante, whose successes include the Chilean El Derby (G1), as the second stakes winner by Ivan Denisovich out of a Stuka-line mare (Preparante's dam being by Stuka himself). The Ivan Denisovich/Total Impact version of the cross presents an interesting pattern: Ivan Denisovich's dam, Hollywood Wildcat, is by a son of Roberto out of a Mr. Prospector mare, while Total Impact is by a grandson of Mr. Prospector out of a mare by a son of Roberto. The dam of Mr. Prospector, Gold Digger, and the dam of Roberto, Bramalea, are similarly bred—both by Nashua—and the second dam of Gold Digger is by Bull Dog out of a Blue Larkspur mare, while the dam of Bramalea is by a son of Bull Dog out of a Blue Larkspur mare.
Gimme a Nother
Gimme a Nother arrived from South Africa undefeated in seven starts, five of them graded, including the 2024 South Africa Fillies Classic (G1) and Empress Club Stakes (G1) and, like Dona Clota, was champion 3-year-old filly in her homeland. She debuted in the U.S. with a second in the 2025 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) and went on to finish second in two of her next three starts, the Modesty Stakes (G3T) and Canadian Stakes (G2T). She earned her first stateside victory in the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) last September, and the Eatontown Stakes was her first outing of 2026.
Gimme a Nother is by Gimmethegreenlight. An Australian-foaled son of More Than Ready, Gimmethegreenlight made all 13 of his starts in South Africa, winning six, most notably the 2012 Queen's Plate (G1). He was leading sire in South Africa in 2021, 2023, and 2024, and has also been the leading sire of 2-year-olds three times. He has sired 81 stakes winners, 15 of them grade/group 1.
Gimme a Nother's dam Nother Russia is by Tiger Ridge, a Storm Cat half brother to A.P. Indy and Summer Squall, who stood in Florida before relocating to South Africa. She was champion older mare for 2017-18, and her record includes two wins in the Empress Club Stakes. Nother Russia is the only foal of her dam, Mother Russia—by the imported Seeking the Gold horse Windrush—a four-time group 1 winner who preceded her daughter as champion older mare, earning that title in 2009-10. Windrush was out of a daughter of Storm Cat, meaning Nother Russia is inbred 2x4 to Storm Cat, with the similarly bred Nijinsky II also appearing in the fourth generation.
Gimme a Nother's fourth dam, Terpsichore, produced stakes winner French Muse and is the ancestress of 14 stakes winners, including, in addition to those previously mentioned, South African 2004-05 Horse of the Year Winter Solstice and 2010 Cape Derby (G1) winner Bravura. The family arrived in South Africa in 1939 with the importation of the British-bred Brandy Ball. Out of Dulce, runner-up in the 1935 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas), Brandy Ball was a half sister to Red Sunset, the second dam of Crepello, winner of the English Two Thousand Guineas and Epsom Derby in 1957 and leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1969.
