Winners in Sydney and Perth on December 16 are breeding legacies of the late Robert Holmes a Court, the South African-born billionaire businessman who became a major player across the Australian racing and breeding industries.

The founder of Heytesbury Stud at Keysbrook in WA, his lasting input and influence was highlighted by the win of the Queensland-trained Crack Me Up in the $250,000 Villiers Stakes at Randwick and success of the Neville Parnham-trained Wrinkly at Ascot in Perth.

Holmes a Court, himself an accomplished horseman, died suddenly at his Perth home at the age of only 53 in 1990.

His untimely death robbed him of enjoying the rewards that flowed from his importation to Victoria in 1989 of the US Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Success Express.

A representative of the Princequillo male line, Success Express went on to stand in New Zealand (two seasons), two stints in NSW and Queensland. He sired many good winners and became a valuable outcross sire.

One of his best sons has been the Queensland bred and owned Mossman, sire of the Villiers winner Crack Me Up.

Mossman won the G1 QTC Castlemaine Stakes at two, the G2 MVRC AAMI Vase at three and placed in four G1 races.

He started his stud career in Queensland at his birthplace Noble Park (now Sun Stud) but for the past 10 years has stood at Vinery Stud in NSW.

Represented to date by 444 winners of 1560 races and over $60 million, Mossman has an a wider outcross pedigree than his sire, being from Lichen Lady, a mare inbred 3x3 to Klairon from the rare Tourbillon male line.

Lichen Lady is by Twig Moss, a French Derby runner up, from Off Shore, a mare by English Derby winner Grundy.

Crack Me Up, bred by the R A & J R Ferguson Partnership, was sold through Glastonbury Farms to Liam Birchley Racing for $60,000 out of Book 2 at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale.

He has now won five races, all black type, being the G2 Villiers, G3 Sunshine Coast Guineas and three Listed events.

Crack Me Up is a brother to Hoofit, a Listed winner in New Zealand and the G3 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes in America. They are half-brothers to five other non-black type winners.

Their dam Chuckle, won twice including the Dark Jewel Classic at Scone, and was twice G2 placed.

She is by Danehill and from Clowning, a Rory’s Jester winner at two in Melbourne and closely related to Exceed And Excel’s G1 winner and sire Reward For Effort.

There is far more Holmes a Court input into the breeding of Wrinkly, the winner of six races, all at Ascot.

Wrinkly is by Saxon, a 3x3 Northern Dancer inbred son of Danehill and Jeanetta Cochrane, an unraced Sadler’s Wells mare.

A winner of the Queensland Guineas, Saxon started his stud career at Heytesbury Stud in 2007 and was retired from use in 2014.

He was represented by three winners on the Kingston Town Classic program at Ascot on December 9 and after December 16 was credited with 99 winners including two in stakes and five stakes placed.

Heytesbury Stud was home to numerous Holmes a Court-owned stallions including Chanteclair (Haulpak), an Epsom Handicap, Hobartville Stakes and VRC Ampol Stakes winner and Pago Pago, a Golden Slipper winner he repatriated from America at the age 20 to stand at the WA stud.

Haulpak, a son of Dignitas, also sired and Show That Smile, the third dam of Wrinkley. Wrinkly is from Kylie Nadine, a mare by Mill Reef’s Sydney Cup winner Marooned who stood at Tilden Park in WA.

Wrinkly’s next two dams Lady Iris and Show That Smile, were by Heytesbury sires Zabaleta (Noholme) and Haulpak while the fourth dam Silver Smile was by Silver Knight, the son of Alcimedes who won the 1971 Melbourne Cup.

Holmes a Court acquired Silver Knight for breeding and achieved his aim of wining the Melbourne Cup with his son Black Knight in 1984.

Silver Smile produced six winners, including Show That Smile’s sister Hold That Smile, a Perth juvenile champion bred by Holmes a Court.

After his death, his family mated her with Success Express and bred Snapshots, winner of the Listed Keith Mackay Stakes and second in the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes, and her unraced sister Express A Smile.

Express A Smile produced seven winners including the triple G1 winner Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock); G2 winner Lady Dehere (Dehere) and Oratorio (Stravinsky), the Australian-bred sire of 11 stakes winners from use at Mungrup Stud in WA.

Yet another relation is the Haulpak sprinter Carry A Smile, a WATC Winterbottom Stakes winner who is a brother to Hold That Smile and Show That Smile and sire the Heytesbury-bred WA Derby winner Capricious Lass.