This Sprint National Sale Supplement proudly showcases our loyal advertisers and their yearlings who are set to go through the ring at the TBA Sales complex on 10 and 11 April.
All advertisers are listed in alpha order, where possible, and we have no doubt that a few of tomorrow’s champions are lurking in the ensuing pages!
We wish all buyers and vendors the very best of good fortune.
Ahead of the 2025 Bloodstock SA National Yearling Sale on 10 and 11 April, the TBA complex will be a hive of activity as young horses from around the country start moving into their respective stable blocks.
Excitement will build with every arrival, while breeders prepare their reception areas to welcome prospective buyers.
The National Sale moved from the old Milner Park Showgrounds in Johannesburg to the TBA’s Gosforth Park complex in March, 1977.
Bloodstock SA has shaped the breeding landscape ever since with a commitment to excellence and integrity.
“South African racing thrives on diversity of talent, ownership, and opportunity. Bloodstock SA embraces this philosophy by fostering a marketplace that welcomes everyone,
not just a select few. Our auctions are built on transparency and fairness, giving every buyer the confidence to invest, knowing they are part of a level playing field,” says a BSA spokesperson.
This year, the prized catalogue features 346 lots, representing no fewer than 42 stallions, 35 stud farms and a further 21 vendors selling under the ‘agent’ banner. Whether you’re an established stable looking for a standout yearling or an aspiring owner taking your first steps into the industry, the National Sale provides access to top-quality thoroughbreds at competitive prices.
Year after year, Bloodstock SA graduates prove their worth on the racetrack, with champions
emerging from every tier of the market.
From future Grade 1 stars to honest, hardworking competitors, our sales produce winners at all levels, reinforcing our reputation as the auction house of choice for those who seek both quality and value.
Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned investor, join us at the 2025 National Yearling Sale. We celebrate the joy of thoroughbred ownership, because great horses, and great dreams, come from all walks of life.
The Sprint is interactive – please click here for our lot-by-lot snapshot.
The Raceform Buyers’ Guide is a detailed summary of the dam and siblings of the 2025 BSA National Yearling Sale yearlings. It gives insight as to what to expect of the youngsters in terms of class, stamina, sale price.
It’s essential reading for the prospective buyer.
The Sprint is interactive – please click here to read more.
BREAK THE BANK IT’S NOT NECESSARY TO TO BUY A CHAMPION
The National Yearling Sale is fast approaching, which means trainers and owners are burning the midnight oil poring over the sales catalogue in search of the next champion.
Healthy returns enjoyed by South African auction houses shows that the market for young thoroughbreds has bounced back with a vengeance since the end of the Covid pandemic. Demand appears to outstrip supply, not surprising given that many smaller breeders - and some of the old stalwarts have disappeared.
Gone are KZN breeding giants Summerhill and the Scott Bros, while the Western Cape has lost the likes of Daytona and Nadeson Park. It’s also no secret that rising production costs attribute to breeders taking their lesser broodmares out of production.
The best horses are therefore sold at a premium, as reflected by last year’s National
Yearling Sale record average of R581 948.
Prospective buyers can take heart, however, for results from this past weekend’s Champions Day meeting at Turffontein starkly illustrated that many a fine racehorse has been bought for far less, with pride of place going to last
season’s Gr1 Premier Champions Challenge winner Royal Victory, who was snapped up by trainer Nathan Kotzen for a measly R90 000 at the National Sale four years ago.
Also successful in the Gr1 Betway Summer Cup, the son of Pathfork continued his love affair with Turffontein when he was nosed out of a repeat Champions Challenge win by threeyear-old Fire Attack in a humdinger, no-holdsbarred finish.
The winner, who is related to reigning Horse of the Year Dave The King, cost somewhat more as a yearling, R450 000 to be exact. But who’s counting when you have just added a Gr1 win to your name and also doubled your earnings
to over R2 million in one fell swoop!
Third placed Purple Pitcher also made a mockery of his R170 000 yearling price tag, given that he annexed both the Gr1 SA Classic and Gr1 SA Derby and padded an already sizeable bankroll to R4,3-million.
Main Defender, who defied top weight in the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes, also qualifies as a bargain buy. The Pathfork four-year-old changed hands for just R140 000 as a yearling, a far cry from an impressive bankroll of over R3-million and a ten-win haul headed by victory in last season’s Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Another National Yearling Sale graduate, the Crawford-trained Fatal Flaw, added the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes to her Cape Fillies Guineas success under similar frontrunning tactics.
Trainer Brett Crawford had parted with just R210 000 to secure the filly from the 2023 sale, and as a dual Gr1 winner, she is now worth a small fortune.
The same applies to SA Oaks winner Fiery Pegasus. A runaway winner of the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic, she put daylight between herself and her rivals when cutting out the running in final leg of the Triple Tiara, and although tiring towards the end, she gamely held on to take the honours by a shorthead. This daughter of Captain Of All came with a price tag of R330 000, but has recouped that five-fold, her latest success boosting her earnings to over R1,6 million.
Ace sprinter William Robertson finally broke through at Gr1 level in the Computaform Sprint and cost trainer Corne Spies R500 000 as a 2YO back in 2020, money well spent, given that this first Gr1 victory and 15th overall, took his lifetime earnings past the R3-million mark.
Last weekend’s big races aside, the haul of additional Gr1 winners over the past twelve months reads like a Who’s Who, and all were purchased at auction without breaking the bank.
Crack three-year-old One Stripe was one that got away from Drakenstein Stud when he fetched no more than R100 000 in the sales ring; a final bid of R175 000 secured reigning Horse Of The Year Dave The King; crack filly VJ’s Angel cost R200 000; Majorca victress Rascova sold for R260 000; whilst Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July hero Oriental Charm and Gr1 Cape Met and Derby winner Eight On Eighteen both commanded a final bid of R375 000.
Last but not least, Ridgemont Gr1 Garden
Province Stakes winner Humdinger and champion juvenile Qui Pro Quo were both bought back in the ring for buttons, the former for R50 000 and the latter for R60 000.
All of this goes to show that yes, it is possible to purchase a ‘good one’ without spending an arm and a leg, a heartening fact which should boost buyers’ confidence for next week’s twoday sale.
As I’ve worked my way through the volumes of Form Stallion Register, I haven’t commented each time on repeat entries. Mexico was in each of the first three, and a few of the star performers (e.g. Jungle Cove and Elliodor) are in II and III.
Oscar Foulkes writes that in working through Volume III, one of the features that jumped out at him was the large number of stallions that had already done duty elsewhere in the world.
For a few of them, their relocation was a response to their progenies’ performance here.
Making the case for the importation of established stallions, Condorcet and Home Guard performed creditably, while Singh left three Grade I winners from four local crops numbering just 128 foals
The sires of Foveros, Spanish Pool, On Stage and Devon Air all made their way to South Africa. In the case of these, just Averof could be regarded as making a positive local contribution, with just under 6% stakes-winners (from foals). On the whole, other than a couple of star performers, there just wasn’t enough depth in their overseas record to warrant their importation.
Making the case for the importation of established stallions, Condorcet and Home Guard performed creditably, while Singh left three Grade I winners from four local crops numbering just 128 foals. Northfields was imported at age 15 and did not repeat his overseas record.
The star of this firmament, though, was Dancing Champ. His record of 61% winners and 10.7% stakes-winners included the likes of Olympic Duel and other top middle-distance performers.
What set his overseas record apart was a cumulative AEI of over 2 (i.e. the average earnings of his runners, expressed as a ratio of all runners over the same period, was double the average). Equally important, he was improving on his mares (in other words, their results by other stallions were inferior to Dancing Champ). Stallions like this are not easily let go of, for obvious reasons!
While these factors become moot once a stallion has runners, Dancing Champ was a top-class racehorse by Nijinsky, from an excellent family. Like Jungle Cove and Elliodor, he ticked a lot of boxes.
In the same era, we had two other successful sons of Nijinsky.
The more conventional choice, Peacetime, was imported at a cost of R2.5 million (over R58 million when adjusted for inflation).
He earned a Timeform rating of 125 with top-class British form over middle distances. His abbreviated stud career left the Grade I-winning Saintly Lady, as well as percentages that exceeded breed averages. Given his credentials, though, one can’t imagine that expectations of his stud career were anywhere near being matched by his final record. He
earns some posthumous credit by siring the grandam of Vercingetorix.
On the other hand, Russian Fox started his career in France, ending up on the Turf circuit in Florida, although outside Graded stakes company.
It takes a bit of careful form study, but he showed smart ability in Allowance races.
He wasn’t the typical Nijinsky physical type, in that he was a smaller, closer-coupled horse more typical of his grandsire, Northern Dancer. Bred to the poorest of mares, he fired with his first crop.
There seemed to be an affinity for mares by sons of Drum Beat, or other Fair Trial line stallions. One would have expected his results to ramp up as he covered better mares, but for unknown reasons he stayed in the aboveaverage category with 56% winners and 5% stakes-winners. Interestingly, the Fair Trial nick wasn’t utilised to the extent one may have expected, and in some years he covered no Fair Trial line mares at all.
Of course, Russian Fox was the broodmare sire of Mother Russia (and her grandam was by Drum Beat).
Russian Fox was initially purchased (at one-sixth of the cost of Peacetime) by Piet Nel, a man characterised by his bushy grey moustache framing a playful smile. Matching his down to earth nature, he was often seen in shorts and red vellies.
He came to racing and breeding from the somewhat scrappy world of trucking. One wouldn’t say that either he, nor his similarly grey stallion, came from the elite inner circles of the industry.
Greys from the fringes feature again, in the form of the grey I’m Exclusive (purchased at one-tenth of the cost of Peacetime), a US-bred and raced son of Exclusive Native that stood at Loretta Krein’s Windy Way Stud.
Pictures of him show a deep-chested, muscular horse with severely bowed tendons. He couldn’t have been a sound horse, being unraced at two, starting just once at three (finishing 2nd), five starts at four (in the money every time, including breaking his maiden),
and three at five (two wins). He must have had ability, though, to justify keeping him in training all that time.
He sired just four crops of 121 foals.
When you look at the sires of the mares he covered, you could almost imagine Loretta resorting to rounding up stray Thoroughbreds in the Port Jackson bush that characterises the area around Philadelphia, Atlantis and Mamre where her stud was located. You may not even have found pedigrees as lowly in bush racing.
And yet he sired eight stakes-winners, including the Queen’s Plate winning I’m Taking It, as well as several other Grade I performers.
The suggestion is that some minimum of above-average racing talent, pedigree and looks are required. It does not appear to be necessary to display the racing talent in Grade I races, but it must be there. If the stallion has the ability to transmit that to another generation, he will, almost regardless of the opportunity he is given. There was comparatively large cohort that had been imported for racing purposes and were then retired to stud. Three were sons of Sharpen Up, one by Red God, as well as Derring Do, Habitat and others. The sole relative success was Fine Edge, with 55% winners and 5% stakes-winners. In retrospect, perhaps they needed just a little more racing ability to pass on to their progeny.
Readers familiar with this era may be wondering when I’m going to get to Northern Guest, a popular Champion Sire.
He had 19 local crops, totalling 1096 foals. The high points were siring the likes of Senor Santa, Northern Princess and a few others, because
for the rest his percentages were dead-on average for the breed: 51% winners and 3.8% stakes-winners. In the mid-90s he had three crops of nearly 100 foals, when most stallions were producing less than half that number.
The triumph of hope over evidence was also exemplified by Golden Thatch’s full-brother, Waterville Lake. Largely on the basis of siring the Champion Sprinter, Flobayou, his career extended to 13 crops, cashing in at a belowaverage 47% winners and 2.7% stakes-winners.
Any look at the stallions of Volume III would be incomplete without recounting the tale of Argosy.
By a Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, this half-brother to another Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew, was purchased by a syndicate headed by Graham Beck and the Birch Bros. This was just after the sale of Wolf Power, which left the Birches with a looming tax problem. This could be remedied by the purchase of a stallion, which was a perfectly sensible way of dealing with the issue.
However, they were advised (by smart banker-types, no doubt) to fund the purchase with a low interest, dollar-denominated loan.
No forward cover was in place, which nearly doubled the final cost when the Rand fell out of bed soon after.
As if the search for good stallions wasn’t already sufficiently difficult, risky, and expensive.
Affirmed’s Triple Crown saw him doing duel with Alydar. I highly recommend a detour on YouTube, to watch the two doing battle, two mighty chestnut colts descending from Raise A Native (Affirmed by Exclusive Native and Alydar
by Raise A Native himself).
Ultimately, the victor was the lesser stallion, with Alydar’s progeny achieving far more than those of Affirmed. Argosy was from Affirmed’s first crop, so this was not known at the time of his purchase.
Ed – Courtesy of Oscar Foulkes, Volume Four sees the arrival of grandsons of Raise A Native, through Alydar and Mr Prospector…
Ascot Stud, one of South Africa’s most consistent sources of top-class racehorses, is home to a pair of stallions who have been in the news of late.
Ascot Stud, one of South Africa’s most consistent sources of top-class racehorses, is home to a pair of stallions who have been in the news of late.
Ascot’s resident sires Global View and Heavenly Blue are responsible for Dave The King and Truth respectively, with the former recently named the Cape Bred Horse Of The Year for 2023-2024, while the classy Truth won the 4Racing Gr3 National Currency Sprint. The farm will be offering an excellent draft at the 2025 National Yearling Sale, with this consignment including yearlings sired by Erik The Red, Fire Away, Heavenly Blue, Master Of
My Fate, Rafeef, and South Africa’s reigning champion sire Gimmethegreenlight.
One of the most striking aspects about Ascot’s National Yearling Sale draft is how many outstanding female lines are represented here. This string includes yearlings from the families of such star performers as Coral Fever, On Her Toes, Blame, Sadler’s Wells, Archipenko, Aussie Rules, Alpinista, and Holy Roman Emperor.
Roxbury Park (Lot 238) is a colt bound to find favour with buyers. A son of multiple champion sire Gimmethegreenlight, he is out of Queen Of Pop, a winning own-sister to Grr1 Cape Flying Championship winner Gulf Storm and Gr3 Sycamore Sprint queen Seattle Singer. This colt’s granddam is a four-time winning half-sister to the Ascot bred champion Rock Opera, dam of French Gr1 winner, and Gr1 sire, Royal Meeting.
Another colt with an eye catching pedigree is Tango Master (Lot 167), a son of Rafeef and Gimmethegreenlight’s Gr3 placed daughter Light On Her Toes, with the latter being a daughter of Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship winner On Her Toes. The ever consistent Master Of My Fate is represented here by both Candyland (Lot 213), a filly whose twice winning dam is a full-sister to the top-class filly Cover Look and My Girl Kate (Lot 326). The latter, directly descended in female line from the great Fanfreluche, is a halfsister to four winners notably dual Sun Chariot Handicap victress United Council, who recently won for a fifth time.
Other attractive lots on offer include Chazy Reef (Lot 53), a Heavenly Blue half-brother to Gr1 Champions Challenge hero Coral Fever, Grey Knight (Lot 96), a Heavenly Blue half-brother to multiple stakes winner Fairy Knight, and Rocking In Rio (Lot 250). The latter, who hails from the same female line as such outstanding performers as Arc winner Alpinista and French 2000 Guineas winning sire Aussie Rules, to name but two, is a Heavenly Blue half-brother to Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes winner Rockie Reef and a full-brother Listed Lady’s Pendant heroine Three Rocks.
This draft can be found in Blocks B and C at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Avontuur Estate continues to live up to its billing for producing fine wine and fast horses. The latest Avontuur bred to impress is exciting two-year-old Dreamworld.
The latter was all the rage prior to making his debut at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth earlier this year and he duly lived up to expectations with a fluent victory.
Avontuur will be bringing a superb draft to the 2025 National Yearling Sale, with this string not only including yearlings sired by the likes of Gimmethegreenlight, Rafeef and Vercingetorix but also horses from some of the finest families in the South Africa stud book.
One colt bound to prove popular is the blueblooded October Rush (197), a colt by top sire Rafeef out of the wonderful racemare and producer Miss October. Winner of five races including the Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap, the regally bred Miss October has produced six winners, with this tally headed by a pair of Gr1
winners in the form of champion Tempting Fate and 2024 South African Fillies Sprint queen October Morn.
Pocket Power’s Gr1 J&B Met winning fullsister River Jetez has proved as successful at stud as she was on the racetrack. The former globetrotting star is represented here by Ebb And Flow (Lot 249), a colt by outstanding sire Vercingetorix. Safe to say that Ebb And Flow, a half-brother to both Gr1 Computaform Sprint winner Rivarine and Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies
Nursery victress Delta Queen, is a colt with a stallion’s pedigree!
Vercingetorix looks set to be crowned Champion Sire this season, and the son of Silvano has another well bred yearling on offer in the form of Zodiac (Lot 298). This filly is out of East Cape champion Star Burst Galaxy, whose Gr3 Victress Stakes winning halfsister Star Express (sired, like Vercingetorix, by Silvano) produced the exported Equus Champion Bless My Stars. Further back,
this is the family of top sprinter Bull Valley, as well as champion Model Man.
Champion Hawwaam, like Vercingetorix, has two lots on offer here, including Maximum Effort (Lot 246), a beautifully bred half-sister to two black type horses notably dual Listed Umngeni Handicap victor Pray For Rain, while Cubano
(Lot 195) is a colt by reigning champion sire Gimmethegreenlight and he is a half-brother to Listed East Cape Breeders Stakes winner Carioca.
This consignment can be found in Block C at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Quality, not quantity, dictates terms for Benmarne Stud’s consignment for this year’s National Sale.
The Botha family will be offering a quality quartet of yearlings at the two day auction, with Benmarne offering a filly by Querari and three colts by Heavenly Blue. All four yearlings hail from high-class families, and Arne Botha is understandably pleased with what he is bringing to the sale.
Arne had the following comments to make about his four yearlings:
Lot 178: Love You Lots f QuerariLove From Al
Very nice, well balanced filly with good legs. Good walker.
Bred on the same Querari/Love From Al cross as graded stakes winners Questioning, Head Honcho and Kampala Campari, Love You Lots is out of a twice winning daughter of Captain Al. From one of the best families around, this
filly hails from the same female line as breed shaping stallions Sadler’s Wells, Nureyev and Fairy King.
Lot 276: Sunny Creek c Heavenly BlueShe’s A Dragon
This is a nice quality, good sized colt, he has a nice length of rein with good legs.
By a Gr1 winning son of Snitzel, this colt is out of the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic third She’s A Dragon. This colt’s granddam is a winning full-sister to top Hong Kong sprinter Cerise Cherry, and this is the family of champion Battle Maiden, sired, like this colt’s granddam, by Goldkeeper.
Lot 279: Draupner c Heavenly BlueShield Maiden
Nice first produce, he is well related and good walker.
Lot 301: Blue Rock Paradise c Heavenly Blue -Stopthinkingofme
Nice colt, good legs, he will grow into a nice three-year-old.
This colt is out of a winning half-sister to the dam of Gr1 ATC Golden Rose winner In The Congo, who, like Heavenly Blue, was sired by Snitzel. This colt’s dam is a half-sister to multiple Gr1 winner and Equus Champion Via
Africa, with the latter also the dam of top-class Australian filly Autumn Glow.
Benmarne’s National Sale draft can be found in Block B at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Top-class female lines and high-class producers are very much to the fore in Blue Sky Thoroughbreds’ consignment for this year’s National Yearling Sale.
Added to the mix such popular stallions as Chimichuri Run, Hawwaam, Legislate, Master Of My Fate, New Predator and reigning champion Gimmethegreenlight, and buyers are bound to find plenty to admire about this draft.
Gimmethegreenlight is responsible for a regally bred colt (Lot 22), who is a three-parts brother to classy sprinter Gimmelightning, and this colt is bred on the potent Gimmethegreenlight/Fort Wood cross.
Certainlydifferent (Lot 237) is a filly bound to attract attention, with this daughter of Lance a three-parts sister to the Lance sired superstar Quid Pro Quo. Destined for an international campaign, the brilliant Quid Pro Quo has won six of nine starts, and is the only horse ever to win the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship, Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper and Gr1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes.
Blue Sky’s exciting young sire Chimichuri Run has four members of his first crop on offer.
Connect Me, a four time winning daughter of Gr2 SA Oaks winner Cyber Cento, has a filly (Lot 51) in this draft, while five time winner
Georgina Rose has a colt (Lot 119), who is closely inbred to champion sire Trippi, on sale.
The Tsogo Sun Sprint winning Chimichuri Run is also the sire of a half-sister (Lot 154) to three winners including the useful Minogue, and by a half-sister (Lot 158) to the very smart performer Player. Master Of My Fate consistently ranks among the leading sires, and that son of Jet Master is represented here by a colt (Lot 186) from the family of Gr1 winners Nania, Red Ray and Set Afire, while champion Hawwaam, who has made such a promising start to his stud career, is the sire of a filly (Lot 180) out of a stakes winning half-sister to Gr1 Cape Guineas winner and successful sire Act Of War.
This draft can be found in Block C at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Drakenstein Stud has enjoyed another fantastic season in 2024-2025.
At the time of writing, horses bred by Drakenstein Stud had won 12 black type races in South Africa, including the Grr1 L’Ormarins
King’s Plate, G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, Gr1 SplashOut Cape Derby, Gr2 Cape Punters Cup and Gr3 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers, with Drakenstein Stud bred gallopers Eight On Eighteen and Sail The Seas finishing first and second respectively in the Gr1 SplashOut Cape Derby.
Drakenstein also bred classy gelding Mid Winter Wind, who impressed when he made a winning Hong Kong debut earlier in the year.
The farm will be offering a cracking draft at the upcoming National Yearling Sale, where Drakenstein Stud will be offering yearlings sired by the likes of Gimmethegreenlight, Master Of My Fate, Querari, Rafeef, and sensational resident sire One World.
Drakenstein’s Kevin Somerville had the following comments to make about this exciting draft:
Our yearlings for this year’s NYS is very much in the mould of the vintage Nationals draft.
We’ve got plenty of horses bred with races such as the July, Met and Summer Cup in mind.
Lot 19: Green Fairway c Gimmethegreenlight -Archerfield
This colt is a brother to three stakes horses, with plenty of scope. He’s well-balanced and has a lovely look about him.
Lot 20: Fallen Ash c Futura -Ash Cloud
He is a half-brother to the Gr2 winner Pacaya and Gr3 winner Silver Hills, out of Gr1 winner Ash Cloud. He really catches the eye and is typical of his grandsire Dynasty with a great walk and a lot of class.
-Danceaboutthesun
This colt is another classic individual by Cape Derby winner Legislate. He’s closely inbred to Sadlers Wells, from a very live family, including recent Graded SW Great Plains. He is strong, scopey with plenty of size with an easy, flowing action.
This colt is out of the Trippi mare, Se Agabor and he is a half-brother to Champion 2YO Gabor. In the mould of his father, he is correct with length and a good walk. Hopefully he turns out to be a classic, fitting of his name.
By inform sire Rafeef, this colt is a half-brother to Graded SW Seville Orange. Out of the Galileo mare, Serruria, he is a strong bodied type with plenty of length and looks to be fast.
Drakenstein Stud’s National Sale draft can be viewed from Blocks A and D at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
There is no denying that the late Captain’s Ransom was an exceptional filly. Horse Of The Year, Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Filly of 2021-2022, Captain’s Ransom won or placed in 18 of 19 starts, and she earned R3 532 125 in stakes. The champion daughter of Captain Al won nine graded races, including the World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, Gr1 Majorca Stakes (twice), Gr1 Paddock Stakes, Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint and Gr1 Mercury Sprint.
Her premature death was a tragic loss to the South African industry, but Captain’s Ransom will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Klawervlei Stud, as Agent, will be offering a Vercingetorix half-sister (Lot 49) to this wonderful filly at the 2025 National Yearling Sale. This filly, by South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2024-2025, is out of the Red Ransom mare Cinnas Ransom, a half-sister to a pair of stakes winners, notably French Gr3 winner Black Rock Desert.
However, this beautifully bred filly is but one of several very appealing lots to be found in the Klawervlei draft, acting as Agent’s consignment for this year’s National Yearling Sale.
Other attractive prospects include the Vercingetorix colt (Lot 62) whose dam is a full-sister to Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint winner and star producer Real Princess, the Gimmethegreenlight colt (Lot 131) out of Gr2 Gauteng Filllies Guineas heroine Heaps Of Fun, and the Vercingetorix filly (Lot 343) out of dual Gr3 Track And Ball Oaks winner Witchcraft. The latter filly, bred on the same cross as champion Mrs Geriatrix, is out of a half-sister to Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Under Your Spell and this beautifully bred filly hails from the same family as Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Levmoss, among many others.
Klawervlei Stud’s National Sale draft can be found in Block H at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Lammerskraal Stud is a farm long renowned for the quality of its broodmare band.
This can clearly be reflected in the quality of yearlings that Lammerskraal will be offering at this year’s National Yearling Sale.
Their draft is made up of yearlings sired by Hawwaam, Master Of My Fate, Rafeef and the record breaking Vercingetorix, but it is the class of mare represented which is the standout factor in this consignment.
Descendants of such star producers and racemares as Fanfreluche, Taineberry, Laptop Lady, Enchanting and Miss October abound here.
One yearling bound to attract attention is Feast Of Berries (Lot 244), a filly by Vercingetorix out of Jonsson Workwear Gr1 Garden Province Stakes winner Redberry Lane. Not only is this filly by the same sire as such star fillies as Double Grand Slam, Spumante Dolce and Mrs Geriatrix, but her Gr1 winning dam has already
produced a pair of winners including the very useful performer Rondebosch. Bred on similar lines to Gr1 winner Silvano’s Pride, Feast Of Berries’ dam is a full-sister to Gr1 Bloodstock
SA Cape Guineas/Gr2 K R A Guineas winner Solo Traveller.
Another beautifully bred yearling sired by Vercingetorix is the well named Viva Asterix (Lot 336). This colt, a three-parts brother to the smart Silver Maria and half-brother to Gr3 Campanajo 2200 winner Sovereign Spirit, is out of the Jet Master sired Gr1 Woolavington 2000 winner Viva Maria.
Var’s Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap winning daughter Miss October has been an excellent producer, with her progeny including a pair of Gr1 winners in the form of October Morn and Tempting Fate. Her high-class daughter Spring Break, a Gr2 placed full-sister to the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint winning October Morn, is responsible for the Rafeef colt October Reef (Lot 295), and this colt is certainly bred to be quick!
The ever popular Rafeef is also the sire of Egolee (Lot 87), a filly out of a multiple stakes winning half-sister to champion Jay Peg, while Fair Fate (Lot 116) is a Master Of My Fate halfbrother to a pair of stakes winners in the form of Listed Ibhayi Stakes victor Fabian and Listed
City Of Cape Town Sophomore Sprint hero Future Variety.
This draft can be found in Block F at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Cosmic Speed. Zeitz. American Graffiti.
Marauding Horde. Light Speed.
These are just a few recent stakes winners sold by Maine Chance Farms at the National Yearling Sale.
Maine Chance, home to one of the best stallion line-ups in South Africa, will be offering another top-quality draft at this year’s National Sale.
Among the stallions represented in Maine
Chance’s National string are star resident sires Querari and Vercingetorix, as well as the likes of Gimmethegreenlight, One World, Rafeef, and What A Winter.
Outstanding sire, and former National Sale graduate, Vercingetorix is responsible for some exceptionally well bred yearlings here. Vercingetorix’s offering includes Perfect Sky (Lot 222) a filly whose winning dam is a fullsister to the Gr2 winning dam of champion
Princess Calla, Sommernacht (Lot 291) a colt out of the Var sired Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint winner
Sommerlied, and True To Love (Lot 323). True
To Love, one of the best bred fillies on sale, sports stakes winners as her first three dams, with her speedy dam True To Life winning both the Gr3 Wilgerbosdrift Tommy Hotspur Handicap and Gr3 Gauteng Tourism Authority Magnolia Handicap.
Querari, whose progeny include this season’s Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner and National Sale graduate Cosmic Speed, has several well bred offspring on sale. They include Fancy Life (Lot 113), a full-sister to the smart Fleeting, Libiamo (Lot 159), a colt whose granddam is a halfsister to champion sire of Silvano, and Twilight (Lot 317). The latter, bred on the same cross as the aforementioned Cosmic Speed, is a filly whose dam Tia is a winning full-sister to Gr2 Gauteng Guineas/Gr3 London News Stakes winner Tellina.
Other exceptional prospects to be found in this draft include Palmarosa (Lot 225), the Gimmethegreenlight filly out of Gr1
Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks winner Pine Princess, and Sierra Nevada (Lot 282), a colt by Rafeef out of Silvano’s Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Silver Mountain. The latter, a daughter of 2015-2016 Equus Champion Broodmare Our Table Mountain, is a half-sister to four black
type horses notably Equus Champion, and Gr1
SA Nursery winner, Cloth Of Cloud.
This draft can be viewed from Blocks C and D at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Moutonshoek recently went close to celebrating a major Grade One double.
The Moutonshoek bred rising star Confederate claimed his biggest win to date when he ran out a convincing winner of the recent Gr1 TAB SA Classic, while the very next race saw the Moutonshoek bred Texas Red run an absolute cracker to finish second in the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Buyers will have their own chance to acquire a top-class Grade One winner when Moutonshoek bring a classy draft to the upcoming National Yearling Sale.
Bennie Van Der Merwe’s National string includes yearlings sired by the likes of Fire Away (the sire of Confederate), Danon Platina, Rafeef, and resident sire The United States (whose progeny include the aforementioned Texas Red). Bennie is confident that buyers will like what they see, and had the following comments to make about his National Yearling Sale stars:
Lot 4: King Solomon c Fire Away -Zingara
This is a well balanced colt from a good family. Bred on the same cross (Fire Away x Danehill Dancer) as recent Gr1 TAB SA Classic winner CONFEDERATE.
Lot 31: Kazenoyoni c Danon Platina -Bize
Well muscled colt with a lot of substance, he is an imposing sort and a good mover.
Lot 105: Catherine Flick f The United States -Fire Stone
This filly is an own sister to the useful Idabelle, Riverstone and exciting debut winner Henry Harvey (who sadly got injured in a riding accident in Cape Town where he was to partake in the summer season for 3yo colts.)
She is beautifully balanced and the mare’s best physical specimen to date.
Lot 252: Forries Rose f The United States -Rose Of Tralee
The United States half sister to Forries Waltz. She is a very impressive physical specimen with a kind temperament to boot.
Lot 266: Conceal c The United States
-Secret Alley
This colt scored very high marks from the selection panel. A standout specimen with a great walk and quarter.
Lot 275: Rainbow Flight f Rafeef
-She’s A Cracker
The filly is well grown for a first foal and is neat and balanced.
Moutonshoek’s draft can be found in Block E at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
The good run of form enjoyed by Narrow Creek Stud bred thoroughbreds last season has continued into the new year.
Not only is the Narrow Creek bred champion Isivunguvungu a leading fancy for Saturday’s Gr1 Al Quoz Sprint, but the likes of Buffalo Storm Cody, Queen Of Love, Golden Destiny, and Tomyris just a few of the many Narrow Creek Stud bred winners of the 2024-2025 South African season.
Narrow Creek will be offering colts by Buffalo Bill Cody, Canford Cliffs, Hawwaam, Malmoos, Rafeef as well as fillies by Rafeef at the upcoming National Yearling Sale.
John Everett picked four potential standouts in his draft:
Lot 140: Cheap Perfume f Rafeef -Isabelle
Redoute’s Choice’s Gr1 Computaform Sprint winning son has had another great season, with his flagbearers including such graded
stakes winners as Chasing Happiness, Mon Petit Cherie and Outlaw King. Isabelle, the dam of classy galloper Joker Man, is a twice winning Western Winter half-sister to a pair of Gr1 winning two-year-olds, both of whom now stand at stud, in the form of Eden Roc and Sandringham Summit. She is a very neat, racy filly out of a half sister to Sandringham Summit
Lot 177: Blue Hotel c Hawwaam -Lotus Champion Hawwaam has made a promising start with his first runners and ranks as one of the leading first season sires this season. Lotus is a twice winning daughter of Flower Alley and her granddam is champion Rat Burana. Smart athletic type. Going to grow into a big horse. This son of Hawwaam out of full sister to Maharanee and half sister to Marigold Hotel is a must see.
Lot 196: Eastwood c Buffalo Bill Cody -Miss Magical
By the very promising Buffalo Bill Cody (whose progeny include the Narrow Creek bred smart
galloper Buffalo Storm Cody), this colt’s dam is a three time winning Silvano half-sister to graded stakes winners Magical Wonderland and Magico. The family of high-class Australian group winners September Run, Pittsburgh Flyer and Steel City. Smart, correct type.
Lot 313: Wagon Wheel c Malmoos -The Gardner Girl
Triple Crown winner Malmoos has already made his mark with his first yearlings making up to R1 100 000 this season. The Gardner Girl,
whose son Cold Shine showed smart form at two, is a winning own-sister to Gr1 SA Fillies Classic winner Takingthepeace. This son of exciting freshman sire Malmoos is all class.
This draft can be found in Block C at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Classy colt Fire Attack is one of the best three-year-olds in training.
Winner of last season’s Gr2 TAB SA Nursery, the son of Fire Away showed his class when he won Saturday’s HKJC World Pool Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge. In the process, Fire Attack accounted for such high-class performers as Royal Victory, Purple Pitcher, Atticus Finch and None Other.
Ndoro Stud will be offering a full-brother (Lot 33) to this classy galloper at the National Yearling Sale. A son of boom stallion Fire Away, this colt is out of Bonnie Beers, a half-sister to three black type horses as well as Touche, the dam of reigning Horse Of The Year Dave The King.
Fire Away, whose three-year-olds not only include Fire Attack but the latter’s Gr1 TAB SA Classic conqueror Confederate, is also responsible for a filly (Lot 94) whose stakes placed dam Expedite is a full-sister to the dam of 2024 Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut winner Main Defender, winner of Saturday’s Gr2 TAB Hawaii Stakes. This filly’s other high-class relatives include this season’s Gr1 Betway Summer Cup hero Atticus Finch as well as US Gr1 winner Oleksandra.
This draft also includes a Legislate half-sister (Lot 21) to the Gr2 winning Caya Coco, as well as a One World colt (Lot 112) whose third dam is the Fort Wood sired champion, and Gr1 Spring Challenge winner, Kimberley Mine. Caya Coco’s sire Querari, also responsible for this season’s Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner
Cosmic Speed, is represented here by a colt (Lot 25) whose dam is a half-sister to the graded stakes winners Capoeira and Folk Dance, with this colt hailing from the same female line as champions Dancewiththedevil and Do It Again.
Ndoro Stud’s National Yearling Sale draft can be found in Block F at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
Graduates of the Sandown Stud have enjoyed good success in recent months. Recent Sandown Stud bred winners include Warrior Royale, Red Mountain, and War Empress.
Graduates of the Sandown Stud have enjoyed good success in recent months. Recent Sandown Stud bred winners include Warrior Royale, Red Mountain, and War Empress.
Top-class three-year-old Immediate Edge, foaled and raised by Sandown, showed his class when winning his first three races, with Immediate Edge’s triumphs including a score in the Listed World Sports Betting Hawwaam Stakes.
James Armitage will be offering another high-class draft at the upcoming National Yearling Sale with Sandown Stud’s National consignment including yearlings sired by the likes of Hawwaam, Malmoos, Querari, Rafeef and What A Winter.
This draft also includes yearlings hailing from some of the best families in the stud book.
James mentioned the following yearlings as likely standouts:
Lot 57: Double Jeopardy c Legislate –Crystal Cavern
He is a big, strong, flashy good walking half brother to the Gr1 placed Rodeo Drive.
Lot 71: Big City Roller c Rafeef – Dilalah
A very nice colt bred on the proven cross Rafeef over a Var mare. Dilalah’s older progeny have a MR of 89 and 90 respectively.
Lot 97: Expert Witness c Hawwaam – Fakazi
This is a high quality colt, and he represents a lovely mating.
Lot 199: c What A Winter – Mohallela
He is a late November foal who is very immature but has a great shape.
Lot 243: Rebel Ridge c Querari – Red Ridge
This is a top colt bred on a proven crossQuerari out of a Silvano mare. Great female line and the mare has already produced a stakes winner.
Lot 256: Above The Law c Legislate –Saffron Hill
A lovely big colt from a good family. The Dynasty line has worked with this female line.
Lot 272: c Hawwaam – Shaama
This is an immature colt with scope. He absolutely floats!
Lot 288: Perfect Power c Malmoos –So Flawless
He is a strong, solid first foal very much in the mould of Captain Al.
Lot 327: c Rafeef-Varachino
This is very much a Rafeef in the making. All his siblings have shown exceptional form.
Sandown’s National Sale draft can be viewed from Block F at the TBA Complex in Germiston.
The 2025 National Yearling Sale will be an emotional milestone for Courtney Soal. It will be the first time that the Soal family’s Sunstone Farm and Stud will be selling under their own flag.
The tragic passing in December 2022 of passionate racing man Kevin Soal shocked the South African racing industry. Mr Soal raced many top horses, was the owner of National Heavy Haulage, and also farmed in Mooi River,
from where the family has continued their small breeding operation.
Showing inordinate strength, the 30 year old
Courtney Soal told the Sporting Post earlier this week that her late Dad would have wanted them to continue with the horses and the family business, and that, while their lives would never be the same again, they have stood together.
“No family can ever be prepared for what happened in December 2022, but my Mom Debbie, my younger sister Megan, and I resolved to do it in Dad’s memory. He worked hard to build up the business and the farm and this is our way of honouring his very special memory.”
Courtney travels regularly between the beautiful farm in Mooi River and their logistics business on the Highveld.
“We are looking forward to the National Yearling Sale. We are offering two lovely horses, who will arrive this weekend. I will be there next week.” She talks with enthusiasm about Cyrus The Great (#194), a son of exciting new sire Declarationofpeace, and whose first two dams
are both stakes placed six-time winners.
He hails from the same family as champion Travel North.
“He is a powerhouse pocket rocket. A real steam train. He’s a precocious athletic specimen and we are excited to see him in the ring. The Fighting Fifth (#312) is an elegant and athletic Captain Of All filly out of The Fifth Wave, a three-time winning half-sister to Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge winner Gimme A Shot, who has done so well for us,” adds Courtney.
The Soals have raced the horses they bred and then they continue the cycle by then breeding with their fillies.
“Dad bred Gimme A Shot, as an example. She is a Gr2 winner of 5 races. She’s a 5yo already and she may be ready one of these days to move to Sunstone and enter the next phase of her career. Adam and Mike Azzie train our horses and we are very happy to enjoy an excellent relationship with them,” she concluded.
Courtney and her team will be at Block C at the TBA Sales Complex from Monday.
