It is an incredible feat for Hong Kong, with its horse population of 1 300 or only 0,8% of the global thoroughbred population, to have the world’s best sprinter and joint second-best horse in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings in Ka Ying Rising, while Romantic Warrior is one of the world’s premier middledistance gallopers and Voyage Bubble is not only a world-class miler, but winner of Hong Kong’s elusive Triple Crown.
Last month the Hong Kong Jockey Club launched its Year of the Horse (YOTH) campaign, a year-long series of events to honour the profound bond between horses and humans and the special role of the horse in Chinese culture and Hong Kong’s own history. The campaign will unite the community through thrilling races, international equestrian spectacles, and a special series of cultural, sporting, and family events. It will be a community celebration, a tourist attraction, and an opportunity to promote equine and community sports development.
The horse is an enduring emblem of perseverance and strength – qualities that resonate deeply with Hong Kong’s own ‘cando’ spirit. The city’s status as a world leader in racing and the on-going development of equestrian sport is a point of immense pride and a significant contributor to the nation’s development. The Club, through its unique integrated business model, channels this equine excellence into tangible benefits for the whole community.
The Year of the Horse is an especially auspicious year for the Club. The YOTH campaign is a year-long celebration of the special role of horses and horse racing during their 140 years of history in Hong Kong and with deep roots in our community.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said, “Racing is a symbol of Hong Kong’s never give-up can-do spirit, its resilience and striving for excellence. It is a symbol of the city’s stability under One Country Two Systems.”
He added, “It is Hong Kong’s favourite pastime and has become globally recognised as world-class. It makes Hong Kong proud when Hong Kong horses are successful in global competitions in Hong Kong and overseas. It is more than a sport as its impact via the integrated business model of the Club has made contributions to Hong Kong economically and socially; which fulfills the Club’s purpose of acting for the betterment of society.”
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges and Horse Of The Year ambassador Aaron Kwok open the celebrations | Credit: HKJC
To spread the message of honouring the bond between horse and human, the Club has appointed music and film superstar Aaron Kwok as the ‘Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Year of the Horse Ambassador’. He will participate in a range of community initiatives and events throughout the campaign and will also produce the official Year of the Horse theme song, reflecting his love for horses and commitment to the sport of racing.
Hong Kong officially welcomed the Year of the Horse on Tuesday evening with a series of events starting with the International Chinese New Year Night Parade, which included a spectacular float themed ‘Riding High Together in the Year of the Horse’ and featuring three horses which symbolised the vitality, prosperity and forward-looking spirit traditionally associated with the Year of the Horse.
Hong Kong Jockey Club Equestrian Team rider and Asian Championship medallist Patrick Lam, together with Club Apprentice Jockey Britney Wong, rode on the float demonstrating Hong Kong’s long and profound connection with the horse.
Today the ‘Prosperity Gallops Across Hong Kong’ Year of the Horse Fireworks Display, which is exclusively sponsored by the Club, will light up Victoria Harbour. The 23-minute spectacle, with 31 888 pyrotechnic shells, is divided into eight scenes and will feature horse elements and auspicious symbols to welcome in the new year.
And on Thursday Sha Tin hosts the 2026 Year of the Horse Raceday with a programme of themed activities and world-class feature races showcasing the talents of outstanding trainers such as John Size, Caspar Fownes – who won his 1200th race in Hong Kong on Saturday 14 February – David Hayes, Danny
Shum, Francis Lui, Frankie Lor, Ricky Yiu and Mark Newnham, among others.
Attendees can also marvel at the athleticism and skill of champions such as Zac Purton, Hugh Bowman, Andrea Atzeni, Vincent Ho, Jerry Chau and fast-rising Irishman Dylan Browne McMonagle, who showcased his tremendous talent with victory on Sons And Lovers at the Saudi Cup meeting on Saturday 14 February.
The Year of the Horse Raceday is part the Club’s comprehensive Year of the Horse campaign, which celebrates the close bond between horses and humans, and the contribution horse racing makes to Hong Kong.
Racing not only remains the city’s favourite pastime, but is also a symbol of Hong Kong’s can-do spirit and stability under One Country Two Systems and, in the months ahead, many more events will be held in celebration of the Year of the Horse with the highlight being October’s relaunch of world-class racing, equestrian events and entertainment at the Club’s Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou.
This will be a significant milestone in the Club’s support for national equine industry development in the Greater Bay Area and beyond and underlines Hong’s Kong’s enterprise, ambition and ‘Can-do spirit’.
Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges wished everyone Kung Hei Fat Choy for the Year of the Horse and extended an invitation to join them for the Chinese New Year Festivities.
Thursday’s Sha Tin racemeeting is off at 06h30 with the running of the Kung Hei Handicap.
Read more on pages 119 and 126.
CAPE DERBY COUNTDOWN!
A first entry of nine was received on Monday for the 2026 renewal of the R1,5 million Lucky Fish Gr1 Cape Derby to be run at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday 28 February.
Reigning SA champion trainer Justin Snaith holds 3 of the 9 entries, including the Cartier Gr1 Paddock Stakes winner Wish List, who bids to follow in the golden hoofprints of Decoration (1929), Windlass (1930), Anthea (1935) Fringilla (1936), Green Lass (1951), Taima Bluff (1980) and Dog Wood (1999) as fairer sex gallopers to win the timeless classic.
She is said to be the choice of high-riding Andrew Fortune, whose only previous Cape Derby success dates back to Shah’s Star in 1997.
Snaith has five Derby trophies in his office, including 2025 winner Eight On Eighteen and
dating all the way back to Russian Sage in 2008.
Vaughan Marshall won the Cape Derby in the 21st century with Linebacker in 2021 and Top Seller in 2011 and has two entries in recent HKJC World Gr3 Politician Stakes placer Better Man and the 83-rated United Front.
Candice Bass has entered the promising, albeit recently slightly disappointing Viva’s Liberte, for Khaya Stables who won the Cape Derby with Dean Kannemeyer in 2024 (Green With Envy) and Capetown Noir (2013). While her Dad Mike saddled Floatyourboat win the 2006 renewal, Candice is still looking for her first success in the race.
Her Milnerton neighbour Paddy Kruyer is enjoying a revival season of some proportions, with his 9 winners from 39 runners this term giving him a win strikerate of 23,1 %, second in the land behind Hollywood Racing’s Vengi Masawi, whose 11 winners off 44 runners, gives him the national log-topping strike-rate of 25%.
Paddy saddles Ingnite The Fire, a two-time winning son of Fire Away, who could make his maiden foray into feature company if he should take his place here.
Piet and Elbert Steyn will be looking for a bigger effort from their HKJC World Pool Gr3 Politician Stakes fourth-placer Pay The Palace.
James Crawford has the HKJC World Pool Gr3 Politician Stakes winner Star Major
entered. James’ Dad Brett won the Derby with Edict Of Nantes (2017) and Jackson (2012).
With a glittering honour roll that boasts stallions, Equus Champions, and some giants of the SA turf, including household names of the ilk of Colorado King, Sea Cottage, Mazarin, Politician, and more recently champions like Dynasty, Jay Peg, Capetown Noir, Legislate and Golden Ducat, the Lucky Fish Gr1 Cape Derby is the final Grade 1 contest of the Cape Summer Festival Of Racing and is set to continue a proud tradition dating back over a century, when the race was first run over 1800m as the Western Province Derby.
Supplementary entries are due by 11h00 on Friday 20 February.
Declarations need to be in by no later than 11h00 Monday 23 February.
LUCKY FISH GR1 CAPE DERBY WEIGHTS
SUPPLEMENT TO SPRINT 18 FEBRUARY 2026
PROUDLY PRESENTING THE BSA CAPE YEARLING SALE
1 MARCH 2026
KIND THANKS TO OUR ADVERTISERS
Blue Karoo Stud
BSA
Drakenstein Stud
Heuningsfontein Stud
Kuda
Mauritzfontein
Narrow Creek Stud
Ndoro Stud
Precentor Place
Prosper Stud
Riverton Stud
Soetendal Estate
Wilgerbosdrift
Winterbach Stud
On the cover
BSA Cape Yearling Sale # 63 – His name is As Good Once, a Narrow Creek Stud-bred son of Buffalo Bill Cody (IRE) out of the Parade Leader mare, Rydethecreek. He is a halfbrother to 7 winners, notably KRA Gr2 Fillies Guineas/Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes winner, Alexis. Romi Bettison took the photograph.
Times may have changed, but champion Pocket Power was one of the illustrious graduates of the Cape Yearling Sale | Credit: Supplied
22 YEARS ONTHE POWER’S STILL IN YOUR POCKET!
The BSA Cape Yearling Sale remains one of the best value-for-money thoroughbred auctions in South Africa.
Looking back a year ago, the BSA Cape Yearling Sale reaffirmed its wide spectrum market position with value-for-money consistency from top to tail, and a horse to suit most every pocket.
The 2025 stats showed that 99 of the 109 catalogued lots (versus 132 of 156 catalogued in ’24) sold for an aggregate of R22 505 000 (up 21% from R27 265 000 in ’24) at an average of R227 323 (up 10% from R206 553 in ’24). The median remained consistent at R180 000.
The 2026 renewal of the sale is set to take place again at the SARDA Centre in Constantia on Sunday 1 March, with the action getting underway at 12h00.
This time-honoured platform has a proud and impressive roll of honour, with past graduates ranging from the likes of champions Pocket Power and Mother Russia, to recent graded stakes
winners Buffalo Storm Cody, Main Defender, One Fell Swoop, Pistol Pete, and Rascova.
For interest’s sake, Pocket Power was a R190 000 buy at the 2004 Cape Yearling Sale, and during his career he earned over R9 million in prize money.
Many of the Cape’s top stud farms will be represented at the 2026 Cape Yearling Sale, and leading stallions Gimmethegreenlight, Master Of My Fate, One World, Querari, Rafeef, Vercingetorix and What A Winter all have at least one yearling on offer.
The sale will also offer yearlings from the first crops of such exciting prospects as Digital Age, Jet Dark, Kommetdieding and Master Archie.
The Sprint Cape Yearling Sale supplement is interactive – please click here to read our snapshot of each lot.
UNDER THE HAMMER!
PROGENY OF QUALITY QUARTET OF YOUNG SIRES
A number of blue-blooded and well performed stallions will be represented by yearlings from their first crop at the upcoming BSA Cape Yearling Sale. From Digital Age and Kommetdieding, to Jet Dark and Master Archie, there will, no doubt, be plenty of interest in the yearlings of these high-class Gr1 winners.
Digital Age, who earned more than $1,263 million in his career, won five of 13 starts, including the 2020 Gr1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs. He is one of more than 20 Gr1 winners sired by Invincible Spirit, whose more than 150 stakes winners include such outstanding sires as Kingman and I Am Invincible.
Digital Age has five members of his first crop on offer at the Cape Yearling Sale, including a colt (Lot 55) out of Listed Syringa Handicap winner Persian Rug and a half-sister (Lot 105) to the smart Demanding Dave whose dam is a winning half-sister to the Gr2 winning dam of Charles Dickens.
Digital Age (Invincible Spirit - Willow View) | Credit: Supplied
JET DARK (TRIPPI - NIGHT JET)
A five-time Gr1 winner and Equus Award winning champion, Jet Dark won nine of 19 starts, with his five Gr1 victories including back to back wins in both the L’Ormarins Gr1 Queen’s Plate and HKJC World Pool Gr1 Champions Cup.
Jet Dark, who also triumphed in the 2023 World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Town Met, is a son of Trippi, Champion Sire in South Africa in 2015-2016. A three-parts brother to Gt1 Mercury Sprint runner-up Night Trip, Jet Dark is from the same female line as
such standouts as Peintre Celebre, Stradivarius and Protectionist.
Understandably, Jet Dark has proven very popular and he has some well-bred yearlings on offer at the Cape Yearling Sale. This draft includes a three-parts brother (Lot 4) to Gr3 Summer Fling Stakes winner Hold My Hand, a close relation (Lot 81) of the Trippi sired Listed Golden Loom Handicap hero Graduation Day, and a colt (Lot 128) out of a winning daughter of champion Lady Windermere.
Jet Dark (Trippi - Night Jet) | Credit: Chase Liebenberg
Kommetdieding (Elusive Fort - Adorable) |
KOMMETDIEDING (ELUSIVE FORT - ADORABLE)
One of the most charismatic horses of his generation, Kommetdieding won his only start at two, before going on to win his first three starts at three, culminating in a victory in the 2021 Gr3 Politician Stakes.
He went on to win both the 2021 Vodacom Durban July and 2022 World Sports Betting grCape Town Met, and ended his career having earned over R4,255 million.
A son of Fort Wood’s champion son Elusive Fort, Kommetdieding, a direct descendant of
the influential mare Queen Of Light, is out of a stakes placed three-parts sister to triple Gr1 winner Captain America.
His first crop members on offer at the Cape Sale include a colt (Lot 3) whose granddam is a Gr2 winning daughter of Captain Al (the broodmare sire of Kommetdieding), a filly (Lot69) from the family of G1r winning fillies VJ’s Angel, Bilateral, Tara’s Touch and Little Miss Magic, and a colt (Lot 71), inbred to Captain Al, whose granddam is a four time winning daughter of champion Consensual.
Credit: Freeman Stallions
MASTER ARCHIE (RAFEEF - LA VOLTA)
A grandson of legendary Australian sire Redoute’s Choice, the speedy Master Archie won seven of 14 starts, including both the 2022 Gr1 Computaform Sprint and 2022 Gr3 Man O’War Sprint.
Master Archie is a son of prominent sire Rafeef, whose progeny also includes champion Thunderstruck and the remarkable William Robertson. Master Archie, bred on the same Rafeef/Var cross as Thunderstruck,
is out of Listed Bauhinia Handicap winner La Volta, a full-sister to the Gr1 placed Valeta and half-sister to graded stakes winners Chesalon and Mardi Gras.
Master Archie has two lots on the Cape Yearling Sale - a filly (Lot88) whose 7 time winning dam was sired by Var, the broodmare sire of Master Archie, and a filly (Lot 140) whose third dam is Steinhoff Gr3 Magnolia Handicap winner Lee Danzig.
Master Archie (Rafeef - La Volta) | Credit: Candiese Lenferna
The magnificent Soetendal Estate – starting place of many a champion | Credit: Supplied
SOETENDAL DUO WILL TURN HEADS
Soetendal Estate’s growing list of star alumni continues to impress all over South Africa. Among the current top performers associated with Soetendal are the likes of The Real Prince, Gimme What I Want, Dave The King, Regulation and Splittheeights.
Equus Champion One Stripe, a runner-up in the Gr1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes, is yet another outstanding performer to have begun his career under the tutelage of Soetendal’s staff.
Julia Pilbeam will be offering two choicely- bred yearlings at the upcoming Cape Yearling Sale. Sired by the exciting Kommetdieding and the proven Pathfork respectively, both yearlings look to be attractive prospects.
Lot 71: c Kommetdieding - Second Voice
This colt hails from the first crop of the charismatic Vodacom Gr1 Durban July/ World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Town Met winner Kommedieding.
Closely inbred to legendary sire Captain Al, this colt’s granddam is a four time winning half-sister to champion Consensual.
Lot 138: f Pathfork - Deputy Ryder
By the same sire as high-class fillies of the ilk of Mighty High, My Friend Lee and Olivia’s Way, this filly is out of the smart racemare Deputy Ryder. The latter, a half-sister to two other stakes winners as well as to the dam of G2 KRA Fillies Guineas winner Alexis, won five races, including both the Listed Queen Palm Handicap and Listed East Coast Cup. “She has plenty of scope,” adds Julia excitedly.
These two yearlings can be found in Block B at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
BARRY’S BEAUTY!
THE LONG ESTABLISHED RIVERTON STUD IN ROBERTSON REMAINS ONE OF THE TOP STUD FARMS IN SOUTH AFRICA. AMONG THE NUMEROUS STARS BRED BY THE FARM ARE CHAMPION AND SUCCESSFUL SIRE CAPTAIN OF ALL, AS WELL AS THE LIKES OF DOMINO MAN, ASTRIX, CIRILLO AND POTENT POWER.
The latest flagbearer for Riverton is the classy sprinter The US Of A, winner of this season’s Listed Southeaster Sprint.
Duncan Barry will be offering two well related fillies at this year’s Cape Yearling Sale, and he had the following comments to make about his pair.
Lot 49: f Soqrat - Nutcracker Sweet
By a prolific source of winners, this filly is a half-sister to two winners including Listed Spook Express Handicap winner She’s A Cracker, and this is also the family of recent Cartier Gr2 Sceptre Stakes winner Gimme
What I Want. This is a big,strong and correct filly.
Lot 99: f Captain Of All - Yata
By the Riverton bred sire of Gr1 winners Fiery Pegasus and Linebacker, this filly’s granddam is a stakes placed full-sister to Gr1 Computaform Sprint winner Noble Heir, the dam of Australian Gr3 winner Crown Witness. She is an attractive, well balanced, good walking filly.
These two fillies can be found in Block E at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
Horsey heaven! | Credit: Supplied
DON’T BE LATE – NARROW CREEK EARLY TYPES STAND OUT!
Narrow Creek Stud’s Cape Yearling Sale graduates have been in fine form of late.
This tally includes star sprinter Buffalo Storm Cody, the promising Cognac, and Heath House. The latter, a R240 000 buy from last year’s auction, is unbeaten in two starts and looks to be a two-year-old of real promise.
Narrow Creek will be offering ten quality yearlings at the 2026 Cape Sale, with their draft including lots sired by the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Digital Age, Erik The Red, Jet Dark and Rafeef.
John Everett had the following to say about his draft for this year’s Cape Yearling Sale: “We have a nice bunch across the board and they are a few nice, early types in the draft.”
One filly bound to attract attention is Right On Time (Lot 96), a daughter of top sire Rafeef and
the Jet Master sired Gr3 Acacia Handicap winner Whatalady. Narrow Creek have enjoyed plenty of success with the progeny of Rafeef, with the farm having not only bred the stallion’s smart son Cognac, but also Rafeef’s Listed TAB Perfect Promise Sprint winner Who Do You Love.
The ever popular Rafeef is also represented here by a filly (Lot 80), whose granddam is the stakes placed La Poppet, with this filly hailing from the same family as champion Mark Anthony, among others. Other appealing sorts on sale include As Good Once (Lot 63), a Buffalo Bill Cody halfbrother to KRA Gr2 Fillies Guineas winner Alexis, Moonlit Dark (Lot 75), a daughter of champion Jet Dark and the smart racemare Shivers, and the Digital Age colt (Lot 79), whose dam is a stakes placed daughter of Flower Alley.
This draft can be viewed from Block D at the SARDA Centre.
TRUE BLUE KAROO!
The Blue Karoo Stud is a relatively young farm, whose early history has was focused around Bloodstock South Africa’s online auctions.
Blue Karoo’s Dr Marni Strauss is a vet with plenty of experience with thoroughbreds. Marni has worked extensively at farms in the Karoo, and this will be the fourth year that Blue Karoo Stud will be offering horses for sale.
The farm will be bringing forward four classy yearlings at the upcoming Cape Yearling Sale in Constantia.
Blue Karoo Stud’s draft consists of fillies sired by Danon Platina, Digital Age, and Elusive Fort, as well as a colt by Erupt.
Marni had the following to say about her Cape Sale draft: Musou (Lot 10) is an athletic, black Elusive Fort filly
out of Furnace, who is a half sister to the Gr1 winner Fiery Pegasus and Gr2 winner Shango.
Second up is Ka Ching (Lot 47), a strong sprinting filly by the exciting new stallion Digital Age, out of the Captain Al mare New Money.
Kimikoyama (Lot 94) is an exceptional Danon Platina filly, out of the imported New Approach mare Vul Indlela. Her full brother Okayama was very well liked on last years auction and expected to make his debut soon under the watchful eye of Des McLachlan. This filly will make you look twice!
Last is Volcatraz (Lot 121), an early maturing impressive Erupt colt out of the Captain Al mare Catraz who is half sister to Equus champion Aslan. A stunning colt not be missed.
This draft can be found in Block A at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
Dr Marni Strauss turns the Blue Karoo yearlings out beautifully | Credit: BSA
DRAKENSTEIN – SET TO DAZZLE AGAIN
Drakenstein Stud made headlines at the recent World Sports Betting Cape Town Met race day.
The champion farm’s See It Again took his earnings to more than R8,675 million when he won the 2026 Met, becoming the second consecutive Met winner for his breeders. The Drakenstein Stud bred champion Eight On Eighteen won the World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Town Met in 2025.
Drakenstein Stud will be offering two quality yearlings at the upcoming BSA Cape Yearling Sale, and both horses look to be exciting prospects. Kevin Somerville had the following comments to make about the Drakenstein pair:
Lot 4: Fill My Heart c Jet Dark - Fly To The Moon
He’ll be the second Jet Dark to go through the ring
and he’s a lovely medium sized colt with plenty of strength, muscle tone and a good athletic walk. He is a 3 parts-brother to the Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 1 placed, Glen Kotzen trained, Hold My Hand (Gold Standard).
Lot 37: Looking At Winter c What A WinterLooking At Stars
By outstanding sire What A Winter, Looking at Winter is a big strapping individual with plenty of substance and size, as you would expect from a What A Winter and from the family of the outstanding Equus champion Lady Windermere.
The duo can be viewed in Block F at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
Drakenstein - place of champions | Credit: Drakenstein Stud
PROBABLY… WITHODDSRACEHORSES, ARE EVERYTHING!
So you bought a Gimmethegreenlight. Will it win? Probably. Stats show 75% do. Will it be a top horse? Probably not. Stats show less than 15% will be. Still, that’s odds of 8/1 or more. Nice bet for a racing man. Stats are a great thing to have when you want to buy a horse.
But you have to do the homework. That’s surprising fun to do.
Now for the BSA Cape Yearling Sale on 1 March.
First there’s the sale catalogue with pedigree pages. The more black type, the better the family.
How good? Black type ought to put a number to it, but it can’t.
Mothers, aunts, brothers, sisters, cousins – who knows how good they really are. What’s more, how many of them there are.
The pedigree page is a selling tool, so it doesn’t talk about the evil twin in the attic.
Which one? Do your homework! | Credit: Romi Bettison
“I bought a racehorse.” “Wow, that’s amazing! Is it good?”
“I don’t know.”
“How do you mean, you don’t know?” “It hasn’t raced yet.” “Why not?”
“It’s only one.”
“So when will it race?”
“When it’s two. Probably.”
Luckily the Buyer’s Guide goes a long way in putting numbers on it. All of a dam’s progeny with race record, aptitude and sale prices. Delving deeper with a click.
Now look at the sire. Lots to choose from.
Highest rated runners, with sire, dam and damsire you’ll find on the Sires’ page under ‘affinity’.
In the Sale Toolkit go to the Nick-finder to see sire x damsire stats. There are a few stand-outs for this sale, with over 80% winners to runners. Nick-finder It also shows the distance aptitude, giving an idea of what to expect.
Then there’s Sire and Broodmare Sire Aptitude.
See who the leaders are by distance. And what a sire and broodmare tends to produce ability-wise.
It all adds up.
Then for the known-unknown – new sire progeny.
This sale is the first for the Class of 2024.
Digital Age. Jet Dark. Kommetdieding. Master Archie.
The Sire Book summarises their racing career, pedigree, aptitude and makes predictions of what female lines might suit their pedigrees.
How they’ll do, who knows. Probability suggests long odds.
Second season sires, the ones whose runners are current 2yo’s are different.
Trainers know what they have in their yards, so there will be focus at this sale on progeny of Malmoos and Real Gone Kid.
You can go to last year’s prices to check what their popularity was then, and compare to what happens in the ring here. You’ll probably have to be on your toes!
For homework, on the Raceform website check SIRES and in STATS find the Sales Toolkit, Sire Sale Prices – and more.
You’ll probably love it!
www.raceform.co.za
NDORO – THE DUKES OF WELLINGTON!
Ndoro Stud continues to produce high-class winners around South Africa. From 2025 HKJC World Pool Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Fire Attack to promising filly Fiery Rose, the Wellington-based farm has consistently made its presence felt on South African racetracks. The farm also recently made news when the Ndoro Stud bred Master Mtoto became the first winner for exciting young stallion Real Gone Kid.
Ndoro will be bringing four smart yearlings to this year’s Cape Yearling Sale, set to take place at SARDA Centre on March 1st. Ndoro’s draft consists of thoroughbreds sired by Kommetdieding, Malmoos, One World and Real Gone Kid.
Captain Al’s Triple Crown winning son Malmoos is the sire of a filly (Lot 8) out of a stakes-placed granddaughter of the Gr1 winning champion Kimberley Mine. Further back, this is the family
of top-class Japanese racehorse and sire Heart’s Cry.
One World, another top-class son of Captain Al, is also a high-class stallion represented here. The Drakenstein Stud based star is the sire of a wellbred colt (Lot 50), whose speedy dam Ostinato won four times and ran second in the Gr3 Champagne Stakes. Former July/Met winner Kommetdieding is represented by his first yearlings this season, and he is the sire of a filly (Lot 69) from the family of such Gr1 winning fillies as Bilateral, VJ’s Angel and Tara’s Touch, to name a few.
Last, but by no means least, in this draft is the Real Gone Kid colt (Lot 108) out of the Pathfork mare Beautiful Rosa. The latter is a half-sister to the Gr3 winning dam of classy Gr2 World Sports Betting Camellia Stakes winner Schippers.
This draft can be found in Block E at SARDA.
Ndoro – beauty in the heart of the Boland | Credit: Supplied
A wonderful part of the world! | | Credit: Romi Bettison
WINTERBACH RUN SET TO CONTINUE
Winterbach Stud enjoyed some tremendous results at last year’s August Two Year Old Sale.
Winterbach ended the August Sale having sold three two-year-olds for R2,38 million while the farm, acting as agent, sold a further four lots for R2.325 million. The top lots sold by the farm at the 2025 August Two Year Old Sale was the Rafeef colt Disco Jet, who was knocked down for R1,15 million.
With sires represented in their Cape Sale draft including the likes of Erik The Red, Hawwaam, Jet Dark and Querari, Winterbach, offering eight yearlings as agent, look set to enjoy more sales ring success at the 2026 Cape Yearling Sale.
One lot bound to attract attention is Appaloosa (Lot 91), a filly by consistently top-class sire Querari and out of the high-class racemare Tzigane. The latter won six races, including the
Gr3 Sycamore Sprint, and has already produced three winners. War Front’s blue-blooded son Declarationofpeace has three lots in this draft, and they include a three-parts sister (Lot 12) to the useful Golden Operator as well as a colt (Lot 131) out of G3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery winner Cousin Liz.
Other attractive prospects include Hannah Go (Lot 16), a Fire Away colt whose first two dams won 18 races between them, Red Web (Lot 23), an Erik The Red colt closely related to top sprinter Dyce, and the Jet Dark colt (Lot 81) whose relatives include such US Gr1 winners as Discreet Cat, Discreetly Mine and Pretty Discreet.
This draft can be viewed from Block F at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
VARSFONTEIN – MORE BIG WINNERS
Varsfontein Stud enjoyed a big day at the recent L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate race meeting.
Not only did Varsfontein foal and raise both L’Ormarins King’s Plate winner The Real Prince and the same day’s Anthonij Rupert Gr2 Premier Trophy winner Okavango, but the farm’s homebred filly Gimme What I Want won the Cartier Gr2 Sceptre Stakes on the same day.
The farm, whose stallion band include such star sires as Gimmethegreenlight and Master Of My Fate, will be offering a high-class draft at the upcoming Cape Yearling Sale.
Varsfontein’s champion resident sire Gimmethegreenlight, whose progeny include the aforementioned pair of The Real Prince and Gimme What I Want, is the sire of To Camelot (Lot 127), a colt whose dam is a Camelot half-sister to Turkish champion Tenerife Song.
The Varsfontein Stud bred trio, and close relatives, Erik The Red, Malmoos and Master Of My Fate, are strongly represented here. Master Of My Fate, whose growing list of stakes winners include the aforementioned Okavango as well as this season’s Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas winner Jan Van Goyen, has some very well bred yearlings on offer. This group includes a filly (Lot 13), whose six-time winning dam is a half-sister to this season’s L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate runner up Questioning, and Mansa Musa (Lot 106), a half-brother to this season’s high-class three-year-old Randolph
Hearst. Leading First Season Sire of 20242025, Erik The Red’s draft includes Red Kite In Flight (Lot 28), a full-sister to recent debut winner Scarlet Starlet, Eric The Memorable (Lot 38), a half-brother to the Gr3 winning dam of champion Bless My Stars, and Sherifflawfulmoses (Lot 59). The latter is a colt out of a winning full-sister to Australian Gr1 winner Yulong Prince, as well as to recent Listed War Of Athena Handicap winner, Charge It.
Other appealing prospects on offer include Hopkinson (Lot 18), a The United States half-brother to impressive debut winner North Star, Katabatic Wind (Lot 92), a Kommetdieding colt from the family of champion Dave The King, and Pure Jade (Lot 58), a Jet Dark filly whose Gr3-placed dam is a full-sister to Durban July winner Belgarion and 3/4 sister to this season’s Ownpay Gr3 Peninsula Handicap winner Regulation.
This draft can be found in Block A at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
THE POWER OF PROSPER!
Prosper Stud will be bringing another highquality draft to this year’s Cape Yearling Sale. Jikkie De Wet will be offering buyers the opportunity to acquire stock by a range of different sires, with stallions represented in this draft including Captain Of All, Elusive Fort, Fire Away, Futura, Kommetdieding, Master Archie and Pathfork.
With yearlings hailing from some classy female lines, this consignment looks sure to find favour with buyers!
Jikkie had the following to say about his draft for the 2026 Cape Sale:
Lot 2: All A Lady f Captain Of All - Fantastic Lady
A well-built, athletic filly with a strong frame and good depth. She has a powerful hindquarter.
Lot 24: f Fire Away - Kantara Queen
She is a sharp, athletic filly with a real speedy look, well built, balanced and forward moving. She has a strong hindquarter.
Lot 30: c Futura - La Callisto
He is a powerful and athletic colt, with a strong frame and hindquarter. Correct and balanced.
Lot 40: c Kommetdieding - Manousckas Beaut
This is a strong, well built colt with powerful muscles. He has correct conformation and real presence.
Lot 44:c Kommetdieding - Morethanthat
This is an athletic colt with presence, excellent conformation and natural speed. He is a great racing prospect!
Lot 64: Lydia’s Lady f William LongswordSadler’s Lass
She is a powerful, athletic filly with excellent balance and a strong, well-defined hindquarter. A quality racing prospect.
Lot 67: Adeje c Pathfork - Sakura Trick
He is an athletic, well balanced colt with a strong frame and fluent movement.
Lot 72: c Futura - September Bloom
An athletic colt with good, strong conformation. He has a powerful hindquarter, with a solid, wellbalanced frame.
Lot 88: f Master Archie - Trimontium
She is a well balanced, strongly-built filly, with excellent conformation and a powerful engine. She has natural presence, athleticism and correct structure throughout.
Lot 111: f Elusive Fort - Bianca
An athletic, correct filly, with excellent overall conformation. She has good length, a well-set shoulder, and powerful hindquarter.
This draft can be found in Block F at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
The grass is green on the Prosper side! | Credit: Suppled
HEUNINGSFONTEIN’S EXCELLENT EIGHT
South African champion and BSA graduate
Quid Pro Quo made a big impression when she ran second in the 2026 Gr2 Cape Verdi at Meydan recently.
The dual Gr1 winner made an eye catching Dubai debut when lunging late to grab second place, and while sadly picking up an injury recently, won’t race at the Dubai World Cup again this term.
Heuningsfontein Stud will be offering a number of well-bred yearlings sired by Quid Pro Quo’s blue-blooded sire Lance at this year’s BSA Cape Yearling Sale. The farm will also be offering yearlings by the likes of Canford Cliffs and Rebel King.
Heuningsfontein’s Leon Lotz had the following comments to make about his draft:
Lot 54: Dragon Burst c Lance - Peronzada
Very good looking, well balanced colt. The Computerform Sprint is waiting for him!
Lot 15: Clifton Fan Club c Canford CliffsHammie’s Fan
Typical of the stallion. He stands over ground and has a good length of rein.
Lot 21: Rock This Country c Rebel KingInspiring Rebel King’s stakes winning half-siblings, Uncle Tommy and Rebel Queen, were both
Team Heuningsfontein is ready to welcome you on 1 March | Credit: Supplied
by Kahal. We tried the Kahal cross. The end product is a magnificent colt. He will grow into a good size and is a well-muscled colt with a super temperament.
Lot 25: Rebellious c Rebel King - Karoo Mist
We trained the mother. I thought she would win first time out. However, monkeys got into the stables at Fairview and she injured herself badly one day before racing. This colt is very strong and big. Difficult to fault him!
Lot 33: The Key c Lance - Legal Appeal
He is a late foal, a miler staying type. In time he will grow into himself. Toureiro won us four races and was speedy.
Lot 41: Lord Lancelot c Lance - Mifid Two
He was selected for the National Sale but it is difficult for us to go with one yearling.
This is a classic racy type. The closest one can get to Quid Pro Quo. Come and have a look!
Lot 45: Bottle Of Dreams c Rebel KingMy Dream Chaser
We hear lot of good things about his half sister in training. This is a short-coupled, strong colt, I think he is an out and out sprinter, who is made for the 400m dash in KwaZulu-Natal. The Song of Songs damline shows in his making.
Lot 51: Galeas c Lance - Pam’s Princess
His female line is full of group winners. A very well muscled colt. Looks a speedy type but there is nothing stopping him from training on.
This draft can be found in Block A at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
VALE REBEL KING
Equus Champion Sprinter of 2009 and an eight-time Grade 1 winner, Rebel King was humanely euthanized on Tuesday.
“He was 24 years old and his health was going backwards quickly. We did the kind and best thing with heavy hearts,” Heuningsfontein’s Leon Lotz told the Sporting Post.
“The three colts on the BSA Cape Yearling Sale are his penultimate that will be for sale. He had 6 foals at foot and only one mare in foal for coming season,” added the veteran.
A son of ARCSA Champion and Champion sire of 2yo’s in 2003/4, National Emblem,
Rebel King won or placed in 17 graded races when trained by the now retired Charles Laird.
An unbeaten winner of The Gr2 Nursery in new race-record time at 2, he was a tough, genuine and fast racehorse who raced from 2-5 years and his eight Grade 1 strikes included the Cape Flying Championship.
Rebel King got nominal support at stud and produced 5 stakes winners. He stood at Gelykfontein after leaving Klawervlei Stud, and then five years ago he moved to Heuningsfontein, his final resting place.
Oldlands – the wow factor! | Credit: Supplied
OLDLANDS STUD’S DRAFT LOOKS GOOD FOR YOU!
Zarina. Ambiorix. Rocket Countdown. English Garden. These are just a few of the top-class horses bred by Oldlands Stud over the years.
The latest high-class graduate of Oldlands is this season’s top-class three-year-old Good For You. Winner of last season’s Gr1 Gold Medallion, and a R300 000 buy from the 2024 National Sale, Good For You showed his class when defying 60kgs to win the recent Race Coast Gr2 Cape Punters Cup.
Oldlands Stud will be offering a trio of wellbred colts at the 2026 Cape Yearling Sale. The three colts were sired by proven stallions Elusive Fort, Pathfork and Royal Mo, making them a must-see at this sale.
Fortress (Lot 97) shares his sire Elusive Fort with such stars as Kommetdieding, Siren’s
Call and Out Of Your League. This well-bred colt, bred on the same cross as July/Met winning sire Kommetdieding, is a half-brother to Listed Zimbabwe Guineas winner Jacky Sparrow, and the stakes-placed Tiger Play.
Irish champion Pathfork is another top-class sire represented in this draft. His son Event King (Lot 133), a half-brother to the useful Arverni Princess, is out of a Gr3 placed halfsister to Listed Olympic Duel Stakes winner Hanabi, the dam of the smart Hotarubi.
Mystic Mo (Lot 102), as his name suggests, is a colt by the hugely underrated stallion Royal Mo. This colt is out of a six-time winning fullsister to Swallow Stakes runner-up Margot On Stage, and this is a high-class German family.
Oldlands’ Cape Sale string can be found in Block F at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
WILGERBOSDRIFT
SEEK A WARM RECEPTION ON 1 MARCH
Among the farm’s recent stakes winning graduates is Listed Betway Mother Russia Stakes winner Warm Reception. A smart winner on debut, Warm Reception has won three of just four starts to date and she looks to be another high-class galloper bred and raised by Wilgerbosdrift.
Excitingly, Warm Reception has a highly regarded half-sister, in the form of Pendet Flower (Lot 5), one the sale. Wilgerbosdrift will also be offering yearlings sired by the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Fire Away, Hawwaam, Rafeef and The United States.
The farm’s Shane Van Zyl is delighted by the draft that he is bringing to the BSA Cape Yearling Sale, and mentioned the following lots as particularly exciting:
Lot 36: Pepin Island - Fire Away x Long White Cloud
This colt is a first foal, but he is nicely grown with a strong hindquarter. He stands over ground, is correct in front and has a good walk on him.
Lot 46: Triton Moon - Hawwaam x Neptune’s Rain
Attractive looking colt with lots of presence. Has a lovely way of moving and uses himself well when he walks. Very good front legs and ample hindquarter.
Lot 5: Pendet - Flower Alley x Folk Dance
This is an athletic filly with lots of flash and a big blaze. She has a good shoulder on her and has a lovely topline. She is a filly with a lot of quality.
Lot 82: Creature Comforts - Rafeef x Sybaris
She is a big, strong and well-grown filly with good depth of girth. Very relaxed when she walks and covers a lot of ground.
Lot 110: Yoga Asana - Hawwaam x Bend Not Break
A good looking, racey filly. Very correct in front with a strong hindquarter.
Lot 123: Pocket Change - Fire Away x Centimes
She is a good-sized filly with substance. She has an attractive head and moves well.
This draft can be viewed in Block E at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
Wilgerbosdrift – land of legends | Credit: Sal Wilson
MAURITZFONTEIN - MORE MAGIC
Mauritzfontein, one of South Africa’s top producers of high-class thoroughbreds, has enjoyed a wonderful few months, even by their own high standards.
Mauritzfontein bred the champion Gimme A Nother to win the Gr2 John C. Mabee Stakes in North America last year, and the top farm also bred the 2025 Betway Gr1 Summer Cup winner, Mocha Blend.
The latter is a daughter of Mauritzfontein’s highly successful sire Ideal World, who is represented in Mauritzfontein’s Cape Yearling Sale draft by Galway Bay (Lot 122). A full-brother to Listed Wolf Power 1600 winner Irish Pride, this colt is also bred on similar lines to stakes-winner, Persian Rug.
Mauritzfontein’s exciting young Invincible Spirit sire Digital Age is doubly represented in this draft. Current State (Lot 55) is a colt out of the aforementioned, Listed Syringa Handicap winning
Persian Rug, while Digital Age filly Mistletoe Magic (Lot 125) granddam is a half-sister to international Gr1 winners Lily Of The Valley and Mubtaahij.
Top-class racemare Fort Ember, who won the Gr2 Prosport International Gold Bracelet and ran second in the Gauteng Sansui Gr1 Summer Cup, has a Malmoos filly (Lot 6) called Ember Isle on sale, while perennially leading sires Rafeef and What A Winter are also represented here.
Rafeef is the sire of Simon Templar (Lot 65), a colt out of a winning Master Of My Fate half-sister to the smart Ponte Pietra, while What A Winter is responsible for Button Up (Lot 109). The latter, a filly bred on the same cross as the What A Winter sired Gr1 winner Humdinger, hails from the immediate family of recent L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate runnerup Questioning, among many others.
Mauritzfontein’s Cape Sale draft can be viewed in Block C at the SARDA Centre.
Always delivering the quality! | Credit: Candiese Lenferna
VOLMOED’S FLYERS SET FOR TAKE-OFF
Volmoed Stud’s consignment for the Cape Yearling Sale contains yearlings by a host of different stallions.
From such proven Gr1 producers as Fire Away, Flower Alley and Rafeef, to exciting young sprinters Master Archie and Real Gone Kid, this draft looks to have something to appeal to every buyer.
Understandably, Inel Bekker is very upbeat about her draft, and has the following comments to make about Volmoed’s Cape Yearling Sale stars:
Lot 60: Sundown Raider c Erik The Red - Red Centre
A strong first foal, looks to be a speedy early type. By last season’s Leading First Season Sire Erik The Red, HE is bred on similar lines to Betway Gr3 Fillies Mile winner World Of Alice.
Lot 70: Jophiel f Rafeef - Santa Vittoria
A well-grown very imposing filly with a good walk. A daughter of one of South Africa’s top stallions, Jophiel is from the family of Australian champion Samantha Miss -who, like Rafeef, was sired by Redoute’s Choice.
Lot 77: c Fire Away - Silver Winter
A very correct and well balanced first foal. The son of Fire Away has a lot to like about him. By the same sire as Gr1 winners Confederate and Fire Attack, he is out of a three-time winning daughter
Lot 98: Lady Liya f Rafeef - Work Ethic
Lovely filly, well grown and athletic. Lady Liya, who shares her sire with such top-class fillies as Reet Petite, Mon Petit Cherie and Frances Ethel, is out of a three-time winning half-sister to Listed Derby Trial winner, Gift Of The Gap.
Lot 116: Floral Princess f Flower Alley - Burgundy Rose
Well balanced filly, very correct. Beautifully topped. By the same sire as the likes of Princess Calla and I’ll Have Another, Floral Princess is out of a mare who won ten races.
Lot 137: Tony The Pony c Real Gone Kid - Dark Journey
This colt moves like a panther and has a lot going for him. By an exciting young sire already off the mark, he is a half-brother to three winners, including the Gr3-placed Desolate Road and the useful Clever Trevor.
Lot 140: Golden Majesty f Master Archie - Dubawi Princess
Lovely filly, very strong moves well and should show a lot of early speed. From the first crop of Gr1 Computaform Sprint winner Master Archie, she is out of a speedy three-time winner.
This draft can be found in Block B at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
of What A Winter from the same female line as champion Imperious Sue and recent L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate winner, The Real Prince.
Volmoed – living up to the name | Credit: Supplied
Lammereskraal serenity | Credit: Supplied
LAMMERSKRAAL’S QUALITY QUARTET
Lammerskraal Stud’s Lindi Garlicki is delighted with the four yearlings that the top farm will be bringing to this year’s BSA Cape Yearling Sale.
With the four lots hailing from outstanding families, and sired by four Equus Champions, it is easy to see why Lindi is confident of a bold showing by Lammerskraal’s draft at the Constantia auction.
Here is what he veteran Stud Manager had to say about these four yearlings:
Lot 85: Wise Days f Soqrat - The Good Old Days
This is a strong, medium-sized, filly from the superb Mystic Spring family. Her dam is an own sister to multiple stakes winner Gimme Six.
Lot 103: Freeway c Futura -Amber Orchid
He is a very nice Futura colt out of the stakes winning Dubawi mare Amber Orchid. He is the half brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Time Fo Orchids.
Lot 113: One Belle f One World - Blizzard Belle
She is a classy One World daughter of the very speedy nine-time winner Blizzard Belle. She is a half sister to multiple winners, including stakes placed Slalom Queen and The Mauritian.
Lot 128: Dark Lord c Jet Dark - Comedy Of Manners
This is a very smart, scopey colt out of the winning Var daughter of Champion, Lady Windermere. One for the notebook.
The Lammerskraal draft can be viewed from Block F at the SARDA Centre in Constantia.
R20 MILLION! BSA’S 2026 SALES INCENTIVES
FOLLOWING A YEAR OF INCREDIBLE SALES RESULTS AND RENEWED BUYER CONFIDENCE IN 2025, BLOODSTOCK SOUTH AFRICA UNVEILED A SERIES OF NEW BENEFITS DESIGNED TO GIVE BACK TO THE BREEDERS, VENDORS, AND BUYERS WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ITS AUCTION SALES.
These initiatives include a new Vendor Loyalty Incentive Programme, as well as enhancements to the Maiden Juvenile Programme. BSA’s new incentives give breeders and vendors innovative rewards while reducing direct costs of entry and making participation easier than ever.
The total benefits in the ever-popular Maiden Juvenile Programme covering the BSA Cape Yearling Sale, National Yearling Sale, KZN Yearling Sale & August 2YO Sale now amount to a staggering R16,8-million, (up from R12-million in 2025). This bears testimony of BSA’s ongoing commitment to creating accessible, rewarding sales platforms for all participants of all ambitions.
The new and innovative Vendor Loyalty Incentive programme will see a direct cash benefit in excess
of R3-Million back to the vendors/ breeders, of which the details are as follows:
Cape Yearling Sale, SARDA, Constantia on 1 March 2026
1. Entry and Acceptance Fee of R3 000, was unchanged for the past 5 years
2. Introduction of a new and exciting Vendor Loyalty Incentive Programme whereby vendors receive an amount of R1 750 per horse presented for sale
3. All Entry and Acceptance fees in addition to other sales related costs are now deductible from sales proceeds – no upfront payments are required, creating a welcome cash flow benefit for the vendor
4. Vendor buy-in for the Maiden Juvenile programme remains unchanged from 2025, at R1 750 (ex. VAT)
National Yearling Sale, TBA Sales Complex on 16 & 17 April 2026
1. Entry Fee of R3 000 and Acceptance Fee of R3 000, remains unchanged for the past 5 years
2. Introduction of a new and exciting Vendor Loyalty Incentive Programme whereby vendors will receive an amount of R2 500 per horse presented for sale
3. All Entry and Acceptance fees in addition to other sales related costs are now deductible from sales proceeds – no upfront payments are required, creating a welcome cash flow benefit for the vendor
4. Vendor buy-in for the Maiden Juvenile programme remains unchanged from 2025 at R2 000 (ex. VAT)
KZN
Yearling Sale, Suncoast on 2 July 2026
1. Entry and Acceptance Fee of R5 000 remains unchanged for the past 5 years
2. Introduction of a new and exciting Vendor Loyalty Incentive Programme whereby vendors will receive an amount of R1 750 per horse presented for sale
3. All Entry and Acceptance fees in addition to other sales related costs are now deductible from sales proceeds – no upfront payments are required, creating a welcome cash flow benefit for the vendor
4. Vendor buy-in for the Maiden Juvenile programme remains unchanged from 2025, at R1 750 (ex. VAT)
August 2 Year-Old Sale, TBA Sales Complex on 20 & 21 August 2026
1. Entry and Acceptance Fee of R3 000, remains unchanged for the past 5 years
2. Introduction of a new and exciting Vendor Loyalty Incentive Programme whereby vendors will receive an amount of R2 500 per horse presented for sale
3. All Entry and Acceptance fees in addition to other sales related costs are now deductible from sales proceeds – no upfront payments are required, creating a welcome cash flow benefit for the vendor 4. Vendor buy-in for the Maiden Juvenile programme remains unchanged from 2025, at R1 750 (ex. VAT)
BSA’s newly revamped Maiden Juvenile Programme receives an injection of R4.8-Million bringing the total benefits to R16,8Million and will offer the following:
1. 120 Races are on offer for a Juvenile to attain their maiden win whether in 2 year old or open company (existing terms and conditions apply)
2. Owner Benefit: now R120 000 (R90 000 Cash and R30 000 BSA SALES VOUCHER (incl. VAT))
3. Trainer Benefit: now R20 000 (R10 000 Cash and R10 000 BSA SALES VOUCHER (incl. VAT))
NB: Vouchers are valid until 31 August 2027 and redeemable at all 2027 BSA yearling and/ or twoyear-old physical sales only.
BSA CEO Michael Holmes commented: “We’re excited and looking forward to being of service to all our customers in 2026 and are grateful for the continued support of our breeders, vendors and buyers. BSA remains committed to providing national sales platforms that serve the entire industry, with all proceeds reinvested in it, to strengthen South African breeding and racing.”
Entry forms can be downloaded from the Bloodstock SA website on www.bsa.co.za and for all queries, please contact Ashley de Klerk at Bloodstock SA.
THE CURRENCY OF SPEED
The R275 000 TAB Gr3 National Currency Sprint is open to 3yo’s and will be run over 1000m on the Turffontein standside track on Saturday. The feature has attracted a field of 12.
Formerly registered as the Man O’War Sprint after the mighty American turf hero, the race was re-named for South Africa’s globetrotting sprint champion National Currency in 2024.
National Currency, ‘the horse with the movie star looks’, was bred by Highlands Farms Stud, by resident sire National Assembly out of Enchanted Dollar (Spend A Buck). A R320,000 purchase from the National Yearling Sales, he was trained by Michael Azzie and raced in the interests of breeder Graham Beck in partnership with A Christoforou, Mr C J W & Mrs N Hilt & Mrs J E H Clarke.
National Currency was a sprint champion, setting the tracks alight both locally and on the world stage. Equus Champion 2YO Colt in 2001 and Champion Male Sprinter in 2002, he campaigned in South Africa, Hong Kong and Dubai. From a
National Currency – speed champion Credit: Supplied
total of 15 career starts, he posted 10 wins and 5 places, including victories in the Computaform Sprint, Mercury Sprint, and Gold Medallion, but was perhaps most noble in defeat, going down 1 length to the mighty Silent Witness in the 2003 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin.
The 2026 renewal of the TAB National Currency Sprint is carded as race 7 on the programme and the field will face the starter at 15h40.
The course record is held by Chris van Niekerk’s filly Exquisite Touch (Var), who won it under 55.5kg in a time of 61.53s on 1 April 2017. She was trained by Sean Tarry and ridden by S’manga Khumalo.
The National Currency Sprint will be supported by the Bidvest Bauhinia Stakes (NBT) for fillies & mares (Race 6) at 15h05.
THE ALARM BELLS LAIRD RINGS
The Ndoro Stud-bred Fire Attack put a rollercoaster 2025 behind him at the weather-delayed Turffontein racemeeting on Saturday, when he held on doggedly for an emotional win for trainer Alec Laird to beat the hard-ridden The Ultimate King to win the R400 000 Betway Gr3 London News Stakes for his first victory as a 4yo.
Alec Laird has often joked that he’s either known as ‘Syd’s (Laird) son’ or London News’ trainer, but the veteran enjoyed the thrill of seeing his much-loved charge bounce back from a forgettable trip to the Cape in a race named after one of the best he has trained.
The reigning Highveld Horse Of The Season, Fire Attack wrote himself into the history books at the end of March last year when became the first Gr2 SA Nursery winner to achieve the double of the HKJC World Pool Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge.
But since then it has been a litany of closecalls and a bit of bad luck, with the Highvelder hating his time down in the Fairest Cape.
And as life tends to do, that all changed on Saturday as Calvin Habib rode a confident race off a modest gallop set by Willy Meet Again.
Despite a hint of pressure 300m out from Busstopinhounslow (7-1) and then The Ultimate King (33-10) in the final stages, Fire Attack (28-10) dug deep and beat the Tony Peter galloper by 0,20 lengths in a time of 113,77 secs.
Olivia’s Way (9-4) ran another honest race a further 1,80 lengths back in third, with Busstopinhounslow fading late for fourth.
SplashOut-sponsored Calvin Habib said that the winner had his ‘attitude’ back since returning from the Cape.
The winner is out of Wilgerbosdrift’s War Front stallion Fire Away and is out of the Mambo In Seattle mare Bonnie Beers
A R450 000 National Yearling Sale purchase, Fire Attack has now won 4 of his 17 starts with 8 places for stakes of R2 532 800.
Sean Tarry saddled four winners on the day, with Alec Laird marking a double. It was a good day for young Blaine Marx-Jacobson who registered another double, Ryan Munger and Cavin Habib also grabbing a two-timer apiece.
Calvin Habib got the best out of Fire Attack
FIRE ATTACK AIMING AT
HORSE CHESTNUT STAKES
Connections of Fire Attack were out in force to witness their pride and joy return to winning ways in the Betway Gr3 London News Stakes at Turffontein last Saturday.
(Calvin Habib)
Lerena)
Fittingly, it was a triumph for trainer Alec Laird in the race named to honour his grand champion, who took him and owners Laurie and Jean Jaffee to dizzy heights not just in South Africa, but on the international stage as well.
Fire Attack may not be in that one’s exalted league, nevertheless, the colt has been a wonderful servant to the stable and featured as the lone Gr1 winner in the line-up. More importantly, he was making his first start back home following a disappointing Cape sortie which ended with a last place effort in the L’Ormarins Gr1 King’s Plate.
“He just never adjusted to Cape Town, I don’t know if it was the different tracks, but I also
had to scratch him from the Green Point Stakes when his blood was wrong,” lamented Laird, who was clearly relieved his charge came out of the trip none the worse for wear. “We didn’t know what to expect in the London News, so it was a pleasant surprise,” he added.
“He will aim for next month’s H F Oppenheimer Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes, followed by a defence of his crown in the Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge.”
Fire Attack has kept decent company since his juvenile days, which saw him win the Gr2 SA Nursery.
Dave The King (Global View) shares the All Fired Up mare Fire Tread as his grandam, with Fire Attack Credit: Chase Liebenberg
Exactly twelve months later, he claimed his first Gr1 success in the Premier’s Champions Challenge where he survived an objection, having outdueled defending champion Royal Victory and Purple Pitcher in a tight finish during which there was some bumping.
That made the colt the second Gr1 winner from the first crop of Wilgerbosdrift-based stallion Fire Away, the first being Confederate, whom Fire Attack had chased home in the Gr1 SA Classic.
Fire Attack is also the second Gr1 winner to emerge from this female family in recent seasons, the other being none other than former Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male Dave The King.
Both share the stakes winning All Fired Up mare Fire Tread as their grandam, Fire Attack being out of her Mambo In Seattle daughter Bonnie Beers, whilst Dave The King is out of Jet Master daughter Touche, who is also dam of multiple stakes-placed My Bestie.
On the track, Fire Tread tasted success for the Mike Bass stable in both the Gr3 Diana Stakes and Listed Sophomore Stakes, before going on to a sterling broodmare innings, her baker’s dozen of foals including three stakes performers.
To Caesour, she bred Empress Crown, who defeated colts in the Gr3 Cape of Good Hope Nursery, whilst Touche’s full sister Butterfly Girl claimed the Listed Ladies Mile. Like their dam, both were trained by Mike Bass.
A mating with Model Man resulted in the Stan Elley-trained colt Mighty Atom, who won nine races and placed second in both the Gr2 Peninsula and Gr2 Selangor Cup.
All but three of Fire Tread’s foals were fillies, the majority of which have since become stakes producers in their own right, albeit that they lacked the racing class of either Empress Crown or Butterfly Girl.
In fact, Bonnie Beers, the dam of Fire Attack, showed little in five starts, whilst Touche managed just a single win, as did their halfsisters Up In Smoke and The Zone. The former has produced Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery third Strike A Match, whereas the latter is dam of Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery third Felicity Flyer. Blackeyed Susan, another of Fire Tread’s non-winning daughters, weighed in Ruffian Stakes third Crown Bearer.
Interesting that all are fillies, yet it’s the males Fire Attack and Dave The King who are driving the family at present.
Bonnie Beers, who was her dam’s last foal, resides at Ndoro Stud, where she produced a full sister to Fire Attack last spring. She is currently in foal to Fire Away’s barnmate, Buffalo Bill Cody.
Entries for the HF Oppenheimer Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes to be run at Turffontein on 7 March close at 11h00 on Monday 23 February. Weights will be published on the same day. Supplementary entries close at 09h00 on Friday 27 February, with declarations due by 11h00 on Tuesday 3 March.
DOM’S HAPPY STORY!
Last season’s Mauritius champion trainer, and a seasoned Grade 1-winning conditioner in South Africa, Dominic Zaki wrote another chapter in his extraordinary story of survival against the odds, when he saddled his first winner at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday since his move to Summerveld and taking out his local licence after an absence of some ten years.
While it may not possess the Andrew Fortune blood, sweat and tears of a genuine Netflix thriller, Dom Zaki’s personal story of challenges as a former trainer of multiple Grade 1 stars and over 1100 winners, then his achievement to be crowned Mauritius champion, and ultimately being forced to return home after a change of government on the island had his licence aspirations stonewalled, remains an amazing tale of perseverance and dedication.
And Talk To The Master’s gun-to-tape victory under Winning Form-sponsored Serino Moodley in Sunday’s R200 000 non black-type Fever Tree Stakes symbolised an important ice-breaker after Dom’s move to KZN ten years after calling it a day on a top-class career of over 1000 winners in two decades in South Africa.
Adding to the emotions of the moment, a tardy race review announcement involving the top two finishers, cast a cloud of doubt over the Zaki celebrations – that after the postrace interviews were complete.
Serino Moodley gets down low to keep Talk To The Master at his task as JP’s Palace (Rachel Venniker) and the obscured Tyrconnel (Kabelo Matsunyane) chase hard – fourth placed Imilenzeyokududuma (Sean Veale) is closest to the photographer | Credit: Julia Marnewick
But ‘no further action’ meant that the Zaki victory was safe and the party was on!
Talk To The Master (5-1) got the verdict by 0,30 lengths in a time of 90,72 secs for the 1500m.
JP’s Palace (13-2) became a bit tight for galloping room, but Rachel Venniker never panicked and the consistent son of Potala Palace’s next win can’t be far off.
The 40-1 Tyrconnel stayed on smartly for third, with fellow Hollywood Racing charge Imilenzeyokududuma (20-1) capping a nice quartet, with just a quarter length blanketing the top four.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the winner is a son of Master Of My Fate (Jet Master) out of the three-time winning and well related Captain Al mare Canukeepitsecret.
Originally a R400 000 Cape Yearling Sale graduate, the stakes-placed Talk To The Master raced under the Vaughan Marshall banner for Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell for his first 10 starts, and now boasts 3 wins with 7 places from 12 starts and stakes of R713 901.
The 2026 RCS Big Cap is apparently the target for Talk To The Master. The R5 000 000 contest will be run over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 12 April, with a winner’s cheque of R3 000 000 awaiting the successful connections. Slots are being sold.
To add to the fine timing of the milestone, Dominic’s horse-crazy daughter Savannah, who holds a number of equine qualifications, and her partner Caleb Thomas, both Zaki Racing stable employees, tied the knot on Saturday.
What a story!
Serino Moodley and Dominic Zaki share a special moment after a courageous victory | Credit: Julia Marnewick
THE MASTER TALKS LOUDLY
The Non-Black Type Fever Tree Stakes over 1500m topped the bill in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday and here we saw a gutsy performance from Talk To The Master.
Sent off third in the betting market at 5/1, Dominic Zaki’s charge was taken straight to the front by Serino Moodley and led throughout. He answered every call when challenged by a wall of horses in the closing stages of the race and held on to score by a neck.
The champion trainer in Mauritius last season, Dominic Zaki has saddled over 1100 winners in total, but this was his first since arriving back in South Africa.
Run in a time over five and a half seconds faster than the false paced maiden event won by the best on the card for most, DAY TWO, the Lucky Fish Power Pick C Stakes was by far the quicker of the two 2400m races.
Positioned just two and a half lengths off what wasn’t a particularly fast pace, the winner CURIOUS GIRL was always well placed to mount a challenge. She was ridden to lead approaching the 400m marker and after fending off a determined challenge from the only other female in the event Hodgepodge, she went on to score comfortably by a length. One of just two 3yo’s in the race, Curious Girl has now won three of her five career starts.
Going: Good to Soft (both tracks)
Penetrometer: 27 (both tracks)
Rain: Last 24 hours 2mm – Last 7 days 82mm
Irrigation: Last 7 days Nil
False Rail: 9m
Wind: 10-15km/h South Easterly tail wind
Course Variant: 0,79s fast straight – 0,52s fast bend
Comfortably the quicker of the two 1600m races on the card was the Lucky Fish Turf Luck Class 5 and here victory went to the lightly weighted filly MISSISSIPPI SPICE. Nobody really wanted to make the running early on until the rank outsider of the eleven horse party Brave Voyager made a determined effort approaching the turn. The hat-trick seeking Iron Will was the first to make a move coming off the bend and having raced handy, he struck the front 450m out. The daughter of Gimmethegreenlight (one of just two females in the race) meanwhile had raced eighth and although only four lengths off the pace, she battled to find a clear passage through the tightly bunched field, and only saw daylight going through the 200m. She ran on strongly from there onwards and after striking the front 70m from home, she won going away.
Unusually, for Hollywoodbets Scottsville, only two of the afternoons’ ten races were run over sprint distances. Both were staged over 1200m with marginally the quicker being the Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 4 won by the easy to back WHO BLINKED.
Freely available at 33/1 on the off, the 4yo son of Erupt broke well and sticking to his station towards the outside rail, he raced up with the speed throughout. He was always travelling well and quickened away to score by a length and three quarters after being given rein 250m out.
Run in a time just 13/100th of a second slower than that of the aforementioned Class 4 was the opening Join Passion!
www.racecoast.co.za Maiden Plate (3yo’s) won very easily by the aptly named BEST OF ALL.
Always deep in the red, Gareth Van Zyl’s charge was soon positioned up with the pace. He began to assert his authority under just hands and heels 400m out and when taught to race by S’manga Khumalo in the closing stages, he quickened away in good style to score by five.
Fastest Times:
1200m (2) Who Blinked 68,88
1500m (2) Talk To The Master 90,72
1600m (2) Mississippi Spice 96,86
2400m (2) Curious Girl 152,24
400m-finish
Fire Attack’s official merit rating remained unchanged following his victory in the Betway Gr3 London News Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.
The Handicappers believed that Fire Attack had confirmed his established rating of 124 and accordingly used him as the line horse to assess the race.
The runner-up, The Ultimate King , was raised four points from 113 to 117, in line
with race conditions that cap the maximum increase for placed runners at four points.
Olivia’s Way dropped slightly to 115 from 116, while Busstopinhounslow had already been reduced to 110 from 111 following his penultimate start.
• Media release by the NHA on Tuesday, 17 February 2026.
UNCHANGED ON 124 FIRE ATTACK RACING REGULATOR’S REPORT
ON THE
WEEK
The Sporting Post presents this week’s National Horseracing Authority Calendar.
The calendar is a summary of the past week’s penalties and registrations and is an easy-read snapshot of information.
Please click on the image below:
JET FORCE! GOTTA LO E V
The runners with the highest merit ratings on the Valentine’s Day card at the Country Course on Saturday contested the Normandy Syndicate Progress Plate over 1400m.
In what proved to be the second fastest of the three races over the distance, the uneasy favourite JET FORCE (13/10 out to 18/10) was weighted to win, and class did tell.
After passing a second TC02 test, drawn widest of the eight, the Master Of My Fate gelding raced seventh for most of the journey and was easily six lengths off the front running outsider Green Planet turning for home.
He quickened well after receiving a few reminders 400m out, and flew up late to win going away. Without data from races three and four, Jet Force recorded the fastest 400m to finish time of the afternoon.
On a day when the course was running very fast, the quickest of the three 1400m races, albeit by just 7/100th of a second, was the Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 4
event in which the 25/1 shot SHOW OFF (ridden by replacement rider Gareth Wright) was a very unlucky loser.
In what proved to be the quickest of all of the races between the 1000m and 600m poles, another outsider San Pedro (33/1) set a brisk pace.
Running on from seven lengths behind the frontrunner, James Crawford’s charge quickened well at the top of the straight and taking the shortest way home went for a rails run.
He was badly baulked twice between the 350m and 270m marks and flying late did very well indeed to get to within half a length of the winner BOOGIEFIED. Andre Nel’s charge also finished well and had the rest comfortably beaten.
Despite the traffic problems, Show Off still recorded the fastest 400m to finish time in the race. Interestingly, Boogiefied (15 weeks) and Show Off (24 weeks) were both returning from a layoff.
Going: Good
Penetrometer: 22
Rain: Last 24 hours Nil – Last 7 days 5mm
Irrigation: Last 24 hours 5mm – Last 7 days 55mm
False Rail: 1m out back straight with 3m spur at 550m
Wind: 26-39km/h South Easterly cross wind
Course Variant: 2,72s fast
The Jazz Syndicate C Stakes (fillies) was by far the quicker of the two 1600m races on the card, and in what proved to be a thriller, the well supported AMAYAH (8/1 into 9/2) registered her second career victory.
The deposed joint favourite Elusive Gift made the running and racing at a good pace she soon had the field well strung out.
Confidently ridden by Juan-Paul van der Merwe meanwhile, Candice Bass’ charge sat some six lengths away in sixth.
Racing just in front of her, the runner up Lark’s Song also ran on stoutly in the straight and it looked as if she had done
everything right on striking the front 50m out. The daughter of Vercingetorix ran on the stronger below the distance though and got up in the dying strides.
By just 13/100th of a second the Race Coast Incentives – Hwb Class 4 (f) was the quicker of the two 1000m events. Drawn widest of the eight, CARIBBEAN GOLD (33/10 out to 8/1) was strongly ridden by replacement rider Sean Veale on leaving the stalls and was two lengths clear at the top of the straight. The pack did begin to close in as they approached the 300m marker, but when asked for more she responded gamely and quickly drew clear again to score by two and a quarter.
Interestingly, the two drawn widest in the Lucky Fish Turf Luck Class 5 (f&m) also made the running.
The faster of the two 1250m races on the card, albeit by just 19/100th of a second, the winner LADY LOOK ALIKE came from five and a half lengths off them. The 5yo Var mare ran on strongly in the straight and under a well-judged ride from Luyolo Mxothwa, she struck the front 50m from home.
Mike and Mathew de Kock enjoy training runners like Curious Girl – sometimes they’re not the brightest talents on the block but they show heart and fortitude, which helps them to win multiple times, especially over ground.
Curious Girl was pushed along from a wide draw after she jumped from the pens. She got into a position where she was able to bowl along to a pace that changed from fast to slow and then fast again, and then outstayed her rivals in the straight.
“Before she won her Maiden, I never thought she’d win a race,” jockey Sean Veale noted. “But it just shows what a little bit of time can do. She feels like she’ll stay all day long. She took it up a bit early, she was wandering around a bit in front.”
Curious Girl showed some grit when she was challenged late in the race, much like she did when winning her first two starts. It’s an encouraging sign, because she also has more improvement to come.
“She’s still learning, very immature” added Delpech. “After her Maiden win, Mike suggested we give her a bit of a break. We sent her to (our training centre) at Ashburton for four months. When they stay well like this, they always have a chance.”
Curious Girl was raised at Riyo Stud and her stamina comes from both sides of her pedigree – her sire Futura is known for producing outright staying types and her unraced dam, Idaho, is a granddaughter of
"She's tough, and she stays," said Hollywood Racing's Anthony Delpech after Curious Girl registered her third win from five starts in the Lucky Fish Power Pick 6 Stakes over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday.
Daphne Donnelly, one of the Oppenheimer family’s dominant female lines in recent decades. This line produced Bouquet Garni (Strike Smartly), who won the 2009 Gr1 SA Derby (for De Kock and Delpech), and 2024 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner, Oriental Charm (Vercingetorix).
Veale
GATES CLOSING FAST! BIG CAP
There are only four slots available for the R5 million non black-type Race Coast Sales Big Cap which is to be run over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 12 April.
The Big Cap, which is open to RCS sales graduates, is a slots race with 14 berths being sold at R350 000 each before entry date.
The slot-holders can either use their slots for their own qualifying horses, or sell or share them with connections of other horses that may become eligible for the final lineup.
The RCS Big Cap has been relocated from the Cape to KZN, and will be run as a handicap, with conditions.
After Talk To The Master’s victory in Sunday’s Fever Tree Stakes, trainer Dom Zaki mentioned the Big Cap as a likely target for his charge, and the connections will no doubt be considering their options at this stage.
The most recent slot purchaser is Hollywood Racing, whose charge Isivivane, a Narrow Creek Stud-bred son of Erupt, is their likely Big Cap representative.
That brings the total slots acquired to date, to 10.
Purchased by: Nick Jonsson Intended runner: Great Plains
Slot #5
Purchased by: Laurence Wernars
Intended runner: Bjorn Ironside
Please note that the above-named ‘intended runners’ are subject to change.
Weights will be set at a benchmark at 52 kgs = 98, with the maximum weight to be 63 kgs
The benchmark may be adjusted upwards or downwards at the time of weights publication, and is at the sole discretion of the operator after evaluating entries.
There will be no ratings increase for placed and unplaced horses and a sex allowance of 2 kg for Fillies and Mares is applicable.
Purchased by: Greg & Gina Bortz and JP Cuvelier
Intended runner: Roland Garros
Purchased by: Mano Pandaram Intended runner: Porridge Boy
Slot #8
Purchased by: Snaith Racing Intended runner: Malmesbury Missile
Slot #9
Purchased by: Lindsay Ralphs Intended runner: Just Be Lekker
Slot #10
Purchased by Hollywood Racing Intended runner: Isivivane
Final Fields will be determined by the RCS Big Cap Committee at their sole discretion at final acceptances.
A maximum field of 14 runners with up to 6 reserve runners is permitted.
The groom of each runner will receive R12 500, irrespective of their particular horse’s finishing position. The groom of the winning horse will receive an additional R17 500.
For sales information please contact Vicky Minott on email at vicky@racecoast.co.za
Slot #1
Slot #6
Slot #7
DE KOCK MR APPEAL SUCCEEDS
In a media release published on Tuesday 17 February, the National Horseracing Authority informs that an independent panel constituted in terms of Clauses 20.3 and 21.3 of the NHA Constitution, and consisting of Messrs K Miedema, J Vermaak and A Sewpersad was convened on 17 February 2026 to consider a Merit Rating Appeal lodged by Mathew de Kock.
The appeal was lodged against the merit rating increases relating to Splittheeights, Grand Empire, One Eye On Vegas and Yippee Kiyay, following their performances in the TAB Gr2 Gauteng Guineas on 7 February 2026, at Turffontein Racecourse, where they were allocated the following merit ratings:
• Splittheeights – 97 > 121 (24 points)
• Grand Empire – 108 > 120 (12 points)
• One Eye On Vegas – 106 > 118 (12 points)
• Yippee Kiyay – 101 > 117 (16 points)
The Appeal Panel was of the opinion that the line horse which was utilised, Tin Pan Alley, was not optimal under the circumstances and that Grand Empire and One Eye On Vegas should have been jointly utilised as the line horses on the day.
Accordingly, the merit rating of Splittheeights has been adjusted to 109, Grand Empire’s and One Eye On Vegas’s merit ratings have been restored to 108 and 106 respectively, And Yippee Kiyay’s merit rating has been adjusted to 105.
The Appeal was upheld and the deposit fee is to be refunded to Mathew de Kock.
HAVE SOME
JOIN THE DARE TO DREAM RACING SYNDICATE
On the fringes of her debut run, Fun Run is an unraced 2 year old Filly by Elusive Fort out of Valediction (by Captain Al), born on 25 October 2023.
An athletic filly that stands over ground and moves well, she is bred on the proven Elusive Fort/ Captain Al cross (over 80% winners including Kommetdieding; Freedom Charter; Ernie etc)
Elusive Fort won three Gr1 races from 1600m- 2450m, and is a successful sire of Gr1 Met and Gr1 July winner Kommetdieding, and Gr1 winners Siren’s Call, Lauderdale and Out of Your League. He is an emerging broodmare sire.
Fun Run’s dam won 4 races and has produced a winner. From the family of Trademark and Morisco.
Once off cost:
R21 000 plus VAT = R24 150 per 5% share.
Early Bird special price of R23 000, including VAT, if paid by 28 February 2026.
What it includes:
Share Price includes all training costs up to 31st July 2027. Insurance, farrier and routine veterinary costs are included.
All stakes and incentives earned will accrue to the syndicate members. If and when she is sold, then all sales proceeds accrue to syndicate members.
Fun Run has been in training since the October 2025 RaceCoast 2yo sale. She is working well and will soon be ready for her debut race.
She is eligible for all RaceCoast Sales incentives!
Please contact Piet Botha at Dare To Dream Racing for more information, or to view the filly by appointment at Milnerton Training centre.
Cell: 0731224874
Email: dare2dreamracing@gmail.com
RCS MARCH ONLINE SALE
ENTRIES CLOSE THURSDAY
Race Coast Sales has announced that entries are open for the RCS March 2026 Online Sale.
Following the success of their inaugural January sale—R3 294 000 aggregate, 33 lots sold and an 85% clearance rate—Race Coast Sales look forward to welcoming vendors to this next online event, which will again serve all levels of the racing and breeding industry.
Nominations close on Thursday, 19 February - make sure to submit your entry forms to avoid disappointment.
Please click here for more.
VIA AFRICA’S DAUGHTER
MAKES IT 9 FROM 9!
Wonder mare Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) looks to have autumn carnival riches at her mercy following a breathtaking firstup victory in the Gr2 Apollo Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Autumn Glow cruises home under James McDonald | Credit: Inglis
A three-quarter sister to Golden Rose winner and
sire In the
Congo,
Autumn Glow is one of two elite performers produced by SA-bred mare, Via Africa.
A three-time Group One winner in South Africa, Via Africa was crowned the Champion Sprinter here for the 2013-14 season.
Now undefeated after nine career starts, the Chris Waller-trained Autumn Glow looked as if she was in another league against a top-class field of rivals, which had won a staggering A$33m in prizemoney between them.
But it appears nothing can stand between Autumn Glow and victory, with bookmakers rapidly bringing her into long odds-on quotes for all races she is mooted to contest this preparation.
Her most likely campaign is second-up into the Gr1 Verry Elleegant Stakes at Randwick in a fortnight, then the Gr1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day and possibly the Gr1 Queen of the Turf Stakes back at Randwick on Day 2 of The Championships.
Arrowfield Stud and Hermitage Thoroughbreds teamed up to buy the Newhaven Park Stud-bred Autumn Glow For a sale-topping A$1.8m at the Easter Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Silverdale Farm.
Arrowfield’s John Messara was trackside at Randwick to witness what could only be described as a spectacular return by the horse that has become the apple of his eye.
“She makes it look easy. It’s not that easy but she makes it look easy,’’ Messara said post-race. She’s very special. Two and threequarter lengths, at Weight For Age, she’s just so good.
“It’s been a tough week for the farm and the family, losing Miss Finland yesterday and while this is no compensation for losing the other mare, we’re very pleased all the same that she was able to do it and win the way she did.’’
Winning trainer Waller added: “The first run of the prep is the most important, it tells you where they are and I now know where she is.
“You can have as many track gallops, trials and exhibition gallops as you like but until they’re under race pressure you never really know but that today tells me she’s in a pretty good position.
“She’s very good, she’s very special, we’re very lucky.’’
This victory took Autumn Glow’s prizemoney tally to A$6,995,000. Autumn Glow was one of six Stakes-winning Inglis graduates on Saturday.
A STAGGERING DOZEN GR1 VICTORIES FOR JONBON
There was a thrilling finish to the Betfair Ascot Chase over the weekend. The much-loved Jonbon, the 4/9 favourite, only managed to assert his superiority over the frontrunning Pic D’Orhy after clearing the final fence.
Winning trainer Nicky Henderson called it the race of the season, while Jonbon was also recording a staggering 12th Group 1 with this success.
Yet to finish outside the first two in 27 runs under rules, Jonbon now lies behind only the mighty Kauto Star when it comes to Group 1 wins over fences, but he had to dig deep for his latest triumph, with Pic D’Orhy refusing to give up his Ascot Chase crown without an almighty fight.
In a controlled display of front-running, Pic D’Orhy still held the upper hand turning in, with Jonbon in striking distance but began pushed along by Nico de Boinville. The favourite started to gain but Pic D’Orhy was the quicker away from the second-last as the noise from the crowds in the stands reached a crescendo.
Neither horse was tidy at the last but not for the first time Jonbon found more to asset on the climb to the line and register a hardfought victory by a length and a half. Henderson noted: “It was a proper race between two older horses who put up the race of the season. They jumped, fought, and traded blows. It was in the balance all the way.”
“He’s something very special and you don’t get many like him. His record of never finishing outside the first two says it all. Even if he doesn’t win, he never lies down.”
Jockey De Boinville observed: “We both missed three-out and then Harry Cobden kicked on, injected a bit of pace on the home bend and I was thinking, ‘We’re going to have to work here’, and so it turned out.”
“I trusted that he was going to keep staying and, although we met the last all wrong, he’s very nippy with his feet and he keeps finding. He’s just class.”
The only notable omission on Jonbon’s record is a Cheltenham Festival win. The JP McManus owned star finished second to Constitution Hill in the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, second to El Fabiolo in the following year’s Arkle and second to Marine Nationale in last year’s Champion Chase. Nicky Henderson is very keen to improve on that stat.
“He deserves one,” said Henderson. “He’s had two big races in four weeks now, but he turns around so well from his runs. I’d have thought the Ryanair would have to be his race.”
Bookmakers rate him a general 4/1 shot to banish his festival voodoo at the fourth attempt in the Ryanair, with only Gold Cup possibles Fact To File and Gaelic Warrior shorter in the market.
Pic D’Orhy will not be going to Cheltenham, with connections sweet on the ‘flatter’ Aintree after watching the 11-year-old push his career earnings through the £1 million mark.
“He kept galloping and never gave in,” said trainer Paul Nicholls. “I’d say that was one of his best runs but credit to Jonbon – he’s a machine who keeps winning.”
“We’re not going to Cheltenham. We’ll go to Aintree now and we’ve got the option of
going two and a half miles or three, and I wouldn’t be scared of going over three.”
Earlier on the card, only three rivals contested the Group 2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase after the late withdrawal of the ante-post favourite Thomas Mor.
That didn’t detract as racegoers witnessed a superb display of jumping by the very progressive seven-year-old The Jukebox Kid (4/9 favourite), who made light work of his opposition.
The Ben Pauling trained runner was stepping up to Group company for the first time, but that did not faze him at all with his jockey Ben Jones riding a composed and tactical race from the front.
Whenever his closest pursuer Western Knight tried to close, Jones upped the pace and The Jukebox Kid always looked in control.
Post-race, Pauling said the Irish Grand National on April 6 is a likely target.
He added: “We’re delighted with the way he went through the race, and he showed more professionalism early doors. I think there might be a tilt at the Irish National – he’s at the right end of the handicap and going the right way.”
Forever Young (JPN) claims the Group 1 USD$20m Saudi Cup under Ryusei Sakei for the second time on Saturday Credit:
DREAM RUN UP THE INSIDENOW FOR MEYDAN AT END MARCH
Forever Young made history when becoming the first dual winner of the world’s most valuable horse race, the $20 million Gr1 Saudi Cup run for the seventh renewal at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
Yoshito Yahagi’s undisputed dirt champion found a perfect gap along the inside rail turning into the home straight and he used his will, class and determination to fend off a brave challenge from Nysos (USA) by one length in a final time of 1:51.027.
Banishing (USA) and Thundersquall (GB) led the field along the backstretch with Nysos
tracking. Meanwhile, Forever Young and jockey Ryusei Sakai sat just behind those horses, but hugging the rail in a tactical move that ultimately worked out perfectly.
Forever Young and Nysos went head-tohead in the last 400m, but this incredible globetrotting 5-year-old, who took The Saudi Cup 12 months ago in a gripping encounter with Romantic Warrior (IRE) and went on to land the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on his final start of 2025, is an almost impossible horse to pass when in front and with the bit between his teeth. Tumbarumba (USA) came from off the pace to claim third ahead of Bishops Bay (USA).
It was actually a third victory out of the seven renewals of this meeting for Forever Young, who also has a Saudi Derby success to his name and continues his progression towards legendary status.
Ryusei Sakei, jockey, Forever Young, 1st: “He’s an amazing horse, two times in the Saudi Cup, and I just trust him. I had no worries, there was no pressure, this is my job, the same every time. I’m very proud of him and I want to thank everyone who supported all the team.”
Yoshito Yahagi, trainer, Forever Young: “He gave me an unbelievable feeling all the time through the race. Of course, I had a lot of pressure on me before the race as he was the best in the field. I think it’s not my training that makes him this great horse, I think the horse is just made like a champion and I have little to do with it. Of course, our next target is the Dubai World Cup, so that is what we have to concentrate on now. And then, well I have no idea. Last year, it didn’t work out in the Dubai World Cup, he just wasn’t good enough. We will try our best to win it this year. Ryusei Sakai was my apprentice; my stable jockey and he developed and improved as he grew up. And he has become a really good jockey for us.”
Bob Baffert, trainer Nysos 2nd, Nevada Beach, 12th: “This race is almost like the Kentucky Derby because unless you win, second isn’t that exciting. The good thing, though, is that Nysos showed up. Forever Young is just so good. Irad [Ortiz] said Nevada Beach never really got engaged in it. He said he didn’t pick up his feet, at all. I was really disappointed in him because he was really going over this track very well.”
James Doyle, jockey, Tumbarumba, 3rd: “Delighted with him, he’s put in another big
performance. I’m very proud of the horse and his young team who are getting going. For them, to have a horse run well here is brilliant.”
Case Clay, racing manager, Tumbarumba: “It was a big result for us. We’re proud of the horse. He came over here and stepped up in trip in the Al Maktoum Challenge and finished second and finished strong there. He was suited to the track well here. He looked a picture and Tommy Allen and Hamad Al Jehani were saying that he’s been going over the track well in the morning. We were confident going in and to be able to run third here, that has us possibly looking to the Dubai World Cup after this. We’ll regroup after this and decide.”
Brad Cox, trainer, Bishops Bay, 4th : “He was training well. I loved how he presented himself in the paddock. I thought he would run his race and I think he did. Junior [Alvarado] was happy with him, and I was very happy with the performance. Turning for home, I thought we had a shot. At the eight-pole, it was looking more like maybe we would be third and ultimately, he was fourth. He’s a hard-trying horse and I love the effort he showed, I thought we got a good trip and I’m proud of what he did here. I’m not usually happy with running fourth very often, but we’ll take it here.”
Joao Moreira, Luxor Cafe, 5th: “He ran well. He didn’t jump very well, we came from a recovery situation, but I was happy.”
Oisin Murphy, Sunrise Zipangu, 6th: “Great run. He didn’t have the speed early but it was a pretty good result.”
Joel Rosario, Rattle N Roll, 9th: “He ran his race, it was a tough race but he did his best.”
AL HARAM MAINTAINS HIS UNBEATEN RECORD In Style
The USD$1,5m Gr3 Saudi Derby Presented by ZOOD Realty at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday was won in dramatic style by Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah’s Al Haram (IRE) as he confirmed himself a colt with a very bright future.
American raider Obliteration (USA), trained by Steve Asmussen, broke sharply from gate 7 and set the early pace, with Satono Voyage (JPN) tracking comfortably on his outside.
Keita Tosaki then guided the Japanese runner Satono Voyage to the front at the top of the
stretch, but Obliteration battled back along the rail and the race appeared set for a thrilling head-to-head duel between the pair.
However, Al Haram, who had been tracking in mid-division toward the rear, finished sharply and caught them both inside the final 50m to secure victory by a length and a quarter.
Ridden by Ricardo Ferreira, Al Haram stopped the clock in 1:38.453.
The unbeaten colt is now four-from-four and could be set for an international campaign.
Al Haram and Ricardo Ferrerio
Mathea
TOUGH AS TEAK GERMAN-BRED SHOWS THE WAY!
Although a field of just six went to post for the Gr3 Dukhan Sprint Cup on the final day of the 2026 HH The Amir Sword Festival at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha, it was a strong renewal featuring some of the fastest sprinters around, with the field responsible for 62 career-winners between them.
Stuart Williams’ Quinault, third in last year’s renewal, broke well for jockey Marco Ghiani and got across to lead the field into the turn.
Bidding to make all, he did drift towards the centre slightly off the home bend and was tackled strongly by Taxiwala on his inside, the two-time Dukhan Sprint winner running in the race for the sixth time.
However, the British-bred six-year-old gamely found another gear, rallying strongly in the closing stages to take the prize.
The Oasis Dream gelding was bought for just 25,000gns by Tom Morley in 2022 after finishing last on his only start in Godolphin blue at Doncaster.
He embarked on a six-long winning run from a lowly mark of just 59 in 2023 for Morley and Williams and is now a 12-time career winner.
He is a half-brother to Queimados, a Listed 2200m winner in Germany and from the family of the German champion and Maine Chance Farms stallion, Querari.
Marco Ghiani gets Quinault to win a cracker!
His second dam Quetena is grand-dam of the Wathnan Racing-owned Jeff Koons, a winner of the Qatar Derby and a runner-up in the Al Rayyan Cup and the Qatar Gold Cup.
Winning jockey Marco Ghiani said: “He was really good today, the team at home have done a really good job. This year he had a prep race for this and he travelled really nicely. The ground was beautiful, the track was perfect and it paid off today. He broke really well, definitely going in last helped but he had a fantastic cruising speed today and when I asked him, he was there for me, so it made life much easier.
Winning trainer Stuart Williams said: “He has an been an absolute superstar for us, we never thought he’d get this far, even when he was winning his first races, we just thought he was a nice horse.
“But he has just improved and improved, and at the back end of last year he was third in the Champion Sprint, the best run of his life. There is no reason why he can’t get better this year, he is an amazing horse to deal with and has an amazing will to win. If it’s close, he wants to win it.He started off on a very low mark, we bought him from the sales fairly cheaply. We spent a lot of time getting him to settle and he’s got an a amazing will to win. We came last year and he got a wide trip. We finished third and we swore we would come back again. We were a little bit disappointed when we saw we got drawn six of six but Marco has carried the plan out to perfection today. He got across and rode a brilliant race on him.”
Querari has one lot on the BSA Cape Yearling Sale on 1 March and a further 15 on offer on the RCS Premier Yearling Sale on 13 & 14 March.
Querari
GALLOPING INTO GOOD FORTUNE
AT THE YEAR OF THE HORSE RACEDAY
The 2026 Year of the Horse Raceday, one of the keynote events of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Year of the Horse campaign, will be held at Sha Tin on Thursday, 19 February (the third day of Chinese New Year).
A festive programme of feature races and themed activities will be held to welcome in the Year of the Horse together with racing fans and raceday tourists.
Trainer Frankie Lor, fresh from celebrating his 60th birthday with a double at Sha Tin on Saturday, 14 February, is aiming to continue his winning momentum on Thursday.
Lor, himself born in the Year of the Horse, saddles six runners across the 11-race card, with particular focus on his two contenders in
the HK$3.12 million Class 2 The Year Of The Horse Cup (1600m) – Regal Gem (119lb) and Voyage Samurai (121lb).
Promising four-year-old Regal Gem narrowly missed out on the overall DBS x Manulife Million Challenge title, finishing fourth in a Class 2 1200m contest at Happy Valley. Lor has since switched focus to the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, with the HK$26 million 149th BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March shaping as a possible target.
The 2026 Year of the Horse Raceday – Thursday at Sha Tin | Credit: HKJC
Lor explained: “Regal Gem will not run in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), but if the opportunity arises, the owners would like to try and run in the Derby. The
Year Of The Horse Cup over 1600m is a good stepping stone, and if he runs well, he may go straight to the Derby.”
“He’s raced a mile once before at Happy Valley, but circumstances were against him –he sat outside the leader without cover from a wide gate yet wasn’t beaten far. His recent 1200m run suggests he now needs more ground, and I believe he can stay further. Hopefully he finds cover this time.”
Regular rider Derek Leung will switch to Voyage Samurai, while Alexis Badel takes the reins on Regal Gem.
Lor said: “Derek knows Voyage Samurai very well and will ride him again. I was pleased with his recent trial, and he should be competitive on Thursday. He was scratched last time due to a minor issue, but he’s fully recovered and showed eagerness in his latest trial. He has a big stride, so he’ll likely take the initiative or race closer to the lead.”
Derek Leung guides Voyage Samurai to victory | Credit: HKJC
Frankie Lor is chasing a strong start to the Chinese New Year | Credit: HKJC
Chris So’s promising galloper Top Dragon returns quickly to action in the HK$3.12 million Class 2 The Year Of The Horse Cup Handicap. The gelding finished a creditable fifth in the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February, the opening leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, and connections are keen to capitalise on his lightweight advantage for a strong start to the Year of the Horse.
Reflecting on the Hong Kong Classic Mile, So said: “I think it was a fine performance and the owner was happy. At least the horse proved he was competitive over 1600 (metres). Unfortunately, he was crowded near the 150m mark, and without that incident he
might have finished third, or even closer. The winner, Little Paradise, was very strong and I didn’t think we could beat him in that race.”
Explaining the quick back-up, So added: “Top Dragon has continued to improve. Last time he raced under set weights, but in The Year Of The Horse Cup, with the rating band set at 105–80, he only needs to carry 118lb, which is a big plus.
“He pulled up well after his last run; he has maintained good form and is eating well. He’s honest, easy to train, and the type of horse any trainer would love to have. Maxime (Guyon) told me after the last race that we should go again, and we all hope he can take another step forward this time.”
Top Dragon is a three-time winner in Hong Kong | Credit: HKJC
Top Dragon will bypass the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, but the HK$26 million 149th BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March remains under consideration. His rating has climbed to 84 after his gallant fifth in the Hong Kong Classic Mile.
So explained: “If he runs well on Thursday, I’ll discuss with the owner whether we target the Derby. Maxime will stay on as his jockey. The owner is very supportive, and we’ll put the horse first before making any final decision.”
Guyon, fresh from a successful trip to Qatar where he rode four winners on Saturday, 14 February – including the Gr1 H.H. The Amir Sword (2400m) for purebred Arabians aboard Lippo De Carrere – will partner Top Dragon again.
The Year Of The Horse Cup, run as Race 6, also features Encountered (135lb), Beauty Eternal (130lb), Gorgeous Win (130lb), Packing Angel (125lb), Soleil Fighter (125lb), Talent Ambition (120lb), Stunning Peach (118lb) and Top Dragon (118lb).
Thursday’s 11-race Year Of The Horse Raceday at Sha Tin begins at 06h30 with the Class 5 Kung Hei Handicap (1200m).
WILGERBOSDRIFT 2026
TRIPLE TIARA
Wilgerbosdrift congratulates the connections of
HAZY DAZY
on winning THE WILGERBOSDRIFT
GAUTENG FILLIES GUINEAS (Gr 2) 1 600m the first leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.
Owners: Mr D Dasrath & Mrs C Dasrath, Messrs RP Macnab, S Poriazis, V Sobaren, X Spies & D Vayapuri
Trainer: Corne Spies
Jockey: Trent Mayhew
Breeder: Breedon Stud Close Corporation
EYES ON 18!
The attention of the racing world will focus on Sha Tin on Sunday as Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising bids to claim a Hong Kong record 18th consecutive win in the HK$13 million Gr1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup to be run over 1400m.
Australian Racing Hall of Fame trainer David Hayes calls the legendary Silent Witness ‘the first great sprinter’ and ‘the best he ever saw’, and delights in having a horse that has equalled his incredible feat of 17 straight victories, and now looks to go beyond that mark.
Hayes conceded that it would be ‘a great thrill’ to surpass the Hong Kong hero with the smashing Ka Ying Rising who steps up on Sunday to 1400m in the hands of regular pilot, Zac Purton. Between December 2002 and April 2005, the
Archie da Silva-owned Silent Witness swept all before him during an extraordinary winning streak, which included two Hong Kong Sprint titles (2003 & 2004), two Centenary Sprint Cups (2004 & 2005), two Chairman’s Sprint Prize triumphs (2004 & 2005), and a Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (2005). He also captured Japan’s 2005 Gr1 Sprinters Stakes in his final career win.
Silent Witness’s success took on greater meaning to an adoring Hong Kong public, given the city’s wider struggles during that period.
Ka Ying Rising -eyes of the world on Sha Tin on Sunday | Credit: HKJC
“Hong Kong was going through very tough times back then — the SARS epidemic, economic difficulties,” recalled Silent Witness’s trainer Tony Cruz. “He became a symbol of hope. He showed people that great challenges could be overcome. That’s why he was affectionately known as the ‘Spirit of Hong Kong’.”
During the intervening years, several challengers have threatened to reach that ‘magic’ number of 17 victories, but none has managed to sustain a run, until now.
“I would say it’s a real magic number,” Hayes said.
“To equal it was magic, and to beat it is even better, especially at a distance where he’s stretching out to show the diversity that he has.
The expectation is for him to win; you just want him to and not let everyone down. But he hasn’t, and the way he trialled recently, I don’t think he’s going to,” Hayes added.
Comparisons between Silent Witness and Ka Ying Rising have only grown as Hayes’ five-year-old has coasted toward equalling the record.
But for connections of the former, nothing can compare to the ‘Spirit of Hong Kong’.
“There’s no doubt about Ka Ying Rising’s natural talent. That’s clear for everyone to see,” Cruz said.
“There’s no horse in Hong Kong that can compete with him right now. He’s simply outstanding. Silent Witness’s temperament and character were like no other horse I’d trained. He was confident, relaxed, a true professional and an absolute pleasure to train. Even going to the start, we had to manage him carefully. If another horse tried to pass him, he’d want to take them on. He refused to let anyone go past him,” Cruz added.
SA Jockey Academy graduate Felix Coetzee was in the saddle for all 29 of Silent Witness’s career starts.
Despite a decorated career during which he was crowned South Africa’s champion jockey three times, and claimed multiple Gr1 victories, nothing compared to his association with Silent Witness.
“Silent Witness was something unique, something special. It’s wonderful when horses like this come along,” Coetzee said. “He had such a huge presence and gave us incredible memories. I learned a lot from him. Anyone could have won on him — I was just lucky to be there at the right time.”
Now aged 26 and enjoying his retirement at the Living Legends facility in Victoria, Australia, Silent Witness is still widely regarded as the greatest racehorse Hong Kong has ever showcased. Though it’s a perception that could alter if another bumper crowd at Sha Tin gets to witness Ka Ying Rising, who was recently named the world’s best sprinter, make Hong Kong racing history on Sunday.
Ka Ying Rising has 18 wins, including seven Gr1 triumphs, from 20 starts to his credit. Since enduring two narrow defeats as a three-yearold to Wunderbar in January 2024, the son of Shamexpress has progressed to his status as the world’s premier sprinter, while rising to joint second in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. He was bred by Fraser Auret in Marton in the Rangitikei district of the ManawatuWhanganui region of New Zealand’s North Island.
Hayes is thankful that the best horse he’s handled in his career has arrived at ‘the back-end’ of his professional life.
“It’s nice to be the trainer of the most consecutive winning horse in Hong Kong,” the 63-year-old said. “I keep pinching myself, and I’m at an age where I really, really appreciate having a horse with this ability.
I’ve trained two of the highest-rated horses in the world in my life. One was at the start of my career, called Better Loosen Up, and then I have this horse. I’ve had 107 Gr1 winners in between. But nothing like this horse.”
Hayes certainly has the pedigree, with his enormous Grade 1 tally including 77 in his homeland Australia, including winners of the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Golden Slipper, as well as a single Grade 1 in Japan.
Hayes became the youngest member to be admitted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. He has trained in excess of 4000 winners, and the equine blood runs deep, being the son of trainer Colin Hayes. His family includes three sons, Ben Hayes & JD Hayes, who train in partnership at Lindsay Park, Victoria, Australia, and William Hayes, who played in the VFL and AFL and is involved in the family training business, along with David’s daughter Sophie.
The champion trainer grew up in Angaston in the Barossa Valley and attended St Peter’s College as a boarder. He was a promising Australian Rules Footballer, playing for SANFL club Central Districts before retiring at 20 to pursue his career in racing.
On Sunday he looks all set for another major milestone and an 18th consecutive victory for Ka Ying Rising would certainly resonate well beyond the Hayes stable. Don’t miss it!
• A reminder that your Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge entry must be in at least 5 minutes before the off of the Sha Tin first race! Visit www.punterschallenge. hollywoodbets.net.
David Hayes – proud to have a superstar so late in his career | Credit: HKJC
ARC CLOSES WITH RACING’S OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
HIGHLIGHTED
The 41st Asian Racing Conference (ARC) closed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, 12 February at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel and Convention Centre, with Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, hailing the Conference as an enduring success which highlighted the sport’s greatest opportunities and also its challenges.
Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, speaks at the closing ceremony | Credit: HKJC
Praising the work of the Conference host, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, and the ARC Organising Committee, Mr. EngelbrechtBresges said the ARC’s discussions reiterated the importance of increased collaboration and new technology as key motivators in safeguarding the sport’s future.
“If there is one message that cuts across all our discussions, it is this: the future of horse racing is under threat and can only be secured by working together to address the key challenges we face,” Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges said at the ceremony crowned by the official exchange of the ARC flag to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, host of the 42nd ARC in New Zealand in 2028.
Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges continued: “I firmly believe we now have a mandate for change. We must act now. We must think and cooperate globally and implement nationally. At the outset, I highlighted that we are in a critical phase for
racing and breeding, and yet fragmentation within our sport is preventing us from tackling the challenges that confront us,” Mr. EngelbrechtBresges said.
“I called for global collaboration and the need to make fundamental changes to the way we position, promote and operate our sport. Coming back to the Conference itself, we have heard from global experts and leaders, and shared best practices and case studies from around the world, which we hope have been informative.”
Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges added: “We must create heroes, create global competitions where the best meet the best, and create platforms with holistic storytelling to increase our fan base and promote our sport globally. We must use technology to create new digital onsite and online experiences. We must be more agile and embrace global initiatives like the World Pool to better compete against sports betting, iGaming and other entertainment offerings.
Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Mr. Andrew Harding, Secretary General, Asian Racing Federation and Executive Director, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Sam Fursdon, General Manager –Welfare & Industry Capability of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing at the ARC flag exchange | Credit: Supplied
“We must continue our investment in science and technology to minimize the risk of catastrophic breakdowns and sudden death. The ARF Secretariat will develop an action plan of key activities for the short and medium term, to be discussed at the next Executive Council meeting. We will then communicate how we take the next steps together.”
Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges praised the Conference’s speakers, who attended from all around the world, and had provided thought-provoking examinations of the industry’s most pressing issues.
“I would also like to extend my gratitude to our speakers who have generously shared their time, expertise and insights,” he said.
“Staging such a wonderful event would not have been possible without the work done by our host, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, and the ARC Organising Committee. Thank you, His Royal
Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal –your team has done a wonderful job.
“Last not least, my sincere thanks go to our truly outstanding moderator David Eades. As always, his expertise, poise and ability to guide the discussions and engage the audience over the past three days have been instrumental in making this Conference a huge success. Finally, I would like to wish you all a Kung Hei Fat Choi for the Year of the Horse which begins on Tuesday 17 February. May it be a fantastic year for you and for the sport of horse racing.”
At Monday’s 9 February opening ceremony, it was announced the Asian Racing Federation has unanimously re-elected Mr. Winfried EngelbrechtBresges as Chair, Asian Racing Federation, a term which runs until the conclusion of the 42nd ARC in New Zealand in 2028.
