BSA February Newsletter:
2014 has got out of the gates at such a gallop it can only be the Year of the Horse!
We have been treated to spectacular racing in the Cape Summer Season, and have seen some of the finest horses in the land strutting their stuff.
One of the best value BSA buys since the likes of JJ the Jet Plane must be the GR 1 Derby winning Legislate. A paltry R90 000 buy, this was a shrewd buy by John Freeman and the Snaith team and I am sure they will be visiting the Cheveley stable block at NYS14 to see his full sister who is on sale at Nationals.
What has been especially encouraging is to see that homebreds have cleaned up in the feature races – well done to our breeders for breeding such quality horses, and to buyers who have bought local.
I think the exchange rate has helped calm the urge to buy in Australia, but more importantly the quality of horse we are producing at home is improving and all rooms are indeed pointing towards the sea for our industry.
2014 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale Catalogue now online – The Sale that Stops a Nation.
On that note the Emperors Palace 2014 National Yearling Sale catalogue is now available online on our website
www.tba.co.za
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We have carefully selected 530 horses for Nationals based on pedigree and conformation, and we are very proud of the quality of horseflesh that will be on offer at The Sale that Stops a Nation.
There is a wide spread of stallion power and more blue hens litter the catalogue than Old Macdonald’s farm.
The Ipad application will be available in the next week and the catalogue will be ready in the first week of March. Please make use of the easy to use online catalogue until then.
We will be holding the sale over two days on the 27th and 28th April and they will be long days so please consider this when planning your week.
To make the days more bearable for everyone we will have great quality food available in the Triple Crown, some excellent entertainment,a relaxing high tea in the TBA Museum and there will be an onsite spa and massage parlour to ease the aches and pain of sale week.
BSA Cape Summer Yearling Sale 22 May Klein Plasie Worcester:
For those of you looking for well -priced, good value yearlings for sale in the Cape please make a note we will running a BSA Cape Yearling Sale on the 22 May in Worcester.
The entertainment for the evening will be the Cape Breeders Club Stallion Evening which is an excellent night out and is something I encourage all of you to attend.
We will be sending out invites shortly, but please remember that there will be a chance to buy yearlings without all the frills in the Cape this year.
Sire Power:
I thought this definition of the word Dynasty was very apt when thinking about this wonderful stallion and his achievements of late – Beach Beauty, Legislate and Futura were on sparkling form on Met day and their sire is busy creating a Dynasty.
The word dynasty, pronounced "DIE-nas-tee," comes from the Greek word dynasteia, meaning "power, lordship, sovereignty." If you are part of a dynasty, you probably do have power — and also wealth, privilege. But there is also pressure to achieve as much as your parents, grandparents, and other relatives. Another kind of dynasty is found in sports — a team that wins many championships is a dynasty.
We wish his son Jackson all the best as he enters the stallion barn where he is sure to continue the dynasty of Dynasty!
South African sires were to the fore at Meydan on Thursday night – with three sires having winners on the night. Sanshaawes (Ashaawes), Vercingetorix (Silvano) and the mighty Variety Club all won races confirming the high-class of thoroughbred that is currently being produced in South Africa.
The success enjoyed by Avontuur’s resident Var goes on – with his great son, Variety Club, making a winning Dubai debut on Thursday night. Variety Club, a dual Horse Of The Year, confirmed his status as a world-class performer with a scintillating win in the Gr3 Firebreak Stakes. Well done to all concerned – and bring on World Cup night!
Another of Var’s progeny, daughter Miss October became her sire’s 19th stakes winner in winning the Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap on Tuesday night.
Look out for some choicely bred Var yearlings at the 2014 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale – they are sure to include some flyers amongst them.
Young sires Seventh Rock and A P Answer are currently South Africa’s leading first crop sires, and both look promising. Their National Sales yearlings are bound to be in big demand.
Yellow Star Stud’s Kildonan has done well from limited opportunities. The former Equus Champion has had five winners (from just 11 runners) in a small crop, and his second crop, now 2, are also looking promising. From just three 2yo runners, Kildonan has already two impressive winners. This grandson of Forty Niner deserves more support!
Another exciting young sire is Sail From Seattle. Sire of Gr1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold in his first crop, Sail From Seattle’s 2yos are really flying, and include impressive Gauteng juvenile Captured Wind – unbeaten in two starts to date, and a horse who looks bound for feature races.
Captain Al, five times Champion Sire of 2yos, has an exceptional draft for the National Sale this year. The sire of recent Met winner Hill Fifty Four has siblings to such as Master Of My Fate and recent winner Forest Indigo, amongst others, on his NYS draft.
KZN’s main man, Kahal, is never far from the news. The stallion, who should be known as Mr Reliable, recently had a weekend treble, and is another whose offspring should prove very popular at the sales. Kahal is the sire of a stunning 19 G1 horses, and he is never a horse to overlook.
There will not be many more chances to acquire stock of former champion sire Fort Wood – but buyers will be able to at the 2014 NYS. Fort Wood’s fillies have been in sublime form this year- and include recent Gr3 Three Troikas Stakes heroine Athina, as well as the likes of Close The Gap and Ilha Bela. A great broodmare sire, Fort Wood has done it all as a sire.
World leading sire Medaglia D’Oro recently had his 10th G1 winner when Lochte won the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. This exceptional sire has one yearling entered on the 2014 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, and this beautifully bred filly should not be missed!
Export Enlightenment:
Ian Sanne and his team seem to be making excellent progress with the export saga, and if the improved levels of communication and teamwork are anything to go by we will win this battle sooner than some expect. The efforts of Bev Zietsman now ably supported by Ian Sanne are grounds for increased optimisim.
The Equine Trade Council will be sending out monthly newsletters to ensure clear lines of communication going forward. They will also be on our website under the following link
www.tba.co.za/pdf/equine_research_jan_2014.pdf
Breeders Conference:
Congratulations to the Cape Breeders Club for hosting a very informative and interesting breeders conference at the end of January. For those of you that could not make it we do have DVD’s of all the talks available and will be distributing them to the relevant breeders clubs. Please contact Pauline on 011 3235700 or pauline@tba.co.za.
Destination Dubai:
Mike de Kock is flying the flag high in Dubai and we wish him and other South African trainers Sean Tarry and Joey Ramsden all the best for the season.
Mike recently sent out BSA graduates Vercingetorix and Sanshaawes to score at Meydan on UAE 2000 Guineas night – and both horses should continue to do South Africa proud over the coming months.
With the likes of Soft Falling Rain and Shea Shea still in the wings, SA bred thoroughbreds look set to enjoy a memorable few months.
It is very hard not to be a fan of Variety Club and after his run in Dubai last week I am now an official groupie! What a horse and what an advert for South Africa. Well done to the Jooste and Ramsden team as well to Beaumont Stud. They are all “Living the Dream” right now – he is the kind of horse every racing fanatic dreams of!.
Happy Racing
Tom
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