On the cover Candiese Lenferna snapped this shot at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday of Sporting Postsponsored jockey Sean Veale and his colleague, apprentice Nirvan Nastili. Sean Veale leads the SA national championship on 14 winners, 5 ahead of nearest rival Muzi Yeni. Sean is riding at a win strike-rate of 25%, and is showing that, given the chance, he can boot the winners home!
“Lance was a completely different class. He was as good a 3yo as anything else that I’ve trained at a similar stage in his career.” Sean Tarry, Multiple Champion Trainer
Stakes winning son of multiple champion Jet Master
Damline has produced multiple group winners
Powerful family of champions - Big Swinger, Duc Du Orleans, Rebel King
50% winners to runners
Covered 25 mares last season - limited opportunity prior to that Excellent fertility
r 5.000 live foal
OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE BY RACHEL
Rachel Venniker returns after her historic first win on Saturday at Ascot | Credit: Meggan Coggin
South Africa’s only fairer sex jockey, Rachel Venniker led the charge last weekend in a grand phase of glory for our national sporting pride. Just hours after the Boks annihilated the Aussies in Brisbane, Rachel took to the rigours and challenges of one of the world’s toughest racecourses to beat international competition at her very first ride in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.
Patriotic pride in our sporting achievements is the super glue that binds us all in beautiful Mzansi, and we salute Rachel and the Springboks, alongside Tatjana Smith, the SA men’s 4x100m relay team, Jo-Ane van Dyk, Alan Hatherly and the Blitzboks, who between them grabbed us six prized medals at the 33rd Summer Olympics held in Paris over the past few weeks.
Back at her Hollywoodbets Greyville ‘desk’ on Wednesday, with eight rides on the midweek programme our 22 year old former dual SA Champion apprentice was prepping herself to get stuck into the bread-and-butter August diet that is our local horseracing.
She described her first trip to the UK as ‘exhilarating,amazing, memorable, and simply wow!’
And her boss and mentor Michael Roberts was excited when chatting to the Sporting Post on Saturday evening.
“Ascot is not an easy track, but Rachel rode it like a pro. She carried all the advice out to perfection and she made us all proud. She also received some very nice accolades from my friends in the UK.”
The multiple SA and UK champion jockey was delighted that his protégé and stable jockey ridden a winner at her first opportunity at Ascot, a track at which the legendary ‘Muis’ rode many winners, and was the scene of his meeting the Queen after winning the King George and Q.E. Stakes on Mtoto, a moment
he describes as the greatest honour in his career.
The Roberts-Venniker partnership has been a fairytale from the get go, and on 1 May this year they celebrated a century of winners together just under four years after she rode her first winner as a work-rider in August 2020 when steering Enjoy The View to victory at Hollywoodbets Scottsville for owner, and sponsor, Nic Jonsson.
Throw in two SA Champion Apprentice titles, a third in the Cape Town Met, the first SA born female jockey to win in Saudi Arabia, when winning the US$400 000 Invest Saudi International Jockeys Challenge Stakes in February this year, a maiden ride in Africa’s greatest race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, and now tying with the vastly experienced Hayley Turner in the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle on Saturday after booting Holkham Bay home for trainer William Knight, and one realizes that Rachel is going places, fast!
“It was so exciting to watch,” added Michael Roberts, who has been a force equalled only by Rachel’s innate passion and love of the horse, in her success.
Despite Rachel riding a winner, a second, third, fifth and sixth and tying with Hayley Turner on 35 points, she had to play second fiddle to her multiple Grade 1 winning English counterpart, who rode two winners, a fourth, sixth and tenth.
Hayley Turner thus claimed the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle for a record third time. Turner’s
two winners on the day saw the Ladies captain receive the leading jockey award on countback, adding to her successes in 2018 and 2019.
The most successful jockey in the history of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup has now ridden 11 winners at the meeting, three more than her nearest rival, and amassed 357 points during her 17 appearances.
Turner said: “It’s so nice. I’ve got three Silver Saddles now and Alistair Haggis was a big inspiration for getting the girls involved in the Shergar Cup, so it means a lot.
“Alistair Haggis was actually the reason that the girls started on the Shergar Cup teams. When I started there were two teams and Alistair suggested that each team had a girl, so EmmaJayne represented the Rest of the World and
I represented Great Britain and Ireland. Since then, it has just snowballed. Obviously, Alistair is not with us now but he played a key part in all the Shergar Cup victories I’ve had.
“It’s always such a fun event. It’s great as everyone gets involved and it’s a really light, fun atmosphere. It’s great and something a bit different. The team was so much fun. I really enjoyed their company and everyone rode so well. We’ve got wristbands for the concert as well – I probably won’t be getting home early tonight!”
The Ladies team produced a late charge to come from last to first in the final race, with Joanna Mason’s short-head second on Yantarni helping the team take the Dubai Free Shergar Cup for a fifth time since a female team was introduced in 2012.
Mason said: “It’s brilliant to be part of the winning team. Obviously, Hayley has had a fantastic day, riding two winners. It’s something a bit different, but the girls have come out on top and have actually won a lot of the races today, which just shows that stereotypes are going out the window and women jockeys are coming to the fore. It’s a brilliant day, and nice to be in a team and have such good camaraderie.”
Marie Velon, who also represented the Ladies,
said: “It’s such an honour to be here on the Ladies team and I’m so happy that we have won again. It’s wonderful for me.”
This year’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup was the first to feature an all-female Rest of the World team, in addition to the Ladies team, and women jockeys rode a record-equalling four wins on the card, matching 2023’s total.
What’s the odds Rachel cracks the nod in 2025?
Tatjana Smith – another proud South African last week! | Credit: Supplied
R500 MILLION COULD FLOW BACK TO RACING
The Gauteng Government has failed in a bid to appeal against a High Court ruling that found it unlawfully ended a levy to Phumelela Gaming and Leisure.
This, says a Business Day report, could mean the government has to pay about R500m it unlawfully denied to racing companies.
The provincial government must now restore the levy, benefiting the local industry and possibly other operators. The ruling sets a precedent for operators that may face similar regulatory disputes. The High Court specifically noted the benefit must flow to Phumelela, the designated provincial operator at the time, and its new licence holder, 4Racing, after Phumelela went into business rescue.
Phumelela estimated it is owed R500m.
A report by then Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane recommended the gambling board stop paying over the levy the regulator receives from bookmakers.
The board did so and it was this implementation that was challenged.
The impugned regulation provided that 6% of punters’ winnings from bets placed with bookmakers would be paid: 3% as a tax and 3% as a levy to racing companies which held totalisator licences. Gauteng MEC Lebogang Maile stopped the 3% going back to the horse racing companies.
As a result of the court’s May ruling, the 3% had to be reinstated.
Maile and the gambling board sought leave to appeal, which suspended the reinstatement of the betting levy.
Wilson dismissed the MEC and gambling board’s appeal this week. ‘I am not persuaded that the appeal now proposed stands reasonable prospects of success,’ he wrote.
On 1 June 2024 the Sporting Post reported that 4Racing welcomed the decision of the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court who had reviewed and set aside the decision to amend Regulation 276 of the Gauteng Gambling Regulations in the matter between Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited and the MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development (Gauteng), Premier of Gauteng, Gauteng Gambling Board and 4Racing (Pty) Ltd.
Until 1 April 2019, Regulations 273 and 276 of the Regulations provided that 6% of the winnings of punters on horseracing placed with bookmakers would be paid in the following proportions: 3% would be paid as a tax in terms of Regulation 270 and 3% would be paid as a levy in terms of Regulation 273 to the holder of the totalisator licence contemplated in section 53 of the Gauteng Gambling Act.
This had now been reinstated, giving back the totalisator its 3% share of the betting levy.
CHOICE OF TWO FRANKELS FOR SA BREEDERS
“Frankel and his record-making achievements seem to know no bounds. He excels physically and mentally in all that he does, from racehorse to stallion and simply in his day-to-day routine. What a privilege it is to witness this extraordinary horse in our lifetime.”
That was the response of Juddmonte’s General Manager Simon Mockridge, after the homebred champion reached a new milestone in his already illustrious stud career, a 100th stakes winner, courtesy of juvenile daughter Lake Victoria’s victory in the Gr3 Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket.
The Juddmonte champion has proven to be a worthy successor to his illustrious sire Galileo and is rightfully regarded as the best son of the former Coolmore supremo. The next phase of his stud career is that as a sire of sires, and it is pleasing to note that in that sphere, he is already off to a fine start.
Frantastic (GB) (Frankel ex Rhadegunda by Pivotal), standing at Hopes and Dreams Stud | Credit: Supplied
Frankel’s first son to retire to stud in Europe was the four-time Gr1 winner Cracksman, who counted no less then undefeated champion and French Derby winner Ace Impact in his debut crop. Another son, the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes winner Without Parole, is showing distinct signs of promise too, with seven first-crop winners from 19 runners.
That many of those winners possess less than ritzy pedigrees is a sure sign that he is upgrading his mares. In addition, his progeny possess a blend of tactical speed and stamina and more importantly, impress with their courage and determination, very much a trademark of the Galileo tribe.
Still to show their hand are Frankel’s more recently retired sons Chaldean, Mosthadaf and Triple Time, all Gr1 winners, by the way.
It was always a given that South African breeders would eventually hitch their wagon to the Frankel star and this coming breeding season, they will have access to not just one, but two well-bred sons.
Basie and Suzette Viljoen will stand Frantastic, a winning full-brother to aforementioned Cracksman. Twice a winner from just seven starts, he suffered a career-ending injury, which was perhaps fortuitous in that he became affordable to South Africa.
Bred and raced by Anthony Oppenheimer, the five-year-old has an enviable pedigree, above and beyond his illustrious older brother. Their stakes-winning Pivotal dam Rhadegunda is a granddaughter of 1000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes heroine On The House, from the fabled family of Coronation Stakes winner Rebecca Sharp.
Sharp Frank (GB) (Frankel ex Sharp Susan by Touch Gold), standing at Drakenstein Stud | Credit: Supplied
It is also the family of Oppenheimer’s champion Golden Horn, winner of the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2015, as well as the Ribblesdale winner and Oaks third Frankly Darling and Australian star Vow And Declare, who claimed the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
Needless to say, both Frankel’s sons will have to overcome the bias of breeders against horses who lack black type on their CV’s, but history shows that those with superior bloodlines can make it as a stallion in this country.
Added Suzette: “We loved his pedigree and obviously the specimen too, but the pedigree was really something we thought we’d need in South Africa. The very positive thing about Frantastic is that he’s compatible with most of the mares in South Africa.”
Drakenstein have repatriated homebred Sharp Frank, a half-brother to their Horse of the Year Oh Susanna. His career was limited to just one start at three, but such was the esteem he was held in by trainer Andrew Balding, that Drakenstein took the decision to afford him a chance at stud.
Drakenstein Stud’s Kevin Sommerville told Sporting Post: “We’ve come up with a deal for breeders who support Sharp Frank. There are those who are behind him and he should cover a nice book of mares. We’ll also give him a full go with our own mares.”
A handsome individual with a superb action, he will stand for a fee of R5000.
One that comes to mind is Joy II. Superbly bred, he was by Djebe out of that wonderful broodmare Perfume II, a half-sister to the famous American sire Ambiorix, and to Source Sucree, the dam of Turn-To. That made him three-part brother in blood to 2000 Guineas winner My Babu, and a half to Sayani and Marco Polo II, all of which became top sires.
No great shakes on the track, Joy II won just twice and wasn’t blessed with the best of front legs, yet he became a sire of note in South Africa, twice climbing as high as third on the General Sires list. As befits a descendant of important taproot mare Lavendula II, he proved a potent broodmare sire and more importantly, features prominently in the bottom line of powerhouse stallions Jet Master and Dynasty.
Another whose stud prowess exceeded that of his raceform was Peaceable Kingdom, the sire of champion filly Fast Piece, Gr1 winners Windsor Crown, My Magic, Paschal and the classy sprinters Monastery, Lord Elect and Blazing Inferno. A half-brother to the top runner and successful stallion Home Guard, he won just once but hailed from a potent family, that of the grand sire Boldnesian and the top fillies Princessnesian and Revidere.
Even in South Africa, his form should have been too bad to attract much patronage, but what he and Joy II had in common was blue blood. Both Frantastic and Sharp Frank lack nothing in that department.
FABULOUS FRANKEL SHATTERS MORE RECORDS
Frankel and his longstanding Groom Rob Bowley | Credit: Candiese Lenferna
Superstar Frankel achieved another notable milestone in his stud career with his 100th group/graded winner when his two-year-old daughter Lake Victoria won the Gr3 JenningsBet Sweet Solera Stakes on Saturday.
Frankel is the fastest stallion in history to reach his 100th graded winner, with the unbeaten superstar also matching the record to get his individual 100th stakes winner.
In the process, Frankel joins the likes of his own sire Galileo, Deep Impact, Dubawi, and his broodmare sire Danehill, an elite club indeed.
Champion Sire in both 2021 and 2023, Frankel has another cracking crop of two-year-olds in 2024. Not only does this crop contain Lake Victoria, it also contains the very exciting Bedtime Story, winner of the Listed Chesham Stakes by nine and a half lengths and winner of the Gr3 Jockey Club Of Turkey Silver Flash Stakes last time out. Frankel is also sire of 2023 Silver Flash winner Ylang Ylang, who went on to land the Gr1 bet365 Fillies Mile.
Frankel is also sire of Silver Flash runner up Exactly, and, with a large number of well bred two-year-olds yet to race in 2024, his tally of juvenile stakes winners is sure to increase.
The son of Galileo has now been responsible for 148 stakes winners of which 34 are Gr1 winners. Frankel has built up an excellent record with daughters of Dubawi, with this
cross having produced such Gr1 winners as Adayar, Homeless Songs, Mostahdaf, and Dream Castle as well as Gr2 winners With The Moonlight and English Rose.
Coincidentally, Frankel and Dubawi sport very similar statistics, with both super stallions siring 14% stakes winners to foals. At the time of writing, Frankel had 34 Gr1 winners to his name, while his older counterpart Dubawi had 59 top level Gr1 winners to his name.
Frankel has some way to go to reach his own sire Galileo’s current tally of 378 stakes winners, with Galileo poised on having a remarkable 99 Gr1 winners to his name.
Between them, Frankel’s sire and damsire Danehill have sired well over 700 stakes winners and continue to make their presence felt through their sons and daughters.
Inevitably, Frankel is making his mark as a broodmare sire, with his daughters having produced, among others, 2024 Gr1 Longines Prix De Diane (French Oaks) winner Sparkling Plenty (Kingman). Sparkling Plenty’s fullbrother Noble Truth was the first stakes winner for Frankel as a broodmare sire when he won the Listed Cazoo Flying Scotsman Stakes in 2021, with Noble Truth going on to win the 2022 Gr3 Jersey Stakes.
One can only but speculate as to quite the influence that Frankel will have on the breed in the coming years.
FIRST FLIGHT TO EUROPE – IN A LONG TIME!
Hobday Equestrian Enterprises are at the forefront of the watershed moment that will happen for the SA horseracing industry and for other SA equestrian disciplines on Saturday – the first direct flight carrying horses to Europe since the longtime ban on EU exports was recently lifted.
For the first time in 14 years, South Africa recently got the green-light for exporting horses directly to Europe—an achievement that’s ready to reshape the local equestrian industry after years of being banned – and the first flight transporting some of the country’s equine stars
is set to take off on Saturday 17 August. There are 32 horses currently in the Kenilworth Quarantine set to embark on this historic journey to the EU and another shipment is being prepared to follow on 14 September.
Hobday Equestrian Enterprises is at the forefront of this exciting venture and they said:“This isn’t just another industry update; it’s a story of breaking barriers, expanding horizons, and opening up new opportunities for South African breeders and riders.
The ability to transport horses more efficiently and affordably means riders can send their horses internationally, whether for sales,
competitions, or relocation. Local breeders can access international markets like never before, allowing them to expand their markets and sell their stock internationally.
SA’s top racehorses can now also be sent to compete at some of the top international race meetings, opening tons of opportunities for our local racing owners, trainers and breeders.The story is unfolding right now!”
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NO ARGUING WITH MOTHER NATURE
Following the abandonment of the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth racemeeting yesterday, after the Southern Suburbs track received 102mm of rain over the weekend, Cape Racing are looking ahead with revised plans.
It is worth noting that Hollywoodbets Durbanville received 52mm of rain in the same period.
Having compared the track conditions at both venues, and utilizing the forecast for this week, Cape Racing have decided to host racing on Saturday 17 August at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
To make up for the recently lost meetings, Cape Racing will also add a further meeting on Wednesday 21 August. This racemeeting will also be held at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
They will then return to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth for the final two meetings of the month, to be held on 24 and 31 August.
II (GB) Foundation sire at Varsfontein Stud
Nelson’s Column brought to you by Varsfontein Stud
commemorates its 50th anniversary in South Africa, marking a remarkable journey from humble origins to becoming one of the nation’s premier stud farms. Situated in the vicinity of Paarl, where Simon van der Stel, the inaugural Governor of the Dutch Cape Colony, maintained his horse breeding operations at Perdeberg in 1691, the stud farm stands as a testament to a rich historical lineage.
In the early 1800s, pioneers traversed from the Cape through Bains Kloof into the heart of the interior, utilizing the renowned the Bains Kloof Pass, named after engineer Andrew Geddes Bain. The pass connecting Wellington to the northern towns of Ceres and Worcester, offered a favoured route
characterized by its manageable gradients, catering specifically to the needs of oxdrawn wagons. For nearly a century, it served as the primary thoroughfare northward until the construction of the Du Toits Kloof Pass, which was opened in
Nestled amidst this picturesque landscape, the natural spring at Varsfontein emerged as a vital staging post for travelers, furnishing essential fresh water for their livestock. To this day, the spring continues to flow, nestled on the eastern periphery of the main gate beneath the comforting shade of oak trees.
Originally established as a vineyard, Varsfontein underwent a transformation when Jan Rossouw, a perceptive local farmer, advocated for diversifying into winemaking. Thus, the inception of Perdeberg Cellar in 1942 marked the beginning of a new chapter, with the first grapes carefully hand-pressed, laying the foundation for a legacy of wine making in the area.
KENDAL GREEN WITH TONY KALMANSON
TONY KALMANSON
1970 - 1980
Anthony Kalmanson was an avid amateur rider, participated in races across England, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, notably clinching South Africa’s first Steeplechase victory aboard Thunder Peal in 1969.
Tony Kalmanson had emerged as a prominent figure at the National Yearling Sales, making notable purchases such as ATTILA (winner of 9 races including the
Clairwood Merchants H), TOP BRASS (winner of 10 races), and standout fillies like INDIRA (victorious in the G1 Paddock S and G1 Majorca S; 3rd in the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas), KENDAL GREEN (winner of the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas; 2nd in the G1 Majorca S and Diana S), and SINGING WINDS (Clairwood Free H; 2nd in the G1 SA Oaks; 3rd in the G1 Garden Province S, G1 Natalia S, and G3 Natal Guineas).
During the Christmas holidays of 1973,
JOHN, MONIQUE AND METTE KALMANSON WITH RAE AND HENNIE DE JAGER
HARRY HOTSPUR
SIGY DE JAGER LEADING IN TONY KALMANSON
Tony and his wife Mette and children John, Susan and Monique found themselves holidaying at the Alphen Hotel. Susan remembers the events “My father embarked on a mission to acquire a farm to create a stud to accommodate his race fillies retiring to stud. As a family we toured a number of wine farms, including Varsfontein. Then my mother took us all back to England for the school term, while my father stayed on a few weeks longer in which time he was able to watch Kendal Green win the Fillies Guineas and secure the purchase of Varsfontein”. Tony’s friend
and equestrian rival, Hennie de Jager and his wife Sigy assumed managerial roles at varsfontein. Tragically, Sigy succumbed to cancer some years later, leaving a profound legacy upon which Varsfontein was built. Johan Loftus was then employed by Hennie as the assistant stud manager at Varsfontein. Johan and Hennie worked well together and Johan became a valuable asset to the stud. Johan later joined The Alchemy to take over from manager Carl de Vos. Johan is now running Ndoro Stud in Wellington.
Varsfontein’s inaugural stallion was MEXICO II (GB), who garnered accolades as Champion Sire of 2yo’s in 1980 and 1981. Producing the likes of Champion 2yo Sire HARRY HOTSPUR, MEXICO II left an indelible mark as a leading sire and broodmare sire, significantly influencing the South African breed. Among others, MEXICO II was the
METTE KALMANSON WITH HENNIE DE JAGER
sire of FOREIGN AGENT, MEXICAN SUMMER, NEW SPAIN, PERI PERI, POLLY BISQUI, WITCHITA, SCOTTISH ARCHER, SMACKEROO, MOCCASIN, CROWN AGENT, MEXICAN PEACE, SPEEDWONA, CORN BELT, FAST GUN, MARIE GALANTE, etc.
Varsfontein’s first yearling sold at auction was KINGS RHAPSODY (by Royal Affair - Singing Winds by Noble Chieftain), who notched up an impressive 10 victories for Laurie and Jean Jaffee, including the prestigious G1 Smirnoff Plate, marking
Varsfontein’s maiden G1 triumph, now known as the G1 Gold Medallion.
Tony Kalmanson laid the foundation for Varsfontein during its formative years but tragically passed away, leaving the stud under the ownership of his wife Mette and children Susan, John, and Monique. Mrs Kalmanson, residing in England at the time, faced communication challenges, and received invaluable assistance in managing Tony’s equestrian legacy from Tim Preston, Terrance Millard, Sir Mordaunt Milner, Len Butt (Pim Golby) and Abe Swersky.
1980 - 1990
The twins, Susan and John, quickly established themselves as regular attendees at the National Yearling Sales, acquiring pedigreed fillies for both racing and breeding purposes, following the tradition set by their father. This tradition has endured through the years to the present.
FAIR SEASON (GB), imported by Sir Mordaunt Milner, arrived at Varsfontein Stud in 1982. A highly esteemed stallion,
FAIR SEASON (GB)
METTE KALMANSON WITH TERRANCE MILLARD
he sired notable progeny such as JUNGLE
WARRIOR, FIRESTAR, TOORAK, DELLAFAIR, HOT WEATHER, BOLD APPROACH, LA MANCHA, TICKETS AND TAX, TURBO STAR, LONDON SEASON, among others.
In 1988, Hennie De Jager retired, and the management baton of Varsfontein Stud was passed to Carl De Vos. Carl, who remains at the helm to this day, celebrates his 36th year on the farm in 2024. “Susan and I instantly connected,” Carl reflects. “In 1988, we foaled down fewer than 20
mares, whereas in 2023, the count was 130.”
Under the guidance of Carl, and with the enthusiastic support of Tony’s wife Mette Kalmanson, renovation and expansion projects flourished at Varsfontein.
Assistant Manager Hendrik Winterbach joined Varsfontein in 1989. Hendrik bred International G1 winners IRRIDESCENCE (Equus Champion 3yo Classic Female 2005) and PERFECT PROMISEboth by CAESOUR - from his mare MERETRICIOUS (Dancing Champ).
Mrs. Kalmanson pursued her vision of enhancing the beauty of the farm, initiating projects such as staff housing, stable yard improvements, paddock fencing, the tractor shed, and the office. Meanwhile, siblings Susan and John assumed responsibility for enhancing the farm’s broodmare band.
MARIE GALANTE was born in 1988, marking a significant moment for the farm. MARIE GALANTE emerged as a catalyst for the new generation, revitalizing excitement surrounding the farm’s breeding endeavors.
MARIE GALANTE was by MEXICO II and out of foundation mare, INDIRA (by PREAMBLE II). She raced for Varsfontein in Susan’s colours for 3 seasons and ended up with a race record of 8 wins and 6 places from 16 starts (all but 2 were stakes races). She won the G2 Poinsettia Stakes and G1 SA Fillies Sprint double twice - in 1992 and 1993.
The stallion CAESOUR (USA), selected for Varsfontein by bloodstock agent Alexandra Scrope, arrived in 1996, and his first crop made an exciting debut on the tracks during the 1999/2000 season.
This crop included Classic winner CAUGHTINTHESLIPS and graded stakes placed runners DIPLOMAT, CAESAR’S WARRIOR, HAIL CAESOUR and EMPERORS DANCE. Caesour went on to produce the likes of KISS ME QUICK, TOBE OR NOTTOBE, THE EIGER
, PERFECT PROMISE,
REGAL RANSOM, RIVER CROSSING, ARCOLA and TEVEZ
.
CAESOUR can be considered the most internationally successful SA based sire producing G1 winners in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Caesour has also made his mark as a broodmare sire, his latest superstar being LUCKY LAD, and his daughters continue to keep his name prominent in graded races.
Three astute horsemen gained experience working at Varsfontein during the 1990’sBertrand Le Metayer (Racing Advisor & Bloodstock Agent, France’s Representative for Tattersalls), Louis Le Metayer (Astute Bloodstock in Syney) and Jean-Marie Callier (JMC Bloodstock in France).
Perhaps one of the biggest contributions to Varsfontein’s success was the great mare, SECRET PACT (1990 - a full-sister to LONDON NEWS), who was purchased as a young mare for the then record price for a broodmare on auction. Secret Pact is the dam of PROMISEFROMMYHEART, COVENANT and SECRET HEART. From her daughters have come the likes of PLUCK, THREE HEARTS, MASTER
PROMISEFROMMYHEART
MARIE GALANTE AND FOAL
Jeremy Nelson
OF MY FATE, MALMOOS, CAPTAIN
SPLENDID, JUSTTHEWAYYOUARE, HACK GREEN, HASHTAGYOLO, GHAALLA, ERIK THE RED, FAVORITA, DUE DILIGENCE, etc.
The renovation of the manor house progressed steadily, though it posed challenges due to its mud brick construction. The final renovation was completed in 1999, marking a significant milestone in Varsfontein’s ongoing development.
.
2000 - 2010
The 2003/2004 season was a very memorable one for Varsfontein Stud with a string of very successful fillies making their mark on the racetrack. This included
the likes of PROMISEFROMMYHEART (who won the Triple Tiara and was crowned Equus Champion 3yo Filly) and DUCHESS DABA who earned both Cape and Highveld Champion status after winning two G1 races. Others from this top-notch season were SABINA PARK, CRUISE COLLECTION, DASH FOR GRETNA, ZOLAROYALE, PERFECT PROMISE, etc.
The farm’s trophy cabinet became well stocked after Varsfontein Stud won the 2002 Cape Breeder Of The Year as well as both Highveld Breeder Of The Season and Highveld Owners Of The Season at the Highveld feature season awards.
Hot on the heels of a phenomenal season, Varsfontein Stud enjoyed their first International G1 success.
CAESOUR (USA)
JUDPOT (USA) - EQUUS AWARD
IRRIDESCENCE, born and bred at Varsfontein by assistant manager Hendrik Winterbach, was crowned Champion 3yo Filly in South Africa in 2005 before heading abroad and winning the 2006 running of the G1 QE II Cup in Hong Kong, beating non-other than Ouija Boardthe Champion 3yo Filly in Europe and Champion Older Mare in Ireland. Varsfontein acquired JUDPOT (USA) in 2009 in partnership with the Niarchos family (Jagessar Ltd). His pedigree was out of the top-draw being by A.P. INDY and out of the great race-mare MIESQUE, which made him a half brother to the world-class sires KINGMAMBO and MIESQUE’S SON. Judpot was awarded the Equus
Outstanding Stallion Achievement Award in 2013. His progeny included the G1 winners ALONG CAME POLLY (Champion 2yo Filly), FOREST INDIGO, JUXTAPOSE, CORAL FEVER and FLYING CARPET. Other G1 performers include DEPUTY JUD, DOUBLE
WHAMMY, ROCKETBALL, BI POT and FINAL JUDGEMENT. Judpot retired from stud duties in 2019.
In 2007 Jaco and Carolyn Erasmus joined Varsfontein Stud as Assistant Stud Managers following Hendrik Winterbach’s departure. Jaco and Carolyn both studied Equine Science at Pretoria Technicon, gained International experience at Cheveley Park Stud in the UK, and worked at Lammerskraal before moving to Varsfontein. They bred their first G1 winner WAR HORSE in 2009, and haven’t looked back since.
2010 - 2020
One of Mrs Kalmanson’s favorite projects was the farm’s main entrance. She visited various properties inspecting their gates and drawing inspiration. In 2010 the entrance walls and gate were built under her instruction giving visitors a more welcoming and quality feel on arrival. The entrance gate certainly compliments the beautiful lane of cottonwood trees and lush
paddocks on either side.
GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS) was the first 3yo to win the G1 Queen’s Plate in 42 years, and Varsfontein Stud opened negotiations with Hassen Adams and secured the colt to take up stud duties
for the 2012 breeding season. With his International pedigree, outstanding racing career and his excellent physical attributes, Gimmethegreenlight was considered the ideal prospect as a future leading stallion. History has proven this correct and he has become the leading sire in SA. He has achieved the following: Champion First Season Sire 2016, Champion Sire of 2yo’s 2020, Champion Sire 2021, Champion Sire of 3yo’s 2021, 3rd leading sire 2022, and Champion SA Sire in 2023, Champion Sire of 3yo’s 2023, Champion Sire of 2yo’s 2023
GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS)
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The Varsfontein Team are enormously proud of the fact that GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT has repeated this historical achievement of becoming Champion Sire in all 3 categories in 2024, setting the bar extremely high - what more can we ask of this magnificent progenitor?
Mette Kalmanson (affectionately known on the farm as “Groot Madam”) passed away in 2014. She is pictured above with John Kalmanson, leading in Covenant after winning the 2012 G2 Sceptre stakes.
It was a bitter sweet moment when the new stallion complex was completed in 2014 as it was an exciting addition to the farm but also sad knowing how much Mrs Kalmanson would have enjoyed seeing the new building.
During the 2013/14 season in SA, Carl and Amanda were the breeders of two G1 winners on one day - ASH CLOUD and YORKER - and received the Equus Outstanding Breeder Of The Year Award for the season. YORKER won the Equus Champion Older Male award after
a season that saw him win three G1 races. The FOVEROS mare STAR OF ARCOLE (dam of Ash Cloud) won the Equus Champion Broodmare award - “she has given us three Oaks winners as she also produced SA Oaks winner ARCOLA and Gold Circle Oaks winner, PRINCESS OF LIGHT” said Carl.
Equus awards 2013/14:
CHAMPION OLDER MALE - Yorker
CHAMPION BROODMARE - Star Of Arcole
BREEDER OF THE YEAR - Mr & Mrs Carl de Vos.
MASTER OF MY FATE returned home to his place of birth when retiring to stud in 2014, after his racing career was cut short due to injury. He was so sought after that his syndication was complete within 24 hours. Hardly surprising as both sire (Jet Master) and dam (Promisefrommyheart) were Champions.
Master Of My Fate won 6 races in a row in 8 months by an average winning distance of 2 lengths. He won the G2 Premier’s Trophy and G2 Peninsula H beating 8
G1 horses. He was 5th in the G1 J&B Met where he was cut into 3 times by the same horse.
At stud he has produced the likes of TEMPTING FATE, SENTBYDESTINY, ZARINA, TWIST OF FATE, BASADI
FAITH, ZAPATILLAS, LADY OF POWER,
SEA MASTER, AFRICAN ADVENTURE,
GEM KING, PRETTY BETTY,
ATTICUS FINCH, HAN SOLO, TRIPLE
FATE LINE, MASTER SUPREME,
INDI ANNA, ATTICUS FINCH, SPLICETHEMAINBRACE, PRINCESS
IZZY, JOY AND PEACE, etc.
Master Of My Fate has achieved the following at stud: 2nd Leading Sire 2021, 3rd Leading Sire of 3yo’s 2021, 4th Leading Sire 2022, 5th Leading Sire 2023, 2nd Leading Sire of 3yo’s 2023, and now 4th Leading Sire 2024.
CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE ON MASTER OF MY FATE
A very special filly entered the scene at Varsfontein Stud after being purchased
from Cheveley Stud at the 2014 National Two Year Old Sale. Susan named the beautiful pink-grey filly, BELA-BELA. By DYNASTY and out of the Equus Champion Broodmare of the Year, MYSTIC SPRING, Bela-Bela went on to win 7 races in the Varsfontein Stud silks including the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas, G1 Woolavington 2000, G1 Paddock S and G1 Garden Province S. She was awarded the Equus Champion 3yo Filly title for the 2015/16 season. She hails from the family of RABIYA, SECRET OF VICTORIA,
ZAPATILLAS
BELA-BELA
SNOWDANCE, SNOW PILOT, ALL IS SECRET, THE SECRET IS OUT, SPRING LILAC, SECRET CAPTAIN, TOUCH THE SKY, AMY JOHNSON, GIMME SIX, etc.
2020 - 2024
The 2020/2021 season was one for the record books and certainly a season that won’t be forgotten. Varsfontein Stud enjoyed the following successes: Their first ever Champion Sire title as GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT topped the log with stable-mate, MASTER OF MY FATE, in 2nd position.
Varsfontein breds, MALMOOS (Captain Al ex Justthewayyouare), won the Triple Crown and YULONG PRINCE (SURCHARGE) (Gimmethegreenlight ex Congestion Charge) won the G1 Kennedy Cantala Stakes in Australia.
SURCHARGE / YULONG PRINCE
Equus Champion 2yo Filly ANYTHING GOES (Var ex Dance Domain) won the G1 Thekwini S (29 Aug 2020) and SENTBYDESTINY (Master Of My Fate ex Princess Tobin) won the G1 Premiers Champion S (29 Aug 2020). Varsfontein graduates won 23 stakes races during the course of the season (5 Gr 1 races, 6 Gr 2 races, 7 Gr 3 races and 5 Listed races).
ANYTHING GOES
GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT was again victorious in 2023 - for the first time in history, a stallion achieved championship in all 3 categories (from records since 1953) - CHAMPION SA SIRE 2023 (Total Stakes R23,030,650 - 33% more than his nearest rival, 14 stakes winners of 21 stakes races), CHAMPION SA SIRE OF 3YO’S 2023 (Total Stakes R10,358,58855% more than his nearest rival. 5 stakes winners of 6 stakes races), CHAMPION SA SIRE OF 2YO’S 2023 (Total Stakes
R4,428,925 - 55% more than his nearest rival, 4 stakes winners of 7 stakes races).
GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT has repeated this historical feat in 2024. Varsfontein Stud bred ERIK THE RED retired to Varsfontein in 2021. Sired by the illustrious G1 winning miler CAPTAIN AL,
out of the equally impressive G1 winning sprinter/miler COVENANT, hailing from the distinguished family of SECRET PACT. ‘Erik’ secured victories in 6 out of 9 starts, with 2 additional placings. His initial outing, where he finished 5th, marked his sole unplaced performance. ‘Erik’ was quick to put the record straight, showcasing his potential with a string of four consecutive victories at 2 years including the LISTED
SUMMER JUVENILE STAKES, G3
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE NURSERY, G2
UMKHOMAZI STAKES, and secured victory in the G2 CAPE MERCHANTS
st 3. ERIK THE RED’S first season progeny are on offer in 2024.
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The main stable yard on the farm underwent major renovations and a new hospital with a new crush was added.
Varsfontein Stud had an exceptional 2022/23 season, producing the winners of 21 stakes races. A special mention must go out to the magnificent 2yo’s of last
season (current 3yo’s), which include CALA MURETTA, GIMMEANOTHERCHANCE, GOLDEN SICKLE, GUY GIBSON, LUCKY LAD, MAIN DEFENDER, QUESTOR and SANDRINGHAM
SUMMIT. G1 winners LUCKY LAD and SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT were both nominated for Equus Champion 2yo Colt - with the vote going to SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT, winner of the G1 Premiers
Champion Stakes and the G2 Golden Horseshoe
Breeding the first three past the post in the G2 Durban Golden Horseshoe was a significant accomplishment.
SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT won from GIMMEANOTHERCHANCE and GUY GIBSON.
This 2020 crop made a striking impression at the 2022 National Yearling Sale, as five yearlings fetched prices of a million or more.
Varsfontein bred 3yo filly
BLESS
MY STARS was awarded the Equus Champion 3yo Filly trophy - for her victories in the G1 SA Fillies Classic and
LUCKY LAD - G1 WINNER
BLESS MY STARS - G1 WINNER
the G2 Gold Bracelet. She was also 3rd in the G1 Durban July.
Varsfontein’s stallions won both the G2 Gauteng Guineas and the G2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas with EYE OF THE PROFIT (Gimmethegreenlight) and LADY OF POWER (Master Of My Fate).
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2023 EQUUS AWARDS
The 2023 Equus Awards were held in the Senate Room at Emperors Palace where Varsfontein received 3 awards:
Champion 2yo Colt - Sandringham Summit
Champion 3yo Filly - Bless My Stars
PIERRE DE VOS, AMANDA DE VOS AND CARL DE VOS AT THE EQUUS AWARDS 2023
Champion Stallion - Gimmethegreenlight
The 2023 Cape Racing and Cape Breeders Awards took place at a festive function at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse on 1st September 2023.
Varsfontein Stud collected the followingCAPE RACING AWARDS:
Champion Older Male (for Khaya Stables)Gimme A Prince.
Champion Sprinter (for Khaya Stables) - Gimme A Prince.
Champion Stayer - Salvator Mundi.
CAPE BREEDERS AWARDS:
Champion 2yo Colt - Lucky Lad.
Champion Older Male (for Khaya Stables)Gimme A Prince.
SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT - G1 WINNER
Champion Sprinter (for Khaya Stables) - Gimme A Prince.
Stallion of the Year - Gimmethegreenlight.
SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT was purchased by Varsfontein Stud in November 2023, and syndicated amongst breeders. John Freeman reported that the syndication of SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT was completed in 24 hours. All available shares were sold. He confirmed that “shares literally flew off the shelf” which speaks volumes for the colt’s popularity with local breeders. “Varsfontein retained 20 of the 46 shares offered,” he added.
SANDRINGHAM SUMMIT had earned his G1 spurs in the Premiers Champion
Stakes by downing the hitherto unbeaten MAIN DEFENDER (bred and raised at Varsfontein for Jagessar Ltd), who was over two lengths adrift at the line.
Trained by David Nieuwenhuizen, the colt made heads turn when he came from an impossible position to win the G2 Golden Horseshoe at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Durban July day.
Named last season’s Equus Champion 2yo Colt, he currently has a rating of 123 at 3 and has since retired to stud.
As the golden anniversary of our thoroughbred breeding stud is upon us, we reflect with profound pride on five decades of excellence in the world of thoroughbred breeding. With each passing year, our commitment to breeding champions has only grown stronger, fostering a proud legacy. From humble beginnings to becoming a cornerstone of the racing and breeding community, our dedication to quality, integrity, and innovation has been
unwavering.
We are incredibly proud of our best ever season in 2023/24 - our highest amount of earnings, best ever finish in the breeders log, best ever number of stakes winners and stakes wins and Gimme being a Champion Sire for the third time and repeating his treble of the sires tables.
As we celebrate this milestone, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who have contributed to our success - from the visionary owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys, to the tireless grooms and caretakers who ensure the well-being of our majestic athletes.
We feel incredibly blessed to have been part of the wonderful racing industry and the amazing people in it for these 50 years. The racing world has allowed us to take this fantastic journey and we eagerly look ahead to the future. We affirm our commitment to uphold excellence defined by our pursuit of breeding champions.
Chris Snaith’s association with Varsfontein Stud goes back a long way.
“I rode against Susan’s father Tony in the days of hurdling and steeplechasing in the Cape. Hennie de Jager trained the horses for Tony and we were all good friends.
“We have trained some fine horses for Varsfontien, most recently Bela-Bela. My wife Sue selected Gimmethegreenlight in Australia for Mr Adams - the rest is history as they say. We follow him with keen interest and pride.
“Recently we took a client from the UK, Mr. Bjorn Nielsen, to see his progeny and asked Carl if we could see Gimmethegreenlight up close and personal. Carl obliged and Gimmethegreenlight responded and came to “chat “ to us. He was one of the most intelligent horses that we ever had the privilege to train”.
“I remember Tony Kalmanson, in the 70’s when he was first developing Varsfontein Stud. I was a 15 year old first-year apprentice when he would come through to Summerveld to ride his own horses, who were trained by JBK Cooper. The likes of Top Brass and Attila come to my mind.
“What always fascinated me as a teenager was how well turned out he was as a gentleman rider. He had breeches, long lace-up boots and a tweed jacket and velvet helmet on, an unseen sight in South Africa. I will never forget the image of him in my mind. He looked so dashing and that has passed down to the stud.
“I remember my trips to Varsfontein Stud in the early days with David Payne and Fred Rickaby, as the stud was amplifying into a top-class establishment, producing phenomenal horses year after year. He would be proud of how Susan and the family have developed the stud into one of the most prestigious studs in South Africa.
“I was also lucky enough to don the esteemed all white colours, not only on South African soil, but also in France.
“Congratulations on 50 years of breeding excellence”.
Michael Roberts
Eric Sands
“I first starting visiting Varsfontein in the days when Hennie De Jager was the manager. Carl was working at The Alchemy at that time before taking up his position at the ‘Fresh Fountain’ What a great and respected stud-man he has proved to be for the Kalmansons and their boarding clients. If memory serves me correctly, Carl must be the longest single-job serving stud manager in the country.
“A lunch date with Carl, Amanda, and
sometimes the late Mrs. Kalmanson, was an annual event with the recently deceased Mary Zoccola. Mary liked buying from Varsfontein because she said you got what you saw. Mary always drove, and one day she went straight through a fourway stop. When her husband told her she said “Never mind, I’ll stop twice on the way home”
“I have visited Varsfontein at least 2 to 3 times per annum for close to 40 years, and seen many changes and improvements. The stables, paddocks, irrigation, hot walker, buildings, etc, to mention a few, but their core belief of breeding quality has never changed.
“Besides having fantastic families, they have imported many top mares into the country for the betterment of the South African breeding industry as a whole.
“To train for John and Susan has always been such an honour. They know the ups and downs of racing and always take it in their stride. Now
to train for the next generation, John, Hannah, Charlotte and Alice is a privilege I am proud of. Thank you, thank you.
“Happy birthday Varsfontein. May your successes continue and go from strength to strength”.
Dean Kannemeyer
“Varsfontein Stud has been a source of champions over many decades. The Kalmanson family have established a proud dynasty based on breeding the best to the best, and that is endorsed
year in and year out with results that underscore the philosophy of excellence.
“I remember my late dad Peter saying that with a Varsfontein product we always knew what we were getting.
“Fifty years on, that maxim holds good, and in the past 25 years I have been honoured and privileged to race Varsfontein breds for a variety of my patrons.
“To Susan, John, Carl and the rest of the champion Varsfontein team, congratulations on your 50th anniversary, and here’s to another 50 great years of big winners and champagne moments”.
CLIFTON STARS TO SHINE
Clifton Stud enjoyed a wonderful few weeks earlier this year when Mrs Geriatrix romped home to win the R600 000 KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Mile.
The impressive Clifton Stud-bred three-year-old Flag Man showed his class by finishing second in the Gr1 Daily News 2000 and fourth in the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, and Madison Valley picked up his biggest win when landing the 2024 Gr3 DStv Gold Vase.
The farm also sold a half-brother to Flag Man for R900 000 at the recent BSA KZN Yearling Sale, ending the day as second Top Vendors by Aggregate.
Clifton Stud will be offering a formidable draft at the upcoming BSA August Two Year Old Sale, where buyers will be able to acquire two-yearolds sired by the likes of Act Of War, Danon Platina, Fire Away, New Predator, One World and Rafeef, to name but a few.
Lot 164 – Unnamed (c) by One World ex Ikati
Dam a stakes placed winner of seven and granddaughter of Gr1 Garden Province Stakes winner Sleek Wine.
Lot 268 – Cosmic Orbit (f) by Rafeef ex Romantic Moon
A half-sister to KZN Yearling Sale Million winner Lunar Rush.
Lot 37 – Abbey Sniper (c ) by New Predator ex Athassel Abbey
Out of a winning daughter of Fastnet Rock and Gr1 Irish Oaks heroine Vintage Tipple.
Lot 115 – Fear Of Fire (c) by Fire Away ex Endearment
Colt out of a four-time winning daughter of Hussonet.
SANDOWN PRESENTS THEIR CLASSY DRAFT
Sandown Stud continues to deliver high-class performers, with the farm’s latest equine star being the exciting filly, Rodeo Drive.
A daughter of The United States, Rodeo Drive was one of the best two-year-old fillies in South Africa last season, winning impressively twice and finishing runner up in both the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship and Gr2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante.
Sandown will be offering an excellent draft at the BSA August Two-Year-Old Sale 2024, presenting two-year-olds sired by Captain Of All, Futura, Legislate, Soqrat, The United States and William Longsword.
James Armitage had the following comments to make about the potential standouts in this draft:
Lot 99 - Wall Street (c) by The United States ex Dilalah
A lovely quality colt that has size and scope with a great temperament. By the same sire as Rodeo Drive, this colt hails from the same family as champion Nebraas and outstanding sire Kingmambo to name but two.
Lot 224 – Unnamed (c) by Soqrat ex Mohallela
A strong athletic colt with a good hindquarter and good eye. By an Equus Champion in
Soqrat, this colt is a half-brother to the very smart Arividicio.
Lot 234 - Evening News (c) by Futura ex Noor Dubai
A half-brother to Nebraas, this colt has a good shape to him and has more scope than his previous siblings. He hails from the family of Breeders’ Cup Mile winners Miesque, Karakontie and Six Perfections.
Lot 265 - Fair Proposal (f) by Legislate ex Rockaberry Lane
A filly that looks like her mother from a great family – something good has to come from this mare. Is it this Legislate filly? By a stallion with outstanding statistics, this filly’s dam is a threetime winning sister to two Gr1 winners.
Lot 284 – Unnamed (f) by Captain Of All ex Shadows In The Sun
A very strong scopey filly by Captain Of All with a good hindquarter. By the same sire as dual Gr1 winner Linebacker, bred on the same cross as multiple graded stakes winner Shango.
THE SPRINT IS INTERACTIVE
EXCITING BLOODLINES FROM PAARDEBERG
The recently established Paardeberg Stud is an exciting addition to the thoroughbred stud farms in South Africa.
Not only home to an impeccably bred Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner in the form of Expert Eye, the farm is quickly gathering a top-class band of mares to its ranks.
The impressive daughters of champions like Icy Air, Western Winter and Trippi, and stakes winner Red Berry, Paardeberg’s broodmare band continues to grow in quality and numbers.
The farm will be offering four well-bred twoyear-olds at the upcoming BSA August Two Year Sale, and Sally Bruss could not be happier with her draft:
Lot 36 - Queensland (f) by Querari ex Arissa
She is a very attractive, well-made daughter of Silvano mare Arissa.
Bred on the highly successful Querari/Silvano cross, this filly is from the immediate family of the Querari sired stakes winner Luna Wish.
Lot 136 - Gale Warning (c) by Elusive Fort ex Gail Force
He is a well-made, attractive colt, a grandson of the very successful mare Icy Air. By the same sire as Kommetdieding, out of a winning halfsister to champion Russet Air.
Lot 202 - Little Boy Blue (c) by Erik The Red ex Made In Hollywood
He is a neat, athletic colt out of the wellperformed Querari mare who was runner up in the Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes. Hails from the same
female line as outstanding sires Fappiano and Quiet American.
Lot 214 - African Pride (c) by Rafeef ex Mina Salaam
A typical Rafeer – big, strong, imposing half-brother to leading sprinting filly True To Life. Very similar type to William Robertson. Out of a multiple stakes winning daughter of outstanding sire Medaglia D’Oro and champion Circle Of Life.
THE SPRINT IS INTERACTIVE
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BSA August 2yo Sale – Riverton Stud – Lot 152
SEA THE STARS GRANDDAUGHTER HAILS FROM A GREAT FILLY FAMILY
SA Nursery winner Sun Gleam left behind a potent legacy, with a number of her daughters and granddaughters making their mark on the South African stud book.
Herself the dam of high-class stakes winners Demain, Melrose and New Dawn, Sun Gleam also ranks as the third dam of both Gr1 Garden Province Stakes winner Petronia and Gr1 winning speedball Fuzzy Rag.
Another descendant of Sun Gleam to make her mark on both the racecourse, and at stud, was Helenita. Out of a great granddaughter of Sun Gleam, Helenita was a top-class racemare who won six races including the G1 Stuttafords Cup. At stud, Helenita threw ten winners including Gr1 Cape Argus Guineas winning filly Little Ballerina and Gr2 (now Gr1) Majorca Stakes winner Trojan Belle. The latter went on to become a high-class broodmare herself, with Trojan Belle producing Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes winner Buran as well as G1 Thekwini Stakes runner up Ice Belle.
Riverton Stud will be offering another exciting filly descended in female line from the prolific Sun Gleam in the form of a Quasillo filly out of the Captain Al mare Heliane.
Heliane, whose third dam is Helenita, is a fullsister to the stakes placed Captain Dino and she has already produced five winners, led by Gr3 Godolphin Barb Stakes third place finisher High Voltage (sired by Quasillo’s half-brother Querari), and smart performers Thunder Master and Captain Tik Tok.
Heliane’s champion sire Captain Al, whose progeny include current sire sensation One World as well as the Riverton bred champion Captain Of All, has become an exceptional broodmare sire. The son of Al Mufti was South
Africa’s Leading Broodmare Sire in both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, with Captain Al broodmare sire of 13 black type winners, who won 17 stakes races, in 2023-2024 alone. The ever growing list of top-class performers produced by Captain Al mares headed by champions Princess Calla, and Sandringham Summit, as well as Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met/Gr1 Vodacom Durban July winning sire Kommetdieding, the Riverton Stud bred G1 winner Potent Power, and Proceed and Snow Pilot. While Proceed won the Gr1 Gold Medallion in 2024, Snow Pilot captured last season’s Gr1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.
Quasillo, whose progeny, from a very limited number of runners, include Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper and Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes winning filly Ameena, was sired by Sea The Stars, one of the greatest thoroughbreds of the century.
Beaten just once in nine starts, Sea The Stars won all of the Gr1 stanjames.com 2000 Guineas, Gr1 Investec Derby, Gr1 CoralEclipse, Gr1 Juddmonte International Stakes, Gr1 Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes and Gr1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2009. He was officially rated the best horse in the world in 2009, with a rating of 136, while esteemed publication Timeform gave him a rating of 140.
Sea The Stars has proved just as potent at stud, having sired more than 120 stakes winners including champions Baaeed, Harzand, Hukum, Star Catcher, Stradivarius, and Taghrooda, as well as the increasingly successful stallion Sea The Moon.
BSA August 2yo Sale – Riverton Stud – Lot 240
WILLIAM LONGSWORD COLT HAILS FROM A FAMILY OF CHAMPIONS
Captain Al’s Gr1 Cape Guineas winning son William Longsword enjoyed an excellent season in 2023-2024. The half-brother to Gr1 winner and Gr1 producer Real Princess ended the season in seventh place on the General Sires List, with his runners winning 113 races last season while earning in excess of R12.952 million in prize money.
William Longsword’s star performers last season included top sprinters Dyce (Gr1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship, Gr3 New Turf Carriers Merchants, Listed Golden Loom Handicap) and Rulership (Gr3 Betway Lebelo Sprint), Listed Secretariat Stakes hero Sabre Strike and classy gelding William Iron Arm. The latter finished third in both the Gr1 TAB SA Classic and Gr2 TAB Gauteng Guineas, with William Iron Arm having already earned more than R400 000 in prize money.
William Longsword also came up with some eye catching two-year-old winners in 20232024 including Miss Scaletta, a winner of two of just three starts, feature race contender Commanding, and the useful Golden Chandelier.
Riverton Stud, who bred William Longsword’s very smart son Melech among others, will be offering a very well bred William Longsword colt (Lot 240) at the upcoming August Two Year Old Sale.
The colt is out of the lightly raced mare On High, herself a daughter of the regally bred Jet Master mare Sundays Sister. The latter, herself a dual winner, was produced by the outstanding Al Mufti mare Laptop Lady, dam of ten runners, and ten winners. Laptop Lady produced five black type horses, headed by globetrotting Equus Champion Jay Peg. Jay Peg was South Africa’s Equus Champion 3YO Male Classic Horse of 2007 and won eight of
13 starts in South Africa including both the Gr1 Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas and Gr1 Investec Derby. Sent overseas, Jay Peg proved to be a world-class horse, winning both the Gr1 Dubai Duty Free and Gr1 Singapore Airlines International Cup.
Among the numerous top-class international horses beaten by Jay Peg were Archipenko, Bullish Luck, Darjina, Finsceal Beo and Vodka.
Jay Peg’s dam Laptop Lady also produced graded stakes winners Barrack Street (Gr3 Protea Stakes) and Cyber Case (Gr3 Lebelo Sprint), as well as the classy Epona, victorious in both the Listed Jamaica Handicap and Listed East Coast Handicap.
Further back, this is also the family of Gr1 winning champion Kochka, as well as such graded stakes winners Cat And The Moon, Dash For Gretna, Epsom Girl, Gimme A Shot, Lucky Find, Twilight Moon, and Whiteline Fever. Laptop Lady is directly descended in female line from the hugely influential mare Frillery, whose numerous high-class descendants include champion Silver Spoon and Gr1 winners Catinca, Silver Buck, State Dinner and Belmont Stakes winner Counterpoint.
The colt on sale is inbred to July runner up and former champion South African sire Al Mufti, with this pattern having already produced such graded stakes winners as Flash Drive and Hot Affair (both of whom were sired by Jay Peg!)
BSA August 2yo Sale – Riverton Stud – Lot 154
CAPTAIN OF ALL FILLY SPORTS A CLASSY PEDIGREE
Classy galloper Captain Lannister showed great promise on the racetrack. In a brief career, the gelding won or placed in eight of 11 starts and earned more than R370 000 in stakes. Captain Lannister, who won from 1000m to 1450m, put up arguably the best performance of his career when he running third, beaten just over a length in the 2022 Gr1 World Sports Betting SA Classic. In finishing third in the SA Classic, Captain Lannister accounted for a number of top-class performers notably graded stakes winners Aragosta and William Robertson as well as the very classy galloper Zeus.
Also fourth in the Grr1 Gold Medallion at two, Captain Lannister put up another smart effort when running Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes winner Sentbydestiny to under two lengths when runner up over 1450 metres.
Captain Lannister, a son of the Riverton Stud bred champion and triple Gr1 winner Captain Of All, is one of three winners produced by the three time winning Western Winter mare Hidden Nest. The latter, a three-parts sister to the Western Winter sired Listed Racing Association Stakes/Listed East Cape Guineas winner Autumn Glory, also ranks the dam of seven time winner Two Guns (by Oracy) as well as the winner Blazing Rebel (by Rebel King).
The blue- blooded Hidden Nest was produced by Gr2 Gold Circle Oaks third and three time winning Deneuve, herself a daughter of champion sire Badger Land and dual Gr1 winner Please Be True.
Please Be True was a top-class racemare, whose seven career wins included triumphs in both the Gr1 Germiston November Handicap and Gosforth Park Fillies & Mares Challenge, with Please Be True a half-sister to the dam of Gr1 Cape Flying Championship winner Best Of The Best.
Further back, this is also the family of such stars as July winning champion Royal Chalice, the Gr1 winning full siblings Nania and Red Ray (both sired by Western Winter), and Guineas winning sire Bushmanland to name a few.
Riverton Stud, as Agent, will be offering a fullsister (Lot 154), in the form of Captain’s Pride, to Captain Lannister at this year’s August Two Year Old Sale.
Captain’s Pride is bred on a similar cross to all of dual Equus Champion, and five time Gr1 winner, Carry On Alice, Gr1 Forus Cape Guineas winner Tap O’ Noth and promising young sire Erik The Red, with all three horses sired by Captain Al (sire of Captain Of All) out of daughters of Western Winter.
At the time of writing, Western Winter mares had produced more than 60 stakes winners with this tally including such Gr1 winners as Past Master (Equus Champion), Good Traveller (Equus Champion), and Make It Snappy (Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas/G1 Cartier Paddock Stakes).
BSA August 2yo Sale – Riverton Stud – Lot 278
MASTER OF MY FATE FILLY SET TO IMPRESS
There is no denying that Jet Master horse Master Of My Fate is a consistently successful sire. Already sire of Gr1 winners Sentbydestiny, Zarina and Equus Champion Tempting Fate, Master Of My Fate enjoyed another good season in 2023-2024.
Master Of My Fate ended last season fourth on the South African General Sires List, with his progeny winning 150 races in 2023-2024 and earning more than R15,588 million in prize money. The sire was responsible for four black type winners of seven stakes races in South Africa in 2023-2024, with his flagbearers including Atticus Finch (Gr3 Betway Victory Moon Stakes), Joy And Peace (TAB East Cape Derby, East Cape Oaks), and Princess Izzy (Sweet Chestnut Stakes).
His daughter Splicethemainbrace was unbeaten in five starts last season and won all of the Listed East Cape Fillies Nursery, Listed East Cape Nursery, and Listed Lady’s Slipper Stakes, with another Master Of My Fate filly, My Soul Mate, finishing second in the 2024 Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks.
Master Of My Fate has built up a fine record as a sire of high-class fillies, with Master Of My Fate’s growing list of top-class daughters including such graded stakes winners as Basadi Faith, Indi Anna, Lady Of Power, Love Is A Rose, and Pretty Betty, as well as the aforementioned Gr1 winners Sentbydestiny and Zarina.
Riverton Stud, as agent, will be offering the well bred Master Of My Fate filly Trip Of Faith (Lot 278) at this month’s August Two Year Old Sale.
Trip Of Faith, whose first three dams were sired by Trippi, Royal Academy and Damascus
respectively, is out of the twice winning Trippi mare School Run, a half-sister to the Gr2 placed dam of Gr2 WSB Premier Trophy/Gr3 Betting World 2200 winner Head Honcho.
School Run, in turn, is out of the dual winning Royal Academy mare She’s An Academicwhose sire, Royal Academy, is broodmare sire of more than 200 stakes winners including multiple champion sire Fastnet Rock, French champion Dabirsim, and classic winners Finsceal Beo and Rule Of Law.
Royal Academy is also sire of outstanding South African broodmare Mystic Spring, Equus Broodmare Of The Year in 2016-2017, and dam of seven stakes winners.
School Run’s granddam Damson is a Damascus three-parts sister to the Damascus sired Gr1 Hollywood Gold Cup winner and Gr1 Kentucky Derby Desert Wine - whose dual Gr1 winning half-brother Menifee ran second in the 1999 Gr1 Kentucky Derby.
This is also the family of numerous Gr1 winners including Albert The Great (Jockey Club Gold Cup), Congaree (Hollywood Gold Cup), Fasliyev (Prix Morny), Furiously (Jerome Handicap), Long Look (Epsom Oaks) Misty For Me (Irish 1000 Guineas), and U S Navy Flag (July Cup).
Multiple champion sire Jungle Cove is yet another star to hail from this prolific female line!
BSA August 2yo Sale – Riverton Stud – Lot 296
VERCINGETORIX COLT BRED ON A POTENT CROSS
Outstanding stallion and Equus Champion Vercingetorix, famously pinhooked by the Riverside Grooms Thoroughbred Coop, enjoyed another fantastic season in 2023-2024. The champion son of six time South African champion sire Silvano ended the season runner up on the South African General Sires List with his runners banking more than R28,413 million in stakes last season.
Vercingetorix, also second on South Africa’s Leading Sires of 3YOs premiership for 20232024, was responsible for no fewer than 14 stakes winners last season, with Vercingetorix runners claiming no fewer than 18 black type races in South Africa in 2023-2024.
The champion dominated the 2024 Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, where his sons Oriental Charm and Cousin Casey ran first and second respectively. Oriental Charm had previously won the Gr3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial, while Cousin Casey finished runner up in no fewer than three Gr1 contests last season including the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and Gr1 The HKJC Champions Cup.
Other flagbearers for the brilliant Vercingetorix last season included Gr1 Mercury Sprint winner Surjay, Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met runner up Rascallion, triple graded stakes winner Double Grand Slam, and graded stakes winning two-year-olds Cymric and Little Ballerina.
Riverton Stud, as Agent, will be offering the blue blooded Vercingetorix colt Wild Justice (Lot 296) for sale at the 2024 August Two Year Old Sale. A full-brother to the high-class Supreme Warrior, Wild Justice is out of the Captain Al mare Sovereign Flo.
A three-parts sister to the Captain Al sired Listed Irridescence Stakes/Listed Olympic Duel Stakes winner Pure Power and closely related to the Al Mufti sired dual Gr3 winner Just Like Al, Sovereign Flo has already produced five winners including Gr3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery third Mr Crumford (by Jackson), as well as the very speedy State Ballet (by St Petersburg).
Wild Justice’s full-brother Supreme Warrior showed top-class form at both three and four. At three, Supreme Warrior finished second, beaten just a short-head, in the Gr2 World Sports Betting Guineas -where he accounted for Gr1 winners Pomp And Power and Double Superlative, as well as last out Gr3 World Pool Gold Cup winner Master Redoute. At four, Supreme Warrior showed his speed when finishing a short-head second in the Gr3 Lebelo Sprint over 1000 metres.
The well bred Sovereign Flo, a half-sister to Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper runner up Let It Flow, is out of the three time winning Final Flo, a daughter of champion Model Man and Gr3 Sceptre Stakes winner Foverflo.
The latter was a Foveros half-sister to none other than Flobayou -South Africa’s Joint Horse Of The Year in 1995 and a multiple champion sprinter.
Further back, this is the family of numerous topclass performers including Gr1 J&B Met winner Arctic Cove and outstanding filly Renounce.
Wild Justice is bred on the increasingly successful Vercingetorix/Captain Al cross.
This cross has already produced Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Vernichey, multiple graded stakes winner Double Grand Slam, and Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint runner up Golden Sickle, to name a few.
Soaking up the sun – the beautiful Master Archie filly takes in her first few moments | Credit: Supplied
THE MASTER’S FIRST HAS ARRIVED!
There were celebrations for the Master Archie Syndicate this week when the first foal of the Grade 1 winning speed merchant was born at Jikkie de Wet’s Prosper Stud in Robertson.
The Pathfork mare Charmz Luck delivered a beautiful filly (her third foal) at 11h00 on Thursday 8 August 2024 in chilly weather.
“She is a well-balanced and beautifully conformed princess. Not over big, just perfect. The delivery went without a hitch,” Prosper Stud boss Jikkie de Wet told the Sporting Post.
Winterbach Stud-based sire Master Archie, who at the time was the first son of Rafeef to retire to stud when he arrived in Stellenbosch in
2023, is out of La Volta by Var.
A winner of the Gr3 Man O’ War Sprint and the Gr1 Computaform Sprint, Master Archie was speed personified, winning seven races over 1000m – 1100m from ages 2-4.
Master Archie achieved a higher Merit Rating than his own leading sire, with an MR 128 reflecting his record and repeated the feat of his sire by winning the Gr1 Computaform Sprint.
Standing 16 hands high Master Archie, was enthusiastically supported by breeders in his first season at stud and yielded a high fertility percentage rate.
Hendrik Winterbach commented that Master Archie has ‘a great temperament’ and is an easy stallion to work with as a result.
Amongst the mares that supported Master Archie in 2023 were Hannah Gorgeous, a Fort Wood half-sister to sire Futura representing Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm, who stood Master Archie’s broodmare sire – Var.
Master Archie’s 2024 fee is an accessible R7000 excl vat, live foal.
First foal of Master Archie. Filly out of Charmz Luck | Credit: Supplied
Proud Mom Charmz Luck (Pathfork) keeps a beady eye on little Miss Fleetfoot | Credit: Supplied
A BABY KOMMET LANDS AT PROSPER STUD!
Jikkie de Wet’s beautiful Prosper Stud welcomed one of the first reported foals of popular ‘People’s Champion’ Kommetdieding late last week.
A filly described by leading Vet Dr Marianne Thomson as ‘well balanced, correct and cheeky’ was born on Thursday 8 August, shortly after 21h00.
A first foal of the Visionaire mare Intuitive, a daughter of the six-time winning multiple graded stakes winning Jet Master mare She’s
On Fire, the beautiful filly received accolades from experienced breeder Jikkie de Wet and the veteran Vet, herself a breeder of Grade 1 champions.
A son of Elusive Fort who captured the public imagination when he went from the obscurity of being a relatively cheap ticket R55 000 buy at the Klawervlei Farm Sale to achieve the unique Durban July-Cape Town Met double, the story of Kommetdieding will go down in history as one of the great stories of South African racing’s modern folklore.
Kommetdieding’s daughter out of the Visionaire mare Intuitive was born at Prosper on Thursday 8 August 2024 | Credit: Supplied
In the silks of Ashwin Reynolds, Kommetdieding raced from 2-5 and won 6 races from 1200m to 2200m.
On Saturday 3 July 2021, Kommetdieding won the R2-million Vodacom Durban July as a threeyear-old. In the process, the history books were rewritten as Ashwin Reynolds became the first racehorse owner of colour to win Africa’s most famous horserace.
He duly won the Cape’s most prestigious race, the Cape Town Met, and in so doing joined elite racing heroes Politician, London News, Pocket Power and Igugu.
His trainer Michelle Rix also became the first female conditioner to win the prestigious race.
Kommetdieding is a son of Gr1 SA Derby / Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner Elusive Fort (Fort Wood) out of the three-time winning Captain Al mare Adorable.
He stood his first season at Klawervlei in 2023, when he covered 82 foals and is set to start his second season with his 2024 fee set at R12 000 (R2 000 nom, R10 000 live foal).
Dr Marianne Thomson said she is well balanced, correct and cheeky! | Credit: Supplied
Mom gives ‘Klein Kommet’ a nudge | Credit: Supplied
RETIRED MILITARY MAN GETS ALL EIGHT!
A 59-year-old Bloemfontein-based player ended the long weekend on a thrilling winning note when he scooped the R880 000 Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge all-or-nothing jackpot after enduring a nervewracking final stage of the eighth race on the Hollywoodbets Greyville card.
On a programme where favourites scored in five of the eight races, player Trip2Cairo sweated as promising apprentice Nirvan Nastili kept the Kom Naidoo-trained One Too Many going to hold off a flying determined late shout from Louis Goosen’s Mask On in the 1000m MR 80 Handicap.
Trip2Cairo, a retired SANDF military man, found all eight winners on the card to come out tops of 11230 opponents.
He could have doubled his return had he wagered the base amount of R50 on the competition’s programmatically generated betslip but failed to tick the block and says that he will seriously consider outlaying the minimum R50 bet in the free-to-play challenge going forward.
Over R30 million has been paid out in the Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge, South Africa’s all-time most popular horseracing competition.
Asked how he generally makes his selections, Trip2Cairo conceded that as a fairly novice player – he only found his passion for horseracing in 2023 – he relies on an element of luck, and some basic form study.
Nirvan Nastili keeps One Too Many at his task to make it a massive day for Trip2Cairo | Credit: Candiese Lenferna
“I don’t spend a lot of time on it. And I didn’t even follow the racing today. When I got the call, I was stunned. Thanks to Hollywoodbets for giving me this opportunity at a life changer,” added the father of two, who declared that he would be using the windfall wisely and buying himself a new car, while also helping his family.
Asked what the first thing he was going to do after talking to us, Trip2Cairo said he was going to crack open a bottle of wine and celebrate the moment with his family.
The popular free-to-play competition has created a host of winners over the past four years and requires players to select the winner of each race on local racemeetings, as well as on Hong Kong and Singapore fixtures.
While Trip2Cairo failed to do so, players have an opportunity to double their potential payout by wagering a minimum of R50 on the programmatically generated betslip.
For local racemeetings, the value of the all-ornothing prize is determined by the number of runners multiplied by R10 000, for all venues.
For example, if there are 91 carded runners and 3 scratchings, then the all-or-nothing prize will be based on the nett 88 runners at R10 000 each, giving a value of R880 000 as the prize.
Just one of the eight! Tobacconist (Sean Veale) makes it two on the trot on Sunday for the Hollywood Syndicate and MJ Odendaal | Credit: Candiese Lenferna
For Hong Kong and Singapore racemeetings, the jackpot prize is as follows:
With 8 or 9 races carded and completed R125 000 (or R250 000 with a betslip minimum of R50) or with 10 or more races carded and completed, R250 000 (or R500 000 with a betslip minimum of R50).
Over and above the premier aim of finding all the winners, daily prize money of R5 000 for each of the scheduled race meetings will be shared by the top 20 players on the points leaderboard at the end of the day.
The winner will be awarded R2 000, with the runner-up R1 000 and the balance apportioned in terms of the published rules down to the 20th finisher.
These payouts are also doubled if the minimum R50 wager on the bet slip is taken! The Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge is really easy to understand and to play.
All you need is a Hollywoodbets account and the choice is yours to either select one horse in each of the races at the designated race meeting or opt to make use of one of the ‘quick-pick’ options and take a chance!
Don’t leave your entry late – the gate closes five minutes before the off of the first race in all centres.
Have a look at the brand new Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge website, and consider forming a league to compete amongst friends, work colleagues or family!
THE STARS ALIGN TO THE NEW SEASON
At the start of the 2024/5 racing season, trainers and jockeys are preparing to showcase their talents and gearing up for what lies ahead.
Charl Pretorius writes that the stage is set for an exhilarating season that will again captivate racing enthusiasts across the nation.
The industry is getting ready for another year of remarkable performances, fierce rivalries, and
unforgettable moments on the track.
Justin Snaith, Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry have shared most of the National Trainers Titles between them over the last two decades, with Snaith claiming his fifth title on World Pool Gold Cup Day recently.
They have various individual goals in the new season.
Trainer Mike de Kock – an impressive career tally | Credit: Candiese Lenferna
De Kock’s estimated career tally is 3765 winners (this includes his winners trained in other countries, but there is a local period between December 1988 and July 1989 for which statistics will be confirmed by the NHA).
Snaith has trained 3397 winners in just 24 seasons since he stared in 2000. Those figures are amazing considering the achievements of past masters like Ormond Ferraris (approximately 2,600 winners) and Terrance Millard (app. 2300), even bearing in mind that the legends of yesteryear had smaller strings and fewer race meetings.
If he trains for two more seasons, De Kock is likely to reach the milestone of 4000 winners first, but Snaith has some of his best years still ahead of him and at his terrific 24-year average of 141 winners per season, he will get to the 4000-mark well before the year 2030.
Snaith will be focusing on the major features this season, aiming to get his Grade 1 tally well up from its current 60.
He said: “I haven’t won near enough Grade 1 races. My three-year-olds are very strong and will make their names this summer. My aim was to race overseas but it seems that SAEHP are grounded so hopefully this will be sorted for my kids when they train one day.”
The competitive Sean Tarry is always a force to contend with. On Gold Cup Day, Tarry launched a determined bid with his top runners to regain the title he last won in the 2019/20 season, but his late momentum was never going to be enough to overtake Snaith and he settled, like last year, for a respectable second place on the leaderboard.
Tarry commented: “Trying to win the title on the last big meeting of the season was like being 3-0 down in the last five minutes of a football game. We tried, we had some good runners and I was happy with their preparations. Things didn’t go as planned, that happens, but there were some notably good runs from horses like Legend of Arthur and Mrs Browning. My team and I are happy with our overall results, we’ve been in a rebuilding phase for the last few years after the retirement from racing of our major patron Chris van Niekerk, and we’ve done particularly well considering what was a big setback.”
Tarry added: “We are pleased and privileged to have a group of staunch patrons behind us again, including a few new owners who have just dipped their toes in the water. We’re set for a good new term with horses like Lucky Lad, Proceed, Cosmic Prince and Legend Of Arthur. My objective is always the same: to develop and maximise the career potential of every runner in my care.”
Justin Snaith aims to race overseas | Credit: 4Racing
Sean Tarry – always a force to contend with | Credit: 4Racing
Mike de Kock saddled six Gr1 winners last season his best since 2015 and did so from training his smallest string since he started his career in 1989. Highlights were the successes of unbeaten filly Gimme A Nother and the hardgalloping gelding Dave The King.
De Kock said: “My string will remain limited in numbers in the new season, a boutique string of around 60 horses. We’ll have a presence in Gauteng and Durban and we’ll raid Cape Town. There are a few young runners that will come through the ranks in the Highveld spring and summer, but Dave The King will be the main arrow in our bow. He has developed into a high-class act. It’s hard to imagine him getting any better, but you never know. His aim will be the 2025 King’s Plate, with the Cape Met as an option thereafter.”
Candice Bass-Robinson, fourth on the National Log in 2023/4, said that she was proud of having sent out four Grade 1 winners and several other notable feature winners that made up her tally of 84. “It was a fantastic season for the Bass Racing team. While we set goals at the start of the season, things often change as horses progress through the ranks. I’ve always dreamed of winning the L’Ormarins King’s Plate and achieving that was a highlight. It remains a goal I’d love to accomplish again.
“We saw the retirements of out star runner Charles Dickens and the accomplished Trip Of Fortune, while Beach Bomb left to further her career abroad which left a gap at the top, and their firepower was sorely missed. Prior to that, I was sitting second on the log and I thought I had a small squeak at the trainers title this year, but this was sadly not to be. Besides stakes, any horse leaving is a sad event and I’m hoping their second careers are fruitful ones.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming season with great anticipation. I’ll be aiming sprinters October Morn and Future Variety towards the Cape summer season, along with Red Palace, whose major goal is the Paddock Stakes. Among the younger crop, fillies like Roccapina and Symphony In White look like exciting prospects. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, many of my juveniles, now three-yearolds, are yet to race but I do have some nice up and coming three-year-olds. There’s much to look forward to in the season ahead.”
Candice Bass-Robinson – looking forward to this season Credit: Chase Liebenberg
Unless there is proof to the contrary, Tony Peter (29) became the first trainer to saddle 100 winners in his first full season. He posted 101 winners for a winning strike rate of 18.9%, the highest in the land, and finished sixth on the log. He said: “I like to set goals for myself and mine for last season was 100 winners, so I just scraped through with 101 winners. I am blessed and grateful because it was quite a testing time, physically and mentally because of all the other matters I had to deal with aside from training horses. Those took their toll. “This season I am changing my goals.
I’d like to focus on enjoying racing again, enjoying the horse and the owner and my family. I want to do things a bit differently. Our feature horses are VJ’s Angel, who I think is top class, and the speedy Almond Sea, Pistol Pete and Taxi To The Moon. There are a few other nice youngsters that will hold their own, and among the older horses I think Money Heist will have a good season. He ran into the places on July day and Gold Cup Day when I felt he was unlucky. He’s a horse for a race like the Charity Mile. It’s going to be a nice season for us.”
Tony Peter – 101 winners with a winning strike rate of 18.9% | Credit: 4Racing
In the Eastern Cape, Alan Greeff and Gavin Smith have dominated the scene for three decades, winning titles in alternate seasons. In the last 30 years, the only other trainer to have won the EP title was Gavin’s father Andy Smith in the season before he handed over his operation. Greeff won his 16th title in 2023/4 with 139 winners, beating his close rival by five winners.
Greeff, whose strike rate of 15.4% was one of the highest on the table, has always been modest about what has been akin to a conveyor belt delivering loads of multiple winners, year in and year out. He said: “We had a great season and hopefully there will be many more. My objective as always will be to train as many winners as possible, perhaps finding a few big races in Cape Town for my best runners to compete in, in December.”
Greeff said that his now three-year-olds, Three Rocks, Splicethemainbrace and My Best Shot are ones to watch in the new term, while now
four-year-olds Luna Halo, Fairy Knight and Joy and Peace are likely to hold their own in older company.
He added: “Training is what I know, and love to do. It’s my life. I don’t need motivation going into every new season, I will continue while I am still enjoying it and training as many winners as I can. I had a chance to go to Newmarket in the UK and I attended the Derby, it was an eye-opener for me. I am lucky to have a base of wonderful and supportive owners and I really like getting runners from other centres, freshening them up and getting them winning.
“The other part of my job I love is going to the sales and selecting and buying young horses, then seeing how they develop into fully grown thoroughbreds, some of them become very capable. It’s a regular exercise that gets the eye trained and gives me lots of joy. The stable also gets fillies from breeders every year and the stock is replenished when they go to stud.”
Gareth van Zyl – looking to make an impact | Credit: Chase Liebenberg
Up-and-coming Gareth van Zyl landed his third KZN Trainers Title with 63 winners and just over R6,7-million in gross stake earnings last season. Van Zyl has set his sights on being a consistent Top 5 trainer and has expressed ambitions of going all the way to the top.
He moved his own base to Cape Town in 2023 and his father Gavin van Zyl, manages the KZN operation from Summerveld.
Team Van Zyl’s objective is to maximise opportunities for their runners between two centres and while it has taken Gareth a while to settle in at Milnerton, they are geared to deliver excellent results in 2024/5.
Gareth van Zyl said: “I’ve learnt a few things about the facilities and the racing product in the Western Cape which will stand me in good stead this new term. We haven’t yet made the impact we wanted to in Cape Town, but with some good experience now behind us we are set to improve with several nice horses in the string, including Flag Man and Vihaan’s Pride. Durban remains our centre of strength, my dad’s doing a great job there.”
Bookmakers, Hollywoodbets, priced up earlier this week on the 2024/5 Jockeys Title, and the rampant Richard Fourie is not surprisingly odds-on at 8-10 to retain the crown.
Whether Fourie will have a crack at bettering his sensational 377 winners in a single season is unlikely and his agent, Ken Nicol, commented: “Richard will be defending his title, we have good stables behind us, and this is an achievable goal.”
Fourie is serving a suspension and Nicol quipped: “Richard has taken a holiday in the Seychelles. I offered to go along to keep him company, or to carry his luggage, but he chose his partner Andrea instead. We’ll regroup when he returns and focus on the season ahead.”
Regular Top Five jockey Muzi Yeni rode a career best 2015 winners in 2018/19 when he lost the National title by just three winners to Lyle Hewitson.
He finished second again last season, racking up 191 winners despite sitting on the bench for several weeks due to suspensions.
Richard Fourie celebrates another winner with Alan Greeff
Credit: Pauline Herman
Muzi Yeni – regular top five | Credit: 4Racing
He said: “I know I am capable of riding 200 winners in a season, I’ve done it before. I don’t have a big stable behind me like Richard Fourie or Craig Zackey, but I will continue to work hard and try my best to pick up every available ride.”
Gavin Lerena enjoyed a competitive 2023/4 season with 177 winners and a 20.7% strike rate, third only to Fourie (22.9%) and Aldo Domeyer (21.1%).
Lerena said that he will be in the race for the title and that he will travel even more if he finds himself in contention with a few months to go. “I’d like to secure the best rides in Gauteng first. I am looking for as much support as possible and there are a few runners to watch in Joburg. One of them is Candice Dawson’s Truth, He is really good. He has a big stride and I don’t think he liked the tight turns at Greyville. Also, he was never drawn well.
“In Cape Town there is One Stripe, a wonderful horse with a great turn of foot. I got to sit on him last season and I hope to retain the ride. He is one to follow. I want to keep my strike rate high. If I get good opportunities outside of Gauteng, I will gladly take them, but I don’t want to be just a number.”
Zackey is another jockey who will ensure that Fourie doesn’t rest on his laurels.
Zackey, who rode 169 winners for a fourth place to Fourie in 2023/4, has declared himself a definite contender in the title race and said: “I am suspended until 18 August, but I will be back next week preparing for the new season. I want to go in guns blazing. If I can start the season like I finished the last one, I will have a title chance. I rode really well in the last four months and I want to build on that.”
Zackey will resume his association with Dean Kannemeyer and said: “We have good runners for the big races like The Real Prince, a young horse I really like, and Gimme’s Countess, who is a top filly. Gimme A Prince is doing well after his long break, I can’t wait for his return. We also have some fresh support from owner Fred Crabbia so we’re excited about our prospects,” he said.
Craig
Gavin Lerena – in the race for this season’s title Credit: 4Racing
Craig Zackey will go in guns blazing Credit: Candiese Lenferna
WHO WILL BE TOPSELLERS AT BSA AUGUST SALE?
Nestled in the scenic Daleside Valley, the tranquil Heversham Park overlooks the majestic Paardekop. Affectionately known as ‘the farm’, their ethos is founded on raising animals slowly and naturally.
Heversham will be presenting an impressive draft of eight attractive lots at the BSA August Two Year Old Sale 2024.
“We aim to stimulate interest among buyers and the general public, and of course in our own eight lots on the sale. This is our best ever draft and includes Lot 198, a beautiful colt by star freshman One World out of Little Fastnet. He is a half-brother to this season’s Gr2 SA Nursery winner, Little Ballerina,” said Kat Riley of Heversham.
In addition to the exciting buyer opportunities,
the farm will be staging a predictor competition for the sale, scheduled for 22 and 23 August at the TBA Complex, Gosforth Park.
The
BSA August 2YO Sale
catalogue comprises of 327 choice lots from a good variety of top stud farms and with many excellent pedigrees represented, so selecting the highest-priced lots will take some homework and perhaps require a visit to the sales grounds for conformation buffs.
Tranquil and majestic Heversham | Credit: Heversham Park
The free-to-enter competition is open to all and two cash prizes of R5,000 each can be won.
The first prize will go to the individual who can correctly predict the top-selling colt at the sale. The second prize will be given to the individual who can correctly predict the top-selling filly at the sale.
Heversham extends an invitation to individuals interested in racing or breeding to enter the competition.
To enter:
• Entrants must email their names, contact details and the lot numbers of their predictions
of one top-selling colt and one top-selling filly to info@hevershampark.co.za.
• Entries must be submitted before 09h00 on Thursday, 22 August.
• If there is more than one winner in one or both of the categories, a single winner for each category will be drawn from the correct entries by a Heversham Park representative.
The winners will be announced on Monday, 26 August. Results will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
View the sales catalogue online to make your selections and enter now!
SEAN VEALE GIVING
IT HIS BEST SHOT
Veale rode a four-timer on the afternoon and quipped that ‘while Richard Fourie is fishing, I’m riding the big fish’.
Fourie broke new records riding for the Alan Greeff yard in the Eastern Cape last season and while the new SA Champion is overseas and enjoying a well-deserved break, the enthusiastic Durbanite has grabbed the chance to ride proper horses for a top yard with both hands.
These opportunities really usually only arise in the absence of the big guns during the low-key
month of August, and Sean Veale now leads the SA jockey log ahead of the weekend.
He took his tally to 8 winners for the powerful Alan Greeff yard in 3 Gqebereha meetings.
On Friday, the Sporting Post-sponsored jockey booted home four Greeff winners in La Pequenita (9-10), Unyielding (5-1), Ellorix (5-2) and the well-weighted My Best Shot (8-10) in the final race.
His current win strike rate is 24% overall, and 35% for Greeff.
Twenty two years after riding his first winner at Clairwood Park, Sean Veale is enjoying the season flyer of his life and took his tally to 12 winners after just a week and a day of the new term as the sun set on a jam-packed Fairview on Friday.
Sean Veale gives the four salute as My Best Shot beats Valerias Dream (Muzi Yeni) to close his four-timer | Credit: Pauline Herman
Last season he rode 68 winners (11,64%).
When asked by Racing Today on-course presenter Neil Pretorius to comment on the difference between the KZN polytrack and the Gqeberha equivalent, Veale observed that a horse can win from off the pace at Fairview.
“This is a proper polytrack. Hollywoodbets Greyville is more of a sand track. And if you are at the back there, you are probably trying to hide away from the kick-back.”
Based in KZN, Veale takes 6 rides on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf on Sunday.
Gavin Smith saddled 3 winners at Fairview on Friday, all ridden by different jockeys.
The next Fairview racemeeting takes place on Friday, 16 August. Don’t forget to take the freeto-play Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge on the day. The latest winner walked away with an impressive R880,000 on Sunday – you could be next!
THE SPRINT IS
DID STIPES MISS APPARENT CROP INCIDENT?
The Sporting Post has fielded enquiries from punters after the 13-10 favourite City Lights went missing from the exotics in the fourth race at Turffontein on Saturday.
The Fanie Bronkhorst-trained City Lights moved up inside the final 300m with what looked like plenty in the tank but had nothing to come and was beaten into fourth.
Her rider Denis Schwarz, who did not appear to use his crop in the final stages, reported to the Stipes that his mount took a number of awkward strides in the concluding stages.
The Vet subsequently found nothing obviously amiss.
But what some of our readers felt is that City
Lights appeared to be struck by winning rider Philasande Mxoli on Silver Flare, as he changed whip hands in the final stages.
It is after this action that City Lights appeared to give up the ghost.
Oddly enough, neither jockey Denis Schwarz nor the Stipes have reported it. Was it an optical illusion?
Watch the replay – did it make a difference?
Philasande Mxoli has Silver Flare in control | Credit: JC Photos
Full marks in any event to trainer Tyrone Zackey and his loyal family and staunch owners Nadine and Kevin Backos, who have enjoyed decent success in recent months with second hand horses.
Silver Flare was purchased online out of Lucinda Woodruff’s yard after three dull runs and ran a third and has now won for her new connections.
“She’s bred in the purple and will make a great broodmare. We must aim at 10 wins, maybe 12,” enthused her happy trainer.
The Stipes reported:
RACE 4: RACING240 FOR RACING. FOR YOU
MAIDEN PLATE (F & M) : 1600M (29)
Starter: G Timm Loading: 52 sec No. of Runners: 8
CARDED TIME: 14:10:00
RESCHEDULED TIME: —–
OFF TIME: 14:10:16
PROVISIONAL RESULT: 14:12:47
ALL CLEAR: 14:17:47
THE STARTER REPORTED:
a) GHOSTBUSTER (*T Mayhew) jumped outwards leaving the stalls, making contact with the left-side front gate.
THE STIPENDIARY STEWARDS REPORTED:
a) GHOSTBUSTER (*T Mayhew) and BASINGSTOKE (M K Katjedi) over-raced in the early stages.
b) Jockey D Schwarz reported that CITY LIGHTS took a number of awkward strides in the concluding stages. In view of this report, the Veterinary Surgeon was requested to examine this filly.
Trainer F Bronkhorst was requested to report back to the Stipendiary Board on the condition of CITY LIGHTS on return to stables.
c) SILVER FLARE (P Mxoli), the winner, was selected for the taking of specimens for analysis.
Trainer T Zackey advised (AH).
RACE CARD CHANGES / OTHER:
a) PASS THE BATON raced equipped with alumites (declared 8 August 2024 at 16H41).
THE VETERINARY SURGEON REPORTED:
a) CITY LIGHTS examined post-race, nothing obvious detected.
b) BASINGSTOKE mouth injury.
c) SHES EVERYTHING cast its right front shoe in running.
SCRATCHED:
a) DESPINA cut on the left hind (Trainer) (Rule 53.5 applies).
DISQUALIFIED / DECLARED NON-RUNNER: None.
OFFICIAL RESULT:
TIME OF RACE: 101,17s
NO ACTION AGAINST YENI
VJ’s Angel (Calvin Habib) is ahead of The Specialist (Smanga Khumalo) and Grand Crescendo (Muzi Yeni) in the Grade 1 contest on 28 July | Credit: Chase Liebenberg
In a sequel to the running of the World Pool Moment Of The Day Gr1 Premiers Champions Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville on World Pool Gold Cup day, no charge will be sustained against jockey Muzi Yeni after an incident between the second and third placed runners.
The race was won by the filly VJ’s Angel, with a quarter length separating The Specialist (Smanga Khumalo) and Grand Crescendo (Muzi Yeni) in second and third, respectively.
The Stipes reported that in the concluding stages The Specialist (S Khumalo) was initially brushed in and thereafter was bumped in by Grand Crescendo (M Yeni) which was hanging in from the 400m. As a consequence, both horses became unbalanced.
The Board after reviewing this incident was of the opinion that leaving the 200m Jockey M Yeni (Grand Crescendo) did raise his right elbow to shift in towards The Specialist (S Khumalo).
However, this movement only caused slight interference to The Specialist (S Khumalo) and Jockey M Yeni immediately corrected his mount.
Thereafter, in the concluding stages The Specialist (S Khumalo) and Grand Crescendo (M Yeni) made contact and the hindquarters of both horses were turned sideways which resulted in these horses becoming unbalanced.
The Board took into account that there was a minor movement from The Specialist (S Khumalo) which shifted out away from the crop and a minor movement from Grand Crescendo (M Yeni) rolling inwards.
The result of this incident is exaggerated by both of these horses becoming unbalanced. However, it was caused by minor movements.
YENI
Therefore, the Board felt that there was insufficient evidence to sustain a charge against Jockey Yeni (Grand Crescendo) and has taken no further action in this regard.
JUDDMONTE’S BABOUCHE REMAINS THE BEST!
The first juvenile Group 1 of the season went the way of a filly as the Juddmonte-owned Babouche maintained her unbeaten record in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.
Trained by Ger Lyons, the daughter of Kodiac ran on resolutely over the final half a furlong to catch leader and favourite Whistlejacket, before going on to win by a length and a half. The runner-up was slightly impeded on the run to the line, but the winner was full value for her victory and has shown plenty of class and guts in her three starts.
Aidan O’Brien’s runner-up Whistlejacket was not disgraced and is one of a number of potentially high-class Ballydoyle two-year-olds we have seen run over the past fortnight.
The No Nay Never colt is a full brother to 2022 Phoenix winner Little Big Bear and shapes as being a sprinter.
Earlier on the Curragh card the beautifully bred Delacroix opened his account at the second time of asking in a seven-furlong maiden. By Dubawi out of Tepin, who came from North America to win the 2016 Queen Anne Stakes, the O’Brien-trained colt made all and came home a comfortable winner. He was cut to 25/1 from 33s for next year’s 2000 Guineas behind stablemate Henri Matisse.
Babouche maintains her unbeaten record | Credit: Irish Racing
The runner-up, stablemate Acapulco Bay is another for the notebook. Second last of thirteen entering the final furlong but flew home for second, beaten a length and three-quarters.
O’Brien and Moore doubled up with evenmoney favourite Ides Of March in the Revamp Conservation And Restoration Irish EBF Maiden.
Fourth on debut over six furlongs, he was then a beaten favourite over a furlong further but made no mistake back down at six and O’Brien views him as more of a sprinter.
“He could be one for something like the Middle Park with a run in between. I think there is a six-furlong Listed race back here that he could go for next.”
With Ryan Moore at the Curragh, former
Ballydoyle apprentice Sean Levey came in for the spare ride aboard Lake Victoria in the JenningsBet Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket.
The talented daughter of Frankel confirmed the promise of her debut success to give Aidan O’Brien a first victory in the Group 3 feature.
Keen away from the stalls, Levey was content to go forward on the market leader, who was still travelling powerfully entering the final quarter mile and showed her class when it mattered to come home two lengths clear of Charlie Appleby’s 2/1 second-favourite Mountain Breeze.
Levey was impressed with his mount and said: “She’s not short of speed, but at the same time she stayed that seven (furlongs) strong I thought. I think she will be a nice filly.”
O’Brien appears blessed with some talented fillies this year with both Bedtime Story and Fairy Godmother high in the betting for next season’s Classics, but Lake Victoria is another from Ballydoyle worth following later this season and for next year’s Classic’s.
Witness Stand wins by 3 lengths at Goodwood
Witness Stand (Expert Eye) wins the Whispering Angel Handicap at Goodwood by 3 lenghts over 1400m on 3rd August 2024, on good to firm ground.
Expert Witness (Expert Eye) won the Peter Bromwich Handicap at Epsom by 3/4 length over 2000m on 1st August 2024, on good to firm ground. (view the race here).
Witness Stand
EMOTIONS HIGH AS TIME RUNS OUT FOR SINGAPORE RACING
It was a remarkable feat given the last-start Group 1 Singapore Derby winner was bidding at his first attempt in the weight-for-age Group race.
Furthermore, his stablemate and 2023 two-time Raffles Cup winner Lim’s Kosciuszko, who was named after Australia’s tallest mountain, was undefeated in four starts this year and was justifiably sent out as the favourite.
But Lim’s Saltoro had also built a formidable
winning reputation of his own as his only defeat in 10 starts before Sunday was a narrow second to Lim’s Kosciuszko in the Gr2 EW Barker Trophy on 21 April, hence the five-yearold son of Shamexpress was sent out second favourite in the elite 10-horse field.
Shortly after the start, the field was reduced to nine as Raising Sixty-One dislodged jockey Bernardo Pinheiro after jumping wide while Mr Black Back (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) set the early pace as expected.
Lim’s Saltoro, the rising star of Singapore racing, did what few people thought possible by holding off Lim’s Kosciuszko in an exciting SG$300 000 Gr1 Raffles Cup at Kranji on Sunday.
Lim’s Saltoro (Wong Chin Chuen, on the rail) fends off the fast-finishing Lim’s Kosciuszko (Marc Lerner) to win the Gr1 Raffles Cup on Sunday | Credit: STC
On settling, Lim’s Saltoro (Wong Chin Chuen) rolled forward from gate six to pressure Mr Black Back. Lim’s Kosciuszko (Marc Lerner) slotted in easily from his good barrier four to sit on his stablemate’s back in third while Cavalry (Daniel Moor) settled fourth on his inside.
Things got interesting turning for home after Wong pushed the button on Lim’s Saltoro and took the lead at the 350m, but there was still ample time for Lerner to show why Lim’s Kosciusko is the reigning Horse of the Year in Singapore.
With 100m to go, there was still a gap of one length between the duo and under hard riding by Wong, Lim’s Saltoro proved tough to pass.
But champions do not give up easily. Lim’s Kosciuszko made plenty of ground and an epic finish loomed with both horses locked together and the winning post nearing.
To the naked eye, it looked like a dead-heat on the line with Lim’s Kosciusko lunging late and Lim’s Saltoro refusing to lie down.
However, the photo finish showed the younger Lim’s Saltoro got up by a nose in the last edition of the Raffles Cup.
Golden Monkey (Chad Schofield) again ran on well to finish one-and-a-quarter lengths back in third, a neck ahead of Makin (Manoel Nunes).
The winning time was 1 min 34.03secs for the 1600m on the Short Course. Lim’s Saltoro’s 10th win, and his second at Gr1 level, took his prizemoney to just under $750,000 for the Lim’s Stable.
It was also Wong’s third Raffles Cup win in a row. The Malaysian jockey ironically won on Lim’s Kosciuszko in the two previous running of the Group 1 race.
“I’m very happy that I can take this race (Raffles Cup) three times in a row,” said the Kedah-born hoop, who was at his first meeting back in Singapore after a five-month stint in South Korea.
“And it’s the last time! Today, everything just worked out well. The horse proved himself at weight-for-age scale.
“With 58kgs against (Lim’s) Kosciuszko, the best horse, it’s not easy. Today, he proved it again and just gave me everything at the race.
“That was my first sit on him. Marc rides him every day. He (Lim’s Saltoro) has a big character and is difficult to ride in the morning, so Daniel decided to let Marc continue riding him (in trackwork).
“I have to thank Marc. He shared a lot about the horse’s character and everything else he knew. As a team, I have to thank him (Marc) very much.
“Thanks very much to Daniel who always gives me good rides and believes in me.”
Meagher, on the other hand, had mixed emotions after the race.
“He’s a wonderful horse, isn’t he?” said Meagher, who was enjoying his fourth Raffles Cup win after Lim’s Lightning also won it in 2021.
“It’s very emotional because we haven’t got many (races) left and it’s (Singapore racing) been a big part of our life.
“Little Kosi’ got beat and he doesn’t deserve it. He ran great. Marc rode him fantastically and I felt for Marc a little because he’s done the work on both these horses. But who do you pick?
“They’re both great horses and (Lim’s) Saltoro is a wonderful horse. CC (Wong) was lucky to get on him after Marc has done so much work on him.”
When asked about the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) on 7 September being Lim’s Saltoro’s next assignment, Meagher concurred but also had one eye on the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) on 5 October.
“That’s the plan but the Gold Cup will be the main race for him,” he said.
“He’s (Lim’s Saltoro) a superstar and he kept rising to the task.
“’Kosi’ getting beaten by a nose hurt a little because he’s such a wonderful horse. We are just lucky to have both of them.
“I’m very proud of the boys who have done all the work. It’s a wonderful day.”
The win was also the sixth Raffles Cup for owner Lim Siah Mong, who won with Lim’s Classic and Lim’s Objective in 2006 and 2007 respectively; both for Meagher’s father and ex-Kranji conditioner, John.
Raffles Cup winning trio: Owner Mr Lim Siah Mong, trainer Daniel Meagher and jockey Wong Chin Chuen smile for the camera | Credit: STC
v Elusive Fort sired a Gr1 winning filly in each of his first two crops | Credit: Supplied
FIND A FORT AT THE AUGUST 2YO SALE
Elusive Fort has been a regular in the SA top ten sires charts for many years, producing good winners of both sexes, and invariably upgrading his mares.
He had fewer mares in the COVID affected period but covered a pleasing 64 mares in 2022.
His best son, Met and July winner Kommetdieding retired to stud in 2023, and his first runners are eagerly awaited. A full-sister to Kommetdieding was the highest priced yearling at the 2023 BSA National Yearling Sale.
A versatile performer, Elusive Fort had the speed to win the Hawaii Stakes over 1400m at 4, and the stamina to win the SA Derby over 2450m at 3. He has carried this versatility to his progeny.
The son of Fort Wood has 3 fillies and 4 colts on the BSA August 2yo Sale.
Lot 51 from Big Sky Ranch is a filly out of Better Together (What A Winter). Dam is a half-sister to Gr3 winner and Gr1 placed True To Life, and from the family of Circle Of Life, African Lion, Zebra Crossing and Deo Juvente.
Lot 116 is Epidaurus from Riethuiskraal. He is a colt out of Estimada (Ride the Rails USA)
and hence inbred to the E family. The dam has thrown 7 winners from 9 runners.
Lot 136 is Gale Warning from Paardeberg He is a colt out of Gale Force (Soft Falling Rain). The second dam is Icy Air, Gr2 winner, Gr1 placed and dam of champion sprinter, Russet Air.
Lot 195 is Carnarvon and hails from Ascot Stud as agent. He is a colt out of Lena Laptev (Fort Wood) and hence closely inbred 2x2 to Fort Wood. He hails from the family of Syon, Noblewood and Hundred Acre Wood.
Lot 197 is from Volmoed Stud and is a filly out of Life’s Design (Bezrin). The dam has a 100% record of 3 winners from as many runners. This is the family of Seal, Fifty Cents and Quarrytown.
Lot 243 is named Katya Kananova and was bred by Riethuiskraal. A filly out of Operetta (Danehill), she is the first foal of a 7-time winning dam, a half-sister to Distinction. She hails from from the speedy family of Schiffer, Royal IQ, Mentor. My Kassie and Wise King.
Lot 254 is Elusive Glow and was bred by Bloomhill Stud. He is a colt out of Princess Vicky (Silvano). The second dam is champion 2yo and 3yo filly Princess Victoria, and also the family of horse of the year Princess Calla.
PLANNING YOUR MATINGS?
The only Directory of Sires at stud in South Africa is now available! The 29th edition of the Sires 2024 Handbook is a 152 page glossy magazing printed in full colour and packed with information, including extended pedigrees, pedigree evaluatio ns, conformation photographs and statistics.
It features 56 stallions, including nine new firstseason sires for 2024.
They all have their individual website page with a wealth of data, which gets updated daily at www.raceform.co.za
Price is unchanged from previous years, R290. With the current unreliable postal service, it can be sent via courier or Postnet at an additional R100.
