Picture: The amazing Vercingetorix was leading sire again.
Sarah Whitelaw
Last week’s National Yearling Sale saw more than 40 yearlings fetch R1 000 000 or more. Three lots made R3 000 000 or more, while 14 yearlings fetched R2 000 000 plus.
With an aggregate of R171.975 million achieved, and the sales’ average price reaching R563 853, the results underlined the strength of the catalogue as well as the strength of the current buying bench.
Both proven and unproven stallions enjoyed success at this year’s National Sale, with first-year sire Malmoos having yearlings making up to R1 400 000.
As per every sale, a few sires and matriarchs really stood out, although it remains to be seen quite where the value buys lay at the 2025 National Yearling Sale. While Rafeef provided the R4 250 000 sales topping colt and enjoyed excellent overall results, he was not the only stallion to make his presence felt, with the following horses all making their presence felt at the National Sale.
VERCINGETORIX: For the third straight year, Vercingetorix was the Leading Sire by Aggregate at the National Yearling Sale. Currently the king of the South African sale ring, Vercingetorix had 25 of his 26 yearlings on offer fetch R35.875 million, with Vercingetorix’s NYS yearlings averaging an impressive R1.435 million. Putting this into perspective, the average price at this year’s sale was R563 852!
Himself a graduate of the 2011 National Sale, Vercingetorix had seven yearlings make R2 000 000 or more, and a total of 16 yearlings make at least R1 000 000. His top lot was the filly (Lot1) out of G1 Garden Province Stakes/G3 Prix du Cap winner Zarina who made R3 250 000.
Remarkably, Vercingetorix, whose yearlings have made up to R9 000 000 in 2025, not only topped the Sires table at this year’s National Sale, but also the Sires table at the 2025 Summer Sale and the first day of the 2025 March Yearling Sale.
MALMOOS: If early results in the sales ring are anything to go by, then Malmoos has made a great start to his stud career. The Triple Crown winning son of Captain Al, whose champion son One World has made such a great start to his stud career, ended the 2025 National Sale as fifth Leading Sire by Aggregate. Malmoos had all 19 of his yearlings offered sell for a total of R10.15 million, with the Malmoos yearlings averaging R534 211. The Ridgemont sire’s top priced lot was a colt (Lot 145) out of the stakes placed Duke Of Marmalade mare Je Ne Sais Quoi who was knocked down for R1 400 000. Malmoos, who is bred on similar lines to promising young sire Erik The Red, had a total of three yearlings make at least R1 000 000.
TRIPPI: While he may have been represented by his final yearlings in 2025, there is no sign that Trippi’s influence, albeit as a broodmare sire, is on the wane. Two of the top six priced yearlings sold at this year’s National Yearling Sale were produced by daughters of the former champion sire. Trippi’s daughter Spring Break, who won four races and was narrowly beaten into second in the 2019 G2 Haval Motors South Africa Umkhomazi Stakes, is a full-sister to G1 SA Filllies Sprint winner October Morn, and Spring Break’s Rafeef colt October Reef (Lot 295) was sold for R2 500 000.
The regally bred Dance At Dawn, a winning full-sister to Trippi’s G1 SA Fillies Sprint winning daughter and outstanding producer Real Princess, had a Vercingetorix colt make R2 400 000 at the sale.
Trippi is also broodmare sire of the top-class US sires Liam’s Map and Not This Time, both of whom likely to be represented by runners in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
PROMISEFROMMYHEART: While champion Promisefrommyheart may have had a relatively brief stud career, the daughter of Elliodor continues to make her presence felt on the South African studbook. Promisefrommyheart’s influence was well and truly felt at the 2025 National Yearling Sale.
Her highly successful sire son Master Of My Fate is the sire of G1 Garden Province Stakes winner Zarina, whose Vercingetorix filly was sold for R3 250 000 at last week’s auction. Promisefrommyheart is also the granddam of Malmoos, whose first National Sale yearlings met with such approval last week. Promisefrommyheart’s daughter Fidelity, a winning three-parts sister to Malmoos, had a Vercingetorix colt (Lot 102) make R1 000 000 at the sale. It is not the first time that Fidelity has enjoyed success at the National Sale -her subsequent G3 Fillies Mile winning daughter Ghaalla was a R5 000 000 buy from the 2017 National Yearling Sale. Promisefrommyheart’s G1 winning half-sister Covenant is the dam of current leading first season sire Erik The Red, who had yearlings make up to R700 000 at the National Yearling Sale.
HALFWAY TO HEAVEN: The dam of three G1 winners thus far, Halfway To Heaven is no stranger to sales ring success. The daughter of Jet Master has had yearlings make up to R7 000 000 and her influence was again felt at this year’s National Sale. Halfway To Heaven’s five time G1 winning son Hawwaam made a big impact at the 2025 National Yearling Sale, with Hawwaam’s 20 yearlings grossing R13.1 million. The champion son of Silvano had yearlings make up to R1 600 000, with Hawwaam’s National Yearling Sale average in 2025 reaching R655 000.
Hawwaam’s full-sister In Limbo also got into the act, with the winning daughter of Silvano’s Rafeef colt Waiting Game (Lot 136) fetching R2 200 000 at the National Yearling Sale.
MISS OCTOBER: Var mares continue to excel as a broodmares, and Miss October rates as one of her sire’s very best broodmare daughters. The winner of five races including the G3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap, and a full-sister to G1 Mercury Sprint winner August Rush, Miss October has produced six winners notably the G1 winners October Morn and Tempting Fate.
Miss October made a big impresison at this year’s National Sale, with her Rafeef colt October Rush (Lot 197) making R4.25 million to top the auction. Miss October’s daughter Spring Break, in turn, was responsible for the Rafeef colt October Reef (Lot 295), a R2 500 000 purchase.
