Turf Talk Newsletter – 11 August, 2026

Picture: Klawervlei Stud 

John Koster bred the twice champion stallion phenomenon Vercingetorix out of the stud farm he founded in Bonnievale in the Breede River Valley, Klawervlei Stud, and he reaped the dividends of this achievement on Monday after a full circle.

Klawervlei Stud was sold earlier this year to Laurence Wernars by John and his partner in the farm, Bernard Kantor, and their stock was sold on Monday in what was reported to be the biggest equine dispersal Sale in South African history.

R83,878 million was realised from the Sale and Vercingetorix was responsible for a high percentage of that figure.

Vercingetorix was sold by Klawervlei as a yearling for R1.4 million, which they would have been thrilled with as they would have had little idea of the money-spinning success he was destined to become as a sire after a sterling racing career.

However, Klawervlei supported the stallion they bred prodigiously and the rewards were reaped at Monday’s dispersal Sale.

Eight shares Klawervlei Stud held in the Silvano stallion each went for between R2,5 million and R2.7 million apiece. gathering a total of R20,900,000.

Vercingetorix’s Hollywoodbets Durban July-winning son Oriental Charm had one stallion share sold for R100,000.

There were six Vercingetorix broodmares on the Sale and they realised a total of R4,26 million with the highest priced one being Cullinan Blue. The latter is out of the Rock Of Gibraltar mare Gibraltar Blue and is in foal to One World. Lammerskraal Stud landed her for R3,100,000, which was the Sale’s top price.

Eleven Vercingetorix yearlings on the Sale realised a total of R8 million. The highest priced of these yearlings was a colt out of the Gr3-winning five-time-winning Jet Master mare Off The Mark and this colt was retained by Kantor after he bid R2,4 million for him. A Vercingetorix yearling was also one of the three withdrawn lots of the Sale.

So, all in all the super stallion was responsible for gathering a sum total of R33,26 million from 26 lots on the Sale.

The 26 lots represented 14.6% of the 178 lots sold, but the R33,26 million was 39,65% of the Sale’s aggregate, which shows what an influence Vercingetorix has been.

John also bred the great champion stallion Captain Al out of Klawervlei Stud and his ancestors, which included no fewer than four stallions and a number of mares, were also significant contributors to the Sale’s aggregate.

One share in the promising former Captain Al freshman champion sire Erik The Red, who has a Gr 1 winner already with just two crops to have raced, went for R400,000.

Two shares in Captain Al sire One World, who smashed the freshman sire records with his first crop, went for R500,000 and R450,000 respectively.

A share in last season’s freshman champion stallion, the Captain Al sire Malmoos, went for R450,000.

Three shares in the Captain Al sire Captain Of All went for R15,000, R10,000 and R18,000 apiece.

Seventeen Captain Al broodmares were sold and they fetched a total of R7.31 million.

The highest priced of them, The Secret Is Out, a Gr 1 winning daughter of one of matriarch Mystic Spring’s best daughters Secret Of Victoria, went for R2,4 million secured by Finch River Stud. That price is particularly high considering she is not in foal.

One World had 5 yearlings sold for a total of R1,885 million, and a further yearling who was withdrawn. The highest priced One World was out of the Sale’s top-priced mare, Cullinan Blue, and fetched R600,000 sold to “Numzaan”.

Malmoos had two yearlings both going for R200,000 and Erik The Red had one yearling which went for R400,000.

So, all in all ancestors of Captain were responsible for R11,838 million of the aggregate accumulated from 32 lots. The 32 lots represented 18% of the number of lots and the R11,838 million represented 14.11% of the Sale, which once again underlines Vercingetorix’s dominance of the South African Sales ring these days, considering Captain Al is a Klawervlei legend.

Click here to see the details of the Sale

Andrew Fortune clinched a treble when riding the Alan Greeff-trained Spirit Of Nical (Vercingetorix) to victory in the fifth race at Fairview on Monday. The filly was fittingly owned by Bernard Kantor and John Koster on the day of the big Klawervlei Stud dispersal Sale. Fortune was unfortunately the victim of a nasty incident in the next race and is estimated to be out for eight weeks (Picture: Pauline Herman) 

Andrew Fortune has in typical fashion taken his latest sidelining injury in philosophical fashion, despite it having ended a magnificent run he was on.

Fortune had ridden three winners for Alan Greeff on Monday and still had the virtual certainty Kleinzee to come when he was unfortunate to be partnered with Ayuwi Yuwi, whom he had eased out of the sixth race before the mare collapsed and reportedly landed on top of him.

After X-rays had confirmed his right clavicle to be fractured at the edge of the plate and point of the shoulder, and also that he had suffered broken ribs, he offered condolences to Hollywood Racing on the sad loss of the five-year-old mare.

The prognosis is that he will be out for eight weeks.

The injury comes less than six months after a terrible fall at Fairview left him with six broken ribs, punctured lungs, a fractured clavicle and a severed shoulder blade.

Considering he is now 59 years old, many would have expected him to hang up his boots after the latest injury.

However, he told the Sporting Post that it was naturally a disappointing way to start the new season but that everything in life happened for a reason, and he intended to get through this challenge.

He came back from that fall in February to ride Wish List to two Gr 2 victories and a narrow second in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, among other Graded race places on other horses.

An inkling of his determination is that after parting ways with the powerful Championship-dominating yard of Justin Snaith yard at the end of last season he has started this season with five wins in 18 rides at a strike rate of 27.78%.

After he had ridden Masterofthebaroque, Slash ‘N Burn and Spirit Of Nical to victory on Monday, there looked to be more to come.

However, he was stood down and Kyle Strydom landed the plum ride on the five-year-old Gimmethegreenlight mare Kleinzee, who gave Greeff a five-timer on the day when winning for the sixth time in succession.

Miss Twinkle wins the Listed KRA Cup Off To Stud Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville last Friday night and makes it three wins from three starts over the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf 1600m course and distance (Picture: Race Coast)

The feature race of the weekend, the Listed KRA Cup Off To Stud Stakes, took place at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday night and it saw the Andre Nel-trained Sabine Plattner-homebred Oratorio five-year-old mare Miss Twinkle defying the weights.

Miss Twinkle, who has always raced in KZN, was officially 5kg out at the weights with the best weighted horse in the Off To Stud Stakes, but did have the advantage of pole position.

She is well regarded and had a Champions Season campaign mapped out for her before pulling a muscle in the Non-Black Type WSB Scarlet Lady over 1750m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on April 5, which saw her eased out of the race.

She was sidelined until making her comeback on 28 June in a fillies and mares handicap over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

She ran an encouraging fourth in her comeback outing.

Byron said last week at Summerveld in the build up to the Off To Stud Stakes that she was “spot on” as far as well-being went and he added that although officially having a tough task at the weights he believed she was underrated off an 86.

A further plus to her chances was that she went into the race unbeaten in two previous starts over the course and distance.

So, despite being so badly out at the weights, she was backed into 9/2 third favourite.

The 101-rated Cape Town-based horse Swiatek was third best in at the weights, but was made 2/1 favourite with the best weighted runner Drumnadrochit next best at 7/2.

Miss Twinkle was a little bit fizzed up in the preliminaries in her first time under the lights.

However, she jumped well and sat in a handy position third in line on the rail. She threw her head around momentarily, but never appeared to over-race.
She was later shuffled back one position, but the pace judgement of Serino Moodley was impeccable as he did not chase her up the hill, despite the leading vanguard getting away a little bit.

Moodley balanced her in the straight before driving her down the inside and she ran on resolutely to win by 0,40 lengths from a widely draw and running on That’s My Baby, who kept up her magnificently consistent form at this course. Drumnadrochit and Swiatek were beaten 1,20 and 3,50 lengths respectively into the third and fourth places and Red Taffety was fifth.

The win clinched a treble for Serino Moodley.

A representative of the Korean Racing Authority was on course to present the prize on a night in which Race Coast went out of their way to have a Korean theme, with Korean food an option for fans on course.

Miss Twinkle’s paddock value will have increased now that she has earned bold black type, but she is lightly raced with only eleven starts under the belt and it would be no surprise to see her staying in training.

Poistion Of Power lands a seventh career victory in comfortable style (Picture: Race Coast) 

In the fifth race at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday night, an A Stakes event over 1200m called the Knicks Go Cup, the Alyson Wright-trained five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Position Of Power had his 13th start and made it a seventh win.

He was 1kg out at the weights with the best weighted runners, but in his previous start he had kicked impressively in the final stages of a 1000m poly maiden and it looked like he could handle the four point raise plus the two points he was out at the weights.

He was duly backed into 18/10 favourite and after jumping well from draw two under Keagan de Melo it never looked in doubt.

He settled beautifully in the box seat behind the pacey King Of The Gauls.

He then kicked well at the top of the straight and when the challengers started looming he easily found extra to win by a commanding 1,50 lengths from Thisiswhatitmeans with Imposing, Future Variety and King Of The Gauls next best.

Kevin Wright said about the win over the weekend, “I believe the horse wants more ground. There js a 1400m race at the end of the month at Hollywoodbets Greyville which we want to run him in.”

Kevin clarified, “There is a big question mark in our minds, because he is bred to go further, so we want to see whether he is a 1400m to miler horse. I think the next run will tell us whether he can go more ground or whether he is a 1200m horse. If he does prove to want a mile it opens up a lot of doors for us and we could target a race like the Charity Mile in Jo’Burg.”

Kleinzee was confidently ridden by Kyle Strydom and won comfortably in the end (Picture: Pauline Herman) 

Kyle Strydom landed the plum ride on the five-year-old Gimmethegreenlight mare Kleinzee on Monday on the Fairview poly after Andrew Fortune was stood down.

The filly looked a virtual certainty and gave Alan Greeff a five-timer on the day when winning for the sixth time in succession.

In such a case it normally becomes harder and harder for a horse to win after each successive victory, so some might ask how Kleinzee could have been termed “a virtual certainty”, especially considering she was raised eight point for her previous win?

The reason is that she was cleverly placed in a Middle Stakes race by Greeff, which meant she not only received a 2kg gender allowance but she was also effectively at the top of one of the bands in the merit-rated-band event over 1600m.

The rules for these races is that if a horse’s rating is higher than the top band, they get half-a-kilogram for each point they are over. Therefore with the top band of 88-92 set to carry 60 kg, she got 63kg off her 98 rating minus the 2kg gender allowance which equals 61kg.

Therefore, despite having beaten George Handel over course and distance last time in a handicap over the same course and distance by 4,60 lengths, she now faced him on the same terms, and despite beating Ingqwele by 6,60 lengths in that same handicap, she now faced the latter on only half-a-kilogram worse terms.

She was thus the proverbial racing certainty, so her starting odds of 83/100 were somewhat generous.

Kyle Strydom has seemingly inherited some of his legendary Uncle Piere’s cool-headedness and rode Kleinzee as if she was unbeatable.

He steadily eased her back in the running after she had jumped well enough from a tricky draw of five out of seven.

Being in last position turning into the straight gave him the option of producing her with a traffic-free run on the outside.

Her supporters did have some anxious moments as she had quite a few lengths to make up, but once she had got into top gear she hauled the leaders in comfortably and won by a cosy 1,25 lengths going away.

An added bonus to the win is that she is unlikely to be given anything more than the minimum raise for the win as she was well in at the weights.

It would be no surprise to see her in another Middle Stakes race soon, although it would also be no surprise to see her being given a deserved break as her six wins on the trot have come in the space of less than five months.

Bonelli has been tipped to win the last race at the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth meeting on Wednesday (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Alistair Cohen (Race Coast)

Trainer Candice Bass is not known to be a winter trainer. By her own admission, her targets are set to summer but form has to bubble in the Cape Town “off season” regardless. It very much is this campaign with another double at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth last week. She has a strong hand in race 8 over 1600m at the same course on Wednesday. The engagement of Aldo Domeyer and the draw leads one to Bonelli over the hugely talented Clark Griswold.

Domeyer is stable jockey to the yard. He was suspended last week when Athandiwe Mgudlwa ably did duty and booted both winners for the yard. Mgudlwa would be a superb deputy for the lighter weights for the yard having worked his way into favour at their Durban satellite yard.

Domeyer has opted for Bonelli who looked like a moderate maiden at the start of the year. He has opened options and suddenly looks upwardly mobile and capable of more wins as his career wears on.

His maiden win was always coming. He seemingly found the right race and he made no mistakes. It was his post-maiden effort which made an impact. He went to 1800m at this course and he defeated Chance Encounter at a big price. He was given two months off the course and he returned with a fair effort behind Blind Date who looks perfectly setup to scoop a few wins this season. Blind Date received 1kg from Bonelli and he won again.

The key factor must be draw No 6. Watching declarations, Bass had avoided carding her riders until the last moment. Once Bonelli had a kind gate while Clark Griswold pulled No 11, engagements were tied up pretty fast.

Clark Griswold is held in high regard. Low mileage having only his eighth career start, his penultimate start was an encouraging win when he made the opposition look ordinary. His last run he found his feet a stride too late when he went down swinging 0,5 lengths behind Miami Summer over this course and distance. A few more strides, he might have rundown the winner. It was a pleasing effort all the same. If he turned over his stable companion, it would be no shock, he simply has a wide draw to overcome which sways opinion.

Captains Alliance is mysteriously a one-time winner from 16 runs with a litany of places. He is hinting that another win is close and he makes up a danger to the Bass pair. He ran fairly in defeat in his penultimate effort which came over 1950m behind Waloyo Yamoni. Back to 1600m last time he went close again to finish second behind Bourbon King. His record is a reliable inclusion for top four bets, just not one to be sure of entering the Winners Enclosure.

There was a bit of hype about Nadia Nerina when she made her debut in April. She ran like she was not ready for the occasion but still stuck around to finish third behind Magma Flow. Time off would only do her some good and if she is not in need of the run, she could be the horse to beat in race 1 over 1000m.

Le Tissier has the best form on offer in race 2 over 1200m but a first timer with any ability or attracting interest in the market would be a force. Two raced runners in the field of 12 faces the starter. Le Tissier has placed third in his last three efforts. Son of Kingman, Miyabi King under Andrew Fortune makes genetic appeal.

This will be Champion Jockey Craig Zackey’s first meeting in the saddle this season. He rides Saratoga Sunrise who is in a similar situation in race 3 over 1200m. He has performed well to earn minor money in his two runs to date. His second run was the necessary step from his debut when he improved from being beaten by five lengths to being beaten by one length both over this track and trip. He runs like he will appreciate further so again, that opens the door to a first timer of which a high percentage are in the lineup. Rain In France is whispered to be decent while Brothers in Arms is a half-brother to the high quality Rascallion.

It is hard to lose faith in Captain’s Angel in race 4 over 1600m, a hot maiden. But for his last run which came in the Grade 3 Langermann, his form is good enough to produce a win. Stable companion It’sgood It’snice had a very similar profile and he also fluffed his lines in the Langermann as a maiden before winning at this course last week. Trainer Vaughan Marshall has expertly split his runners and it would be a super display of splitting his hand if Captain’s Angel followed suit.

Cliffscape was supported to the exclusion of the others when she won last time from 16/1 into 5/1 and she did not disappoint when turning over My Only Weakness over 1250m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. A rating drop and a draw swing made her life a whole lot easier. If she is in the same mood in race 5 over 1200m, she can easily follow up. Domeyer rides for Bass after Sean Veale did duty last time.

There are a few with chances in race 6 over 1200m but the visual guide given by Un Bel Di when winning last time could be enough to suggest that he goes back-to-back. He seems to grow an extra leg with the sting out of the ground but he turned over King Regent by a commanding 1,25 lengths over this course and distance. Always touted to have ability but short on confidence, he finally delivered with a degree of ease. JP van der Merwe got a tune out of him. He is back aboard. Objet D’ Art, Churchillian and Berry’s Boogie make stiff opposition.

Witch Hazel arrived in Cape Town with some of the strongest Johannesburg form on offer. The accepted norm is good Cape Town form is gold everywhere else in the country. But, trainer Lucinda Woodruff has bucked that trend and Witch Hazel is unbeaten at his new location from two starts. He tries 1400m for the first time in race 7 and if he handles this trip which he races like he will appreciate it, he could complete a hat-trick. Callan Murray is back aboard replacing his brother-in-law, Keagan de Melo who stood in last time.

Oliver Barnard (Racing Post)

Superstar 3-year-old’s racing career is over because of injury.

Superstar Bow Echo has been retired from racing through injury, with jockey Billy Loughnane describing the unbeaten 3-year-old as an “unbelievable racehorse who has given me days in the saddle that I could only ever have dreamed of”.

Bow Echo leaves the track with a perfect record from six starts, having completed a remarkable group 1 treble in the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes (G1), St James’s Palace Stakes (G1), and Sussex Stakes (G1).

His team had been strongly considering a run in the Aug. 16 Prix Jacques le Marois (G1) at Deauville Racecourse, but his thrilling victory over old rival Gstaad at Goodwood Racecourse will now go down as his last appearance.

His trainer George Boughey said: “It has been the honor of a lifetime to train Bow Echo. He has given us some extraordinary days and taken everyone involved on a journey we will never forget.

“To retire unbeaten, having won the Two Thousand Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, and Sussex Stakes says everything about what an exceptional racehorse he has been.”

His Sussex victory made him only the sixth horse in pattern history to complete that top-level treble in the same season, with Frankel the last to achieve the feat in 2011.

Boughey added: “Bow Echo’s remarkable story began with his owner/breeder, the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, and it is a great sadness that he was not here to see what a lifetime of breeding was able to produce.

“We will all miss seeing Bow Echo at home and on the racecourse, but we are incredibly excited for his next chapter and, in time, to see a new generation of his progeny on the racecourse.

“Bow Echo’s unbelievable constitution and extraordinary ability have set him apart.”

Homebred by Sheikh Obaid, Bow Echo’s pedigree is certainly worthy of a future stallion, being a son of the reigning champion sire Night of Thunder and a grandson of the all-conquering Dubawi .

Bow Echo is the second foal out of the three-time winning Invincible Spirit mare Aristocratic Lady, a half sister to two stakes winners including the group 1-placed Royal Rhyme.

Liam O’Rourke, director of studs, stallions, and breeding for Godolphin and Darley, said: “While it is very disappointing that we will not get to see Bow Echo on a racecourse again, he has been an outstanding flagbearer for his champion sire Night Of Thunder and is no doubt one of the most exciting stallions to retire to stud in recent years.

“Although his injury will prevent him from running again, he is otherwise in great health and we are immensely proud of all his achievements.

“Our thanks must go to George Boughey and all the team at Craven House, who have handled him superbly throughout his remarkable career.”

Despite Darley’s statement following news of Bow Echo’s retirement, no official stud plans have been finalized for the unbeaten star. However, Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding empire already houses Sheikh Obaid’s other recent stars Rosallion , Inisherin , and Triple Time .