The Nick Jonsson-bred Night Of Thunder colt who fetched top price on Day Three of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 (Picture: Tattersalls)
South African stalwart owner and occasional breeder Nick Jonsson could rightfully be called one of Southern Africa’s greatest horsemen such is his long list of achievements as a buyer of thoroughbreds and today (Thursday) he added another remarkable achievement to his list as he was the vendor of the top lot on Day 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, one of the world’s most iconic thoroughbred auctions.
It is particularly noteworthy for a South African to have done it as the rand does not stretch far when in competition on the international bloodstock stage with the many pound sterling or euro-backed European breeding powerhouses.
The lot Nick sold was a Night Of Thunder colt and it was secured by Ace Stud for 2,2 million Gns.
The official vendor was Fittocks Stud, which is owned by Luca and Sara Cumani, but the colt was owned by Nick as he boards his mother, an unraced Sea The Stars mare called Capture The Heart, at Fiittocks.
Nick’s buying skills were once again behind the achievement, because he identified Capture The Heart at a Tattersalls Horses Out Of Training Sale in December 2022 and purchased her for 175,000 Gns.
He said after the colt was sold today, “I was a very unwilling seller, really, in many ways. I was very happy to keep the horse. I happen to have got lucky and had a nicely bred filly [Capture The Stars] who didn’t get to the racecourse. We got lucky with Night Of Thunder.”
He revealed, “I was planning to send her (Capture The Stars) back to South Africa and Sara said I’d be mad to do that, and she was quite right. She gave me very good advice. So, it’s a good result.”
Nick was full of praise for the Cumani’s, whom he said had been instrumental in getting the colt to the Sale, although it was he himself who sent the mare to Night Of Thunder.
He said, “He is a beautiful colt. He has a walk on him that’s quite extraordinary actually, he has a beautiful long stride, he has a real presence and on top of that he is very sensible.”
Nick Jonsson being interviewed after the Sale (via Instagram)
Click here to see the above interview
Dubawi stallion Night Of Thunder was also responsible for the leading lot of the entire October Yearling Sale, with a colt of his fetching a new European record for a horse at auction of 4.6 million Gns on Day One of Book 1.
Capture The Heart is a full-sister to Gr 3-and-dual-Listed-winner in Europe, River Of Stars, who had two Gr 1 runner up finishes, including in Australia’s iconic Caulfield Cup.
So the hitherto unnamed colt has everything going for him.
The family is chock-a-block full of black type and the beauty from Nick’s perspective is this top-lot colt is Capture The Heart’s first foal, so he has some exciting and potentially lucrative Sales to look forward to.
Nick chooses all of his own horses at the Sales and his achievements in South Africa as an owner include an incredible four WSB Met wins in succession with four different horses, Jet Dark, Double Superlative, Eight On Eighteen and See It Again, he is the owner of three Equus Horse Of The Year winners, Do It Again, Eight On Eighteen and See It Again, he was owner of the statistically best Durban July horse of all time, Do It Again, he was owner of dual Queen’s Plate winner, Jet Dark, who achieved the rare feat of winning that prestigious weight for age race as a three-year-old and he also won the Met and two Champions Cups, and he has owned a number of other Gr 1 winners too.
The breeding bug is now highly likely to have well and truly bitten and Nick could one day be racing homebreds.
He is not the first Jonsson to have had extraordinary breeding success as his Uncle Hugh Jonsson was the breeder of the legendary seven-times South African Champion Sire, Jet Master.
Click here to read full Tattersalls report on Day three of Book 1
