Suzette and Basie Viljoen and jockey Richard Fourie with some of the silverware accumulated by their superstar Equus Horse Of The Year Captain’s Ransom (Picture: Cape Racing)
Sarah Whitelaw
Basie and Suzette Viljoen’s Hopes And Dreams Stud is a farm with one eye on the future. Formerly known as the Arc-En-Ciel Stud, Hopes And Dreams is situated just outside Wellington in the Western Cape.
The farm recently consigned its first National Yearling Sale draft, with Suzette saying of their National Sale experience, “For our team at Hopes and Dreams Stud, prepping and presenting a horse for sale is still a learning experience. Although we are very proud of our team and horses. We were satisfied with the prices achieved and look forward to our first runners on the track.”
Hopes And Dreams had six yearlings on offer at the 2024 National Sale, and all six found homes. The farm’s top lot was a Hawwaam filly, bred on similar lines to the likes of Bulsara, Marina and July winning champion Marinaresco, who was knocked down for R425 000.
The farm will also be offering drafts at both the Cape Racing Winter Yearling Sale and Cape Racing Ready To Run & Unbroken 2Yo Sale.
Hopes And Dreams Stud have four lots on offer at the upcoming Winter Sale, with the quartet made up of yearlings by Captain Of All (2), Erik The Red and Royal Mo. (The latter is sire of the Viljoen part-owned Royal Aussie, a game winner of the recent G2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes).
Suzette says of the team assisting Hopes And Dreams Stud, “We have a very powerful team with a lot of experience and knowledge. All of them are important to us in their own way.” Furdy Swartbooi, Charles Henning and our new addition Maretha Kotze are involved with stud management, while Yolanda Swartbooi works in the office.
Hopes And Dreams is currently home to 100 mares, with the farm’s mating plans focusing on what stallion suits each individual mare best. Among the new stallions mentioned by Suzette that she is particularly keen on are Drakenstein Stud’s pair of A Case Of You and Charles Dickens as well as the Varsfontein Stud bred champion Sandringham Summit, who is set to stand at the place of his birth.
Arguably the most famous current resident at Hopes And Dreams Stud is Captain’s Ransom. A daughter of outstanding sire Captain Al, Captain’s Ransom was Horse Of The Year, Equus Champion Older Filly/Mare and Equus Champion Sprinter in 2021-2022.
The Moutonshoek bred star compiled a wonderful record on the track, with Captain’s Ransom winning 13 of her 19 starts including six Grade One contests. Out of the first four just once in her career, Captain’s Ransom was as versatile as she was brilliant capturing the 2022 G1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m and downing male rivals to land the 2022 G1 Mercury Sprint over 1200 metres.
In total, Captain’s Ransom won no fewer than nine graded races in a career which saw her bank more than R3.5 million in prize money.
Understandably, Suzette has a soft spot for her charismatic champion, saying of her, “She is a true champion in everything she does. She is uncomplicated and does everything in her stride. She shares a paddock with her half sister United’s Ransom and they love attention and carrots.She is a darling with an attitude. She loves attention at her terms. She is the most intelligent girl I have ever see.”
No mating plans have been set in stone for Captain’s Ransom, who is in foal to another Justin Snaith trained champion Jet Dark, but her owner has said that the bay mare has received valentine cards from Jet Dark, Charles Dickens and Hawwaam, suggesting exciting times are ahead for the champion.
While Suzette is inevitably keen that Hopes And Dreams produce many winners of South Africa’s top races, she does hold one special ambition. “We would love to win the G1 L’Ormarin’s Kings Plate with a filly. Being a weight for age over the ultimate distance of one mile this is a true test for a racehorse.”
With a top-class band of broodmares, destined to be sent to some of South Africa’s most exciting young stallions, Hopes And Dreams Stud looks destined to produce that G1 L’Ormarin’s Kings Plate winner sooner rather than later!
