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Father and daughter team Geoff and Lucinda Woodruff purchased the highest priced lot at the sale on behalf of Woodruff Racing. Lot 111, a Maine Chance Farms-consigned filly by Vercingetorix out of Victoria Lavelle (Captain Al), fetched R1,3 million (Picture: CRS)

Vercingetorix was the leading sire yet again at Cape Racing’s Breeze Up and Two-year-old Unbroken Sale, which was held after racing at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday evening.

His 16 offspring fetching a gross of R9,8 million at an average of R612 500.

An inclement weather forecast saw Cape Racing making a decision on Friday to move the sale forward from Sunday afternoon to Saturday evening after racing.

It proved to be a well received move.

Cape Racing executive Justin Vermaak said, “It was a logistical challenge moving the sale but it was very well received by both buyers and vendors. We appreciate their flexibility and also need to thank all of the catering, bar staff, waiters, suppliers and our team for adjusting to the short notice change and rolling their sleeves up to put on a great show.”

With 25 more horses sold on Saturday evening than in last year’s Sale – 125 were catalogued, 116 went through the ring and 109 were sold – the sale aggregate increased by a remarkable 86% to R34 735 000.

The median jumped 51,52% to R250 000, with the average improving by 43,38% to R318 670.

Vermaak said that it was quite a mixed catalogue in terms of the results, but that the numbers showed that this sale is evolving into a genuine unbroken 2yo platform and that was an angle that Cape Racing Sales would be taking cognizance of in their planning for 2025 and forward.

“One can see that some of the major farms actually dedicated high-quality unbroken 2yo’s to this sale and were duly rewarded. Look at the Maine Chance six – really high class Vercingetorix offspring from top-quality mares and the results showed. Winterbach Stud were another example with their lot 99, a high-quality One World colt attracting plenty of interest, while the Winterbach Talk Of The Town colt (lot 122) was a smashing specimen and fetched R400 000,” said Vermaak.

The top lot was the R1,3 million paid by Woodruff Racing for the Maine Chance Farms’ lot 111, appropriately named Vindicated. Bred on the proven Silvano/Captain Al cross, she is a three-part sister to two winners and is out of the super-fast Captain Al sired Listed Laisserfaire Stakes winner Victoria Lavelle, who hails from the family of Vercingetorix’s Listed-winnning daughter Ancient Epic.

The top priced colt was the Winterbach Stud as agent consigned Double Causeway, who was catalogued as lot 99 and fetched R1,2 million to the bid of Gareth van Zyl. Laurence Wernars, Greg Bortz and RIkesh Sewgoolam were the underbidders on this magnificent specimen, who is bred on the same cross as exciting dual Gr3 winner One Stripe, and is closely inbred to Giant’s Causeway, sporting daughters of Silvano, Jet Master and Giant’s Causeway as his first three dams.

Laurence Wernars purchased the joint second highest priced lot at R1,2 million, the Maine Chance consigned Slender Silhouette (lot 102), a daughter of Vercingetorix out of Var’s Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint winning daughter Sommerlied – whose half-sister Sommersonne produced last season’s Gr2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante/ Gr3 Tabgold Strelitzia Stakes winner Just Reckless. This is the female line of 2024 French Oaks winner Sparkling Plenty. Slender Silhouette will be trained by Sean Tarry.

Last season’s Freshman star One World (Captain Al) had ten lots and grossed R4,875,000, an average of R487, 500.

Varsfontein-based champion stallion Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) had 6 lots and they went for a gross of R3,050,00 for an average of R508,333.

While Maine Chance Farms’ Vercingetorix sextet lit up the arena, selling for a gross R5,150,000 and averaging R858,333, the bulk vendor numbers were carried by Julia Pilbeam’s dynamic Soetendal Estate which continues to go from strength to strength in the ready-to-run arena, with their banner selling 27 as agent for R7,865,000, an average of R291,296.

Monique Schabort and her Paarl Diamant Estate team enjoyed one of their biggest and best sales, with their 22 going to new homes, grossing R5,665,000 at an average of R257,500.

Klawervlei as agent sold their sextet for R2,225,000, an average of R370,833, while the already mentioned Winterbach Stud father-and-son team will be pleased to have seen their quintet go for R2,050,000, an average of R410,000.

The buying bench was diverse and enthusiastic, with some of the main players, in no particular order being Woodruff Racing (gross of R2,005,000 for 4 lots at an average of R501,250), Laurence Wernars’ Triple 8 Clothing (gross of R2,200,000 for 5 lots at an average of R440,000), Lesley Sercombe (gross of R1,000,000 for 3 lots at an average of R333,333), the Hollywood Syndicate (gross of R1,575,000 for 4 lots at an average of R393,750), Jonathan Snaith (a gross of R945,000 for 5 lots at an average of R189,000), Justin Vermaak (a gross of R2,600,000 for 5 lots at an average of R520,000), Gareth van Zyl (a gross of R1,750,000 for 2 lots at an average of R875,000), Glen Kotzen (a gross of R1,235,000 for 6 lots at an average of R205,833), Greg Bortz (a gross of R2,075,000 for 3 lots at an average of R691,667), DC Racing (a gross of R1,850,000 for 5 lots at an average of R370,000) and Bass Racing (R2,150,000 for 4 lots at an average of R537,500).

Please click here to see the full sale results.

Next up on the CRS calendar is the Summer Sale, a high-end boutique auction for forward and well-grown yearlings to be held at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth during WSB Cape Town Met Week on Thursday 23 January.

The CRS March Premier Sale follows that and is being held over two days – Friday 14 and Saturday 15 March.