October Rush (Rafeef) went for a Sales topping R4,250,000 on Day 1 of the BSA National Yearling Sale (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
The late David Abery made the bold decision to keep Var mare Miss October for breeding and whilst he lived to see the dividends of this decision being reaped it was a pity he was not here to witness her finest hour, when she had the top priced lot of Day 1 at BSA Nationals.
Abery, who passed away in September last year, could not have left his family a better financial investment than Miss October and her family and on Day 1 of the BSA National Yearling Sale the star mare took it to a new level as her son by Rafeef went for a Sale topping R4,250,000.
Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm manager Pippa Mickelburgh explained about a year ago, “David raced Miss October with a whole goup of friends. a whole bunch of people, and they did not want to breed. So he phoned me up and we bought the partners out. She is the first broodmare he has ever owned!”
Miss October was very quick, despite her second dam being July winner Devon Air, and she didn’t stay beyond 1000m.
A full sister to Gr 1 Mercury Sprint winner August Rush, she was trained by Neil Bruss to win two of her first three starts, she then moved to Dennis Drier for whom she won first time out and she later moved to Geoff Woodruff, probably to take advantage of the fast sprint tracks of the Highveld, and for him she won two races including the Gr 3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap.
All five of her wins were over 1000m.
Her first foal by Oratorio was unraced.
Her first runner, the Trippi filly Spring Break, won first time out over 1200m and ended up with four wins from 1000m to 1200m. She was runner up in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m and in the Listed Milkwood Stakes over 1000m.
Her next foal was by Master of My Fate and this colt was bought by Dennis Drier at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale (CPYS) for R550,000. He was named Tempting Fate and went on to win the Gr 1 Gold Medallion over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, having earlier won the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes.
At the 2020 Cape Premier Yearling sale Miss October’s Futura colt called Spielberg sold for R150,000 and went on to win twice.
With Tempting Fate serving as a good advertisement, her next foal, a filly by Silvano, went for R1.1 million.
This filly called October Fair, trained by Sean Tarry before moving to Gavin Smith for her last two starts, had 17 starts and won twice, over 1400m and 1600m respectively.
Miss October’s next foal was by Trippi and this filly called October Morn was kept by Avontuur and Abery and raced with Candice Bass-Robinson.
She won the Listed Perfect Promise Sprint over 1200m, then the Gr 2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes over 1200m and in her final start she won the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint.
Miss October’s next foal was a filly by Master Of My Fate and she fetched R900,000 at the National Yearling Sale.
David kept a share in this filly called October Fest in partnership with Marsh Shirtliff and B Riley and she is being trained by Bass-Robinson and has won once in six starts.
Miss October’s next foal was a colt by boom sire Vercingetorix and with October Morn now being a good advert he fetched a whopping R2.8 million at the BSA National Yearling Sale last year, purchased by Brett Crawford.
“She has been a wonderful mare and has made us a lot of money … we must look after her and give her an extra scoop of oats tonight!” chortled Pippa after that Sale.
She continued, “David owns a part of her and we own the other part and we breed with her together. She lives with us here at Avontuur.”
She added, “She has a weanling foal by Rafeef, a colt, and she’s back in foal to Vercingetorix.”
Today the Rafeef colt was sold for R4,250,000 sold to Form Bloodstock.
But it is even debateable that this was Miss October’s finest hour, because October Morn was sold last year, appropriately in October, by the Abery Family Syndicate and was purchased by one of the world’s leading breeders, John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud.
Abery had the courage of his convictions and his family are now reaping the dividends in no uncertain terms.
