Last year’s KZN Yearling Sale was full of quality and it should be the same this year (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)
KZN YEARLING SALE PREVIEW
by Sarah Whitelaw
The KZN Yearling Sale, which is set to take place at the Suncoast Casino this year on July 2nd, is one sale which has gone from strength to strength over the years.
Graduates of the KwaZulu-Natal auction have been seen to excellent effect this season, with the likes of Jan Van Goyen (G1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas), Quickstepgal (G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas, G2 HKJC World Pool Tibouchina Stakes), and Querari Dancer (G3 Tote Strelitzia Stakes), having all been purchased off previous renewals of the KZN Yearling Sale.
Other recent graded stakes winners purchased off this sale include Cliff Hanger, Crimson King Frances Ethel, Just Reckless, and Purple Pitcher, with the latter now standing at Hadlow Stud.
The portents look good for more top-class performers to emerge from the 2026 sale, with a number of factors suggesting the future is bright for this year’s KZN Yearling Sale graduates.
Sire Power
Nine of the top ten stallions on the South African General Sires list for 2025-2026 have at least one yearling on offer at this year’s KZN Sale. Reigning champion sire Vercingetorix, whose yearlings have dominated sales rings around the country this year once again, has two lots on offer. Vercingetorix’s red hot stablemate Querari, whose current flagbearers include leading G1 Hollywoodbets July hope Star Major, has two fillies on sale, while the ever popular Rafeef has six on offer. Master Of My Fate has a single filly on offer, What A Winter has seven yearlings on offer, and Erupt is doubly represented here. Rounding out the top ten sires for 2025-2026 thus far, One World has five yearlings for sale, and The United States has two lots on offer.
Proven Producers
This year’s KZN Yearling Sale also offers a host of yearlings produced by broodmares whose progeny have already made their mark in black type races. Among the mares to have already produced at least one stakes winner represented on the sale are Ikebana (Master Archie filly), Monte Carlo Girl (Act Of War colt), Musaanada (Soqrat colt), Pirate Queen (Danon Platina filly), Rashuli Breeze (Captain Of All colt), Senorita Al (Real Gone Kid filly), Shaama (Hawwaam filly), Victoriana (Fire Away filly) and Wiqaaya (Malmoos colt).
The catalogue also includes yearlings out of such graded stakes winning mares as Fish River (Danon Platina colt), Fort Ember (Malmoos colt), Hot Affair (What A Winter colt), Keep On Dancing (Rafeef colt), Mill Queen (Hawwaam colt), and Tropic Sun (Eden Roc filly).
Exciting young stallions
There are a number of high-profile young stallions represented by their first KZN Yearling Sales representatives this year. The G1 winners Digital Age, Eden Roc, Jet Dark, Kommetdieding and Master Archie all have members of their first crop on offer.
Invincible Spirit’s G1 winning son Digital Age (who is a direct descendant of the great racemare Time Charter) has some very attractive lots on offer including a colt (Lot 6) whose dam is a half-sister to dual G1 winner Happy Archer (the dam of this season’s Zimbabwe Derby winner Robin Of Locksley), aand a colt (Lot 38) out of a five time winning daughter of Kahal. The latter colt is closely inbred to breed shaping stallion Green Desert.
Eden Roc, a G1 winner at two and G2 Post Merchants winner at three, also has some attractive members of his first crop on offer. They include a half-sister (Lot 96) to the consistent Teerex, and a filly (Lot 136) out of G3 Sycamore Sprint winner Tropic Sun.
Champion, and five time G1 winner Jet Dark, has made an impressive start with his first yearlings this season and the son of Trippi has just two lots here. They are a colt (Lot 56) whose dam is a twice winning What A Winter half-sister to three black type horses, and a filly (Lot 59), closely inbred to Jet Master, whose winning dam is a half-sister to champion Sandringham Summit and fellow G1 winning sire Eden Roc.
Jet Dark’s great rival, and G1 Vodacom Durban July/G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met winner, Kommetdieding has some eye catching members of his first crop on offer. They include a colt (Lot 3) out of a G3 placed daughter of Gimmethegreenlight, and a filly (Lot 112) whose granddam is a three-parts sister to G1 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo.
Rafeef’s G1 Computaform Sprint winner Master Archie is another young sire with members of his first crop on offer at the KZN Sale this year. They include a half-sister (Lot 31) to this season’s G3 Ridgemont Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winner, and millionaire, Red Spice, and a colt (Lot 63) whose winning dam is a three-parts sister to G3 winner Mill Queen.
