Picture : Heversham Park is close to the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and is roughly halfway between Alberton and Vereeniging (via Facebook)
Nigel Riley has developed Heversham Park, his Daleside Valley farm, into a showpiece for stallions
Charl Pretorius (Business Day)
Nigel Riley is doing all he can to re-establish the highveld as a feasible alternative to the Western Cape for thoroughbred breeders, the way it was 40 years ago.
Riley has developed Heversham Park, his Daleside Valley farm, into a showpiece for stallions and retired champions, and he’s hoping that breeders based in greater Gauteng will support the farm’s four well-performed stallions with their mares.
Heversham Park’s latest acquisition is the Jet Master stallion Pomodoro, SA’s leading freshman sire of 2017/18. Now 16 years of age, the 2012 Durban July winner completes a formidable band of sires for Heversham Park, who now have three of the country’s most prominent bloodlines available to breeders in Jackson (Dynasty), Capetown Noir (Western Winter) and Pomodoro (Jet Master). They also stand Duke Of Marmalade’s best sprinting son, Moofeed (AUS).
Pomodoro is from the same family as one of history’s greatest sires in the form of triple US champion Danzig (Northern Dancer), whose numerous top-class performers include the outstanding sires Danehill, Green Desert and War Front.
Pomodoro has sired 15 stakes winners in his first three crops produced in the Western Cape. His initial crop was headed by Equus Champion Return Flight, whose four graded victories included both the grade 1 Thekwini Stakes (at two) and the grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic the following year. She was voted Equus Champion two-year-old filly. He also sired a grade 1 colt in 2019 Cape Guineas winner Russian Rock.
