Picture: A Tattersalls Sale in Newmarket (tattersalls.com)

Tattersalls Adds a Major Boost to Cape Premier Yearling Sale

Tattersalls (founded in 1766), Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers, is to join forces with Cape Thoroughbred Sales (CTS) in a joint venture focused primarily on the 2023 CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Tattersalls will be affording their famous brand and renowned expertise to the CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale, set for a return to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in January 2023.

The 2023 renewal will be branded the ‘Cape Premier Yearling Sale powered by Tattersalls’, and the 2023 CTS Farm Yearling Sale and the 2023 CTS Ready To Run Sale will also be conducted under this exciting partnership banner.

Tattersalls, who sell approximately 10,000 horses per year, are the leading bloodstock auctioneers in Europe, and admired the world over.

Synonymous with thoroughbreds of the best quality, high-profile sales, and unrivalled service, their partnership with CTS, who at its inception in 2011 took South African bloodstock auctions to new levels of innovation and client service, is a dream match for bloodstock investors.

Grant Knowles, MD of CTS, expressed his delight with this announcement, and commented: “The new association with Tattersalls is a marvellous endorsement of the Cape Premier Yearling Sale. The original concept of an inner-city racehorse sale in one of the world’s most beautiful locations was hugely popular with buyers from around the globe, and the Tattersalls support is a great addition to the fixture. A boutique Select Sale will be held with approximately 150 yearlings, which would be stabled in the convention centre.”

He added: “The sale will follow on from Gaynor Rupert’s L’Ormarins Queens Plate Day at Kenilworth, which offers an unrivalled race day experience and hospitality. Sales have been under pressure during the strenuous and difficult Covid period, and with international travel prohibited during that time, 2023 appears to be an ideal opportunity to re-introduce the quality of our bloodstock, and the magic of our Mother City to buyers”.

The Tattersalls Group entered the South African horseracing market several years ago, sponsoring a popular Juvenile Race series, which culminated with a sponsored Listed contest on Sun Met Day at Kenilworth, and two Two-Year-Old Races during the prestigious L’Ormarins Queens Plate Racing Festival.

Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented, “Tattersalls has enjoyed a long and valued relationship with Cape Thoroughbred Sales and South African racing and breeding, and our new association with CTS, and particularly their world-renowned Cape Premier Yearling Sale in January, reinforces the Tattersalls commitment to the South African thoroughbred industry. The Cape Premier Yearling Sale quickly established itself as a unique and prestigious fixture in the global sales calendar, and Tattersalls is proud to be assisting with the 2023 renewal which promises to showcase many of the best yearlings to be found in South Africa to a global audience.”

Watch video about this important CTS announcement below:

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CTS has achieved truly remarkable results in only 11 years of trading, with no fewer than 48 individual Group 1 winners having been sold at various CTS auctions, the equivalent of more than 4 per year. CTS graduates have won 54 Group 1 races between them to date.

The sale is set to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Thursday 12th January 2023

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Picture: Lisa Prestwood

Vee Moodley Says Weight Rule Change Is Positive Discrimination

NHA CEO Vee Moodley said the only thing that had disappointed him about the weight changes that would give female riders 1,5kg for their entire careers was that it had not happened sooner.

“It comes ten years too late,” he said.

He said it was written in stone within the government’s transformation policies that positive discrimination should be put in place to correct the lack of opportunities certain groups had had in the past.

The statistics in SA racing show female jockeys to have lacked opportunity.

In all, 42 female jockeys have entered the South African Jockeys Academy (SAJA) and only 12 have qualified.

Even more worrying is the lack of longevity from those 12.

The statistics for the 12 are:

Lisa Prestwood was turned away by the Academy in 1985 and said the reason given was because she was a woman. After being an assistant trainer to among others Buddy Maroun and riding in amateur races for him, she became aware a few years later that apprentice jockeys licenses could be attained by females in New Zealand. She went over there and came out on loan as a NZ apprentice to ride in her first professional meeting in SA in 1997. She had three rides for Buddy Maroun that day and had two wins and a narrow second. NZ then agreed to transfer her indentures to SA. She qualified as a professional jockey in SA in 1999. However, despite being the only female to ride a Grade 1 winner in SA, she had her last ride in 2007.

Genevieve Michel was the first successful female applicant to SAJA and had her first ride in 1994, qualified in 1998 and a bad fall ended her career in 2001.

Nadine Low Ah Kee (nee Rapson) had her first ride in 1997, she qualified in 2001 and stopped riding in 2011.

Danny McCreedy has the same statistics, her first ride was in 1997, she qualified in 2001 and had her last ride in 2011.

Chantal Cormack (nee Moys) had her first ride in 1997, qualified in 2001 and had her last ride in 2002.

Vicky Lerena (nee Badenhorst) had her first ride in 2001, qualified three or four years later and had her last ride in 2012.

Jessica Goslett had her first ride in 2004, qualified in 2008 and had her last ride in 2012.

Nicola Welch had her first ride in 2006, qualified in 2010 and had her last ride in 2012.

Vicky Minott had her first ride in 2006, qualified in 2009 and had her last ride in 2012.

Melishini Pillay had her first ride in 2007, qualified in 2010 and had her last ride in 2011.

Justine King had her first ride in 2010, qualified in 2013 and had her last ride in 2020.

Denise Lee had her first ride in 2010, qualified in 2014 and had her last ride in 2015.

Moodley said SAJA, including the principal and chief riding master, had been consulted with about the change.

He reminded that he himself sat on the board of the Academy.

Female jockeys still in the system had been consulted with too.

A common theme among the latter was a lack of opportunity.

Moodley added, “This is not an ability allowance. It is there to promote female representation in the jockey ranks as well as their sustainability. You must always ignore exceptions to the rule.”

He said there had been an outcry because of just one female jockey and whilst he felt for Rachel Venniker, who was caught in the middle of the storm, he said this decision was about more than just one person.

“In simple terms this is positive discrimination and has nothing do with undermining females or being sexist. For example, the government is demanding 50% female representation in the cabinet. Is that sexist?”

Moodley added, “Consultation does not mean it should be a democratic vote. Instead an attempt should be made to sell the changes to the stake holders, explain to them what the motives are and hope they understand and buy into it.”

As the most extreme example, he said, “If moves were made to change life sentences from 25 years to 50, should people serving life sentences be the ones to decide the outcome?”

For a recent racing example, he revealed, “Before the new whip rules were changed in the UK, jockeys were consulted with and 97% of them disagreed with the changes. But that doesn’t mean they should not have gone ahead. It is about the mandate and what the bigger message and reasons behind it are.”

He said, “We have got to buy into the principle of change and transformation and there needs to be a mindset change, because after 34 years the attempts to attract females into jockeyship and provide them with sustainability in the sport has failed.”

He said a target would be to have enough female jockeys to stage a female riders only race.

He said, “The transorfmation process has also included staging entire meetings for workriders. Now, supposing we did away with the 1.5kg allowance for female riders down the line and we said instead said there is going to be at least two races per meeting, or 600 races per year, in which only females can ride … will there not be just as big an outcry?”

His point was the need to create opportunities for female riders.

He said the female rider allowance in France had seen opportunities for them almost trebling and their winning strike rates almost doubling.

Moodley said he did not have statistics on how many more females had been attracted to jockeyship in France as a result, but said the longevity of the female jockeys in the system would naturally increase.

He said it was indeed one of the aims of the allowance to attract more female riders into the sport.

However, he said how this was marketed was up to the Academy.

He said, “It must be remembered that when S’Manga Khumalo was recruited he knew nothing about horses.”

Another question which has cropped up concerns UK women jockeys recently proving themselves the equal of men and doing it in numbers.

Moodley said, “There is a culture of racing there. We have to look at what the reality is over here.”

He said he had recently attended a traditional race meeting in South Africa and watched a race which had been restricted to female riders.

He said, “I was asked if we had such races and when I said no they all frowned.”

Picture: Vicky Minott

Vicky Minott Considering A Comeback Thanks To Weight Rule Change

Vicky Minott is considering a comeback to the saddle thanks to the amendment to the weight rules, which will allow female jockeys a 1,5kg allowance for the entirety of their careers.

She said, “I think it was a brilliant change.”

She emphasised, “Claiming 1.5kg is not a magic wand that is going to make you a better rider, but it is definitely going to bring more oppportunity and that is really what this is all about.”

She retired as a jockey in 2012, three years after qualifying, because she was not able to make a good enough living and decided she was still young enough at the time to make a career change.

She said, “Rachel (Venniker) has been thrown into the forefront of the debate, which is unfortunate, but this is bigger than just one person. Female jockey progress in South Africa is currently further back than it was ten years ago.”

Vicky, like Rachel, also comes from a horse-riding background and as a race-rider was particularly noted for her good seat and excellent balance.

She said, “I was riding at the age of six or seven and I think making a transition to race riding was easier than starting from scratch.”

She added, “But I think female jockeys lack mentorship.”

She points to the excellent guidance Rachel Venniker is receiving from Michael Roberts. She felt that guidance. coupled with Rachel’s natural ability and strength, meant she could hardly go wrong.

She emphasised that the amount of racing experience Venniker had received in such a short space of time had undoubtedly been a huge factor in her progress.

Vicky was also supported by Roberts in her early days, but was them moved by the Academy down to Cape Town.

Vicky, looking at the success of English female jockeys at present, felt there were a number of factors which contributed.

There is the racing culture in the UK, plus the opportunity for children to take part in pony racing.

She also wondered whether the system of apprenticeship over there helped.

In the UK apprentices are employed by trainers and an application for a license is made once the trainer feels that a jockey is competent and has acquired the skills necessary to ride in a race.

Vicky said the mentorship received from both trainer and chief stable jockey in such a system might well provide a great learning curve.

Vicky said she would have to weight up all factors before deciding to come back and said it was not going to be an easy decision.

She pointed out that riding was tough at present even for male jockeys and coming back and not making it was not a happening she would be able to afford.

She is currently employed by Glen Kotzen’s yard on the administrative side.

Picture: Hold My Hand (Gold Standard) runs in Saturday’s Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes (Candiese Lenferna).

Gold Standard 5th Winner Today And Feature Chances on Saturday

Gold Standard now has five winners from his first crop courtesy of the Michael Roberts-trained gelding Let’s Get Together, who was brought home by Rachel Venniker in a Maiden Plate over 1000m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly today.

Gold Standard is lying second in the freshman stallion standings behind Erupt.

The Drakenstein Stud-based son of Trippi has two lively chances of gaining his first stakes winner on Saturday at the Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup meeting.

First up he has the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Golden Hostess running in the Grade 2 Prosport International Debutante over 1200m.

She cruised in by 3.50 lengths over 1200m at Kenilworth third time out as favourite after finishing decent thirds in her first two respective starts over 1000m and 1200m.

The Greyville course sponsor Hollywoodbets have priced the progressive sort up at 8/1 joint third favourite, although she has to jump from a tricky draw of eight out of twelve.

Aldo Domeyer retains the ride.

In the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m he will be represented by the Glen Kotzen trained Hold My Hand, who waltzed in by four lengths on Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge day in a Maiden over 1600m in just her second start.

That would have given her a feel of the course and distance and Grant van Niekerk takes over from Richard Fourie.

Picture: Walk Of Fame just gets up to beat Major Attraction (Wayne Marks)

Hollywoodboulevard Has Another Claim To Fame

Klawervlei Stud’s Australian-bred broodmare Hollywoodboulevard (Street Cry) has one notable claim to fame that can never be taken away from her … she was the first horse to ever beat the Mike de Kock-trained superstar filly Igugu and ultimately was one of only two horses who ever beat Igugu in South Africa, the other being the top class Jet Master filly Ebony Flyer.

Igugu is the only filly in South African history to do the Durban July/Met double.

On Satuday, Hollywoodboulevard achieved her second claim to fame as she now has a Graded winner in the Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty filly Walk Of Fame.

She is Hollywoodboulevard’s second stakes winner, the first being the Listed In Full Flight Handicap winner On That Boulevard.

Walk Of Fame showed a lot of courage under Greg Cheyne to get up in Saturday’s Grade 3 Western Province Nomads Champagne Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth after a ding-dong tussle with the favourite Major Attraction.

Walk Of Fame was bred by Klawervlei Stud and is owned by Ridgemont.

Charles Laird trained Hollywoodboulevard and Guillermo “Willy” Figueroa brought the strapping filly from near the back in the 2010 R1,5 million Emperor’s Palace ready To Run Cup over 1400m.

She ran resolutely all the way to the line after being set alight at the top of the straight and Igugu was unable to reach after reacting to the move.

Hollywoodboulevard won by a length.

Picture: Alesian Chief will be out to add R625,000 to his sire Vercingetorix’s stakes tally for the season in Saturday’s Grade 1 R1 million Mercury Sprint (Candiese Lenferna).

Can Vercingetorix Catch His Father Silvano On Gold Cup Day?

The late Silvano was R1,402,738 clear after today’s racing in his bid to be champion stallion for the sixth time and his son Vercingetorix is the only one who can catch him.

Maine Chance Farms will probably be hoping Vercingetorix can do it considering he is their chief resident stallion at present.

It will be a remarkable achievement and great for his CV if he can become champion stallion in the season his first crop are only five year olds, although the great Jet Master did it when his first crop were only four.

Vercingetorix’s hopes will rest with the big guns who are representing him on Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup day, although some wins from his progeny this week will make a tough task a touch easier.

In the day’s main feature, the Grade 3 R750,000 Gold Cup, Vercingetorix’s son Nebraas is the favourite and can net the stallion R468,750 for a win.

However, Silvano has a few representatives here in Smoking Hot, Imperial Ruby and Chewbaca, although they are all outsiders ranging in price from 33/1 to 50/1.

In the Grade 1 R1 million weight for age (wfa) HKJC World Pool Champions Cup, Vercingetorix’s son Astrix has drawn two out of the nine runners.

He is an ultra tough galloper, who is improving all the time.

He is generally priced up at 14/1, but is not without a chance of upsetting the applecart and claiming the R625,000 winner’s cheque.

The second and third cheques of R200,000 and R100,000 respectively could also be helpful.

The Grade 1 R1 million wfa Mercury Sprint will give Vercingetorix his biggest chance of closing that gap. He will be represented in this race by the well drawn pair Alesian Chief (drawn five) and Val D’Orcia (drawn one) and also by the widely drawn Gallic Princess (drawn 14).

Alesian Chief is the 5/1 third favourite and Val D’Orcia is 14/1, whilst Gallic Princess is the race’s 33/1 biggest outsider.

The trio will be out to net those first three cheques of R625,000, R200,000 and R100,000 respectively.

Silvano has no runners in either the Champions Cup or Mercury Sprint.

Vercingetorix has the favourite Cousin Casey in the Grade 1 R500,000 Premiers Champion Stakes.

He has a tricky draw of nine out of 14, but displayed an exceptional turn of foot when winning the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

The winner’s cheque of R312,500 will give Vercingetorix’s chances a boost and second prize of R100,000 will also be useful.

Silvano has no runners in that race, but does have one runner in the Grade 1 R500,000 Thekwini Stakes in Littlemarysunshime, who is drawn seven and is around 14/1.

Vercingetorix has no runners in the Thekwini.

If Vercingetorix does close the gap during the meeting, Silvano will have the Grade 2 R250,000 Gold Bracelet to help his cause.

As is often the case in this race he is well represented with no few than six runners, including the 14/10 favourite Marina. He also has Keep On Dancing (10/1), Silver Maria (12/1), Follow The Star (12/1), Monoshada (20/1) and Princess Anastasia (20/1).

Vercingetorix has one represntative in that race, the biggest outsider, 33/1 shot Lyrical Dance.

First prize in that race is R156,250.

In the Grade 2 R200,000 Prosport International Debutante, where the first prize is R125,000, Vercingetorix has the well regarded Bevies Delight, who finished just 2,95 lengths back in the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper after being backed in from long odds to 25/2.

However, she has drawn 12 out of 12 in this 1200m contest, although she is still quoted at around 8/1.

Neither of the stallions have any runners in the Grade 2 R200,000 Epol Umkhomazi Stakes.

Silvano has one runner in Silvano’s Timer in the Listed R150,000 Marshalls World Of Sport Darley Arabian, where the first prize is R93,750.

He has drawm wide in 11 but is nevertheless the 11/2 third favourite.

In the last race of the day, the Listed R150,000 Marshalls World Of Sport Umngeni Handicap, Vercingetorix is represented by the number seven and eight drawn pair Vaseem and Gallic Chief, who are quoted at around 10/1 and 12/1 respectively.

It is going to be an intriguing battle but Vercingetorix’s progeny are going to have to pull out all the stops to get him ahead.

Silvano’s key to success was the R5 million Holywoodbets Durban July, where he netted over R4 million for the championships via the winner Sparkling Water and third-placed Safe Passage.

Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein will be the champion breeders, as they are more than R5 million clear of reigning champions Klawervlei Stud.

Erupt will likely be Champion Freshman sire as he is close to R700,000 clear of nearest rival Gold Standard.

The actual leading first season sire is Canford Cliffs, whose 15 winners and other placed runners have netted almost R500,000 more than Erupt’s eight winner’s and placed runners. However, Canford Cliffs is not eligible having stood overseas before.

In the race for champion damsire Jet Master is more than a R1 million clear of Captain Al and this pair are nearly R5 million clear of third-placed Fort Wood.

Drakenstein Stud are breeders of a phenomenal 17 stakes winners this season of 23 races and won’t go home empty-handed as they are close to R3 million clear of nearest rivals the Hollywood Syndicate in the Owners Championship.

Warren Kennedy and Rachel Venniker have wrapped up the National Jockeys and Apprentice Championships respectively.

Sam Mosia is the Champion Workrider.

Paul Peter is more than R2,5 million clear of Justin Snaith in the Trainers Championship and can’t be caught.

Entry Form For CTS Ready To Run
& Unbroken Two Year Old Sale 2022

29 October 2022

Entry Form Closing Date 30 July 2022

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM: CTS RTR SALE 2022.pdf

The CTS RTR SALE 2022 will be held at Kenilworth Racecourse.

Please complete the above form IN FULL and return to: entries@cthbs.com

Contact And EFT Details are listed on the Entry form.

Picture: Michael “Muis” Roberts

Kotzen And Roberts Score Doubles, Another Winner For Klaasen

Glen Kotzen and Michael Roberts both had doubles on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly today.

Kotzen has now had 71 winners at a strike rate of 11.18% and Roberts has had 39 winners at a strike rate of 12.04%.

The Highveld’s newest trainer Robyn Klaasen took 31 runs to get her first winner but she has now has three wins with her last seven runners and two of these were by Meteoric (Pomodoro), who has raided the poly thtree times in the last month for two wins, both over 1200m.

Today’s Question

The WSB Met is traditionally run on the last Saturday of January and occasionally on the first Saturday of February.

However, in 1987 it was run in April.

Why?

Picture: This year’s Met was on January 29 (Wayne Marks).

Vaal Tuesday July 26 Fields

Today’s Question Answer

Equine flu was introduced to South Africa by six horses who had traveled from the US and arrived on Friday, December 5, 1986.

A veterinarian treated two of them for travel fatigue and unwittingly carried the flu virus to Ricky Howard-Ginsberg’s Turffontein stable.

The devastating virus, which effected horses’ respiratory systems and sometimes led to further complications, had soon swept through yards on the Highveld, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

A week or so later after those US horses had arrived race meetings had to be cancelled in the above regions.

The Highveld had its first comeback meeting on February 11, 1987, and Cape Town had its first comeback meeting on March 21.

The virus fortunately did not reach Natal and racing continued normally there.

The great Paddy Lunn-trained Model Man won the Met on April 18, 1987, and but for the equine flu outbreak this horse might have won more than five career Grade 1s. A number of big race were cancelled when he was at his height as a four-year-old that season, including the Queen’s Plate.

Picture: Model Man with Basil Marcus up led in by trainer Paddy Lunn after winning the 1987 J&B Met (The Racing Museum).

Turf Talk Newsletter – 25 July 2022