Last year’s top lot was this Avontuur Stud-bred Rafeef colt who was bought by Form Bloodstock for R4,25 million (Picture: BSA)
Sarah Whitelaw
From Politician and London News, to the likes of Dynasty and Vercingetorix, the National Yearling Sale is a thoroughbred auction with a truly eye catching roll of honour.
Year in and year out, the National Sale unleashes champions and G1 winners with the latest National Sale stars including Cosmic Speed, Eight On Eighteen, Fatal Flaw, Fire Attack, Fiery Pegasus, Good For You, Grand Empire, Legend Of Arthur, and Wish List.
The 2026 sale, which takes place on April 16th and 17th, promises to unveil more future stars of the turf and potential top stallions. From champion sires, to promising young local sires, and international stallions such as Blue Point, the National Sale catalogue looks to have plenty of appeal.
However, certain factors look sure to have an impact on this year’s sale and below are a few aspects of the National Sale which look sure to play starring roles:
Champion Sire’s strong draft
With an average of R1 498 864 at the recent Premier Yearling Sale, South Africa’s champion sire Vercingetorix continues to impress as a commercial star. The champion son of Silvano looks poised to make his mark, once again, at this year’s National Sale. Vercingetorix has some exceptionally well bred yearlings on offer at the 2026 National Sale, with G1 winners Desert Miracle (Schweppes Majorca Stakes, HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes), Redberry Lane (Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes), Royal Fantasy (Thekwini Fillies Stakes), Sentbydestiny (Premiers Champion Stakes), She’s A Keeper (Brentford FC Garden Province Stakes), Sommerlied (South African Fillies Sprint), and Zarina (Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes) all having Vercingetorix yearlings on sale.
Desert Miracle’s high-class dam Welwitschia has a Vercingetorix filly on offer, as does G2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes winner Tamaanee (whose dam is a half-sister to multiple champion sire I Am Invincible).
Star racemares and producers to shine
Howeever, the above mentioned mares are not the only high-class females represented at the National Yearling Sale.
Grade One producers Bonnie Beers (Soqrat colt), Coral Tree (Futura filly), Cosmic Dream (Querari colt), Daydream Believer (Rafeef filly), Miss Galidora (Digital Age colt), Musical Romance (Buffalo Bill Cody colt), My Sanctuary (Jet Dark colt), Princess Peach (Gimmethegreenlight colt), Skylar Lane (Jet Dark filly), Tally-Ho (Gimmethegreenlight colt), The Entertainer (The United States filly), Velvet Glove (Danon Platina filly), and Welwitschia (Vercingetorix filly), are all represented at the sale, as are such G1 winning racemares as Desert Miracle (Vercingetorix colt), Juxtapose (Erik The Red filly), Nightingale (Rafeef colt), Orchid Island (Malmoos filly), Redberry Lane (Vercingetorix colt), Royal Fantasy (Vercingetorix filly), Sentbydestiny (Vercingetorix filly), She’s A Keeper (Vercingetorix colt), Silvano’s Pride (Gimmethegreenlight filly), Silver Mountain (Gimmethegreenlight filly), Summer Pudding (Gimmethegreenlight colt), and Zarina (Vercingetorix filly).
Young sires
With a number of well bred G1 winning stallions represented by their first National Sale yearlings, young, unproven stallions could well make their mark at this year’s auction. Invincible Spirit’s G1 winning son Digital Age has some very attractive prospects on offer including a half-brother (Lot 101) to graded stakes winners Aragosta and Mrs Browning, and a half-brother (Lot 187) to recent G2 TAB Hawaii Stakes winner Cats Pajamas.
Eden Roc, a G1 winning Var half-brother to champion Sandringham Summit, also has some appealing lots on offer, with Eden Roc responsible for a half-brother (Lot 56) to this season’s G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met runner up Legal Counsel among others. Gimmethegreenlight’s champion son Got The Greenlight has just two on offer -a filly (Lot 27) out of G2 SA Fillies Nursery runner up Frosted Honey, and a filly (Lot 43) whose dam is a full-sister to US G1 winner and sire Data Link.
Former racetrack rivals Jet Dark and Kommetdieding are both well represented by members of their first crop. Champion Jet Dark, whose first crop have already made up to R2 500 000, is the sire of a half-brother (Lot 115) to the G1 winners Safe Passage and Silver Sanctuary, as well as a half-sister (Lot 213) to champion Good Traveller.
Charismatic July/Met winner Kommetdieding is represented here by a half-sister (Lot 85) to G1 Gold Medallion third No Laying Up, and a colt (Lot 127) from the immediate family of champion and globetrotting star Jay Peg.
Rafeef’s G1 winning son Master Archie has a single member of his first crop on offer, and this is a half-brother (Lot 202) to G2 East Coast Radio Tibouchina Stakes winner Homely Girl.
An international flavour
Four overseas based stallions will be represented by a single yearling apiece at the National Sale.
Four time G1 winning sprinter, and proven G1 sire, Blue Point is represented by a filly (Lot 72) out of a dual stakes winning daughter of high-class US sire Munnings. Another high-class sprinter represented in this category is dual G1 winner Twilight Son. Winner of both the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup and G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, Twilight Son is the sire of a filly (Lot 203) whose dam is a half-sister to Italian champion and classic winner Poeta Diletto.
Tassort, a grandson of multiple champion sire I Am Invincible and sire of G1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Manaal, is the sire of a filly (Lot 304) whose Choisir sired dam is a half-sister to Australian multiple G1 winner Danleigh.
Promising young Australian sire Wild Ruler, a G1 winning son of legendary Australian sire Snitzel, is another high-class performer with a yearling on offer at the National Sale. He is responsible for an a filly (Lot 293) whose dam is a Fastnet Rock 3/4 sister to G2 Admiralofthefleet. This is the family of South African stars Oriental Charm, Curious Girl and Frances Ethel, and legendary sires Danehill, Machiavellian and Northern Dancer.
