The Var Stallion Talk Of The Town’s yearlings are going to be the talk of the 2023 BSA Cape Yearling Sale, says Avontuur General Manager Pippa Mickelburgh.
The Sale takes place at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth racecourse on Sunday, 26 February,
Pippa admitted it was not going to be easy for Talk Of The Town due to him not having won a stakes race, but she added, “Racecourse performance is important and rightly so, but he was favourite for a big sales race and broke down the Thursday before. Capetonians know good he was, but it isn’t on his record.”
Otherwise Talk Of The Town “ticks all the boxes”.
The magnificent looking chestnut son of Var is the only stallion in South Africa to have ten sires within his first three dams. These include the celebrated three-times Australian champion sire Redoute’s Choice, whose progeny have done notably well in South Africa and a number of them have also stood or are standing here as stallions.
Pippa said, “I truly believe if Talk Of The Town’s yearlings were by the like of Vercingetorix or Var we would be home and hosed. They are magnificent! His yearlings are top drawer. If he had a big win under his belt, we would be smiling. We have three on the Sale and will be at the Sale’s grounds by Thursday. Buyers must please come and visit us and see for themselves.”
Talk Of The Town raced five times. He finishing second in his first two starts over 1200m and then rattled off a hattrick of wins, two over 1400m and one over 1600m. He won that last start in January 2018 over 1600m at Kenilworth in easy and impressive fashion and was installed as favourite for the US$500,000 CTS 1600.
Unfortunately, he had to be scratched after injuring himself two days before.
Trainer Joey Ramsden explained at the time, “He put a hole in his tendon sheath just above his near-fore fetlock joint.”
He was destined to never race again.
Another sign of his prowess on the racecourse was that Avontuur, together with Ken Truter, purchased him in training before his last start.
There are not many stud farms who will be buying colts after just two ordinary wins.
Nevertheless, Pippa recognises it is not going to be easy for Talk Of The Town to make it.
She concluded, “A stallion needs numbers in the first crop and obviously because of his curtailed racing career he did not get many, but they are on the ground selling and I think his yearlings are going to be the talk of this Sale.”
Pictured Below are two of Avontuur’s Talk Of The Town yearlings on offer:
Lot 30: Sound Of The Sea. This bay Talk Of The Town colt is a half-brother to the ten time-winning Chantyman, who was runner up in the Grade 2 Post Merchants.
Lot 148: Talking Point. This Talk Of The Town filly is out of the mare who produced Var Grade 1 winner Normanz, which makes her a three-parts sister to Normanz.
