The first seven figure buy at this year’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale powered by Tattersalls came with the very first lot, a Trippi filly from Klawervlei Stud.
Klawervlei’s John Koster had said about this filly in the build up, “She is a beautiful, high quality filly out of a duel Listed winning mare by Captain Al. She comes from the wonderful filly family of stakes winners Moon In June, Shamrock Wind, Golden Belle and others.”
His opinion proved accurate as the Tawny Syndicate went to R1,1 million to purchase her.
The highest price on the sale came as no surprise.
A magnificent Maine Chance Farms Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight colt, Lot 107, was knocked down to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for R3,8 million.
Dr Andreas Jacobs had gone to great depth to describe this colt before the sale and had said, “Valley Ofthe Kings, is one of the jewels in Maine Chance’s crown for this auction. He is a Gimmethegreenlight colt out of a Listed winning Captain Al mare, Victoria Lavelle – I don’t need to explain the potency of Captain Al as a broodmare sire, and this colt has Western Winter below that as sire of the grandam. And what a beautiful name, Valley Of the Kings. If you go down further, his fourth dam is by Surumu, who is to Germany what Northern Dancer was to the United States. He is a well-bred, early born, well developed type, well-muscled with a dark bay colour. He has a fantastic walk. What is interesting, and not on the page, is that his seventh dam, Crape Band, was bought by my grandfather. We bred with her and she produced Caracol the first G1 winner for our family in 1972. He was a very tough horse who won two G1s in one week and later became a stallion.” (Watch Andreas Jacobs interview about Lot 107, here).
Westward Bloodstock went to R2 million for Varsfontein Stud’s Lot 59.
Varsfontein had said before the sale about this colt called Handsome Prince, who is by Querari out of Judpot mare Maleficent:, “A big, strong colt that stands over ground. Eye-catching and has presence. Precocious, two-year-old type with a pedigree stacked with black type. Top class.”
Maleficent was a strongly built Alec Laird-trained filly who looked set for big things when winning the Listed Devon Air Stakes, but she went a bit off the boil and her best subsequent finish was a second place finish in the Grade 3 Starling Stakes.
Maleficent is a half-sister to the good performer Blackball (Black Minnaloushe) and full-sister to Rocketball, who went oh so close to denying Abashiri the Triple Crown when only just failing to catch him in the SA Derby.
Lot 112, sold By Klawervlei as agent, went for R1,5 million to Greg Bortz.
John Koster had said about this Gimmethegreenlight colt before the sale, ““He is the first foal of African Daisy, by Captain Al, himself a serious broodmare sire running at nearly 6% stakes winners to runners. Gimmethegreenlight over Captain Al is already responsible for 9.7% stakes winners to runners including G1 winner, Gunner.”
A Drakenstein Stud-bred colt, Lot 99, had got the million rand ball rolling for Gimmethegreenlight and went for R1,2 million, signed for by the International Racing Club’s Krish Nagendran.
Kevin Sommerville had described the colt before the sale, “A smashing colt by Gimmethegreenlight out of Supreme Vision (Visionaire), who is a half-sister to Do It Again. He is a beautiful specimen with a beautiful pedigree, by a champion sire, a big, strapping colt who looks precocious but should also go on over further.”
Earlier, Kestorm investments went to R1 million to secure lot 18.
Barbara Sanne had said before the sale, “Lot 18 is a colt by Vercingetorix to be sold by Oldlands Stud as agent. He is Taxi To The Moon, the next in line for the prolific Earn A Moon (Indigo Magic) whose previous foals include Cat And The Moon (5 wins), Light Of The Moon (4 wins) and Summer Sensation (6 wins). “ He is a tall, smart horse.”
Lot 28, sold by Klawervlei as agent, also went for R1 million knocked down to Bass Racing.
This Vercingetorix filly is out of the Mike Bass-trained Mercury Sprint winner Fly By Night (Jet Master), who also won the Grade 2 Southern Cross Stakes.
Avontuur Thoroughbred Farms got R1 million for a Vercingetorix colt (Lot 95) out of multiple Listed-winning Var mare Star Burst Galaxy.
Justin Vermaak signed for him.
Hollywoodbets got in on the act and purchased a Ridgemont Highlands-bred Rafeef colt, out of Western Winter mare Baqueira, for R1 million.
Ridgemont Highlands had described the colt before the sale: “A half-brother to Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes/Listed East Cape Nursery winner Cliff Top. El Capitan, closely inbred to successful sire National Assembly, is out of a winning own sister to the brilliant Cold As Ice.”
“A winner on two different continents, Cold As Ice won five of just seven starts in South Africa including the G2 Choice Carriers Fillies Championship and Sceptre Stakes, and was beaten just a head when runner up in the 2015 G1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes (beating among others multiple Equus Champion Carry On Alice).”
“Her sister Baquiera also numbers R4 million plus earner Live Life (like Cold As Ice, winner of the G2 Sceptre Stakes) as a half-sister.”
Form Bloodstock went to R1 million to buy a Maine Chance Farms-bred Vercingetorix colt out of Listed-winning Dynasty mare Bella Spumante, which makes him a half-brother to recent Listed Christmas Handicap winner Bella Siccome (Silvano).
Lot 20 made some headlines before the sale.
“Anton Shepherd Can’t Stop Raving About Lot 20!” said the headline about the Rafeef colt bred by Anton’s Beaumont Stud.
He had enthused about the colt, who is out of Caesour mare Elusive Spirit, “He is a big, strong horse, very nice and well grown, from the tremendous ‘E’-family. I think he is tops, I really do. Even at this early stage I am prepared to say he is one of my yearlings of the year, if not the yearling of the year.”
Anton would likely have been pleased to see him knocked down for R750,000 to Amanda Skiffington.
The details of the CPYS 2023 sale are shown below:
| CATALOGUED | 122 |
| OFFERED | 109 |
| SOLD | 101 |
| AGGREGATE | 44,825,000 |
| AVERAGE | 443,812 |
| MEDIAN | 300,000 |
