Winterbach Stud is in the prime breeding region of Stellenbosch.
The Winterbach Stud of Hendrik Winterbach Snr and Hendrik Winterbach Jnr is chiefly a boarding stud and is a fine stud to consider for those who have broodmares but don’t have a farm to stand them on.
The farm is situated in the prime breeding area of Stellenbosch on the Annandale Road.
The Winterbach’s only stand about five of their own mares, the rest are boarding mares.
They are also soon to have a stallion at the stud, the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint winner Master Archie (Rafeef), who they are proud to say was born and raised on their farm.
Winterbach Stud has been going for 13 to 14 years.
However, Hendrik Snr has 35 years experience in the game having been one of the stud managers at Varsfontein Stud.
Hendrik Snr in fact bred two fillies who would both be in the who’s who of great thoroughbreds produced in South Africa, i.e. Perfect Promise and Irridescence.
Both fillies were by Caesour out of Hendrik’s broodmare Meretricious.
Perfect Promise won the Gr 1 Cape Guineas in South Africa as well as a Gr 3 and a Listed race, before going on to become the first SA-bred in history to win a Gr 1 in Australia, where she also won a Gr 2.
Irridescence won the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic, the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 and the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes before going on to win a Listed race in Dubai and the Gr 1 QE II Cup in Hong Kong. She also finished second in a Gr 1 in England and second in a Gr 1 in the USA.
Irridescence has gone on to be a fine broodmare and at present her four-year-old Declaration Of War colt Hopper is the winner of two Gr 3s in the USA.
Hendrik Snr has a widespread reputation for his meticulous preparation of sales horses.
Hendrik Jnr said, “My father takes great pride in preparing horses for the sales.”
Winterbach Stud clients will attest to how well the sales horses are turned out.
Hendrik Jnr said, “You can’t get a premium price for a horse unless it has been prepared well.”
Other good recent horses to have come out of Winterbach Stud have been Gr 1 winner Temple Grafin (Duke Of Marmalade), Gr 2 winner Rascallion (Vercingetorix), Gr 2 winner Bereave (Vercingetorix), Gr 2 winner Val D’Orcia (Vercingetorix) and dual Gr 3 winner Alula’s Star (Red Ray).
At the BSA National Yearling Sale this year Winterbach as agents aggregated R4 million for eleven lots for an average of R363,636.
Their highest price was R750,000 for a Gimmethegreenlight colt and there was also R600,000 for a Vercingetorix filly, plus R500,000 for a Vercingetorix colt and R500,000 for a What A Winter colt.
A noticeable aspect of that Sale was the list of high profile buyers.
They included stalwarts like John Freeman, Greg Bortz, the Hollywood Syndicate, Etienne Braun and Central Route Trading.
Some young Winterbach Stud raised runners to look out for include the two-year-old Vercingetorix filly Neerah and an unraced Rafeef colt called Mc Dazzler.
The latter is owned by Wilgerbosdrift and trained by Dean Kannemeyer and apparently had some big race targets before a hiccup kept him on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Gr 1 Computaform Sprint winner Master Archie is in quarantine and will be arriving on the farm on July 16.
Twenty of the 55 shares in him have been taken and 25 mares have already been booked to him.
It is exciting times for Winterbach Stud.
