Suzette and Basie Viljoen – wearing new hats at Thursday’s sale (Pic – Cape Racing Sales)
Prominent owners Basie and Suzette Viljoen are hopeful that their success on the racetrack will spill over into the sales ring when they make their Cape Premier Yearling Sale debut on Thursday under the banner of their newly established Hopes and Dreams Stud.
The fledgeling breeders will offer a pair of well-related colts, the first of which is Soza (Lot 44), a September-foaled son of champion juvenile Soqrat, who incidentally, had his first runner at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth this weekend.
A chestnut, Soza is also the first foal out of Mazaaher, one of just a handful daughters of the mighty Frankel in South Africa.
More to the point, she just happens to be a daughter of South African Gr1 winner Chocolicious, who was rated amongst the leading juvenile fillies of her generation when she won the prestigious Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville.
Following a stint in Dubai, where she placed third in the UAE Guineas, the daughter of Kahal returned home where she regained the winning thread, scoring three more times.
She was sold privately to Australians Darren and Elizabeth Dance who sent her to the UK and a liaison with Frankel before shipping her to Australia, where she duly gave birth to a ‘lovely filly’, which was sold to Shadwell at the Inglis Easter Sale for $610,000.
Named Mazaaher, she was sent to South Africa and was one of a parcel of mares put up for auction following the passing of Shadwell owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Mazaaher in foal to Soqrat and carrying lot 44
In foal with Soza, she was knocked down to Suzette at R90,000. At the current exchange rate, that’s around 4000 pounds, a mere fraction of Frankel’s covering fee!.
Remarked Suzette: “Mazaaher is a beautiful mare. I love her first foal; he has a wonderful character and such a kind eye.”
As regards the Viljoens’ second offering Blue Steel (Lot 60), a colt by Gr2 winner Erik The Red, it would seem that physically, he is very much his father’s son.
‘He’s a strong, big-boned sprinting type and should be precocious,” says Suzette of the first foal out of Elusive Fort mare Popova.
She scored twice for the Alistair Gordon stable whilst the grandam Jettin’ Along is a winning Jet Master half-sister to the Gr2/3 winning stayer and Gr1 Gold Cup third Blake and to Della Scala, the dam of Gr1 Cape Guineas and SA Classic third Like A Phanter.
Another prominent name which immediately jumps up from the pedigree page is that of Sabine Plattner’s champion sprinter Laisserfaire.
Suzette may be an old pro as a buyer, yet finds her new role as a vendor quite nerve wracking and also admits: “I know I shouldn’t be sentimental, but it’s hard to say goodbye.”
- Both colts can be inspected in stable block C from Tuesday.
