The Botha family’s Benmarne Stud is no stranger to producing great results, both in the sales ring and on the racecourse.
Among the graduates of Benmarne are Gr1 Thekiwni Stakes winner Querari Falcon who also ran third in the 2016 Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas, and the very talented Monks Hood.
Three generations! The late Ben Botha is flanked by grandson Bernard and son Arne, who runs Benmarne Stud today
The latter, a R375 000 buy from the 2016 National Yearling Sale, showed tremendous form in a brief South African campaign, with Monks Hood winning four of eight local starts including both the Gr2 Dingaans and Gr2 Gauteng Guineas. In landing the 2018 Guineas, Monks Hood trounced subsequent Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner Surcharge -who would go on to capture the Gr1 Cantala Stakes in Australia before retiring to stud in Victoria.
The farm have also reaped good results in the sales ring, with Benmarne selling Querari Falcon’s full-sister Free As The Wind for R1 100 000 at the 2020 National Yearling Sale.
Benmarne is a small stud that was started by the late Mr Ben Botha, whose son Arne currently manages the farm.
“The name of the operation is a combination of Botha family names, as Arne explains, ‘Ben’ (for my father) M (for my mother, Marie, who is still involved with the farm) and Arne for me.”
Benmarne Stud is situated on 400ha between PE and Jeffries Bay, with 2,5km of beach front.
According to Arne, ‘the big business is horses’, but they also run a herd of Bonsmara cattle.
The family association with horses has faithfully been passed on and is now into the fourth generation.
“My grandfather had horses and we’ve had horses that won the Gold Cup and the Chairmans.”
Benmarne is a small stud, that was a big stud, that was started by Arne’s father, the late Mr Ben Botha.
“We bought the farm in 1985 and there wasn’t even a fence. It’s a family farm and it’s a great privilege to have had four generations of our family in horses. First my grandfather, then my late father, now me, my wife and my children,” adds Arne.
The Bothas will be offering four yearlings at this year’s National Yearling Sale, including Imhotep (Lot 106), a Vercingetorix half-brother to Querari Falcon, and Shachath (Lot 219), a Global View filly whose dam is a full-sister to Java Handicap winner Fulcrum and a three-parts sister to champion Captain’s Lover.
Benmarne’s draft can be found in Block B come the week of the National Yearling Sale, which will be held on 28 and 29 April.
