A typical everyman’s regional sale of genuine quality and value, the Cape Yearling Sale lived up to its solid reputation at the picturesque Mistico Equestrian Centre in Paarl on Sunday.
Puller Racing Stables hooked the big fish of the day when the hammer fell at R360 000 for Wilgerbosdrift’s lot 167 – a daughter of Soft Falling Rain from the family of Master Of My Fate.
Named Soft Day, the lovely filly is closely inbred to Storm Cat, this filly is out of a mare who won five and her Gr3 placed second dam is a half-sister to champion Promisefrommyheart – the dam of promising sire Master Of My Fate, Gr1 winner Covenant and Gr1 performer Secret Heart – dam of Breeders’ Cup winning sire Pluck.
The recently deceased Equus Champion Soft Falling Rain is from the same female line as Smart Strike and the globetrotting star, whose wins included the Gr2 Joel Stakes and Gr2 Godolphin Mile, first crop includes impressive debut winner Gin Fizz – runner up in the Ruffian Stakes and debut scorer Mawsool
Soft Falling Rain topped the sires averages with 6 of his 7 lots selling for an aggregate of R860 000 for an average of R143 333.
Top aggregate in the sire ranks was the Klawervlei based July winning son of Jet Master Pomodoro who made a flying start to his stud career when he was crowned South Africa’s Champion First Crop Sire of 2017-2018. His first crop is headed by Equus Champion and multiple Gr1 winner Return Flight and R4 000 000 plus earner Cirillo and on Sunday 12 of his 13 lots sold for an aggregate of R1 210 000, an average of just over R100 000.
Gauteng based Paul Peter Racing Stables were the big buyers, taking home 24 lots for an aggregate of R1 025 000 and an average of R42 708.
Besides selling the top lot of the day, Wilgerbosdrift also topped the vendor charts overall with 13 of their 14 lots selling for an aggregate of R1 615 000 and an average of R124 231
A total of 144 of the 186 lots catalogued found buyers with an aggregate of R9 275 000 – 125% up on 2018, but bearing in mind that double the number of horses were sold.
The average of R64 410 was up 10% year on year, with the median staying constant at R50 000.
The show now moves on to the National Yearling Sale to be held in Johannesburg on 24,25 and 26 April.