‘Very happy’- CTS Chairman Chris Van Niekerk
The CTS Ready To Run Sale, held at the Durbanville Racecourse as part of a Festival of Racing that included the Cape Season’s openers the Lanzerac Gr3 Diana Stakes and Kuda Gr3 Matchem Stakes, ended on a high with an aggregate of R 32,510,000, an average of R195,843 and a median of R150,000, up R50 000 from the previous year.
Lot 2, selling for R1.5 million during Session One, remained the sales topper, with Balmoral Stud CC heading the vendor list with 30 lots selling for R7,225,000, while Mayfair Speculators topped the buyers list, signing for nine lots for R2,880,000.
“We are very happy with the sale and the quality of the lots on offer. This was a sale were there was something for everyone and the fact that the median rose by 50% showed solid growth across the market place. We now look forward to the CTS Ready To Run Sale to be held on the 31st of October in Johannesburg”, commented Adrian Todd, COO of CTS. “The vendors are happy, it was a solid sale and we are delighted with the aggregate achieved”, added CTS Chairman Chris van Niekerk.
After a superb day’s racing and a glorious victory by the Springboks over the All Blacks, the assembled buyers were ready for business and the Sale had barely commenced when a fierce bidding war erupted over Lot 2, a Trippi colt out of the Jet Master mare Nimley.
Lot 2 was initially sold at the CTS Premier Yearling Sale for R500 000 and hence eligible for the highly anticipated CTS Million Dollar. Trainer Geoff Woodruff was forced to go to R1.5 million before the bay colt, named Perpetual Silence, was finally his. “I hadn’t quite expected to pay that much. He had better win the CTS Million Dollar now!” Woodruff quipped.
It did not take long for the million Rand mark to be breached again, as the hammer fell at R1.1 million for Lot 20. By Warm White Night, the bay colt is the second foal of Savoire Faire, a half sister to Gr.1 Cape Flying Championship winner Cordocelli. “I am delighted to have got him”, commented trainer Vaughan Marshall. “He is a lovely horse, who moved beautifully and I thought he was the pick of the Sale.”
Day Two started with everyone eagerly awaiting the talk horse of the week, Lot 100, a Silvano colt out of the Royal Chalice mare Crystal Chalice. Bidding started at R100 000 and rose quickly before Mayfair Speculators got the final bid at R650 000. “He is a lovely scopy Silvano and he will be trained by Dennis Drier. He stands over a lot of ground and we think he will be a classic horse”, said Derek Brugman.
Brett Crawford – very privileged
Lot 106, named Beyond Limits, produced a superb gallop on Thursday and it certainly did not go unnoticed. By Archipenko out of the Dansili(Gb) mare Desarmante(Ire), he was eventually knocked down for R1 million to up and coming trainer Brett Crawford. “I am very privileged to have him”, Crawford said. “He put up an exceptional gallop and he has always been a beautiful horse, even as a foal.”
2013 Champion sire Silvano(Ger) only had three colts on the sale and the buyers were certainly not letting them go cheaply. Chris van Niekerk had to go to R600 000 for Lot 112, out of the Al mufti mare Dual Honour(Saf). Van Niekerk is known as being a shrewd buyer, so it came as no surprise when he also snapped up Lot 169, the very imposing Dynasty colt out of Lyrical Linda for R650 000. Sean Tarry trained the colt’s half brother Lance and he was extremely pleased to be able to train the Dynasty. “It is nice to have a Dynasty colt from such a phenomenal female family and it’s a bonus that he has a ticket for the 2016 CTS Million Dollar”, said Tarry.
European pinhookers received a great return on investment while the announcement of a prize money increase to R2.5m, attracted a strong Mauritian contingent of buyers who signed for eight lots.
Also encouraging was the response to the live stream with nearly 20,000 viewers from the UK, USA, Irelands, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore tuning into the live stream.
The Ready to Run action continues with gallops in Turffontein on the 13th of October and Summerhill on the 17th before the CTS Jo’burg sale on the 31st of October at Inanda Club, Sandton.
