In a media release last week, BSA noted that there is ‘a seat for every buyer’ at Nationals – perhaps a subtle jab at their rival auction house in the Western Cape, but probably within the bounds of friendly competition.
BSA CEO Michael Holmes was understandably pleased with the weekend’s results. His media team followed up with a statement, further reinforcing the sale’s reputation after Champions Day.
Flashback to Nationals ’24 – Maine Chance Farm’s Andreas Jacobs chats to the Sanne’s of Oldlands (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Holmes was still smiling when I spoke to him on Wednesday.
He remarked: “Buyers know that when they walk through the doors of the National Sale, they’re not just chasing the next big thing – they’re stepping into a legacy shaped by generations of excellence. For over a hundred years, the TBA has set the standard. At BSA’s Germiston sales, our commitment to quality and opportunity for all is unmistakable.”
The 2025 catalogue is packed with quality, featuring nearly 330 lots from 42 stallions, 35 stud farms, and an additional 21 vendors selling under the ‘agent’ banner.
Michael Holmes of Bloodstock SA (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
As always, astute pedigree students will be able to find many value gems among the lots, though most will start by sifting through the progeny of the sires that made their mark on Champions Day.
Grade 1 Premier’s Challenge winner Fire Attack has a full brother on sale in Lot 33, to be presented by John Loftus of Ndoro Stud. He said: “This is a very nice colt, beautifully balanced with a good length of rein.”
Lot 33- a full-brother to Fire Attack (Pic – 4Racing)
Trainer Corne Spies, who saddled Saturday’s Grade 1 Computaform Sprint winner, William Robertson, will be among the first to inspect Lot 295, October Reef. Sired by the headline-making Rafeef and out of Spring Break (by Trippi), she is the only lot in the sale bred on the proven Rafeef-Trippi cross – the very pairing that produced Spies’ sprinting powerhouse.
October Reef was raised at Lammerskraal Stud, whose stud manager, Lindi Garlicki, can barely contain her excitement: “October Reef is a full-sister to the exported October Morn and a half-sister to Tempting Fate. She is lovely, a good sized-filly with good legs and a nice temperament. Her pedigree has it all, and William Robertson’s success was a super boost for her prospects.”
Lot 295 – a full sister to October Morn (Pic – 4Racing)
Grade 1 TAB Empress Club Stakes winner Fatal Flaw added another feather to the cap of her late sire, New Predator, whose untimely passing remains one of the biggest losses to the breeding industry in recent years. Six of his offspring will go under the hammer at the sale, with only a handful more set to appear at the National Two-Year-Old Sale later this year.
The New Predator-Var cross produced Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes winner Pure Predator, and this successful mating can be found in Lot 270, a filly out of Attenborough’s half-sister Selfie (Heversham Park) and Lot 310 Bathurst, a filly from the internationally prolific National Colour female line, from Blue Sky Ranch.
Grade 1 Oaks winner Fiery Pegasus once again showcased the versatility of her sire, Captain Of All, whose progeny thrive across a wide range of distances and female lines. Anton Shepherd of Beaumont Stud will be eager to present Lot 297, a rare mating between Captain Of All and a Badger’s Drift mare, Spring Orchid – a half-sister to Snowdance and Snow Pilot, from the exceptional Mystic Spring family.
Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes winner Main Defender has been a flagbearer for his under-rated sire Pathfork, who has two yearlings on the sale – Lot 110 (a colt from Beaumont, out of a Tiger Ridge mare) and Lot 66, a colt out of a Black Minnaloushe mare, raised by Inel Bekker at Volmoed Stud.
Lot 49 – half-sister to Captain’s Ransom (Pic – 4Racing)
The potential sale-toppers are easy to spot, headlined by Lot 49—a half-sister to the late Equus champion and star filly, Captain’s Ransom. By Vercingetorix out of Cinna’s Ransom (Red Ransom), she will be presented by Klawervlei’s John Koster in his capacity as agent.
Koster said: “This filly has an enormous amount of quality, a beautiful head, wonderful balance and good depth. She’s a proper athlete by a sire who is running at 12% stakes winners to runners and the Vercingetorix/Roberto cross has already produced three Grade 1 winners in Double Grand Slam, Asterix and Vernichy. She has top paddock value to start.”
Lot 136 – a colt by Rafeef with a stallion’s pedigree (Pic – 4Racing)
Wilgerbosdrift, who sold the sales-topping colts at three of the last six National Sales – including a R9-million yearling in 2019 – looks to have another standout in Lot 136, Waiting Game. This colt by Rafeef is out of In Limbo (Silvano), a full sister to stallions Hawwaam and Celestial City, hailing from the exceptional Halfway To Heaven female line.
Stud Manager Shane van Zyl said that Waiting Game was ‘a special boy’ – medium-sized with lots of quality. “He is very correct and moves well.” Van Zyl noted that two other colts, Lot 175 (Hawwaam – Londolozi) and Lot 260 (Hawwaam – Sarasota), were terrific specimens and on the top of his personal list of favourites, alongside Waiting Game.
A deep dive into this catalogue is sure to uncover something that sets the pulse racing. Year after year, shrewd buyers walk away with exceptional value, proving that great investments aren’t limited to the top of the market. Notably, 121 of the 344 yearlings sold at last year’s auction (35%) fell within the R50,000–R300,000 range. The sharpest pickers know that success comes from a keen eye for conformation, an appreciation for overlooked pedigrees, and, of course, a touch of luck. To spot the real jewels, there’s no substitute for being there in person!
For more information, phone Ashley De Klerk at BSA, on 084 514 1723 or Alistair Gordon on 082 551 5462
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