KZN Breeders Club
The November 2016 newsletter from the KZN Breeders Club.
Dear Breeders,
Our KZN Breeders Awards take place on 26 November at Bellwood, and we are looking forward to another exciting evening celebrating the KZN-bred Thoroughbred with almost 130 guests confirmed.
A very big thank you to our sponsors who have contributed towards our evening, including Almiray Veterinary, Citadel, Choice Carriers, Crusade Syndicate, Eightfold Path Syndicate, Epol, Equifeeds, Flying The Flag Syndicate, Gold Circle, New Turf Carriers, Piemonte Stud, Spurwing, Summerhill Stud, The Equine Group, Thoroughbred Breeders Association and TRM Nutrition. We thank you for the support!
Pedigree updates
Crusade (Mr Greeley – La Traviata)
There has been a lot of exciting international news concerning our young stallions in KZN, particularly Crusade, Flying The Flag, Noble Tune and Eightfold Path and we have a lot to be proud of in this province.
Both Crusade and Flying The Flag’s Galileo sisters have done their brothers proud, earning Gr1’s in the past few weeks. Further emphasising the quality of Crusade’s progeny in stamp and ability, one of his colts sold for R700 000 at the CTS Ready To Run Sale in Durbanville.
Flying The Flag (Galileo – Halfway To Heaven)
Crusade‘s half-sister Seventh Heaven, now a dual Gr1 winner finished fourth in the Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Turf, whilst Rhododendron, a full sister to Flying The Flag, won the Gr1 Fillies Mile and was nominated in the Cartier 2YO Fillies Award category. A three parts sister to Flying The Flag, Photo Call also achieved Gr1 success and defeated Tepin in the process.
The Cartier Awards took place yesterday and Gr1 Arc winner Found was voted Champion Older Horse, interestingly she was beaten by Seventh Heaven in the Gr1 Yorkshire Oaks.
Noble Tune (Unbridled’s Song – Serena’s Cat)
Noble Tune is never far out of the news with his family and Arrogate, a son of Unbridled’s Song like Noble Tune took victory in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Classic, the second Gr1 win for the deceased Unbridled’s Song in recent weeks after Forever Unbridled won the Gr1 Beldame Stakes. Noble Tune‘s first progeny will be on auction in 2017. Lane’s End recently announced their service fees for Honor Code and Liam’s Map (maternal and paternal half-brothers to Noble Tune respectively), and their fees will remain at $40 000 and $25 000.
Noble Tune and Honor Code’s dam line is still very much in demand, with their weanling Tapit half-brother selling for $1,050 million at the Keeneland November Sale two days ago. The buyer Chris Baccari was quoted as saying “That’s a very very hard pedigree to get into,” reinforcing Lynton Ryan’s speech at Rathmor’s stallion day earlier this year in which Lynton said that the very best farms around the world were securing the progeny of Serena’s Cat (such as Lane’s End and Coolmore) and ending it with “Rathmor Stud is in good company!”.
Eightfold Path (Giant’s Causeway – Divine Proportions)
Eightfold Path‘s younger Galileo brother Diodorus placed in a French Stakes race recently and we should see more to come from this damline. Giant’s Causeway is proving a supreme sire of sires with his sons Shamardal, Lope De Vega and Footstepsinthesand producing Stakes winners each week across the globe. French Gr3 winner Eightfold Path is the only son of Giant’s Causeway currently at stud in South Africa.
The Assayer (Galileo – Crystal Charm)
Galileo has been dominating the world and KZN is fortunate to stand two sons, Flying The Flag at Bush Hill and The Assayer at Yellow Star Stud. Gr1 placed The Assayer, who defeated the likes of Copper Parade, Gold Onyx, English Garden, The Mouseketeer and Dubai SP Zanzamar, is out of a Danehill mare, as is super freshman sire Frankel.
Racing News
The Elmo Effect
On the racing side, KZN-breds had a splendid day on a super Saturday at Turffontein, with Summerhill’s The Elmo Effect winning the Listed Java Handicap. The Admire Main gelding is a half-brother to Gr2 winner Heaps Of Fun – look out for six of Admire Main‘s progeny at the upcoming CTS Ready To Run Sale in Johannesburg, where 123 KZN-breds will be on auction and identifiable with hip stickers. View the catalogue at the following link. KZN vendors include Balmoral Stud, Bush Hill Stud, Far End and Summerhill Sales.
Chilli Con Carne
A well deserved win for sire Just As Well in the Emperors Palace Ready To Run race presented by CTS, Michael Leaf’s Chilli Con Carne won from another KZN-bred, Africa Rising. Congratulations to Mr Leaf and trainer Lucky Houdalakis on an outstanding result.
Just As Well, standing at Spring Valley Stud, has produced exceptional results from small numbers. Selected by bloodstock agent Alistair Brown (who has brought in the likes of Fort Wood, Noble Tune and Al Mufti to name but a few), the consistent globe-trotting money earner and multiple Group performer Just As Well achieved a winners to runners percentage of 40.7% at the end of last season.
Bush Hill Stud’s Toreador has to be one of the best value for money stallions in SA, and he produced another Stakes winner in the Listed Golden Loom Handicap with Bull Valley. The Gr3 winning gelding has now won four times from six starts.
A hearty congratulations to KZN Breeder Des Scott who produced a Gr1 winner with his Fastnet Rock colt at Doncaster, named Rivet, after winning the Gr2 Racing Post Trophy. He will be starting as one of the favourites for the Guineas.
Good news in this week is that Summerhill-bred and dual Gr1 winning son of Brave Tin Soldier, Rabada, will be leaving for the United States at the end of the Cape racing season, along with a superb contingent of South Africa’s racing best including Legal Eagle, Silver Mountain and Marinaresco.
Well done to all concerned above and we look forward to seeing everyone on the 26th at Bellwood.
See you at the races!
