The National 2YO Sale, which starts today, continues to build on its reputation as one of the best value for money sales in the country.
Last season, graduates which bolstered the auction’s profile included Sentbydestiny, who won the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes to provide a handsome return on her R80 000 purchase price, the dual Gr2 Gold Bracelet winner Running Brave, a snip at R30 000, while Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup hero African Adventure sold for just R40 000.
Gr1 winner Sentbydestiny – cost just R80 000 (Pic- Candiese Lenferna)
Those that proved a bit more pricey included the Gr3 winners Ultra Magnus (R150 000), Don’t Look Back (R240 000) and Wylie Wench (R600 000).
A search into the sale’s archives reveals a host of illustrious graduates, of which some went on to taste international success, yet were purchased without breaking the bank, so to speak.
The remarkable filly Irridescence went through the ring for no more than R60 000, yet defied her modest purchase price to become the champion filly of her generation.
She went on to excel on the international stage and joined London News as the second South African-bred winner of Sha Tin’s revered Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, while placing at Gr1 level in both the States and the UK.
JJ The Jet Plane – cost R70 000
Champion sprinter J J The Jet Plane showed what R70 000 can buy. After scoring a magnificent Gr1 hattrick in the Computaform, Golden Horse Casino and Mercury Sprints, he conquered the world with victories in the Gr1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint and Dubai’s Al Quoz Sprint and won at Listed level in the UK, while reaching the frame in the prestigious Gr1 July Cup.
Upon his return, he picked up right where he left off, winning the Golden Horse and Mercury Sprints for the second time and repeating as the country’s top sprinter.
He turned a tidy profit for his connections, his combined earnings totalling over R22 million.
The Apache – R80 000 buy
Another champion who made a ripple, rather than a splash in the sales ring, was The Apache.
Bred by the Scott Brothers, he cost owner Winston Chow no more than R80 000, yet rewarded him with a championship at three before embarking on an international career. Winner of the Gr2 Al Rashidiya and runner-up in the Gr1 Dubai Duty Free, the colt put up arguably his finest effort when crossing the line first in the fabled Gr1 Arlington Million, only to lose the race in the boardroom.
Who can forget the redoubtable River Jetez?
A R230 000 graduate and winner of the 2009 Gr1 J&B Met, the own sister to racing legend Pocket Power likewise became a globetrotter of note. Successful in Dubai’s Gr2 Balanchine, she was runner-up in both the Gr1 Dubai Duty Free and Gr1 Singapore Airlines International Cup before crossing the pond to finish third in the Gr1 Beverly D Stakes at Arlington Park. Now a successful broodmare, she has achieved fame as the dam of the Gr1 winning sprinter Rivarine and Gr3 winner Delta Queen.
R230 000 graduate River Jetez
Two Gr1 winning fillies acquired for a mere trifle were Asylum Seeker and Spiced Gold. The former was snapped up by trainer Roy Magner for just R50 000, quickly rewarded her connections with a Gr1 victory in the Golden Slipper and when she retired, had repaid her purchase price eleven times over. Incidentally, like so many top South African fillies, she found her way to Australia where she has produced a number of multiple winners.
Sold for a similar price, Spiced Gold earned her Gr1 stripes in the SA Fillies Classic. Unlike exported Asylum Seeker, she found her way to Drakenstein Stud and is the dam of the wonderfully consistent sprinter Chimichuri Run, who went on to claim the 2019 Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint in track record time.
Geoff Woodruff outlayed somewhat more when he paid R60 000 for the Casey Tibbs filly Festive Occasion, who carried Michael de Broglio’s colours to victory in the Gr2 Oaks and went on to collect an Equus Award as the country’s top female stayer. She reached new heights in the paddocks as the dam of Gr1 Woolavington 2000 victress Do You Remember and the fine stayer and Gr1 Vodacom Durban July second, Made To Conquer.
It’s a known fact that very few million Rand purchases ever recoup their purchase price, yet it would be remiss not to make mention of two graduates who managed to justify their exalted price tags.
Jackson, the R1-million sales topper of the 2010 sale, went on to prove himself one of the best horses of his generation.
Outstanding Jackson in action (pic: hamishNIVENPhotography)
The Highlands-bred son of Dynasty earned more than R2 million in a stellar career which yielded six wins, the highlights of which his Gr1 treble of the Investec Cape Derby, Daily News 2000 and the Champions Cup. Significantly, he was one of just three horses to defeat dual Horse of the Year Variety Club when he swept past his rival in the Investec Cape Derby.
In 2014, Varsfontein Stud’s Susan Rowett created headlines during the final session when she bid a record R1,4-million for a daughter of Dynasty out of the prized blue hen Mystic Spring.
The filly, a grey who featured a coat dappled with some eye-catching white spots, was a rare jewel in the catalogue and stood out both on looks and pedigree.
She proved that was money well spent, winning the Gr1 Woolavington 2000, Paddock Stakes and Garden Province Stakes, in addition to which she claimed an Equus Award as the champion three-year-old filly of her generation. Bela-Bela was her name!
Whilst the above covers just a small selection of notable graduates, one thing is clear, that from international campaigners, to Gr1 winners and top broodmare prospects, the 2YO Sale continues to punch way above its weight.
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