National Yearling Sale
In the run-up to the 2015 National Yearling Sale, the TBA’s Germiston sales yard has been a hive of activity of horses and prospective buyers. D-day finally arrived on Wednesday, 22 April.
First to face the auctioneer was One More Round, a grey filly by Western Winter out of Waiters Eye, consigned by Wilgerbosdrift Stud and sold to Neil Bruss for R150k. Bidding seemed to take a while to get going, until Lot 31 entered the ring. The handsome bay son of Gimmethegreenlight out of Albizia is a half brother to Forest Indigo. Consigned by Varsfontein Stud, the colt was the subject of competitive bidding before the hammer fell at R1,7 million to Simmerlake Stud. Varsfontein’s stud manager Carl de Vos said that Gimmethegreenlight progeny have been very well received, fetching R900k at the CTS Premier Sale, R950 at Val de Vie and now going for R1,7 million. He said they were ‘very happy’ with the price achieved for their colt and confirmed that Albizia currently has a Judpot foal at foot.
Top colt – 2015 NYS Lot 41 (Dynasty-Arabian Jazz)
Lot 41 produced a new National Yearling Sale record when Tony Millard went to R4,25 million for the son of Dynasty. A delighted Ashley Parker related that Tony Millard had trained granddam Arabian Lass, who raced for the interests of Mr P Ekon, for 4 Gr1 wins in South Africa as well as two ARCSA Champion awards. The filly was subsequently sold to Robert Sangster’s Swettenham Stud operation and retired to stud. Millard purchased Arabian Lass’s daughter, Arabian Jazz on a buying trip to Australia and brought her back to South Africa. The filly raced in the interests of Rose and Ashley Parker before retiring to the paddocks at Ascot Stud and there is a pleasing symmetry that her son will be conditioned by Tony Millard.
An unnamed Silvano colt out of Blushing Fairy (Lot 68) caught the eye of Form Bloodstock, who had to go to R2,2 million to secure the exceptionally handsome bay. Ascot Stud’s Ashley Parker explained that the colt was the last commercial yearling from the Robertsons’ Milkwood Stud and he was delighted to have secured them a handsome price.
Cheveley Stud consigned an arrestingly beautiful son of Gimmethegreenlight out of Champers (dam of July winner Legislate). The colt went under the hammer for R700k to John Freeman, on behalf of Jack Mitchell and Dennis and Gael Evans. Cheveley boss Vaughan Koster said “I’m very pleased with what he realised. He is a very nice moving colt and is going to a nice stable, so he’ll have every chance.” He also confirmed that Champers has a beautiful Dynasty filly at foot and is back in foal to Dynasty again.
Scottish Guard (Silvano – Crown Office), catalogued as Lot 110 and consigned by Mauritzfontein Stud, fetched R1,8 million from Shadwell Stud’s racing manager, Angus Gold, on another flying visit to South Africa. Mauritzfontein’s Jessica Slack said that the dam, Crown Office, is blind in one eye and an absolute stud favourite, so she was delighted that the colt had gone to such nice people. “Guy Murdoch selected this colt as a foal and he has been ‘the one’ all the way through, so we’re really pleased.” Crown Office currently has a Tiger Ridge colt at foot.
The day’s session finished off on a high, when the last lot for the opening day’s catalogue, Lot 150, a bay colt by Dynasty out of Firstnightbliss consigned by Klipdrif Stud as agent, fetched R2million from Gavin Smith Racing. Smith described the colt as “a beautiful specimen with a good head and a lovely eye. He’s very athletic, is a very good walker and is from a great family. He is well put together, has substance and just oozes quality. I got pushed, but I really wanted him and just want to thank my client for pushing through.”
Of the 150 lots catalogued for day 1, 107 found new homes. Of the balance, there were 12 withdrawals, 10 lots went unsold and a further 21 were vendor buy backs. The aggregate for the first night’s sales closed off at R38,650,000 for an average of R361,215 and a median of R200,000.
Top filly – 2015 NYS Lot 58 Ice Maiden (Western Winter – Baltic Beauty)
The highest priced colt was Ascot Stud’s Lot 41 at a new TBA record of R4,25 million. The highest price paid for a filly was R700,000 for Lot 58, Ice Maiden (Western Winter – Baltic Beauty) consigned by Avontuur Stud and purchased by Ridgemont Stud for R700,000.
The full results can be downloaded here.
Bidding resumes at 1pm on Thursday, 23 April 2015.
