The Summerhill Dispersal Sale means the end of an era in South African breeding. The home of champions and great horses over 40 years has produced some wonderful memories
Sue and Jodi Pieters of Precentor Place happily chat about one such great horse – Senor Santa, who spent time at their magnificent farm when trained by Willie Pieters.
Senor Santa
Sue recalls that although bred at Boland Stud, Senor Santa spent his last years at Summerhill.
The son of Northern Guest is the legendary galloper that became the first sprinting equine millionaire winning 15 races, including 7 at Gr1 level in a five-season campaign.
Jodi fondly remembers stories of the legendary Senor Santa. Her Dad Willie Pieters was the trainer of this iconic horse and the family enjoys nothing more than reminiscing about those golden years.
Willie Pieters (left) and the happy Santa team
“Senor Santa was a very lazy horse and difficult to train. He could work with the slowest horse in the yard and they would still beat him. This meant that it was hard to judge his fitness and well-being. Even on race day, he would run the first half at the back of the field but then always have a flying finish,” recalls Willie.
Sue Pieters fondly reflects that ‘when the jockey said go, it was like pressing a button with an instant turn of speed’.
Senor Santa raced until he was 8 years old.
Willie believes his extended career was largely due to the benefit of his many battery recharging breaks at Precentor Place.
“To keep his mind right and to keep him fresh, he would go to Precentor Place between big races. He would spend time in the paddock, hack out and do slow track work. The frequent rests at Precentor Place and personal attention from Sue meant that he could race longer than most thoroughbreds,” added the veteran trainer.
The champion was retired to Summerhill Stud until his passing in 2014 at the ripe old age of 29.
He had the job of babysitter to the weanlings on the farm. Willie believes this role was well suited as ‘he was such a laid-back horse and had a stabilizing influence’.
When looking through the website of Summerhill you will see a heart-warming quote from Mick Goss:
‘Senor Santa’s story is straight forward. He earned his place at Summerhill because he happened to be the best racing son of the best stallion ever to stand here. He was one of the nice guys of racing’.
Sue explains her feeling towards the closing of Summerhill.
Senor Santta – Gr1 star
“It is a really sad day that a part of South African racing history is closing. And we all have our heart in the mix somewhere. For us it’s the farm that gave Senor Santa a wonderful retirement up until his passing.”
Precentor Place is still offering special rates due to the Covid-19 crisis for pre-training and spelling services on any yearlings bought on the Summerhill sale.
Being only a bit over an hour’s drive away from Summerhill, transportation costs will be kept to a minimum.
Jodi says that ‘an especially good rate will be given to weanlings sent to Precentor Place to grow big and strong, just like Senor Santa!’
“You never know, the next legend in the making could be there right now…
As mentioned, if you are buying on the Summerhill Dispersal Sale, or just looking for a great escape for your champion, Precentor Place is offering special rates during this time and Jodi can be contacted on 071 171 7502 or email [email protected] for more information.
- If you are an existing regular industry service provider and have a service special that you feel may be of assistance and benefit to stakeholders at this time, please feel free to email details to [email protected]
