From the stud farms of champions to the Sales ring where those champions are bought. What happens next is often the stuff of dreams.
The Cape Racing Premier Yearling Sale, now powered by Tattersalls for the second successive year, has traditional unearthed quality that has gone on to set the race tracks alight, and even become established stallions and broodmares themselves.
Gary Lemke writes that the reality though is that not even Nostradamus could predict what these yearlings will go on to become, but we can be sure that they are the crème de la crème offered by breeders.
History repeats, and so history will repeat at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Thursday 25 January.
One simply has to run a finger down the “roll of honour” to see what champions have come under the hammer at this prestigious Sale. Silver Mountain (2014), Just Sensual (2015), William Longsword (2015), One World (2017), Vardy (2017), Linebacker (2019), Chansonette (2020), Double Superlative (2020) and See It Again (2021) are a selection of yearlings who have gone on to achieve fame and fortune.
In fact, See It Again, a 2021 CPYS graduate, is the odds-on favourite to win the Cape Town Met on 27th January. If he were to, he’d follow
One World into the winner’s enclosure as a Met winner from this Sale.
“I really think it is a super draft. There is so much to be excited about,” says Jo Campher, Bloodstock Product manager at Kuda. “There are some beautiful pedigrees. Just to touch on a few. There’s 2020 Horse of the Year Hawwaam who has his first crop of yearlings on this Sale. In total he has nine. One of them is a half-brother to current Horse of the Year, Princess Calla, and who has been named Pivotal Role.
“Erik The Red is another exciting first-time stallion, and he has four yearlings for sale, but there are amazing pedigrees from Lot 1 to Lot 136. As an example, the final Lot of the Sale (136), is a Gimmethegreenlight filly who is a half-sister to Vardy, who won the 2020 Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate,” Campher said.
She feels a special connection to this Sale. “It’s always great to start off the year surrounded by fellow horse enthusiasts and being able to view and admire such magnificent yearlings. I’ve marked some smart types that I’m keen to see up close and personal. Some of them I first saw as cute little foals on the farm.”
Campher will be at the CTICC wearing her Kuda hat, so to speak. “I can’t emphasise how important insurance options are when it comes to sales, especially one as important as this one is. There might be a figure attached to a yearling who is bought, but they are priceless property and as young horses the reality is that things can go wrong on their way to featuring on the racetracks.”
Buyers are encouraged to speak to Campher at the Sale to run through a bouquet of options available to suit an individual’s need.
