Mother Nature dealt the Cape Thoroughbred Sales team and their vendors a far kinder hand on Sunday than she did a month earlier at their Mare & Mixed Sale.
The magnificent De Grendel Wine Estate basked on a glorious Indian summer day in the middle of the Cape winter, with the curtain coming down on the inaugural new-look CTS Farm Yearling Sale.
The unique and popular sale started as a sales and social and event of popular proportions by John Koster and his Klawervlei team some years ago, went online in 2020 for the first time, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic fallout.
The joining of hands with all breeders and a partnership with CTS saw the 2021 renewal take the next step up on Sunday at the De Grendel Wine Estate, a venue described as ‘world-class’ by CTS Marketing and Bloodstock Director, Grant Knowles.
While the recent cancellation of the KZN Yearling Sale scheduled for Durban July week was a blow for breeders across the country, the bidding both physical and online on Sunday was spirited with a great vibe prevailing as ice-cold beers, short sleeves and aircons replaced the gluhwein, windbreakers and heaters of a month earlier.
Sold at R300k to the Viljoens – Wilgerbosdrift’s Fur Baby
Topseller on the afternoon was #126, a Wilgerbosdrift -bred daughter of Kingmambo sire Ideal World.
Catchily named Fur Baby, she is out of a winning three-parts sister to Peninsula Handicap winner Wonder Lawn and was knocked down after some spirited mixed-platform bidding to leading owners Basie and Suzette Viljoen for R300 000.
See the results – click here
The sale aggregate was R7 645 000, with an average of R72 123 and a median of R60 000.
Klawervlei sire William Longsword, who produced his third first-crop winner when Imbewu won for Sean Tarry and the Hollywood Syndicate at Turffontein last Thursday, led the sire averages with his ten lots totalling R790 000 at an average of R79 000.
See the sires chart – click here
While Klawervlei topped the vendor tables with their 32 lots selling for an aggregate of R2 290 000 at an average of R71 562, Wilgerbosdrift outpointed the former sale hosts on averages with their octet grossing R1 195 000 for an average of R149 375.
See the vendor chart – click here
Sean Tarry Racing bought 8 lots for a gross R565 000, averaging R70 625. The Gauteng team narrowly outgrossed KZN operation Paul Lafferty Racing, who spent R5 000 less on their quintet, for an average of R112 000.
See the buyers chart – click here
With an honour roll boosted by the new generation ‘people’s horse’ and Vodacom Durban July fancy Kommetdieding, a R55 000 Farm Sale graduate of his year, the sale enjoyed staunch support.
And there was no harm done either that Cape Thoroughbred Sales recently announced a substantial increase in prize money for the 2022 CTS Farm Sale Stakes Race. Scheduled for June 2022, it will now be worth R400 000, doubling its current R200 000.
“Given the economic climate, and thanks to the support from a wide range of vendors and buyers, I think we can feel very satisfied with the results. It was also encouraging that eleven yearlings were purchased by Zimbabweans. The average was good for what was a solid sale at a world-class venue,” a buoyant Grant Knowles told the Sporting Post afterwards.
