Climate change aside, August in the Cape is inevitably wet. And Mother Nature played a consistent ball again as over 200 invited guests gathered with brollies and boots to welcome the magnificent chestnut Talk Of The Town to Avontuur on Thursday.
Racing and breeding’s movers and shakers turned up in numbers on a day when many must have been tempted to keep the slippers on and stay put. It was cold and wet!
The enthusiastic audience gather for the Talk show! (Pic Jade Macdonald)
“I remember 17 odd years ago when we gathered to welcome this very impressive specimen’s Dad, VAR. The weather was exactly the same as it is today. They say the rain is a blessing. He is a helluva nice horse,” quipped leading owner and breeder Marsh Shirtliff as the rain fell gently on the immaculately manicured lawns of the Manor House, with longstanding Avontuur GM Pippa Mickleburgh introducing her new man to a keen audience.
An injury forced the end of the handsome Talk Of The Town’s racing career. He raced just five times for three straight victories.
“Those closest to him said he was as good as Variety Club – and we all know what he did,” added Pippa of the former SA Horse Of The Year as she pointed out the 10 sires and 8 Gr1 winners in the first 3 generations of Talk Of The Town’s pedigree.
Talk Of The Town is out of the unraced Street Cry mare Street Wise, whose granddam is the outstanding Nijinsky II mare Dancing Show. The latter is granddam of the great Redoute’s Choice.
Taberer family PA Nerien Naude, Blair Taberer and Pippa Mickleburgh in upbeat mood (Pic- Jade Macdonald)
“And remember what they said about Northern Guest before he made his mark!” added the horsewoman with the midas touch, as Berthwell Arosi, the man who looked after Divine King, Dominion Royale and VAR, proudly showed his charge off.
After his champion sire’s passing earlier this year, the R3 million yearling Talk Of The Town looks the perfect successor to Dad’s hallowed throne.
Now in his third season at stud, Talk Of The Town has already stamped his offspring with his exceptional demeanour and athletic good looks.
His sire VAR left us earlier this year and is a legend on SA racetracks. He was a Leading Sire of 2YO’s in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and Champion Sire of Winners in 2018-19.
The sire of 10 Gr1 winners, including the referenced 2012 Equus Horse of the Year Variety Club, and Champion Sprinters Val de Ra and Via Afrika amongst many other well-known names in South African racing, VAR is the sire of over 100 black type horses with his progeny earning more than R150 million. He has also stamped himself as a broodmare sire of some proportions.
The consensus amongst the audience was that Talk Of The Town has to be given an opportunity to show in the stallion barn what he was denied in a premature end to his track career.
“The blood is there in all its glory. Look at the specimen. He was doing it on the racetrack. He ticks the boxes. He has to be worth a chance to prove himself,” said a veteran.
To enquire about Talk Of The Town’s fee and to book a mare to this impressive young sire, please email Pippa at [email protected].
- All pics by Jade Macdonald
