Ridgemont’s G1-winning new sire Thunderstruck gained a good update to his pedigree when his half-brother Sutherland got off the mark on Saturday.
A son of Silvano, the Stuart Pettigrew-trained Sutherland was well-backed for Saturday’s Betway Maiden Plate (1200m) and duly obliged.
The lightly raced four-year-old stayed on strongly, under Philasande Mxoli, to break his maiden by half a length at Turffontein.
Bred by Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm, Sutherland had finished seventh on debut before finishing runner-up next time out. A pair of third-place finishers had preceded his win on Saturday.
Sutherland is the fourth winner produced by the Var sired G2 Post Merchants winner Varikate, who won five and earned more than R500 000 in prize money.
Equus Champion Sprinter of 2023-2024, Thunderstruck won eight of 18 starts including the G1 Gold Medallion at two and G1 Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint at four.
A son of top-class sire Rafeef, Thunderstruck is bred on the same Rafeef/Var cross as fellow graded stakes winners Cats Pajamas and Master Archie.

Paardeberg Stud, an exciting addition to the Cape breeding ranks, held an open day on Wednesday when the farm showed both its National Yearling Sale draft and well-performed resident sire Expert Eye to visitors.
A top-class racehorse, Expert Eye won group and graded races at both two and three, with the handsome bay claiming the biggest win of his career in the 2018 G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Notable stallions to have won the Breeders’ Cup Mile include Cozzene, Last Tycoon, and Royal Academy, while outstanding producer Miesque won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1987 and 1988.
A winner of two of three starts at two, including the G2 Qatar Vintage Stakes, Expert Eye picked up three group/graded races at three when he also finished runner-up in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes (beating the likes of Lord Glitters and Without Parole) and third in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.
His biggest triumph came, however, when he scorched home to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile by half a length.
The bay retired to stud having won five of ten starts, with Expert Eye earning well over £1 000 000 in prize money.
He came up with 22 two-year-old winners in his first crop, with Expert Eye’s second crop, now three-year-olds, headed by Juniper Berries (G3 Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Stakes and Snellen (Chesham Stakes).
From the same family as champion and successful sire Chief’s Crown, among many others, Expert Eye is one of more than 60 stakes winners for his G2 Diadem Stakes winning sire Acclamation.

Expert Eye will stand his first season in South Africa for a fee of R25 000 and there are still shares remaining.

Klawervlei Stud’s four time G1 winning stallion Twice Over is having an outstanding season in 2021-2022 thus far, and the former European champion had another memorable day on Sunday.
Not only did Twice Over come up with an impressive two-year-old winner on Sunday in the form of Grinkov, his talented three-year-old daughter Cutback captured the G3 Zimbabwe 2000 at Borrowdale Park on Sunday.

Bred by Laurence Wernars, progressive filly Cutback bounded clear to land Sunday’s feature race for three-year-olds, and second leg of the Zimbabwean Triple Crown, by a length and a quarter. Ridden to victory by Jarryd Penny, the Thomas Mason trained filly is owned by Scott Buchan and Neil Evans.

She joins a growing list of high-class stakes winners to have emerged from Twice Over’s current crop of three-year-olds which includes G1 Cape Guineas winner Double Superlative, G2 Senor Santa Stakes hero Smorgasbord and unbeaten Zimbabwean star Call The Wind.

Twice Over also looks to have a talented two-year-old to his name in the form of the Glen Kotzen trained Grinkov. The latter, third in the G3 Cape Racing Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at his previous start, broke his maiden in emphatic style on Sunday when romping home, under Gavin Lerena, to a near two length score.

Bred by Normandy Stud, the promising Grinkov was a R75 000 buy from the 2021 CTS Farm Yearling Sale.

Twice Over has five lots on offer at the 2022 National Yearling Sale.

Maine Chance Farms’ red hot resident sire Vercingetorix enjoyed yet another big payday when his progressive son Seeking The Stars ran out a hugely impressive winner of the De Grendel CTS Ready To Run Stakes (Non-Black Type) (1400m) at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Trained by Vaughan Marshall, Seeking The Stars was all the rage for Saturday’s R1.25 million feature, with the Klawervlei Stud bred colt coming into the race off a fine win in the recent G3 Cape Classic.

Under a fine, front running ride from Luyolo Mxowthwa, the Vercingetorix powered home to score by five and a half lengths, while taking his earnings to R747 000 in the process.

A R425 000 buy from last year’s CTS Ready To Run Stakes, Seeking The Stars has now won three of just six starts and he is another fine advertisement for his Jebel Hatta winning sire.

Vercingetorix, who had lots fetch up to R600 000 at the recent Emperors Palace National 2YO Sale, has six lots on the upcoming CTS Ready To Run, Unbroken 2 Year Old & Mixed Sale -including a three-parts sister (Lot 102) to Seeking The Stars.

Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s resident sire Oratorio is showing real promise as a broodmare sire, and his G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern winning daughter Temida looks to have come up with a high-class filly in the form of Tabera.

The latter, a three-year-old daughter of Gleneagles, had landed the Listed Listed Grosser Metalbau Burckhardt Stuten Preis in September, collected her first group win when she won the G3 Pferdewetten.de 30th Preis Der Deutschen Einheit at Hoppegarten on Saturday.
Tabera, who has now won four of her seven starts, had been third in the G3 Preis der Winterkonigin at Baden-Baden last October and fifth in the G2 German 1000 Guineas on her return at Dusseldorf June 21. She went on to land the Listed Diana Trial by four lengths on her first try at the distance before running eighth in the 10 1/2-furlong Listed Prix de Liancourt.

Trained by Miltcho Mintchev, the filly provided jockey Lukas Delozier with one of two group wins on the Hoppegarten card, with Delozier also steering Torquator Tasso to victory in Saturday’s G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Triple G1 winner Oratorio, who also ranks as the broodmare sire of recent G2 Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades Stud Filllies Stakes winner Epona Plays, is currently responsible for more than 100 black type horses.

His G1 Mercury Sprint/G1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion son Van Halen is being prepared for a potential tilt at a lucrative race in Saudi Arabia.

Oratorio has a single lot on offer at this year’s Emperors Palace National 2YO Sale.

The Ridgemont Highlands based Canford Cliffs supplied a debut winner in Australia on Monday, when his gelded son Jolly Sailor won at the first time of asking.

Trained by Henry Dwyer, the three-year-old outclassed his rivals, with Jolly Sailor sprinting home to post a five length debut win over 1200 metres.

Out of the Elvstroem mare Rechichi, Jolly Sailor joins the unbeaten gelding Cliffs Of Comfort as recent Australian winners for Canford Cliffs.

The five time G1 winning Canford Cliffs is set to have his millionaire son Cliff’s Edge join him at stud, with that four time group winner having recently been retired to stud.

Winner of five G1 races in a row, and a brilliant winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes at two, Canford Cliffs is currently responsible for 36 stakes horses, with his progeny having already earned over $22 000 000 in prize money.

Maine Chance Farms resident sire, and South Africa’s reigning champion sire, Silvano had a good double at Kenilworth on Tuesday afternoon.

Silvano went close to having a Kenilworth treble on Tuesday, with his son Nixon narrowly beaten into second place in Tuesday’s fourth race.

His son August Leaves ran on strongly to shed his maiden by three-parts of a length, under a finely timed ride from Richard Fourie.
The three-year-old Justin Snaith trained gelding clearly relished the 2000m trip which August Leaves was trying for a first time on Tuesday.

Silvano’s second success on Tuesday came when the Eric Sands trained Ronaldo stayed on to break his maiden over 1600m by a comfortable length and a half.

Already champion sire four times in South Africa, Silvano is having another superb year in 2019-2020 with his star representatives including G1 Gauteng Chris Gerber Summer Cup winner Zillzaal, exported G1 Cape Guineas winner Kilindini, G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas/G3 The Citizen Fillies Mile winner Summer Pudding and fellow graded stakes winners Silver Operator, Hawwaam, and Silver Host.

Boland Stud, who will once again be offering a quality draft at this year’s National Yearling Sale, are the breeders of one of the most impressive winners on Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Greyville card.

The Boland bred Bayview Express justified 9-10 tote favouritism when running out a facile three and a quarter length winner over 2000m on Sunday under inform jockey Anton Marcus.

It was no race half down the straight, and Bayview Express could have well gone on to win by six lengths under a hard ride!

A three-year-old son of Ridgemont Highlands’ inform sire Jackson, the Yogas Govender trained three-year-old races for all of Al Khayl Breeders (Pty) Ltd, in partnership with Messrs Chetty, Naidoo, Pillay and Mrs D Naidoo.

Bayview Express was a R280 000 buy from the 2018 KZN Yearling Sale.

The progressive Bayview Express, who has now won or placed in three of just five starts, had been second over 1750m at his penultimate start.

He is the second winner out of the Captain Al sired G3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery runner up Captain’s Lullaby, who is also the dam of the talented G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes placed Vontreo, and Captain’s Lullaby herself is a half-sister to G3 Byerley Turk winner Mambo Mime and the stakes placed dam of classy filly Varumba.

Excitingly enough, Boland Stud will be offering a Gimmethegreenlight half-sister to Bayview Express at this year’s National Yearling Sale,with the 2020 National Sale set to take place in Germiston from April 22nd to 24th this year.

Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm’s inform sire Oratorio enjoyed more feature race success on Sunday, when his son Chantyman won the African Holly Handicap (Non Black Type) at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

Under jockey Anton Marcus, the Oratorio gelding had far too many guns for his seven rivals (despite having 62kgs on his back) and romped home to record a facile four and three quarter length win in Sunday’s 1000m sprint.

Trained by Dennis Bosch, Chantyman has now won six of 18 outings, with his win on Sunday taking the five-year-old’s earnings to over R540 000.

One of two South African winners over the weekend for his sire, Chantyman had finished third to his talented paternal half-brother Ultra Magnus in a pinnacle stakes at his penultimate start.

His triple G1 winning sire Oratorio, a dual champion sire in Italy, recently came up with his 100^th black type horse when his son Oravar ran third in the G3 Lebelo Sprint at Turffontein.

A son of Danehill, from the family of Alydar and Grand Slam, Oratorio has been enjoying another fine season in 2019-2020 with his notable local representatives headed by G2 New Turf Carriers Merchants winner Mardi Gras, G3 Victress Stakes winner Snapscan and G1 Cape Guineas runner up Viva Rio.

Oratorio has two lots on the 2020 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

Ashley and Rose Parker’s Ascot Stud will, once again, be offering a large and high-quality draft at this year’s National 2YO Sale.

Previous stars to emerged from Ascot’s 2YO Sale draft include G1 SA Nursery winner Arabian Beat, and such champion fillies as Rock Opera and Warning Zone, making this draft not one to be missed.
Ascot’s draft this year includes juveniles by such stallions as Captain Al, Bold Silvano, Coup De Grace, and Global View, and they will also be offering five smart two-year-olds as agent for the Riyo Stud.

A possible standout in the draft could be Gold Alley (Lot 59) –one of just two fillies on sale sired by the late, great Captain Al. This classically bred filly is out of a G3 winning half-sister to three stakes winners, notably exported Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold, and she hails from the same family as such champion fillies as Dog Wood and Enchanted Garden.

Resident Galileo sire Global View has no fewer than 11 members of his first crop in this draft and they include a half-brother (Lot 85) to the aforementioned Elusive Gold, a half-sister (Lot 94) to ill-fated but unbeaten filly Gimme Crystals, a half-brother (Lot 130) to the dam of stakes winning 2yo Miss Honey, a colt (Lot 158) from the same female line as Nureyev, Fairy King and Global View’s own grandsire Sadler’s Wells and a half-brother (Lot 299) to top sprinter Search Party.

Cash Express (Lot 61) is a Judpot filly whose dam is a half-sister to three graded stakes winners including three time G1 winner Smart Banker, while Passing Shot (Lot 218) is a Coup De Grace colt whose winning Trippi sired dam is a ¾ sister to G1 winner Real Princess.

Ascot’s July winning sire Bold Silvano has two colts in their draft –a son (Lot 175) of a five time winning mare whose relatives include Summer Cup winner Ingleside, and a half-brother (Lot 229) to the very smart, but sadly short-lived Dynamic Speed.

Ascot will also be offering five quality lots on behalf of the Riyo Stud, including a Jackson (Lot 75) half-sister to classy filly Klever Kathy, a Bold Silvano colt (Lot 164) from the family of Danehill and Northern Dancer, and a Bold Silvano filly (Lot 209) whose dam is a full-sister to G3 Queen’s Bay and to the dam of G1 SA Derby winner Bouquet-Garni.
The 2019 National 2YO Sale is set to take place at the TBA complex in Germiston on August 15th-16th, and it again promises to produce its share of stars!