Frankel-mania continued unabashedly at the 2018 Cape Premier Yearling Sale. Galileo’s unbeaten son was responsible for both the sales topping colt, and a joint top priced filly at the two day sale, which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
The sales topper, an unnamed flashy chestnut colt out of the Kingmambo mare, is a three parts brother to 2 Galileo sired winners, and his dam is out of Listed Oaks Trial winner Baraka (Danehill) –herself a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Turf winning globetrotting star Pilsudski.
Consigned by Klawervlei Stud (as Agent), the colt (bred on the same Frankel/Kingmambo cross as group winners Eminent and Last Kingdom) was catalogued as lot 94. He was knocked down to John Freeman, who bought the Frankel colt on behalf of prominent owner Jack Mitchell.
Freeman said of the buy, “His motion, his swing, he has great front leg extension, he’s got it all. I think he’s still very immature, we’re selling horses here that are only 14 months old so they’ve hardly developed yet and you need a bit of imagination to see where they’re going to go. I’m a very big fan of Frankel too.”
No fewer than three fillies fetched R3 000 000 to jointly set the benchmark for the sales’ top priced females. Fillies by Silvano (Lot 59), Captain Al (Lot 107) and Frankel all (Lot 172) reached that price when knocked down to Amanda Skiffington, John Freeman and Pat Shaw respectively.
The average price and median both dropped notably with the average dropping from R699 211 to R506 621, and the median falling from R387 500 to R300 000.
However, CEO Wehann Smith declared himself extremely satisfied with the two days of trade.
“There’s no point in ignoring the elephant in the room, Mayfair Speculators were a really big buyer to lose,” he said. “But it’s been great to see the variety of buyers here, locals and internationals, and that’s what really points to a new beginning for this sale.
“We’ll miss Mayfair as a client but this is a time for new people to put their hand up and fill the void and I believe people are willing to do that.
“I’m hugely excited about the Hong Kong Jockey Club buying, that’s wonderful for CTS but even better for the South African industry. The key for us now is to ensure they have a good experience getting this horses out of South Africa and to ensure they come back here next year and continue to purchase.”
Klawervlei Stud, who, as agent, consigned four of the sales’ five top lots, were the sales’ dominant vendors. South Africa’s reigning champion breeders sold 64 yearlings for a gross total of R42 225 000. Drakenstein Stud fared next best, with the Simondium based farm’s 12 lots to sell fetching R14 275 000.
Bloodstock agent John Freeman dominated the buyers log, with Freeman’s 11 yearlings bought fetching R14.1 million-more than double than the next leading buyer at the sale. This was Singapore based South African born trainer Pat Shaw, who came away with five lots at a cost of R6 525 000.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club, who were buying in South Africa for a first time, had a memorable sales debut, coming away with four yearlings for R6 100 000.
Among the lots heading to Hong Kong was a R2.5 million Dynasty colt out of Dubawi’s dual G1 winning daughter Happy Archer (Lot 23), and a Captain Al own brother to champion All Is Secret and G1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship winner The Secret Is Out. The latter, already named I Am The Secret, was consigned by Klawervlei Stud (as Agent), and was knocked down for R1 800 000.
Klawervlei Stud’s late, great sire Captain Al headed the stallion log with his 26 yearlings grossing R22 775 000. Silvano, South Africa’s reigning champion sire, was also popular with his 18 lots fetching R13 700 000.
Juddmonte Farms’ sire sensation Frankel (who stands for a fee of £175 000) had his three lots fetch R8 500 000.
Young Wilgerbosdrift based sire, and former Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate, Soft Falling Rain, was the sales’ leading first crop sire, with the son of National Assembly’s 7 lots grossing R4 000 000 –and averaging an impressive R571 428.
A full list of prices and statistics can be found online at www.capethoroughbredsales.com