He also has a dominant record in the Gr 2 Selangor Cup, which is considered the chief pointer to the Cape Guineas. He last won the Selangor in 2009, when saddling the one-two, Past Master and subsequent Cape Guineas winner Noodrdhoek Flyer. However, up to that point he had won six of the first eight runnings of the race.

Afrikaburn, an athletic colt by Trippi, already has a Gr 1 under his belt having won the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville as a two-year-old. He caught the eye on his reappearance when appearing to be labouring halfway down the straight but then suddenly taking off to finish a two length second to the older horse Reim in the Gr 3 Kuda Matchem Stakes over 1400m.

Kannemeyer confirmed that Afrikaburn had needed that run and added that he might consider quarter cup blinkers next time out too. He has drawn 9 out of 17 entries in the Selangor, which is to be run on the Kenilworth Old Course over 1600m on November 22. He will be a leading contender in both that race and the Cape Guineas, although Kannemeyer pointed out that the Western Cape had “the most competitive racing in the country”, so it is very tough to win these big events.

Balance Sheet is a Silvano colt whom Kannemeyer thinks highly of. He is an improving sort and to date has won two out of his three starts. Both his wins have been over the 1600m distance of the Selangor and the Guineas.  Balance Sheet drew barrier 11 in the Selangor. The two colts worked together on Saturday and should be rearing to go by Saturday week.

Picture (Afrikaburn) by Nkosi Hlophe

Easy Lover had proved his class in his previous outing when beating some useful older horses in a handicap over 1200m despite being an early three-year-old running off a merit rating of 92.

This was the first time he had raced over further than 1450m, but after sitting at the back he looked as if he had been dropped into the race at the 200m mark and won effortlessly by 2,5 lengths from the Mike de Kock-trained favourite Trip To Rio and the Mike Miller-trained Melson.

The second favourite Split To Breeze was next best, but finished 7,75 lengths behind the winner, while the promising Rif Raf was beaten eight lengths into fifth which underlined the class of Easy Lover’s performance.

However, Howells does not believe Easy Lover is quite Gr 1 class and will instead be aiming him at a Cape Thoroughbred Sales R2,5 million sales race at Turffontein in February.

Easy Lover drifted from 22/10 to 9/2 and this was a welcome win for KZN’s champion trainer as his yard has been through a rare quiet spell.

In the previous race, a MR 74 Handicap over 1200m on the polytrack, the Dennis Drier-trained four-year-old Horse Chestnut gelding Ho’oponopono (pictured) looked one of the best bets on the card as he was running off a likely capped merit rating of 70 having won his maiden over 1000m by over three lengths. He duly won by 4,5 lengths under Sean Cormack and will probably still be ahead of the handicapper next time out.

Cormack completed a double when the ever improving Paul Gadsby-trained Lundy’s Liability gelding Candy Moon narrowly won the last, a Conditions Plate over 1600m, which was one of only two races run on the turf.

Anton Marcus added another winner to his treble on Friday night by scoring in the second race on the heavily backed Garth Puller-trained odds-on favourite Snow Rose.

Anthony Delpech rode a winner on Friday night, one at Turffontein on Saturday and followed suit by having one winner yesterday on the Sean Tarry-trained Strategic’s Pride who won a maiden over 1600m.

Mark Dixon has only had the four-year-old Trippi filly San Trip for two runs and she has now won both of them, having got up in a fillies and mares MR 84 handicap over 1900m yesterday under Keagan de Melo. This big, rangy sort could have more wins in her.

The most exciting finish yesterday was the fifth over 1000m and saw 2,5kg claimer Callan Murray only just prevailing on the Colin Scott-trained Stormy Cat.

However, the ride of the day could well have come in the first from the much underestimated jockey Derryl Daniels, who won on the 150-1 shot Mullins Bay first-timer filly from the Lola Crawford yard Dream Bay. The poly is being called a “jockey’s track”, as pace judgement and timing are of the essence and Daniels poly statistics in October and November tell a story, 26 rides, eight wins and a strike rate of 30,77%. Furthermore the return for a R1 bet on every one of his mounts in this period has been R114,30.

Pictures: Nkosi Hlophe

Drier’s big classic hopeful Generalissimo (pictured) was hugely impressive again on Saturday when leading from pillar to post against a classy Graduation Plate field over 1200m under stable jockey Sean Cormack and in the process he lowered the course Kenilworth record from 69,54 seconds to 69,51 seconds.

Drier is hopeful the Var colt will see out 1600m despite his speed and said, “There was a tailwind on Saturday and he showed that he might just have needed it. My gut feel is that he will get the mile as he is just so relaxed.”

Indeed he did appear to tire late in the race, but had carved out a big lead in effortless fashion before that and won comfortably by 1,25 lengths.

He has drawn very well in the weight for age Gr 2 Selangor Cup over 1600m on the Kenilworth Old Course on November 22 and how he fares there will likely decide whether he has a tilt at the big one, the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas.

Drier’s string are now “totally over” the bad patch and are in rude health at his Phillippi base. He said, “It is a blessing we left early, because they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to have run in their planned races. They’re all now eating well and working nicely.”

In fact a case of African Horse Sickness at Summerveld a week or two after the string left would have prevented them from travelling at all had they had left it much longer.

An exciting youngster from the yard, Mint Master, makes his Cape Town debut on Wednesday in a MR 76 Handicap over 1000m. This Jet Master colt won his debut on the Greyville polytrack over 1000m by 4,25 lengths and Drier said, “He is very well. It’s the first time out the maidens, but we are hoping he runs a cracker. He has lots of natural ability and is very speedy.”

The yard’s stalwart five-year-old Jet Master mare Jet Aglow (pictured)  is also “very, very well.” She deserves a Gr 1 win and will take the same path that her celebrated stablemate Beach Beauty took last year, the Gr 2 weight for age (wfa) Green Point Stakes over 1600m on November 22 against the boys (where she has drawn superbly in three), followed by the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m.

However, Cormack might have a tough choice in the latter two events as they are also the target of another top class Jet Master from the yard, the four-year-old Eventual Angel. This filly has won four out of five, including a Gr 3, and makes her Cape debut on November 19 in a fillies and mares conditions plate over 1600m.

She has never gone beyond 1400m and Drier said about her chances of seeing out the 1800m of the Paddock Stakes, “We will see but she is a very relaxed, easy filly.”

His two big sprinters Guinness and Captain Of All are both back on track and being targeted at the Betting World Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship on January 24.

Drier is also going to stick to the straight for the time being with his talented Horse Chestnut filly Balkan (pictured). She runs in a Conditions Plate over 1000m on 16 November and will then be aimed at the Gr 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m on December 6.

He said, “The problem after the travel lingered with her a bit, but she is now hundreds and is firing. Her work has been exceptional, phenomenal, it has just been unbelievable.”

The 1200m polytrack form of his three-year-old Western Winter gelding Knox has worked out exceptionally well and this horse qualifies for the R1 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Book 1 Graduates race over 1200m on January 24. Drier said that this horse “shouldn’t only sprint”, so he could have a bright future.

The yard’s above average A P Answer gelding Beckedorf is “very well” and will likely be aimed at the Listed Southeaster Sprint on December 6 followed by the three-year-old feature, the Need For Speed Sprint.

Drier doesn’t know yet how good his four-year-old Jet Master filly Gathering Fame is as she has won her two starts over 1600m and 1900m on the poly very comfortably since being stepped up from sprints. However, she was one of the worst affected after the travel and might take the Cape season slowly in order that she is in top shape for the Champions Season.

Pictures: Liesl King

Dean Kannemeyer, disclosing the full extent of the setback, said at the weekend: “I had to scratch him from the Champions Cup because he rapped himself in work, bruising his near-fore tendon, and I then confined him to walking for three months.

“I could have walked him for just six weeks but he is a valuable horse and I decided to give him time. Touch wood, he has been fine since. I would have started him in the Green Point but I want him to come on so that I have him right for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.”

Kannemeyer, who won the 2003 Cape Merchants with 25-1 shot Honour The Guest, will also run Hot Ticket on Sunday even though the trip is way too short for last season’s Betting World Stakes and Nokia Gold Vase winner. Again a setback is the reason. The Milnerton trainer explained: “He had an infection in the guttural pouch so I had to ease up on him and I want to give him a blow over 1 200m.”

Kannemeyer, looking for his sixth Cape Guineas in 11 seasons, galloped his main hope Afrikaburn at Kenilworth on Saturday.

He said: “It was pacework over seven furlongs and he went nicely. I haven’t made up my mind yet whether he runs in the Green Point or in the Selangor Cup on the same day. I’ve won the Green Point with three-year-olds before (Roman Charger, Dynasty and Royal Opinion) and I also have Balance Sheet in both races. He did nice pacework on the course on Saturday.”

Picture: Liesl King

Kathy Finch and Bridget Kieswetter’s Western Winter filly proved too strong for the pace-setting Double Whammy in Saturday’s Choice Carriers Championship with Fayd’Herbe sending his mount to the front just over a furlong out to score by a most convincing length and a quarter.

Joey Ramsden said: “This is a very good filly and I thought she would win like that. It might sound big-headed but really I wasn’t worried about anything. It’s like having Variety Club and my other good horses – they give you confidence.

“The Fillies Guineas is going to have a seriously good field and I would be a bit worried about the mile. But Bernard isn’t.”

Fayd’Herbe added: “Majmu will be a hard horse to beat, and Cold As Ice is not going to get the mile as well as her, but it’s Cape racing so you never know.

“Anyway it’s going to take a good horse to beat mine. When you press the button it’s like sitting in a Porsche and today I never had any doubts. Indeed I haven’t had any since the first time I rode her.”

However the steady pace – the time was slower than the first of the 1 400m handicaps and only slightly faster than the second one – provides a cautionary caveat and suggests Mike de Kock might have to bring a pacemaker if he wants to copper-bottom Majmu’s chance on 6 December.

It certainly gave Glen Kotzen grounds for optimism. “Double Whammy switched off in front just too well this time,” he said, “and next time we want to see her when she doesn’t have to make the running.”

Vaughan Marshall, too, wants a true gallop for third-placed Jet Set Go and said: “I was very happy with her run here but the extra 200m of the Fillies Guineas is what she is looking for.”

Generalissimo got Dennis Drier’s Cape season off the mark in sensational style by smashing the Kenilworth 1 200m course record, leading throughout the Spring Valley Graduation Plate to clock 69.51 sec. According to the National Racing Bureau, the old record of 69.9sec had stood since L’Passionata 13 years ago.

Sean Cormack’s mount has plenty of speed in the pedigree – by Var out of a mare whose six wins were all over 1 000m – but Drier intends stepping him up to a mile in the Selangor next time.

He said: “They have always told me that a horse who can lead all the way over 1 200m at Kenilworth will get a mile. He is still a bit immature but the way I rate him I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t won like he did.”

Ramsden followed up his Choice Carriers success by completing a quick-fire treble with Miss Saigon (Andrew Fortune) and Swannee Rose (Anthony Andrews) but the former champion only got the mount after seeing he was to be replaced by Karl Neisus.

He promptly sent an aggrieved text to Ramsden and said: “I couldn’t believe they wanted to jock me off for Karl. I thought ‘this man is putting on somebody worse!’” Cape Town’s master of timing, possessed of a considerably more modest make-up, simply shook his head and gave a knowing smile.

Pictures: Liesl King

Joey Ramsden holds a strong hand with Cold As Ice, currently at the top of the boards, and ample back-up in Grey Light, both in with big chances. Sean Cormack deputised for heavy-weight Bernhard Fayd-Herbe in a Graduation Plate victory last time out but today’s field is a lot tougher.

Glen Kotzen has been waxing lyrical about his recent Diana Stakes winner Double Whammy who made all to beat the older and more than useful Lanner Falcon in that race. She had the better of Cold As Ice when shedding her maiden but while the latter was making her debut Double Whammy was having her second outing. There should not be very much between the two.

But they may all have to take a back seat to the hitherto unbeaten Jet Set Go. Vaughan Marshall’s runner quickens nicely, goes the trip and has a plum draw. She meets a strong field but can stake her Guineas claim.

The Highveld is girding up for the Sansui Summer Cup at month’s end and although there is no feature at Turffontein today punters are faced with some seriously competitive racing.

The Greyville turf track is slowly being brought back into action after a lengthy spring treatment and the last two races tomorrow afternoon will be on new turf including the KZN Guineas Trial where some promising sophomores line up in this Listed event over a “mile”. Likely ante-post favourite is the Charles Laird-trained Split the Breeze that has his first test around a turn and over 1600m after showing some smart form over sprints.

Split The Breeze started his career with Luiz Cunha, giving the fledgling stable their first winner, but a dispute over ownership resulted in a change of colours and trainer with Alesh Naidoo paying a handsome sum to acquire the colt on auction.

Naidoo was not bidding blind however, as Laird’s stable jockey Anton Marcus had partnered the colt in his last two outings for Cunha and no doubt would have had some input into the decision to buy the horse.

Split The Breeze waltzed home when blinkered for the first time in a feature, one of the last races ever run down the Clairwood straight, making all the running to win by over four lengths. That victory, some four months back, garnered him a rating of 97, the highest in tomorrow’s field and the fact that he has the added advantage of  Marcus aboard one would not bet heavily against him.

KZN Champion trainer Duncan Howells has had a relatively quiet start to the current season but has not had a happy time of it on the poly. However, his runners are always thereabouts and he is one trainer who will be relieved that the turf is back in use. He saddles the promising Easy Lover from an inside barrier. In Easy Lover’s favour is that he has gone close over 1450m before and came with a rattle to land the spoils at his last start when catching the hard-knocker Flyfirstclass on the line. I doubt that he has stamina limitations and he looks a live threat to Split The Breeze.

Since his return from the UK, Mike de Kock has upped his stable’s ante and his runners are winning all over in what appears to have been a well-planned strategy. He saddles two runners tomorrow with Trip To Rio looking the stable elect judged on the riding engagements. The colt won comfortably enough in handicap company under Delpech over the stand side Turffontein 1600m last time out and although he meets a better class runner tomorrow he is a must inclusion in all exotics.

Stable companion Casciano has yet to finish out of the first two in four stabs that include three outings on the poly. Although he beat a modest handicap field last time out, he also beat the well regarded Riff Raf when shedding his maiden and the latter franked that form in no uncertain manner.

The dark horse is the Garth Puller-trained Fortissimo. Friendless in the market on debut, he came with a telling late run to slam the promising Alghadeer on the poly. It was a smart debut and any market support must be respected.

However, given the combination of Laird and Marcus, Split The Breeze looks the right one but expect Easy Lover and Trip To Rio to be chasing hard.

A Pinnacle Plate rounds off the eight-race meeting where another Laird inmate Admiral’s Eye, also in the colours of Alesh Naidoo, could have the wood on her male rivals. She is rated 4kg superior to the best of the opposition and is in very good form. She made all the running to win her last start and although the margin was less than a length it was a rather cosy victory. That was her first run on the poly and although she takes on stronger she has a handy weight from a good draw.

Interesting will be the performance of Gold Onyx. Although this trip is on the short side, Sean Tarry’s runner loves Greyville and given his aging legs, the new turf could just bring out the best in him.

“It’s going to be a great race,” enthuses Glen Kotzen  whose Double Whammy is the only Graded winner in the field and who led throughout to gamely shrug aside all challengers in last month’s Lanzerac Diana.

Indeed the quality of the line-up has persuaded him to change his plans, particularly with the filly being faced with the worst of the draw. “We are going to have to ride her forward. We were going to tuck her in but I don’t think we should do that now.”

Double Whammy is officially rated just over two lengths better than Cold As Ice but the latter was having her first race when the two met three months ago and the way she won a 1 200m handicap last week suggests she is the one they all have to beat – even over this extra furlong.

Her dam Viva won seven races including the Champagne but nothing beyond 1 200m and, according to Kotzen who trained her, she was an out-and-out sprinter.

“I think Cold As Ice will be alright over 1 400m,” says Joey Ramsden. “Indeed I’m not worried about the trip although I might be over a mile.”

Jet Set Go is the only unbeaten horse in the field and she won the last of her three starts with ease over the trip at Durbanville last month. So, can she beat the other two? “Wait and see on Saturday,” was all I could get out of a smiling Vaughan Marshall, seemingly intent on playing his cards close to his chest.

The bookmakers, though, believe he doesn’t hold the ace and Betting World yesterday opened his filly at 3-1. Double Whammy is second favourite at 5-2 and Cold As Ice heads the market at 18-10. It’s worth noting that favourites have won all the last four runnings and six of the last seven.

Justin Snaith has won this four times in the last seven seasons and  is rueing the knee-breaking injury suffered by Red Disa who he is convinced was so good that she worked with In The Fast Lane. Instead he is putting blinkers on three-time winner Harvard Crimson (12-1).

“She takes a bit of a ride and you can’t be sitting there pushing your horse along in a race like this,” he explains. “But it’s going to be tough.”

The highest-rated horse is Grey Light who was odds-on when beaten by the year older Acrostar on her return 13 days ago and is surprisingly short at 4-1 here. “She didn’t receive the full weight-for-age allowance and I wasn’t that disappointed,” says Ramsden. “But this is way too short for her.”

Stable companion Thaler Point (40-1) is there in the hope of picking up black type and Grant van Niekerk has chosen 16-1 chance Inara from Mike Bass’s three. But their trainer says: “Mine are more milers and I will be surprised if I win this.”

Dancing Natasha has been scratched as she gave a couple of coughs after working yesterday. “Disappointing,” says Alan Greeff. “I thought she was capable of running into the money.”

So which will it be? Pedigree and ratings are against Cold As Ice and the favourite sequence must be getting ominously close to breaking point but, even so, Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount still looks the one.

Picture: Double Whammy (Liesl King)

The four-year-old, who had a merit rating of 105, won his last three starts for Glen Puller and son Chris, and really came into his own when front -runnning tactics were adopted. He was also second in the Winter Guineas.

The Dolf Maeder-trained maiden Roventas, second in his last four starts, has also been sold to Mauritius. He will join Ricky Maingard.

Picture: Reim – Christopher Puller (Liesl King)

Stating  “personal reasons”  his resignation is effective from next January and he will be taking up a new position overseas. McGillivray has over 25 years’ experience as a stipendiary steward and will be sorely missed as the NHA have without doubt upped their game since his appointment.

After returning from an overseas stint, he had noticed that standards had slipped and immediately set about reversing the trend.  The stipendiary reports for each racemeeting have been much more detailed since his appointment and other improvements, such as providing information to the public as soon as possible after a race, have been implemented.

The NHA have also taken a noticeably tougher stance in out of competition testing for performance enhancing substances and on “non-triers”.

He said of the information dissemination, “It is important to be proactive. For example, if a horse bled, the information must be disseminated as fast as possible as it could put out a spark before the fire. Sean Parker (the chief stipendiary steward  in KZN) has been very good at getting this sort of information out quickly. We have spoken to the television producers as we would like to get important stipendiary information out consistently between races.”

On out of competition testing, he said, “It is very important to level the playing fields and the more this can be achieved the better it is for racing. An increase in out of competition testing is definitely the way the world has been going in all sports.”

Raids on yards are being done unannounced nowadays, although in the interests of fairness and transparency the stipendiary stewards will always wait for a trainer or assistant to be present before, for example, extracting a blood sample from a horse.

McGillivray’s pet hate is form inconsistency and he has given a recent directive to clamp down in this regard.

He said, “A trainer saying that the explanation for a below form run is that the horse ‘needed the run’ is not acceptable. Saying that it was the horse’s first run after a layoff is not going to help the punter who backed it at 5/2. Maybe in this sort of case we need to watch a horse gallop before it can be allowed to run again. We have an obligation to the punting public and a horse must arrive at the races fit. We also need to determine whether the excuse is what the trainer really means. These are the sort of run of the mill things we must chip away at.”

Objections are another aspect where consistency is vital. Workshops are held every couple of months in which all of the stipendiaries around the country go through all of the recent objections in each centre together, although this was implemented before McGillivray took charge.

During McGillivray’s control, there have been some heavy penalties dished out under rule 62.2.1 which states that a jockey should take all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure that a horse is given a full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible placing. McGillivray has praised the stipendiary stewards in all South African racing centres for their support and efforts in implementing the improvements.

He said, “The NHA had been through a tough time as we have lost a lot of talent in a short period and in this field they are not easily replaced. It takes several years before a new employee in such a position can reach the required level. However, in all centres there has really been an effort to up the game and their support for the changes we have tried to implement has been fantastic.”

The stipendiary stewards of yesteryear are often remembered and reminisced about and statements such as “it would never have happened when he was chief stipe” are common place.

However, McGillivray touched upon how different the world was 25 years ago. He pointed out that two key aspects of society, discipline and respect, have changed for the worse and as a result life was generally a lot tougher these days.

He said, ”You just have to look at the way people dress to go to the races these days and you can also look at something like the July objection. There were three highly qualified stewards making that decision and that was their opinion, so you don’t have to agree with it, but it should at least have been respected. These days people have a tendency to get personal and to sling off.”

McGillivray first joined the NHA, then known as the Jockey Club, in 1987 when taking up a position in Port Elizabeth before moving to Durban and then Johannesburg. He took up a position in Malaysia in 1996 and returned for a stint in Cape Town in 2006, before going back to Malaysia in 2009. His stipendiary roles in Malaysia and Singapore included the senior position of Professional Racing Steward.

McGillivray is strong in his views on the obligations the NHA have to punters knowing that the happier they are the better it will be for the industry.

He has provided help and direction to the stipendiary stewards underneath him and the respect he has earned from the latter is one reason why his all too brief reign has made a difference.

In 2013 Bloodstock South Africa’s (BSA) Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Sale held annually at the Thoroughbred Breeder’s Association (TBA) complex at Gosforth Park returned an aggregate of 47,560,000 from 248 lots catalogued. At this year’s sale, which was held on Sunday, the aggregate was R22,440,000 from 125 lots catalogued. Meanwhile, the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Ready To Run Sale, held at the Inanda Club in Sandton on Friday, returned an aggregate of R24,680,000 from 146 lots sold.

Therefore, the two aggregates combined yielded R47,120,000, slightly down on last year despite there being 23 more lots in total catalogued. However, the BSA sales had only 94 lots sold this year (6 lots withdrawn, 12 unsold and 13 vendor buy backs), compared to 229 sold last year (6 withdrawn, 1 unsold and 12 vendor buy backs), so their average price actually increased from R207,686 last year to R238,723 this year.

The CTS sale had 138 lots sold and their average price was R178,841. The BSA’s median was up to R150,000 from R140,000 last year, while the CTS’s median was R90,000.

At the CTS Sale Derek Brugman’s Mayfair Speculators, which invariably represents perennial champion owner Markus Jooste,  were the leading buyers, purchasing 17 lots for a total of R7,315,000. This figure represented 29,6% of the Sale’s aggregate. Summerhill, who pulled their draft off the BSA Sale at around the same time that CTS announced their new Johannesburg Sale, were the leading vendor. Their 104 lots fetched R18,260,000.

Brian Burnard

The leading buyer at the BSA Sale was Brian Burnard, who is Summerveld trainer Gavin van Zyl’s chief owner. Burnard bought four lots for an aggregate of R2,295,000, which represented just 10,2% of the total Sale’s aggregate. The leading vendor was Balmoral Stud, who sold 57 lots for R15,685,000.

At the CTS Sale, Mayfair Speculators bought the highest priced horse, lot 76, a Var colt who is a half-brother to the Gr 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Go Indigo. This Summerhill-consigned colt impressed at the breeze up gallops at Summerhill, where he really stretched his toe out. Mayfair Speculators had to go to R1,6 to secure him.

The highest priced filly at the CTS Sale was an Australian-bred by Redoute’s Choice out of an unraced mare by Dehere, lot 108, who showed off her huge action at the breeze ups. Her third dam is the Epsom Oaks winner Moonshell and she looks to have plenty of scope. She was bought by trainer Mike Azzie’s chief owner Adriaan van Vuuren for R1,2 million.

The other lot that reached over R1 million at the CTS Sale was lot 10, a beautifully-bred Captain Al filly, who is a half-sister to the Royal Ascot Kings Stand Stakes third-placed Sweet Sanette. She was consigned by Summerhill Sales and was bought by Mayfair Speculators for R1,1 million.

The most popular colt among the CTS breeze up panellists, lot 110, an  Australian-bred Encosta De Lago colt, was bought by Rainbow Beach Trading for R900,000.

The CTS sales topping filly was the joint most popular filly at the breeze ups together with lot 69, a Summerhill Sales-consigned Kahal filly out of a KIngmambo mare. The latter filly  was  knocked down to Rainbow Beach Trading for R400,000.

At the BSA Sale Alesh Naidoo bought lot 27, an Australian-bred colt by Bernadini, for the joint sales-topping price of R1,2 million. He is out of five time-winning USA-bred mare and his giant stride impressed many at the Yellow Star Stud breeze ups.

Brian Burnard went to R1,2 million to buy lot 35, a Captain Al colt, who is out of a half-sister by Kabool to Gr 1 winner Divine Jury and to the speedy Divine Jet.

John Freeman bought an Australian-bred Star Witness colt, who is out of the Gr 1 winning Zimbabwean-bred Goldkeeper mare Battle Maiden, for R1,1 million.

Each of the sales companies will have their own Ready To Run sales race next year. The stake for the CTS sales race was recently increased from the original R2 million to R2,5 million. The buyer’s levy for this race was R7,500, and was compulsory, and the vendor’s levy was the same amount.

The BSA’s sales race will be run for a stake of R2 million. The buyer’s levy for the race was voluntary and was R10,000. The vendor’s levy was R8,000. All in all, it looks likely that both Sales will remain strong as the vendors and buyers that supported one or the other, or both, had little to complain about.