Cheveley Stud’s former Equus Champion Broodmare Mystic Spring produced the joint sales topper at last week’s National two-year-old sale and this full-brother to the former Equus Champion three-year-old filly Bela-Bela will be trained by Gavin van Zyl, who had a monumental sale.

The grey Dynasty colt, who was knocked down for R800,000, was too immature to go to the National Yearling Sale and Vaughan Koster, owner of Cheveley Stud, said, “In the current climate it was pretty good money taking into account he was from an old mare. He wasn’t a wild sales horse, a bit on the small side, so we are happy.”

Van Zyl said, “That whole family are not big and he will grow. He has a lot of quality and a beautiful head and eye.”

He will be the second last sales horse of Mystic Spring’s glittering career.  She has produced two Equus champion three-year-olds, Rabiya and Bela-Bela, as well as three other Graded winners, Secret Captain, Secret Of Victoria and Spring Lilac, and two Listed winners Touch The Sky and Rafiya. 

She has passed on her excellence to her daughters. Secret Of Victoria has produced two Grade 1 winners, including Equus Champion two-year-old filly All Is Secret, and a Listed winner, and Spring Lilac has produced twice Grade 1-winner Snowdance and a Listed winner.

Mystic Spring’s last sales horse will be a Wylie Hall filly, who is currently a yearling. Wylie Hall stands at Cheveley and had an outstanding season with his first two-year-olds.

Three of the best of them, Twilight Moon, De La Cruz and Ponciana, have all been sold overseas. Twilight Moon is off to Hong Kong and the other two are going to Mauritius, although De La Cruz would also have been on his way to Hong Kong had he not failed the piroplasmosis test. 

Those three sales will affect Wylie Hall’s figures next season, but Koster was pleased his progeny had attracted interest on the international market, who paid good money for them. Furthermore, the progeny of Wylie Hall, who was a slow maturing sort himself, are expected to continually improve.  

Spring Lilac will continue Mystic Spring’s legacy at Cheveley and Koster is also pleased some other members of her family have found their way into the big stud farms like Drakenstein, Klawervlei and Varsfontein. 

Van Zyl will also be getting the other sales topper, a Silvano colt out of Jet Master mare Cosmic Jet, who is a full sister to two Graded winners, including Grade 1 winner Love Is In The Air.

“He is a beautiful horse, a fantastic colt,” said Van Zyl.

He also clinched nine other horses, many of them well related. They included a R380,000 colt by Kingsbarns, whose passing is proving to be a tremendous loss as he produced Grade 1 winner and Equus Champion two-year-old filly Gabor in his first crop. Gabor is trained by Van Zyl.

Gabor had earlier lost to Querari filly Cockney Pride in the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m and Van Zyl also picked up a full-sister to the latter for R420,000.  

He was pleased too with a R110,000 Master Of My Fate colt, who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Little Miss Magic. 

He got two Global Views, including a R450,000 colt who is out of an Al Mufti half-sister to the dam of Eyes Wide Open.

Van Zyl trained champion colt and now sire The Apache to two Grade 1 wins, so it was interesting to see him land lot 360 as this R30,000 The Apache filly is out of an own sister to the dam of The Apache. 

Earlier, he couldn’t believe his luck when securing a nice Vercingetorix colt for a mere R25,000.

He also got a nice What A Winter colt for R65,000 and picked up a Greys Inn colt out of a Listed placed Australian-bred mare for R35,000.

All eleven of the purchases are already at his Summerveld yard and will be broken in by assistant trainer Opensea Mphlamvu.

Van Zyl said, “Opensea is a fantastic horseman and always breaks in our babies.”

Van Zyl landed some good stock at earlier sales in the year too.

He said, “It is exciting times for the yard.”

By David Thiselton

Image: The top seller Lot 267 from Cheveley Stud, the grey full brother to Bela-Bela by Dynasty out of Mystic Spring. The colt was signed for by Kestorm Investments for R800 000. (Picture: Candiese Marnewick)

Paul Peter and Warren Kennedy have struck up a good partnership and Kennedy in particular has got his new season off to a cracking start. He teams up with the Peter-trained Lighthearted in the seventh at Turffontein tomorrow where punters face a tricky card on the standside track.

Lighthearted appears to have a touch of class and could prove a little too good for his older rivals where Prince Jordan and Master Boulder look fairly evenly matched judged on their last effort and there should not be much between them again. But a bigger threat could come from In The Game who made marked improvement last start and has a handy weight with useful apprentice Nathan Klink in the irons again.

In the third, Final Occasion is a lightly raced four-year-old but he has been making steady improvement of late. The step up to 2400m should suit Geoff Woodruff’s runner and he could provide for a banker in the PA as the opposition looks particularly weak.

The first five races on the card are maidens. In the opening leg of the Pick 6, Peter and Kennedy team up with Little Sparrow who has come to hand of late and can have her consistency rewarded. Chris Erasmus sends out Hightail who let the side down in a Maiden Handicap last time out after starting favourite. That support was no doubt prompted by her smart previous effort. If she finds that form, she can give Little Sparrow plenty of cheek.

Maiden Handicaps give those horses at the bottom of the barrel a chance to earn for hard-pressed owners but four of the ten runners in the Betting World Maiden Handicap are still under sufferance, Global Exposure by as much as 14kg. He ‘boasts’, if that’s the right word, of two placings in 20 starts and surely should be out to pasture by now. That said, Blanco was not too far back from a tricky draw last start and Woodruff’s runner can build on that effort. Joey Soma saddles the five-year-old Causeway Cruiser who has managed a single start in each of the past three years so obviously has issues. But he was not far back from a difficult draw last start and can do better on the standside track. Rock Manor was a beaten favourite at his last two. The extra furlong could suit and he may be another threat to the selection.

The sixth is a wide open handicap for fillies and mares. Kilconnel Lass has been knocking at the door and is due a change of fortune but Just Kidding came on nicely from her first start to shed her maiden. Gary Alexander’s filly is lightly raced and could be anything. Of the balance, Starlighttemptress is in good form and her last win was over this distance.

In the eighth, Westwing Belter found good market support last outing and only just failed. She could be worth another chance. Dorrie Sham saddles Dive Captain who made a smart handicap debut and the form of her maiden win has held up so she must be a big runner.

In the last, Snow In Seattle is due a change of luck after a long stretch of places and the form of his last effort has held up. Dark horse could come in the form of Candice Dawson’s mare Goa with Kennedy aboard. She was coming off a long break last time out and probably needed that run but she has shown ability and is one to watch in the market.

By Andrew Harrison

If ever there was a certainty beaten it was Mr Fitz in the sixth at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. Donovan Dillon had the race at his mercy approaching the final 150m as he tackled Graduate but as the pair crossed from sun into the shadow of the grandstand, Mr Fitz ducked in, losing momentum.

Mr Fitz came back hard at Graduate who had the advantage but if they had looked left, they would have caught sight of a low-flying Drunken Sailor who nailed both on the line. Muzi Yeni left it late on Yogas Govender’s gelding who had found some inspired market support.

Favourite Solid Gold sat up handy in the early exchanges but the red light on his fuel gauge was blinking a long way out.

The money was on the mark for Tony Rivalland’s gelding Dispicable in the first, the big-striding chestnut son of Var making a smart debut.

Mark Khan had something of an armchair ride on favourite Fire Faerie, Nathan Kotzen’s filly far too good for her rivals. It was a first leg of a Khan double as he rode a storming finish on the seven-year-old Mythical Magic for Lezeanne Forbes two races later.

One runner, one winner for Duncan Howells as All The Way Up took no prisoners in the third. Yeni took the gelding to the front and kept rolling to win comfortably, the addition of a tongue-tie doing the trick.

There was drama in the last as Daydream Believer played up in the gate and some very brave starter’s assistant standing his ground in front of a rearing horse. Also affected was She’s A Crusade in the neighbouring stall and both were withdrawn.

In an almost carbon copy of Drunken Sailor’s win, Yaas and Be Happy fought it out nose and nose for the line before apprentice Yuzae Ramzan turned up the wick on Noemi, going from last to first inside of two furlongs.

By Andrew Harrison

It was a case of back to the drawing board for Michael Roberts after Solid Gold was comprehensively out-pointed in the Gr2 KRA Guineas last season, finishing last of the dozen runners behind Twist Of Fate.

However, nothing ventured is nothing gained and Roberts will now know where he stands with the gelding.

Solid Gold lines up in a Graduate Plate on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday and if his handicap rating is any guide, he should make short work of the opposition and many punters will be banking on him in the exotics to cut expenses on a difficult card.

He is rated superior to any of his rivals and with apprentice Yuzae Ramzan giving a further 4kg relief from pole position, he should prove difficult to beat.

The mile may have contributed somewhat to his Guineas showing as both of his wins have come over 1200m and although he has not been out since May, he should prove good enough to overcome the hurdle of a lay-off.

Graduate is rated 15 pounds inferior to Solid Gold but was a beaten favourite last time out when third behind Coldhardcash over the Greyville shortcut on the poly. The latter ran the field off their feet that afternoon and the extra furlong on Sunday can see Graduate a little more competitive.

Dark horse is the lightly raced Francisco. The gelding started favourite in his first two starts but showed in his third outing why he had been at short odds, bolting home by five lengths.

That was in October last year but runners from the Dennis Drier yard are seldom short of match fitness even after a long break and any market support must be respected.

If there is to be a boil-over it could come in the form of Man Of Action.

The colt is seemingly hopelessly out at the weights but the handicappers have their hands tied as far as possible penalties are concerned and this could be a shrewd move by the Anthony’s.

Of the balance, Mr Fitz has a touch of class but is likely to find this trip on sharp side given the strength of the opposition.

Warren Kennedy made a rare visit to Kenilworth mid-week and it paid off with a double, riding winners for Adam Marcus and Eric Sands. With Anton Marcus side-lined, Lyle Hewitson in Hong Kong Muzi Yeni facing suspension, solid support on the Highveld, strong roots in Port Elizabeth and the odd trip to Cape Town, Kennedy could be in a position to challenge for the national title come the end of the season.

Gavin van Zyl is a staunch Kennedy supporter in KZN, they had a winner on Wednesday with Liverpool Champ, and they team up with So Var in the seventh.

The gelding has been performing consistently and was not far off Sunset Eyes in the Umgeni Handicap over course and distance last time out. So Var is re-united with Kennedy, Keagan de Melo doing the honours in the Umgeni, in what will be a tough test as he is up against some quick opposition, notably the filly Boeing City and the grey Isca.

Boeing City is a 1000m specialist and has been narrowly beaten in her last three starts over the trip. Garth Puller will leg up 4kg claiming apprentice Jabu Jacobs and from a good draw the pair should be competitive.

Isca is another distance specialist and his most recent win came over course and distance. However, Kennedy is sure to have had the choice between Isca and So Var.

Champion trainer Sean Tarry has shut his Summerveld satellite yard for the time being but still has runners in KZN. In Full Bloom can be his first local winner of the new season when she contests the last race. Although she looks held on her showing behind Noemi, she races in blinkers for the first time and can turn the tables.

A blanket would have covered the first few home with Be Happy prevailing in a tight finish. She lumps top weight here but is in good form and goes well over the trip. Sarabi found market support last run and is due a change of fortune while Yaas is always game and on her day will go close.

To sum up, punters face a tricky card and will be hoping that Solid Gold lives up to his name.

By Andrew Harrison

It has been nearly two years since Kings Archer recorded the last of his six victories but the now eight-year-old has lost none of his zest for racing. He is due to line up in the eighth race on the Turffontein inside track tomorrow and although he has the worst of the draw, he only faces eight runners – possibly seven as Culture Trip was due to start at the Vaal yesterday.

Stuart Pettigrew has kept the son of AP Arrow on the boil throughout the year and from a handicap high of 100, Kings Archer was as low as a 75 before the universal 10-point hike in the ratings.

He has been close-up in both recent starts and should have an outstanding chance in this small field.

The Paul Peter / Warren Kennedy combination yielded many winners this past season and they team up with ante-post favourite Bien Venue who makes his debut for the stable. The gelding’s recent form is solid but he does have to give the selection 2kg which may be beyond his compass.

Punters face a competitive card but Dickens should get them through the opening leg of the Place Accumulator. Johan Janse van Vuuren’s gelding finally cracks a decent draw but will face stiff opposition from the likes of Port Key and Segontium.

Callan Murray has his first ride back in the country on Port Key after leaving Singapore last week so he will be keen to get his local season off to a winning start on Mike de Kock’s runner.

The four-year-old has only had one outing, that nearly a year ago, where he finished his race off well. He has obviously had issues so it could pay to keep an eye on the market.

Another trainer / jockey combination that has blossomed is that of Gary Alexander and apprentice Denis Schwarz. Alexander has been instrumental in giving Schwarz opportunities and to date the young rider has not disappointed. He teams up with See Me Run in the opening leg of the jackpot, the filly narrowly beaten on the Greyville poly last time out. The blinkers go on for the first time and from draw one, See Me Run may be the horse to beat with Piccadilly Square a possible threat.

The fifth is a punter’s nightmare and the ante-post market has priced up 4-1 the field. Joint favourites are Lasair and Zabarjad, both ex-Mike de Kock, with Paul Peter having a second string to his bow in top weight Seventh Of June.

It’s not an easy race but Flame Fella has been re-united with Muzi Yeni for Bertie Sage and his last showing is best ignored. He could be good value at 11-1.

Punta Cana is the top-rated horse in the sixth, a Graduation Plate, but has been a well beaten third at his last two.

A better proposition could be Jonny Hero. It’s tough for newly turned three-year-olds in this early part of the season but Tyrone Zaki’s charge finished with a rattle to win at the tail end of late season and from a good draw should at least be competitive.

Another to consider is Joey Soma’s charge Roll Of Drums. He ran way below form in the SA Classic behind Hawwaam and has since been gelded. His form before that was useful and if anywhere near his best he will be right there.

Banking on a horse to win four on the bounce can be risky but Promise is unbeaten over course and distance in the seventh and can justify her 2-1 odds. She has galloped all into the ground in those three wins and the opposition must be wise to those tactics by this time.

Yeni is one rider not afraid to take them on up front and Tehuano was up there all the way since being tried in blinkers. She has been trying further of late but she could be better suited to this shorter trip.

The last is another difficult race and it could well pay to load up this leg in the exotics.

By Andrew Harrison