Breeding Season Begins Today

Breeding Season Begins Today

Breeding Season officially opens today – September 1st – with the farms all busy foaling down mares, while our first season stallions will be getting their first opportunities to cover mares starting from today.

Call To Combat recently joined Hadlow Stud and Tropical Empire(AUS) at Yellow Star Stud for their first seasons, as well as the very exciting King’s Chapel(NZ), Visionaire(USA), Bankable(IRE), Strategic News(AUS) and Just As Well(USA) who will be making their valued contributions this season. We look forward to champion produce to come from those matings.

As Warwick Render (and chairman of the KZN Breeders Club) of Bush Hill Stud stated at his recent Stallion Day, “We have the best line-up of young stallions with probably as much potential, if not more, than we have ever had in this province, and if they are supported, they will be given the opportunity to become great. Should any of these young sires make it, we will all benefit.”

Kwa-Zulu Natal has a rich history of breeding champion racehorses, and standing some of South Africa’s champion stallions over the years such as Northern Guest, Foveros, Secret Prospector and Rakeen, sire of our current South African Champion Stallion for the 5th year in a row, the outstanding KZN bred Jet Master. These stallions are still very active in our broodmare pedigrees and their influence will continue to be felt across South Africa for years to come.

We currently have Kahal(GB) residing at Summerhill Stud who has featured consistently in the top 5 of the Stallions Log in the country for the last few years. At a very affordable service fee of R45 000 considering his record, he is well worth the money spent.

We are fortunate in the province of KwaZulu-Natal that we carry some of the best productive soils around, and with generous and reliable rainfalls we have a congenial climate and prime locations that make it so conducive to breeding champion racehorses. We are not only in close proximity to Africa’s racing capital of Greyville, the home of the Vodacom Durban July, but also convenient to the principal sales venues.

Twenty years ago, the KwaZulu-Natal Breeding community instituted a programme aimed at the betterment of the breed and the encouragement of breeding in the province in the form of the KZN Breeder Premium Scheme. This programme rewards breeders and stallion owners for their efforts in producing quality stock and was one of the principal attractions behind the arrival of the outstanding stallions mentioned above.

This year amongst the 2011 Equus Awards winners, KZN was done proud.

We saw the Scott Brothers-bred The Apache (By Mogok(USA) win the Champion 3 Year Old Colt/Gelding and it seems he is destined to be sent overseas quite soon – export protocol permitting.

Rathmor Stud received the 2011 Equus Breeder Award for Exceptional International Achievement and Equus Award for International Achievement on behalf of their brilliant mare they bred, Gypsy’s Warning (by Mogok(USA) currently campaigning in the United States and the winner of the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes in America, as well as the Grade 1 Thekwini Fillies Stakes and Grade 1 South African Fillies Classic in South Africa.

2011 Equus Champion Breeders for a record 7 years in a row, went to Summerhill Stud, and deservedly so. Summerhill were responsible for importing 2011 Equus Horse Of The Year Igugu(AUS) and achieved a remarkable feat in the Vodacom Durban July this year by having the first two horses past the post, Igugu(AUS) and Pierre Jourdan.

Warwick Render went on to say at his Stallion Day, and very aptly, “It is interesting to see breeders investing in quality yearling fillies and mares with the foresight that good times will return. We need to continue to do what we do so well and continue to breed to quality stock.”

We look forward to an exciting future ahead, a future where breeders are rewarded for success!