Broodmare Roses For Lizzy pulled off a rare feat for breeder Bruce Le Roux, producing three winners in one week and included in that result a double on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

The National Emblem mare seems to produce a stamp amongst her progeny and all by different sires – whilst none of them are the tallest, they certainly make up for it in substance and strength with stout top lines, well muscled and good bone and all with a penchant for speed.

Justaguything, a handsome 6yo son of Just As Well, pulled off his 8th career victory on 4 January and managed back to back victories. He beat Blackwhitedynamite home over 1200m. A picture of consistency for the past year, Justaguything has had 14 starts in the past year, winning three of those and only out of the money on one occasion! Not a bad return for a yearling sold for R130 000 at the 2018 KZN Yearling Sale.

Trained by Gavin Van Zyl for owners Lucky Vest 12 CC (Nom: Mr S Govender), Team G Racing and Messrs E A Budlender & P R Rencken, he has earned R651,750 in stakes.

Four days later the double came, starting with the Kom Naidoo trained Aunty Lizzy – a daughter of Crusade. The chestnut filly won by almost a length, beating the decent Graded Stakes Placed Irfaans Boy, as well as Pray For Rain amongst the field. Ridden by Kabelo Matsunyane, Aunty Lizzy won for the 6th time in the NBT African Holly Handicap. The four year old is owned by Miss Trinisha Pillay, Messrs Kenny Govender & S Govender and 1000m seems to be her game. Unsold on an online sale, the chestnut filly has earned just over R400 000 in stakes to date.

The day ended with Michael Roberts trained Calulo, winning for Ralphs Syndicate and pocketing a lucky punter R1,5-million from the Hollywoodbets Punters Challenge. She was 8/8 for winning Hollywoodbets Punters Challenge winner Alan Barkhuizen on the day, ridden by Rachel Venniker – who stated it was a special win as well for her, as Calulo gave Rachel her first win as an apprentice in July 2021.

It was the 5th career win for the daughter of Toreador who also relishes a sprint distance of 1000m. Calulo was a R25 000 buy from the KZN Yearling Sale in 2019, and has earned R290 000 to date.

Roses For Lizzy by National Emblem has a pedigree loaded with speed and Black Type; out of a Harry Hotspur mare, Cockney Pride can be found under the second dam in the pedigree, followed by two South African exports under the third dam – Grand Emporium who excelled to win the Gr1 Daily News 2000, the Gr1 Triple Crown 1600 and two Gr2’s in Dubai for stakes of R701,930 and £8,250.00.

The other is Gr2 winner Singapore Sling, who earned R1,383,750 and HK21,321,511 respectively.

It is also the family of Arcsa / Equus Winners Whistling Dixie and Ice Cube.

Bruce Le Roux, who now breeders in partnership with Tinus Gericke under the Blue Sky Thoroughbreds banner, is enjoying another exceptional season with almost 38% winners to runners and just over a R1-million in stakes earned from 32 runners. Blue Sky Thoroughbreds is not far behind, with 35% winners to runners.

Congratulations to all concerned on great results!

In a further effort to further boost the blue-blooded broodmare band for young stallion Noble Tune, Rathmor Stud for the second time headed the buyers list at the CTS Breeding Stock Sale by purchasing Lot 269 Queen Of Spain (IRE) for the sales topping R2,6-million, with a Frankel foal at foot and in foal to first season sire, William Longsword.

Last year, Rathmor purchased a daughter of Henrythenavigator in foal to Dynasty for R2,4-million and she foaled a magnificent colt. She is currently in foal to Noble Tune.

Queen Of Spain, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor out of Starlight Dreams by Black Tie Affair, is from the damline of Sakhee and her dam is a half-sister to three time Gr1 winning Mastercraftsman. The mare Queen Of Spain has produced two previous foals by Galileo and High Chapparal.

Amongst Rathmor’s exceptional broodmare band is the likes of African Love, Mitra, Azure Sky, Mystery Dame (Lady In Black), Eventual Angel, Summer Angel (dam of Eventual Angel and Exit Here), Golden Earings, Royal Aspen, Kiribati, Misty River, Chiquita and Victory Garden.

Rathmor also purchased a single filly off of the CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale – a Flower Alley half-sister to A Women’s Way and Gr1 2nd placed Ancestory, bred by Avontuur Stud. Named White Lace and consigned as Lot 183, this is the female line of Breyani.

A Women’s Way is a Gr2 winner owned by another KZN Breeder in partnership, Bruce Le Roux and Tinus Gericke. The daughter of Var is destined for the paddocks of Spring Valley Stud at the end of her career.

Rathmor paid R400 000 for the daughter of a sire that produced I’ll Have Another, a winner of two legs of the American Triple Crown and a sire in Japan.

Keep a look out for Rathmor’s exceptional draft at the 2018 National Yearling Sale.

KZN broodmares featured in the CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale, headed up by the first produce sold out of KZN Breeders Horse Of The Year, Beach Beauty from breeders Drakenstein Stud.

Her athletic Trippi colt was knocked down for R2,5-million to John Freeman.

Others to feature on the second day included Gr2 winner Eastern Greeting, bred by the Kjell Foundation. The full sister to Kalaam and Kwinta saw her Var colt sold to Paul Peter for R250 000.

Overall, the sale sold 221 horses from 254 catalogued, for an average of R504 411 each. The top seller was R4-million for a Frankel colt.

Almosthaditall, who made South African breeding news headlines when she sold for a sales topping R2,4-million to Rathmor Stud, is at home in Nottingham Road in foal to Noble Tune, with an outstanding Dynasty colt at foot.

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A daughter of four time Gr1 winner and 2000 Guineas winner Henrythenavingator, she sold at the time in foal to Dynasty and topped the charts at the CTS Mares, Weanlings & Fillies for stud Select Sale held at Highlands.

Allmosthaditall (USA) is a winner in Ireland with a previous foal by Rock Of Gibraltar in 2015 and a Galileo foal since.

She is out of a Storm Cat / Mr Prospector mare, from the damline of Gr1 winner Mastery and sire Miswaki.

Henrythenavigator is the sire in South Africa of Gr2 Betting World 1900 winner Ten Gun Salute, and his winning daughter Almosthaditall is a half-sister to Gr2 winner and successful US sire Jump Start and to the dam of retired and undefeated Gr1 winner Mastery.

Rathmor have bolstered Noble Tune’s book significantly with outstanding mares, including purchasing the likes of Mystery Dame (dam of Gr1 winner Lady In Black), Summer Angel (Eventual Angel and Exit Here), Azure Sky and African Love amongst them all.

At the National Yearling Sale in 2017, Rathmor sold the full brother to Lady In Black for R1,7-million, as well as a Silvano and Captain Al for R700 000 each respectively out of Royal Aspen and Kiribati.

Keep a look out for an athletic Captain Al filly and the beautiful Oratorio sibling to Lady In Black at the 2018 BSA National Yearling Sale.

Rathmor also have an outstanding Noble Tune filly consigned out of Free Parking by Silvano, who oozes plenty of quality and class, and a beautiful Silvano yearling on offer amongst their eyecatching draft.

Rathmor Stud have significantly boosted their broodmare band and we look forward to the winners to come from them in the future.

KZN-bred Waywest Goddess (pictured) had her first foal, a Moutonshoek-bred colt by Var named Var Ahead, give an impressive debut at Kenilworth recently to win by three and half lengths.

Bred by Bruce and Anne Nicholas of Hallmark Thoroughbreds and trained by Louis Goosen, Waywest Goddess (by Way West out of Gallic Goddess by Gallic League) won five races including the Gr2 Fillies Nursery, as well as the Ruffian and Gardenia Listed races.

Her sales history saw her being consigned by Yellow Star Stud as agent, where she sold for R65 000 and three years later at the Cape Mare & Weanling sale, she sold for R325 000 consigned by Arc En Ciel as agent.

Bruce and Anne Nicholas more recently bred the likes of In The Fast Lane, who was sent to the UK to continue her racing career.

Other KZN-bred mares in recent times to produce Gr1 winners include Serious Side (Captain Of All), Equus Champion Broodmare Star Of Arcole (Arcola, Princess Of Light, Drill Sargent, Ash Cloud), Endangered Species (Wild One), La Massine (Variety Club) and Jordie (Rabada).