The KZN Breeders Club held their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday.

Mike McHardy of Rathmor / Macrath Stud and Peter Blyth of Clifton Stud were appointed as Directors of the KZN Breeders Club board.

A breeder of local and international Gr1 winners such as Gypsy’s Warning and more recently Mississippi Burning, Mike brings a wealth of experience with him and has served on the Board previously. He stands a mixture of Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds, of which they have reached enormous heights and success in both sports, with almost 200 horses on the farm in Nottingham Road.

Peter Blyth of Clifton Stud has bred his fair share of Graded Stakes winners, including Durban July winner Classic Flag, and more recently the likes of Montreal Mist, Prince Of Kahal and Gr1 placed Marygold. Farming in Rosetta, he stands Mambo In Seattle and has experience in all sectors of the Thoroughbred industry, including being a trainer and brings a fresh perspective to the table.

Current Chairman Ted Hughes thanked his current Board for their work over the past year and welcomed Mike McHardy and Peter Blyth onto the board.

The current Board is Chairman Ted Hughes, Vice Chairman Bruce Le Roux, Cathy Martin, Koos De Klerk, Warwick Render, Mick Goss, Peter Blyth and Mike McHardy.

Ted welcomed new members to the club for the past year – Rosanne Labuschagne, Andre Fouche, Brian Burnard and Geoff Perkins.

Mike and Tanya McHardy’s Rathmor Stud dominated the first day of the National Yearling Sale for the KZN Breeders, achieving outstanding results from four horses sold for an average of over R740 000 each, whilst history was also made when a yearling bred by Nothemba Mlonzi was sold at the Nationals for R100 000 from her Mwetwood Stud.

Rathmor got their day off to a good start with Lot 44, the first son of Noble Tune to enter the TBA auction arena knocked down to Glen Kotzen for R240 000. The handsome colt is a half-brother to a winner, out of a dam that is a half-sister to Potent Power. The Noble Tune’s have attracted attention at the Nationals with several leading trainers viewing.

The next Lot 66, Identity Thief, lit up the boards with active bidding only to be knocked down to John Freeman for R1,7-million. The handsome son of Dynasty is out of Mystery Dame by Jet Master, the female line of Lizare, Solid Speed and The Merry Widow.

The next was Rathmor’s Silvano colt – a yearling with immense presence and a big walk, once again John Freeman didnt miss the opportunity and took the yearling home for R700 000. Named Snowy Mountain, Lot 142 is a half-brother the Listed winner Royal Trip, the family of Kournikova and Harry Hotspur.

Rathmor also topped the boards for the top priced KZN-bred filly, with a beautiful daughter of Oratorio selling for R350 000 to Dennis Bosch. The filly is out of Mitra – a half-sister to Val De Ra, Tevez and Palladium. Named Mitra Music, she went as Lot 52.

Summerhill sold two Visionaire fillies – one to Duncan Howells Racing for R250 000 as Lot 4. The filly named Pulling Strings is out of Gr2 winner, La Pucelle, the damline includes Please Be True. The other, Lot 14 out of Legally Blonde was knocked down to Dynamic Syndications.

Scott Bros top seller of the day was an outstanding black filly by Crusade – a half-sister to Stakes winner Matador Man and Desert Fighter. The Tawny Syndicate snapped her up for R200 000.

Bush Hill Stud’s chestnut Crusade colt, which was seen frequently out for inspection went to Paul Lafferty for R150 000. A quality colt out of Royal Canton by Dominion Royale, this is the family of Hail Caesour and Cold As Ice.

Clifton Stud presented an eyecatching grey filly by Golden Sword out of Banyana Handicap winner, Sapphire Ring. She sold for R150 000 to Boneast (Pty) ltd, from the damline of Midnite Serenade and Smanjemanje.

The TBA Complex also saw history as Mwetwood Stud sold a beautiful Master Of My Fate filly for R100 000 – the first yearling to be bred and sold by a black lady. The filly is bred by businesswoman Nothemba Mlonzi and she was absolutely thrilled to see her filly sold to Nathan Kotzen.

The filly is impeccably bred – out of On A Wing by Tiger Ridge, this is the immediate damline of the brilliant 5-time Gr1 winning Hong Kong star, Able Friend – who headed the 2015 World Thoroughbred Rankings (Sprint), Equal Leading Older Male on the 2015 WTR (Mile), Horse of the Year, Champion Miler in Hong Kong in 2014-15.

The middle market of the sale was once again challenging this year but it was positive to see the average per horse sold at over R350 000 overall, for 122 Lots sold from 170 consigned on the first day.

The overall top seller was Lot 42 – a Silvano colt out of a full sister to KZN-sire Capetown Noir, knocked down to Form Bloodstock for R4-million.

The sale continues from 4-5 May, beginning at 11am each day.

Kjell Foundation have enjoyed brilliant success from their small band of Thoroughbred mares, and Al Vino looks to be another mare to potentially fill the shoes of the late and great Salaam – the type of broodmare that comes along once in a lifetime and can almost visit the stable teaser to produce a Group winner.

Who could forget the finish in the Gr2 Camellia Stakes with the two full sisters – Eastern Greeting and Kalaam – challenging each other to the 1160m finish at Turffontein, where they almost dead heated to finish a nose apart for the same trainer and the same connections – an incredible feat indeed!

Kwinta is another full sibling, the Gr3 winner taking home the KZN Breeders Awards in 2016 for Outstanding Older Female and Outstanding Sprinter. Needless to say, with such outstanding records the fillies have found themselves snapped up by some of the leading Thoroughbred nurseries in the country for stud duties.

Michael Benson has always been a big fan of Kahal and enjoyed immense success with the son of Machiavellian, commenting that Kahal was a vastly underestimated stallion and one of the countries best.

Al Vino, bred herself by the Kjell Foundation has followed suit – the beautiful bay mare has produced two foals and two winners, and in December her colts won within a day of each other – the younger of the two, Wynkelder, doing so impressively on debut.

An imposing chestnut, her eldest son Kanonkop (named after a local vineyard) is a big strapping four year old who has secured his fifth recent career victory for Stanley Ferreira, and has placed four times.

From sixteen starts he has only missed a cheque four times for his owners – his breeder Mr Mike Benson and Mrs D E Turner. His last win came at the Vaal at odds of 20/1 on 22 December over 2400m, winning by a neck under Andrew Fortune and beating a well-bred field of horses.

On 21 December, Wynkelder stepped onto the Scottsville race track for the first time.

Purchased for R100 000 at the 2015 National Yearling sale, the aptly named Wynkelder is in training with Tony Rivalland and the three year old gelding won over the 1400m clear by almost a length and a half for his owners Messrs G N Cumming, Clint Larsson, A S Potts, trainer Tony Rivalland and Mrs Mary Liley, at massive odds of 50/1. Wynkelder will definitely be one to add to the watch list for the future.

Al Vino won three times at the track and placed eight times. Her dam line is brimming with Black Type down the page, her first dam producing six runners and six winners – three of them Black Type; in turn her progeny went on to produce the likes of Yer-Maan, Nordic Breeze, Ice Wine and Rushing Wind.

Al Vino is out of Montrachet by Foveros, in turn out of a Prince Tor mare Sauturne and the rest of the pedigree page includes Sweet Seduction, Noble Century and Captain’s Gal to name but a few.

After the untimely passing of the ultra consistent Kahal, Al Vino was sent to Mogok (a half-brother to Machiavellian by Storm Cat and the sire of American Gr1 winners The Apache and Gypsy’s Warning) and a 2015 filly, Marsanne, will be coming through.

Al Vino is back in foal this year to Bush Hill Stud’s very exciting young son of Galileo, Flying The Flag.