From small numbers in our province, KZN had a great Summer Cup race day with a Gr2 Merchants win, followed up by several places in the feature races of the day including a very close second in the Gr2 Dingaans.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren picked up his maiden Gr2 Merchants success courtesy of the Visionaire gelding, The Thinker. Summerhill Stud are doing KZN proud once again on the seasonal stats, as the current leading breeders of South Africa. Summerhill are having enormous success in particular with the progeny of Await The Dawn leading the way. KZN-bred Big Bear is currently the top earning racehorse of the season in South Africa.

The lightly raced The Thinker showed that he could be a sprinter to follow this season when he stormed through from some lengths off the speed for an impressive victory.

The only winner on the multiple feature programme in the SA champion owner silks of the Mayfair Speculators, The Thinker rewarded those that had seen his hard luck run when under a length off Graduation Day in the Golden Loom Handicap at his last outing.

With Naafer and Romi’s Boy going quickly early on, Donovan Mansour had The Thinker nearer last early on but gradually built him up into contention.

At the 300m marker, Naafer galloping all alone down the inside looked like he could be a serious challenger, but The Thinker had them all ice cold and went on to score by 1,10 lengths over the game 3yo Naafer in second.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren was a relieved man. “After Square The Circle was beaten earlier and Kilauea ran such a bad race in the Magnolia, I was worried. I knew The Thinker would be the watershed – he was the horse putting up good work at home. Thankfully he produced that on the track!”

Bred by Summerhill Stud, The Thinker is a four year old son of Gr1 King’s Bishop Stakes winner Visionaire (Grand Slam) out of the three-time winner Radiant Lass  by Northern Guest.

A R180 0000 CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale graduate, The Thinker has won five races with a place from 11 starts and stakes of R590 050.

Bush Hill Stud-bred son of Curved Ball, Seerite, came close to downing Monks Hood in the Gr2 Dingaans. Seerite has won and placed from just two starts and almost emulated his sire Curved Ball’s win in the Gr2 Dingaans.  Out of Damascus Charmer by Damascus Gate, Seerite is owned by Mr K Wilson and trained by Robbie Sage. He challenged Monks Hood in a flying finish to miss it by a head.

Scott Bros featured on the big day with the full sister to Gr1 winner and Equus Champion Sprinter Talktothestars (the latter finishing fifth in the Gr2 Merchants – a race he had won previously), saw Lady Starlett place third in the Gr3 Magnolia Handicap less than two lengths off the grey winner.

Racing in the familiar orange and white silks and blinkers of Talktothestars owner and trainer Mr Coenie De Beer, the filly with a big heart is a 4-time winner. She is by Overlord out of Tellittothestars, bred by Scott Bros.

Next up for Scott Bros saw the son of Mogok, Pagoda, gallop to a gallant fourth place in the Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup. Trained by Geoff Woodruff and bred by Varsfontein Stud from the former resident broodmare of Scott Bros, Pagoda finished just over two lengths off the winner.

A full brother to Gr1 Gold Cup winner Wild One, Save The Rhino by Mogok finished third in the marathon 3200m Racing Association Listed behind Fortissima. Save The Rhino is trained by Ormond Ferraris and placed under Keagan De Melo.

Paul Peter’s brave filly Fort Ember, a Gr2 winning grand daughter of Kahal, finished second in the Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup. Kahal has had Group success as a broodmare sire and recently produced a Gr3 winner in Australia. We look forward to seeing his Frankel grand daughter debut for owner Shadwell Stud and trainer Mike De Kock.

Congratulations to all concerned.

-extract sportingpost.co.za

Two stallions are available for rehoming, Overlord and Atso respectively as they have been retired from Thoroughbred breeding. Both horses produce good looking individuals with exceptional temperaments.

Overlord is the sire of many winners including Gr1 winner and Equus Champion Sprinter Talktothestars, whilst Atso has produced winners and many successful horses outside of racing.

Please contact 071 365 2260 for more information.

A son of Overlord carrying the top weight of 60kgs in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint made victory look easy in the exclusive sprinting race at Scottsville over 1200m, with the aptly named Talktothestars getting his first Gr1 victory for his owner and trainer, Coenie De Beer.

Talktothestars looked a picture prior to the race, watching him circle the parade ring before being saddled, he is certainly is an impressive sight to behold and strongly stamped by his sire.

The four year old bred by Scott Bros began to look dangerous under Pierre Strydom from the 400m mark and pulled away to win easily by over two lengths, carrying 7kgs more than the second placed horse – Trippi gelding African Ruler, followed by Western Winter gelding Exelero, carrying 53.5kgs.

Having passed through the 2013 National 2YO Sale as unsold, the Scott Bros sold Talktothestars for R40 000 as part of a package of horses.

Talktothestars who famously races unshod, has contested some of the countries biggest races in Gauteng, the Cape and KZN.

This was his ninth career victory, and second Graded Stakes victory after winning the Gr2 Senor Santa sprint in his penultimate start, holding off the speedy Lazer Star by a head.

He went on to finish just a length behind Carry On Alice on Champions Day at Turffontein in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint.

He made the lengthy trip from Gauteng to the Cape after winning seven races, a decision that came after raiding at Scottsville to win over 1200m once more, from a classy field consisting of several Graded Stakes Winners – given 61.5kgs to carry but taking into account his apprentice allowance under Eric Ngwane, Talktothestars proved himself, winning by half a length going away.

He placed just three lengths of Triptique in the Gr2 Merchants, third to Captain Alfredo in the Southeaster Sprint, three lengths off Lanner Falcon once more in the Gr2 Diadem, and less then two lengths off Gulf Storm in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championships.

Proving he could race with and beat some of the best, his Gr1 win the Tsogo Sun Sprint was an apt reward considering his impressive form in Turffontein. He has won nine times and placed five, earning over R1,5million in the process.

His three year old full sister, Lady Starlett has won twice and placed three times.

His liver chestnut dam Tellittothestars is a winner and placed over 1600m.

She is by Spaceship out of a Southern Halo mare, and has produced four winners from five runners to date, including two full sisters by Mogok, and she has an Eightfold Path weanling colt at the Scott Bros.

The Scott Bros took a handsome Mogok colt to the National Yearling Sales, named Tellittothegods, where he fetched R280 000 – knocked down to Garth Puller.

Overlord, a record priced yearling son of Danehill from the immediate damline of Royal Academy and Storm Cat, is still at Scott Bros but hasn’t actively covered any mares for the past two years. His winners to runners percentage currently stands at 33.3%, from 48 runners;  his progeny have in particular come into their own on Artificial surfaces.

Coenie De Beer has hinted that the speedy gelding may return for the Gr2 Post Merchants.

Congratulations to all concerned with this courageous horse!

The Kenilworth meeting today saw the first race being won by a three year old son of Mogok out of a full-sister to Jet Master, whilst King Of Kings had success as the broodmare sire of the Southeaster Listed winner Captain Alfredo, with Scott Bros’ son of Overlord – Talktothestars, finishing less than a length off in third position over the 1100m.

Talktothestars (pictured right at Scottsville) carried 2kgs more than the winner, jumping from a fourth draw. Ridden by Craig Zackey and owned and trained by Mr FC De Beer, Talktothestars finished just three lengths off Triptique in his last outing, the Gr2 Cape Merchants.
The son of Overlord was unsold at the National Two Year Old sales, and has gone on to win seven races – in his last three starts he has defeated a number of top horses in quality fields. He has won almost R450 000 in stakes to date.

The Mogok gelding named Astrapi, bred by Chris Saunders, kicked off the day with his first win for trainer Ri Van Reenen and has placed six times previously from eights starts for his owners Mr Greg & Mrs Vida Holtman, Mr F J Louw & Mrs C S Swart, Mr A & Mrs L J Schipper & Mr N M Shirtliff.

His dam, Withstand The Wind – who bears a powerful resemblance in looks and size to her Champion sire full brother, is now owned by Clifton Stud.

The mare has a 2014 Var filly named Vallee Du Var coming through and she has returned to Clifton Stud this season currently in foal to Wilgebosdrift’s new sire of the season, Flower Alley.

Mogok, the sire of four Gr1 winners – two of them top international racehorses with the likes of Gypsy’s Warning and The Apache – is currently lying in 9th position on the National Sires Log, with Jay Peg and Var following behind him.

The late King Of Kings’ with his impeccable pedigree looks to have a great future as a broodmare sire, where he has already produced several Group Winners in Europe, America and Australia and Japan, more recently on the local front with Gr3 winner Royal Pleasure.

He stood at The Fort Stud prior to his death earlier in 2015 at the age of 21.