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!

Blue Sky Thoroughbreds sold their first R1-million plus colt at Nationals this year.

The farm also stands the likes of stallions Chimichuri Run who has got down to business in his first season with 50 mares as well as New Predator, Willow Magic, Hat Puntano and Byword.

Images: Candiese Lenferna

Bush Hill’s smart sire Flying The Flag, a full brother to sensational multiple Gr1 winning fillies at the highest international levels – Rhododendron and Magical – had an impressive winner at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday afternoon.

The imposing Flying The Flag gelding bred by Bruce Le Roux, a very high scorer for the National Yearling Sale and towering individual very much in the stamp of his sire, all looked just about lost over the 1400m and he showed immense grit to push through and win going away by a length under Serino Moodley.

An elated Michael Roberts and his daughter Carolyn were on course to lead him in. Hey Bill was unsold at the 2019 National Yearling Sale and sold for R60 000 to Michael Roberts at the 2019 Ready To Run Sale, consigned by Far End Pretraining as agent. The gelding, out of an Alami mare, is owned in partnership by Messrs W R Dobeyn, C T Crowe, R G Hampson & Mrs V L Roberts.

He has now had three runs for a place and a win. Michael Roberts also trains the chestnut gelding’s Crusade half sister – a lovely flashy filly, she won twice and placed on the balance of her first six starts, named Hey Delilah. They are both siblings to Black Type Just As I Said, a stakes placed 6-time winner.

Look for the full brother to Hey Delilah on the upcoming Emperors Palace National 2YO Sale, consigned as Lot 142. The dam has now produced all winners from all runners – with 15 wins between the four winners.

Flying The Flag is represented by seven 2yo’s on the sale, including a half sibling to Gr3 winner Neptunes Rain and another from the family of The Mouseketeer.

Spring Valley have 6 horses consigned to the sale by the likes of Futura, Judpot, Crusade and Mogok.

Watch Hey Bill’s amazing effort to win this race below:

From the first crop of William Longsword, the colt has an equally outstanding dam line from the Lammerskraal family of Redberry Lane, Solo Traveller and Flying Ice.

Piemonte followed suit on the 2nd day, selling Bethel as Lot 472 for R250 000 to Form Bloodstock. The What A Winter colt, out of Wood Sprite by Fort Wood has Murmuration as the 2nd dam – the female line of Mambo Mime, Captains Lullaby and Varbration.

Summerhill Equestrian’s Henning Pretorius was the second leading buyer of the sale, purchase three Lots for an average of R2,9-Million. His three lots included a smart Trippi colt out of Bang Sue, Lot 185 Celestial City for R7-Million (both horses bred by Wilgerbosdrift), and the beautiful bay Querari full sister to Gr2 winner, Querari Falcon, consigned by Benmarne Stud. Henning was also the underbidder on the impressive grey Silvano colt with the 2nd dam being Dancer’s Daughter, knocked down for R4,5-Million.

Henning has made his aspirations clear to assemble the best Thoroughbred bloodstock possible for his farm and to put KZN back on the map of breeding in South Africa, and we look forward to an exciting future from Summerhill Equestrian.

Congratulations to all concerned!

Summerveld trainer Mark Dixon will be targeting his useful filly Silent Crusade at the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on April 26 and depending on how well she does there she might have a crack at the Grade 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg (SA Fillies) Sprint over the same course and distance six weeks later.

The Crusade filly won two of her three starts over 1200m early in her career.

She is out of the talented six-time winning Silvano mare Silver Fantasy, who won from 1400m to 1800m, including the Listed Scarlet Lady.

Dixon said Silent Crusade had just come back into work after being given a holiday after her good third behind Roy’s Riviera and Vistula in the Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m on Boxing day.

The five-time winner’s chief target for the SA Champions Season will either be the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes or the KZN Breeders Million Mile. 

Editors note: Spring Valley Stud are offering a Toreador half-sister at the National Yearling Sale as Lot 397.

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Enjoying a 61.1% winners to runners percentage with 13 wins from 18 runners, is no small feat, and their Average Earnings Per Runner (AEPR) is almost R65 000 each – and their runners have earned over R1,1-million this season.

Roski Stud have reaped the rewards significantly from a strict policy of only breeding with mares who have achieved Black Type on the track themselves and pedigrees to back up their performances.

Amongst their most exciting horses racing is Horoscope Harry – a son of Oratorio out of 10-time winner Kahal mare, Pisces Star.

He has had 4 runs for 2 wins and a place for Ross and Juli Santini’s syndicate, consisting of Messrs J F Bromilow, EJ L Linington, K E Vickers & Gareth van Zyl Racing Stables (Pty) Ltd. Another is Flaming Lass, a half-sister to Cassey O’ Malley who won second time out after placing 2nd on debut.

The next to follow up is KZN Breeders Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Bruce Le Roux – he is boasting over 40% from Spring Valley Farm, with 16 wins from 32 runners. Bruce consistently breeds a good horse – producing a handsome and well bred draft at each sale and continuing their good form on the tracks.

Bruce has reported that their special Dynasty mare owned in partnership with Tinus Gericke under the flag Blue Sky Thoroughbreds, Gr3 winner and at one time unbeaten from three Hashtagyolo, has been confirmed in foal to Gimmethegreenlight for the 2020 foaling season.

The recently sold Summerhill Stud, continuing a partnership of sorts with Capital Warmblood Stud who have purchased the land of legends, have produced 67 winners for the season to date with earnings of over R6,1-million and 363 places.

The Willow Magic’s are off to a confident start with 2 runners and 2 places, and we look forward to seeing more from sire line of Dubawi.

First up is Al Jazeera (Lot 34), a colt by the promising G1 winning 2yo Crusade. This colt is out of the talented racemare Saltwater Girl, herself a half-sister to the G1 performers Admiral’s Eye and Shogunnar, who won seven and ran third in the G2 Gold Circle Oaks.

Former Leading First Crop Sire Visionaire, sire of, among others, last season’s star filly Takingthepeace, is the sire of Delusional (Lot 50) –a colt out of brilliant, nine time stakes winner Silver Nun.

European champion Oratorio, recently represented by his eighth G1 winner, has a pair in this draft. His pair feature Only In My Dreams (Lot 226) –a colt bred on very similar lines to Australian G2 winner Famous Roman, and Flame Up (Lot 258). The latter is a beautifully bred daughter of G3 Pretty Polly Stakes second Flame Up –a Tale Of The Cat half-sister to 14 time stakes winner Border Rebel.

Secret Palace (Lot 279) is a Potala Palace half-sister to G3 Graham Beck Stakes second Ideal Secret (a winner in Mauritius on the weekend), while Luna Wish (Lot 303) is a daughter of red hot sire Querari (whose daughters include G1 winner Querari Falcon) out of a winning own sister to Oaks Trial winner Inaninstant.

A P Indy sire Just As Well, sire of numerous decent winners, is the sire of Cersei (Lot 329), a filly whose dam is a winning half-sister to the dam of last season’s standout Eastern Cape 2yo Madame Speaker, while multiple Equus Champion, and Champion First Crop Sire, What A Winter, is represented in the Spring Valley Stud draft by a filly (Lot 411) whose dam ran third in the G3 Fillies Mile.

European Champion Twice Over, whose first crop includes July winner Do It Again and Gold Medallion hero Sand And Sea, is also represented in this impressive draft. He is sire of the cleverly named Repetitive (Lot 425), a colt out of G3 Strelitzia Stakes winner Passive Resistance. The beautifully bred Repetitive has stakes winners as each of his first three dams!

The 2018 National Two-Year-Old Sale is set to get underway this week at the TBA complex on Thursday when trading commences at 11 am sharp.

After producing two winners last week, Crusade had an eight length debut winner at Flamingo Park this afternoon.

The three year old filly named Swell Time, sold for R125 000 at the 2016 National Yearling Sale. Whilst not the tallest, she was a very eyecatching muscular individual at Nationals, bred by Somerset Stud and consigned by Spring Valley.

Ridden by Jarryd Penny, she won by 8.25 lengths for owner Mr Coates and trained by Duncan McKenzie, Swell Time is a half-sister to 6-time winner King’s Entourage. She is out of Lite Spark by Sportsworld, from the dam line of Geepee S.

Gr1 Middle Park Stakes winner Crusade has produced six winners this season and stands for a fee of R20 000 at Scott Bros. He has also produced 38 places this season.

He is a half-brother to double Gr1 Oaks winner and a star amongst the Ballydoyle stable, Seventh Heaven. His sibling by Henrythenavigator is twice Gr2 placed.

It was a typical winter day in Mooi River with visibility interrupted after the neighbouring farm chose to burn their fire breaks for the season, but a big thank you to Bruce and Delia Le Roux for hosting the BSA KZN Mare Sale, with plenty of steak rolls, coffee and wine to keep everyone warm!

Backworth consigned three mares to the KZN Mare Sale held at Spring Valley Stud on Monday and all three topped the price list on Monday. The leading purchase was the eyecatching chestnut mare  – Lot 6 November Sky, who sold for R150 000 to Clifton Stud. Her oldest foal is a yearling by Var.

Peter Blyth of Clifton Stud commented that she was a lovely big mare with a leading pedigree, and a bonus of being in foal to Var who is a difficult stallion to access.

A half-sister to August Rush and Miss October, she is in foal to Var and descends from the female line of She’s On Fire, She’s A Pippa and Cream Of The Crop.

Jane Thomas purchased Hargraves Bell as Lot 20 on behalf of a client for R110 000 – the Royal Academy mare out of Bellhouse by Danehill is in foal to Querari.

Her Australian pedigree includes the current top family in South Africa, none other than the great Mystic Spring (herself by Royal Academy), the dam of Bela-Bela and the family of Rabiya and All Is Secret amongst others.

Syd and Shirley Rosseau of St Helier Stud purchased Lot 14 Ballad For Annie, for R90 000. The Rakeen mare is in foal to Oratorio, and is a half-sister to Ice Cube, Jagged Ice and descends from the damline of Grand Emporium.

The Rosseau’s had two runners on Vodacom Durban July day, with Varimax (a three parts brother to Rivarine by Var from the damline of Pocket Power) in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe and Ryker in the KZN Yearling Sale Million.

The top priced weanling was Lot 32 which sold to Michael Roberts for R50 000.

The Visionaire colt out of Vanity by Jallad is a half-brother to two winners, from the family of Australian Gr1 winner, Dracula.

32 of the 40 Lots consigned were sold, at an average of R18 000 each, R4000 more than last year.

Well done to all concerned.

View the Gallery of the KZN Mare Sale pictures on Facebook at the following link.

View the price list.