Murray Makepeace, one of the co-owners of star #kznbred mare Takingthepeace, has confirmed on social media that the Summerhill-bred daughter of Visionaire is in foal at Ridgemont Highlands to European Time Form Rated 133, Canford Cliffs.

Takingthepeace, out of Lisa-Anne by Rambo Dancer, won the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic and Gr2 Gauteng Guineas, as well as the Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes. She took 2 legs of the renowned Triple Tiara, and placed in one of the legs.

Canford Cliffs was a Champion 3yo miler and Champion Older Male, winning 5 Gr1’s in a row amongst his 7 wins.

#kznbred Racemares that have retired to stud have produced enormous success at some of the South Africa’s leading nurseries.

Amongst them recently is Spiced Gold, a Gr1 winning daughter of Kahal bred by the Crawfords of Greenhill Farm, the dam of Drakenstein-bred Gr1 winner, Chimichuri Run, whilst Beach Beauty recently produced her first winner. Captain Of All, last years 2yo national Champion sire, is out of a #kznbred Fard mare Serious Side, bred by Robert Smith, whilst one of SA’s super star exports Variety Club is also out of a #kznbred mare.

Takingthepeace has a Willow Magic half-brother on offer as Lot 79 at the upcoming Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale from Summerhill Stud, named Thamsamqa. This is the female line of Brave Mary and African Appeal, amongst others.

Congratulations to the connections of Takingthepeace!

The KZN Breeders Awards took place on Saturday evening at Fordoun and saw Gr1 winning filly and Triple Tiara contender Takingthepeace crowned KZN Breeders Horse Of The Year.

The Awards fell on the same day as the Summer Cup and saw #kznbreds Africa Rising win the Gr2 Merchants, whilst two other second places in two Graded Races from #kznbreds were achieved. Warren Lenferna explained that the venue had to be booked a year in advance due to wedding season in the KZN Midlands summer, and the Summer Cup had been moved unexpectedly into December.

Champion breeders Summerhill Stud dominated the categories, taking home 11 awards which includes Mick Goss, who won the accolade of Lifetime Achievement Award – Mick has singlehandedly put both KZN and South African breeding and racing on the map, and Drakenstein’s Gaynor Rupert paid tribute to Mick at this years Equus Awards for introducing her to the thrill of breeding and owning Thoroughbreds, and encouraged her to establish Drakenstein Stud.

Father and son duo Lee and Dino Scribante featured prominently the juvenile categories, with Carlita and Alfeo in the 2yo respective categories for filly and colt. Alfeo won the Champion 2YO Colt, whilst Carlita was a close second to Gr2 winner Ronnie’s Candy – the latter one of two nominees for owner / trainer / breeder St John Gray, whose breeding establishment is managed at Cathy and Jonathan Martin’s Hadlow Stud. The other nominee was the sharp Dawn Assault, who ran second by a whisker to Tilbury Fort in the Gr1 Summer Cup on Saturday.

Two Gr1 winners were amongst the nominees – each Summerhill breds – Hero’s Honour and Takingthepeace.

Hero’s Honour gave his owner Laurence Wernars his first Gr1 winner, whilst Takingthepeace won the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic and the Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas. In the process she took two legs of the Triple Tiara, and ran fourth in the third leg. Hero’s Honour took home Champion 3YO Colt and Champion Stayer (for both sexes), whilst Takingthepeace took Champion 3YO Filly, Champion Middle Distance Filly and Horse Of The Year.

Galileo mare Grail Maiden, one of the best broodmare prospects in the country, took home the Broodmare Of The Year honours – she had two of her progeny nominated – the first being Gr1 winner Hero’s Honour, the second Gr1 placed Railtrip.

Other Summerhill-breds to feature were Champagne Haze, who runs in the colours of Laurence Wernars. The brave Kahal gelding won both Champion Sprinter Male and Champion Older Horse, whilst the well-bred staying filly Witchcraft won the Champion Older Female.

Clifton Stud had a great evening, with Covered In Snow winning Champion Sprinter Filly, and their new sire for 2018, Crusade (and the sire of Covered In Snow), was elected as Stallion Of The Year after producing 4 Stakes winners for the 2017 / 2018 season and a lifetime statistic of 45% winners to runners.

Scott Bros were not forgotten, with their game Gr1 placed Toreador gelding Matador Man taking Champion Middle Distance Colt.

Special Awards went to Piemonte Stud who won Breeders Achievement Of The Year, based on the performances of Carlita and Alfeo, whilst KZN Breeders Club secretary Candiese Marnewick won the Anita Akal Industry Award.

Newcomer to the world of Thoroughbred breeding, Nothemba Mlonzi was honoured at the start of the evening – her first two horses bred at her Mwetwood Stud – Master Keys and Galaxy Tunes, both won in their first racing season.

Nothemba is also the first Black lady to sell a horse at the National Yearling Sale which was Master Keys for R100 000 to Nathan Kotzen. The #kznbred Master Of My Fate filly in turn gave Nathan his first career win as a trainer in his own name.

It was a fantastic evening at Fordoun with a full house, and thank you to the enthusiastic support of our sponsors and to Gold Circle with their backing of the evening, sponsorship and TV Production. Warren Lenferna debuted as Master of Ceremonies and Chairman Bruce Le Roux once again gave an inspiring speech about why KZN is the best place to breed a Thoroughbred.

A big thank you to all who attended and made the evening a particularly special event, which ended after midnight and even saw Robin Scott jiving at midnight!

The full results can be viewed here: 

Summerhill-bred star filly Takingthepeace lived up to expectations to swoop through the field and add the Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes to her record.

The daughter of Visionaire bred by Summerhill Stud, out of Lisa-Anne by Rambo Dancer was sitting four lengths off the leader at one point and made up ground quickly, passing Sabina’s Dynasty and Cash Time with ease to win the Gr3 under KZN jockey Warren Kennedy over 1800m.

She managed to annhilate the likes of Liege, Dawn Assault, Like A Panther, French Navy and Deo Juvente in the process.

She is now a 6-time winner, including the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic and Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas and a nominee of several categories for the upcoming KZN Breeders Awards, taking place 1 December at Fordoun.

Takingthepeace does have an ownership update as Craig and Ross Kieswetter of Ridgemont Highlands have bought into the partnership of Michael Shea, Murray Makepeace and Matthew De Kock.

Her Duke Of Marmalade half-brother called The Sandwich Man, an outstanding colt at the recent BSA Ready To Run Sale sold to the Fortune’s for R1-million.

This the the female line of Well Dressed that also produced #kznbred Gr1 winner Brave Mary, who was purchased by Team Valor and exported to France.

#kznbred Takingthepeace has had 13 starts for six wins and five places, earning R 1,751,125 in stakes. Not bad for a R280 000 purchase!

Boom filly Takingthepeace, who won two legs of the 2017 Triple Tiara after a most exciting public build-up following her spectacular wins for new, young owners Michael Shea and Murray Makepeace, will have the names of the prominent brothers Craig and Ross Kieswetter added to her list of owners.

The Kieswetter family, who own Highlands/ Ridgemont, has bought a 50% share in Takingthepeace, who will have the brothers’ names in the race card until she retires to stud at Highlands Farm in Robertson.

Mathew de Kock, who found Shea and Makepeace to make up the original ownership of the R280,000 CTS Ready To Run purchase with Mike de Kock, said on Monday: “We have been negotiating with Craig and Ross for the last two weeks and we are pleased to have struck a deal with young, up-andcoming professionals of their ilk. We’ll be preparing Takingthepeace for the Johannesburg Spring Season.”

Craig Kieswetter said: “We’ve been following Takingthepeace’s exciting story and the success of her young owners. They have taken things to a different level and we are delighted and humbled that they’ve let us in.

“We are excited about Takingthepeace’s four-yearold career and also to one day bringing her to | Highlands/Ridgemont. We are always looking to boost the quality of our broodmare band and she will certainly add value.”

He added: “This is not all about racing and breeding, however. It’s about relationships, about people who are young and exuberant like ourselves and we look forward to partnering with the existing Takingthepace team.”

[KZN-bred] Takingthepeace, by Visionaire, has so far won five of 10 races and R1,475-million in stakes.

Summerhill Stud have produced two Gr1 winners this season, and three off the 2016 CTS Ready To Run Sales draft, which included the Rupert Plersch-bred Brave Mary.

-Turf Talk Newsletter

Larry Wainstein, CEO of The Racing Association and Clyde Basel, Racing Executive of Phumelela, will be hosts in the Aquanaut Room at Turffontein Racecourse on Wednesday 23 May for the RA Highveld Feature Season Awards.

Five KZN-breds feature prominently – see the #kznbreds highlighted in BOLD ITALICS below.

The nominees:

Champion two year old filly:

Celtic Sea; Dagmar; RONNIE’S CANDY

Champion two year old colt/gelding:

Bold Eagle; William the Silent

Champion three year old filly:

Folk Dance; Green Plains; Secret Potion; TAKINGTHEPEACE

Champion 3 year old colt/gelding:

HERO’S HONOUR; Lobo’s Legend; Monkshood; Surcharge

Champion older horse:

Attenborough, Coral Fever; Legal Eagle; Liege; Nother Russia

Champion sprinter:

Attenborough; Pinnacle Peak; Tandava; THE THINKER

Champion Middle distance horse:

Coral Fever; Legal Eagle; Monkshood; Nother Russia

Champion Stayer:

Fortissima; HERO’S HONOUR; JUST CRUISED IN; Let it Rain; Secret Potion.

The above nominees are eligible for the much sought-after Horse of the Season Award and there will also be the special awards to industry players that have made, and continue to make, worthwhile contributions to this amazing industry.

KZN had a brilliant day yesterday at Turffontein, kicking it off with a surprise Gr2 win in the SA Fillies Nursery, whilst Takingthepeace did not disgrace herself to finish 4th in her Triple Tiara bid, and Summerhill gained another outstanding Gr1 with son of Await The Dawn, Hero’s Honour.

For a small province, an outstanding day indeed when racing with the best in Gauteng!

Reminiscent of the shock win by King’s Temptress a few years back, another daughter of King Of Kings came flying through to win the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery for owner, breeder and trainer St John Gray.

In the process, Ronnie’s Candy defeated the most expensive filly ever sold at a BSA National Yearling Sale, with R5-million Ghaalla finishing second two and a half lengths off.

Ronnie’s Candy, winning third time out and for the first time at Turffontein, after placing in her first two starts over 1000m and 1200m and franking the form of two of the horses she lost against previously, is out of Jet Master mare Bennie Andthe Jets.

St John Gray purchased Bennie Andthe Jets off the 2015 KZN Mare Sale consigned by The Fort Stud, when she was in foal to King Of Kings and carrying Ronnie’s Candy.

The mare was previously owned by Aldora Stud and is from the last crop of the great racehorse, King Of Kings, who ended his days at Jill Fox’s The Fort Stud after suffering from heart failure in February 2015.

The dam of Gr3 placed Mogok Master stands at Cathy and Jonathan Martin’s Hadlow Stud for St John Gray, and currently has a Mogok yearling colt, and a Mogok weanling filly and in foal to Bezrin – the sire of recent Kenilworth Stakes winner, Too Phat To Fly and Bezanova.

All eyes were on the brave Visionaire KZN-bred filly Takingthepeace, in the third leg of the Triple Tiara and she was not disgraced. Coming off her customary run from the back of the field, she made up masses of ground over the 2450m to finish a very admirable fourth, just two lengths off in the Gr2 SA Oaks which may have been a stretch too long for her. Takingthepeace has made KZN immensely proud once again and particularly for Champion breeders, Summerhill Stud.

Comeback Kid Mark Khan defied  fitness doubts and the generous betting  odds to grab his fourth SA Derby winner when steering longshot Hero’s Honour home for Gary Alexander in the R2 million Gr1 SA Derby at Turffontein on Saturday.

A five-times SA champion jockey, Khan was having his first Gr1 ride in over 7 years when throwing a leg over Hero’s Honour as he turned back time and made a mockery of age and battle scars – and  that after retiring from the saddle in 2010.

Khan returned to race riding in August last year, hurt a knee while work riding and was off for six months from the end of October. This was his first win since his recent return to riding.

A maiden winner, Hero’s Honour was trying the 2450m for the first time on Saturday and taking on some big guns. But he produced the goods to give Gary Alexander his third SA Derby success and the jockey-trainer combination a second after Timber Trader won the race in 2002.

Khan had Hero’s Honour relaxed in fifth as Walter Smoothie and Gambado showed the way all the way around. At the 400m, Aldo Domeyer produced Ashley Fortune’s Cash Time down the centre with what looked to be a winning surge. But Hero’s Honour slipped down the rail and took command as Surcharge and Noble Secret took off late.

At the line, the multiple champion jockey had judged it to perfection and the 55-1 shot Hero’s Honour registered an impressive win by 1,50 lengths in a time of 155,09.

A R300 000 2016 CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale graduate, Hero’s Honour has won two races with two places from six starts for stakes of R1 354 600.

Bred by Summerhill, the winner is by Await The Dawn  – a  son of Giant’s Causeway who stood for less than two years at Summerhill Stud before he died of a heart attack in October 2014.

Await The Dawn is a very sad loss to breeding in KZN, having headed the first season ranks of his year by a superior winners to runners percentage – and he continues to do so, currently at an outstanding 47.7%.

Hero’s Honour is out of the versatile four-time winner Grail Maiden (Galileo), who won from 1200m to 2400m, and no doubt imparted her staying genes to her son. Summerhill has had huge success with Galileo mares, which have produced Gr2 winner Intergalactic and the great Igugu.

Congratulations to all concerned!

-extract sportingpost.co.za

The first entries for the Vodacom Durban July are in and several KZN-breds are amongst them – including half-siblings, dual Gr1 winner Rabada (from the stable of Brett Crawford) and his grey AP Arrow half-brother, Glider Pilot.

Another interesing entry, which is the third from Champion breeders Summerhill Stud, is the filly that South Africa’s eyes are on for this weekend – Takingthepeace, who is attempting to become the first KZN-bred to win the Triple Tiara.

Bush Hill Stud are represented with 2-time winning son of Visionaire – Throng – entered by Champion trainer Sean Tarry along with Matador Man.

Matador Man by Toreador may also try his hand again at the KZN Breeders Million Mile the week before to make it a double and match No Worries record.

Matador Man, who placed third in the Gr1 Champions Cup and won the Secretariat Stakes Listed, won again recently for his connections, interestingly Glider Pilot was just behind him.

Rabada is back in training with Brett Crawford after injury and it will be fantastic to see the twice Gr1 winning son of Brave Tin Soldier back in action again.

The five year old entire last raced in November 2016 and looks a picture in Summerveld.

His year younger brother Glider Pilot, who has half an ear missing from an accident as a youngster, is Merit Rated at 106 and has showed signs of brilliance.

In his last win over 2000m in February this year, he defeated amongst the field Brazuca and Bankable Teddy.

Amongst his four places with two wins from only seven starts, Glider Pilot finished fourth in the Gr1 Daily News 2000 behind Edict Of Nantes (a race his half-brother won previously) and left in his wake the likes of Copper Force, Zodiac Ruler, Africa Rising and Pagoda amongst others.

An exciting entry to see is St John Gray’s Dawn Assault. The only Stakes Winning son of Call To Combat, born and raised at Hadlow Stud for St John Gray, Dawn Assault has won six and placed 14 times.

He recently took the Drum Star Listed from Gr2 winner Secret Captain, with Kilrain and The Elmo Effect amongst the field.

The Vodacom Durban July will be taking place on 7 July this year – with the KZN Breeders Race Day taking place the week before at Greyville, and the Golf Day on 1 June leading up to Africa’s Greatest Horse Race.

Contact us if you would like to join us for the KZN Breeders Golf Day and KZN Breeders Race Day – vouchers towards the purchase of a KZN-bred yearling are up for grabs, for the KZN Yearling Sale taking place at Sibaya just the week after the KZN Breeders Race Day, and before the Vodacom Durban July.

See you there!

A R280 000 purchase from the CTS 2016 Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale, KZN-bred Takingthepeace made dreams come true yesterday at Turffontein for owners Murray Makepeace, M F de Kock & Michael Shea when the Mike De Kock trained flying filly, came from stone last off the turn to accelerate under a phenomenal ride from the young Callan Murry, swooping down to nab the Gr1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic by an incredible head.

Her owners were visibly ecstatic after the race and clearly loving every second of owning a racehorse!

There were concerns that the bay Visionaire may not see out the 1800m but the star filly has put paid to that notion when catching the field off guard to overtake the second placed Green Top from a 14 draw, and has earned R1,425,125 in stakes from nine starts.

Out of broodmare Lisa Anne by Rambo Dancer, Takingthepeace has now won five times including the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic, the Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, which puts her in a very strong position to take the SA Triple Tiara – which will be a first for a KZN-bred.

Her dam Lisa Anne, by Rambo Dancer, is a 3-time winner including placing in the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes and 2nd in the Gr3 Sycamore Sprint – in total seven Stakes Places in high company. This is the damline of Well Dressed, who produced Joan Ranger and African Appeal.

KZN is home to a mare population of approximately 800 broodmares, significantly less than the broodmare bands to be found in other provinces. From small numbers, big results have been achieved this past season and when one considers that Summerhill and Scott Bros are consistently in the top 10 nationally – with Summerhill crowned Champion national breeders for 10 years and currently second on the National Log – our horses are not be ignored on the racetracks or sales rings.

Look for Summerhill’s Visionaire yearlings at the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale taking place 24 – 26 April, including a Duke Of Marmalade half-brother to Gr1 winner Takingthepeace at the Nationals, as Lot 467.Summerhill have 9 Visionaires on offer including yearlings out of Gr2 winner Fisani, Gr2 winner Checcetti, a filly out of a full sister to the dam of Gr2 winner Intergalactic, as well as a half-sister to Stakes Placed Solar Star.

Congratulations to Summerhill Stud and the winning connections – we have a strong contender for the SA Triple Crown and 2018 KZN Breeders Horse Of The Year!

Summerhill-bred Visionaire filly Takingthepeace has once again stamped KZN Breeders in Gauteng, with a dominating run in the Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas (the first leg of the Triple Tiara), a race previously won by the likes of Heaps Of Fun (a Summerhill-bred daughter of Visionaire).

Under Callan Murray, the Mike De Kock-trained Takingthepeace is owned in partnership by the maestro trainer himself, Michael Shea (a son of jockey Kevin Shea) and Mr Makepeace. The three year old filly sold for R280 000 at the CTS Ready To Run Sale under the name Sagana as Lot 121.

The bay filly is out of Lisa Anne by Rambo Dancer, in turn out of a Complete Warrior mare. This is the damline of Well Dressed and African Appeal.

Summerhill Stud have produced 85 winners this season, and are currently on an equal footing with Klawervlei in the winners to runners percentages. Klawervlei are the current National Log Leaders of leading breeders by Stakes Earned with Summerhill following hot  on their heels.

This is the fourth win for Takingthepeace, who has earned R 800,125 in stakes from eight starts. She has yet to be out of the money from all of her starts with four wins and four places.

A big congratulations to all concerned and well done to the breeders, Summerhill Stud.