International buyers push CTS sale to record average

Much to the delight of CTS chairman Chris van Niekerk, overseas buyers at the Cape Premier Sale at last came to the fore to send the aggregate for the two-day event to a record R154,625,000.

“It’s not only been a case of quality bloodstock, but also quality foreign buyers and I’ve never seen so many putting their money down,” enthused Van Niekerk after the hammer came down on the last of the 237 lots on Sunday night.

The average for this annual sale at the Cape Town Convention Centre also soared to a record R699,661 with the median at R375,000.

What Van Niekerk was hinting at in his post-sale comments was that - in previous years - overseas buyers had been happy to accept free flights and hotels without digging in to their pockets at sale time. This changed this year with 14 different foreign buyers signing for some of the top yearlings.

These included representatives from Ireland’s famous Coolmore Stud which bought the highestpriced lot of R6 million in the first session, China Horse Club and Mick Flanagan.

Drakenstein stud, which consigned 16 yearlings to the sale with six different sires, had the most successful sale in its history with buyers almost queuing up to purchase some really choicelybred youngsters.

“We came here with an open mind but knew we were sending some beautifully-bred horses - even so what transpired has exceeded our expectations,” commented Drakenstein racing manager, Kevin Sommerville.

With just 17 lots left to go through the ring, the R6 million record looked likely to be bettered with Irish auctioneer John O’Kelly fielding a host of bids for a Dynasty colt consigned by Lammerskraal Stud.

The yearling is certainly bred in the purple as he’s the first produce of the mare, Viva Maria, whose five wins included the Woolavington 2000.

After a protracted battle, Kuda Insurance won the day with the company’s MD Wehann Smith signing the sales slip at R5.75 million.

The yearling, named Sovereign Sway, is likely to be syndicated and it’s uncertain at this stage which stable the colt will join.

Early in the second session, David Redvers Bloodstock bought two expensive lots in succession - first outlaying R4.5 million for a Captain Al colt from Klawervlei (as agents) and then R3.25 million on another Captain Al colt from Drakenstein.