It looks a buyers’ market in Cape Town

Ringsider

Spoilt for choice - that’s the situation yearling buyers find themselves in this week with two sales in the Cape in the space of three days.

* Tomorrow: Bloodstock SA host their Cape Yearling Sale at a new venue - the Mistico Equestrian Centre in the winelands between Durbanville and Paarl.

* Saturday and Sunday (18 and 19 March): Cape Thoroughbred Sales host their March Yearling Sale. Saturday’s sale starts at 6pm and Sunday’s at 3pm.

A total of 142 lots have been catalogued for Bloodstock SA’s sale and they can boast some good recent graduates including Gold Standard, Hack Green, Final Judgement, Green Pepper, Doosra and Sanshaawes who is competing in Dubai.

Stallions with progeny on the sale include Philanthropist, Fort Wood, Ideal World, Judpot, Var, Gimmethegreenlight, Twice Over and Querari.

Of particular interest to buyers will be the offspring of the new young stallions on the block and these include Dynasty’s son Jackson, What A Winter, Duke Of Marmalade, Master Of My Fate, Noble Tune, Pomodoro and Potala Palace.

Jackson has a colt whose dam is a full-sister to Lizard’s Desire, Illfated Noordhoek Flyer has a colt from the family of Klawervlei Stud Majorca Stakes winner Nightingale and Judpot has a filly who is a half-sister to Geoff Woodruff’s SA Derby prospect, Pagoda.

Twice Over, whom the late Henry Cecil trained to win four Grade 1 races, is represented by two colts and two fillies.

Auctioneers Graeme Hawkins and Andrew Miller will be on the rostrum for the two-day CTS sale for which a total of 256 lots have been catalogued. Lots 1 to 100 will be sold on Saturday evening and the remainder on Sunday afternoon.

CTS are sure to make big play of the fact that two of their sales graduates, Janoobi and Smiling Blue Eyes, took top honours in two recent Guineas races at Turffontein - the Betting World Gauteng Guineas and the Wilgerbosdrift Fillies Guineas.

There are drafts from many of the country’s top studs including Klawervlei (28 yearlings), Normandy (24), Winterbach (20), Highlands (15), Oldlands (14), Birch Bros nine and Avontuur five.

Many buyers were impressed with Jackson’s yearling at the Premier Sale in January and Klawervlei (as agents) are selling one of his colts named Jack Swift.

This is the first produce of Ocean’s Swift.