Two Year Old Sale defies tough economic climate

FIRST. FEMALES CLAIM TOP PRICES WITH PATHFORK FILLY FETCHING R1.2 MILLION

Average prices up 12 percent.

The two-day 2018 Emperors Palace National Two Year Old Sale ended on a positive note last week, with a high clearance rate and a 25% increase in the median price paid.

An unnamed Pathfork filly (Lot 37) out of Scented Samantha topped the sale, with the Highlands Stud part of Ridgemont product knocked down to trainer Brett Crawford for R1.2 million on Thursday.

The filly is a half-sister to seven winners, notably the Graded stakes winners Franny and Dark Justice and top international sprinter Sweet Sanette, who ran third in the 2011 Grade 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Members of the fairer sex dominated proceedings on Thursday, with fillies filling the top three lots.

Lammerskraal Stud consigned a pair of fillies to fetch R700,000 and R600,000 respectively, with the farm’s Field Maiden (Lot 245) selling to Heywood Bloodstock and their Wylie Wench (Lot 238) knocked down to Varsfontein Stud. Day one’s top-priced colt was Treasure Trove (Lot 101), by Flower Alley – bought by Team G Racing for R450,000.

The top lot sold on Friday, the second and final day of the sale, was Monarchy (Lot 401), a regally bred Dynasty colt, consigned by Jan Mantel’s Millstream Farm and purchased by Form Bloodstock.

A half-brother to five winners, including stakes winners Lochlorien and Gothic, Monarchy fetched R500,000, making him the fourth top lot overall, and the top colt sold.

The auction, renowned as one of South Africa’s best value-formoney sales, had an aggregate of R29.33 million – up nearly 12% on the 2017 Two Year Old Sale aggregate of R26.255 million.

The average price paid rose impressively, too, especially given a tough economic climate, from R80,785 to R90,246 (an increase of 12%), while the median reached R50,000 – 25% up on last year’s median of R40,000.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the 2018 National Two Year Old Sale was the consistent clearance rate.

Bloodstock South Africa’s Gary Grant was delighted by the sale results, saying, “We are heartened and grateful, yet again, at the loyal support that both vendors and buyers have shown, with both having played a major role in creating yet another successful BSA sale.

“This sale is another ringing endorsement that the market has given Bloodstock South Africa.”

The full list of results and statistics for the 2018 National Two Year Old Sale can be viewed at

Picture: Highlands Stud TOP LOT: This unnamed filly, by Pathfork out of the four-time-winning mare Scented Samantha, was sold for R1.2 million at the 2018 National Two Year Old Sale in Germiston last week. Consigned by Highlands Stud, she was bought by trainer Brett Crawford.