THE GENERAL SIRES LOG : The Ultimate Testing Ground

Kahal
(Photo : Greig Muir)

For the first six months of the present season, KAHAL has blazed the trail at the head of affairs on the National Sires Premiership log, with two winners of R1 million+ races, in DESERT LINKS and SMANGALISO. Truth is though, it was an unrealistic expectation to believe that KAHAL could hold it indefinitely, given that his top three older horses were acquired for international duty. What he’s left with (and he’s doing a mighty fine job of it), is three generations of horses, all conceived at a stud fee south of R15,000.

That his most threatening challenger now should be NATIONAL EMBLEM, is a plaudit for the men and ladies in the Summerhill Stallion barn and the job Linda Norval, Greig Muir, Kerry Jack and Annet Becker are doing (have done) in building stallion careers. For the past few seasons, four of the top ten stallions on the log have been occupied by horses with Summerhill connections, and whatever NATIONAL EMBLEM (who has since moved to his owner’s Klawervlei Stud, in the Western Cape), might achieve henceforth, it’s worth reflecting that his current earners were all conceived right here.