INVESTEC STALLION DAY 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 
Please click above to view photos from Investec Stallion Day…
(Photos : Leigh Willson)
Investec Stallion Day
Summerhill Stud, 8 July 2012
Racing and breeding aficionados have embraced the annual stallion day at Summerhill Stud to such a degree, that it is now a fixture in many fans’ calendars. That was evident at the Midlands nursery on Sunday, where they fed more than 700 people from twenty-one different countries, including Kings, Queens and Princesses from two royal households, Ministers of State, Presidents and Chairmen of turf clubs and racing operators, and countless addicts of our sport. It is a tribute to what has become racing’s favourite day out, that it should have been identified by Investec, who sponsor not only Britain’s greatest race, the Epsom Derby, but also a number of the world’s leading sporting competitions, as an event they wanted to be associated with. Wherever you find Investec’s brand these days, there is an aura of class and sophistication to the proceedings, and Sunday was no exception, though as one wag put it, he’d never seen so many “zebras” at a stallion day before!
A highlight of the day was the new Summerhill Sires Film, voted Sunday superior even to the previous two editions. It’s an indication of their public appeal that these productions have been aired not only on our own public broadcast channels, but also on Sky and TVN. While those on the Summerhill mailing list will obviously get their own DVD copies when the new Stallion Brochure is published towards the end of the month, those wishing to access the footage in the next few days should keep following blog.summerhill.co.za.
The day was filled with the usual emotion that surrounds horses and people in the racing world, and there was a touch of nostalgia in the posthumous recognition of two of South Africa’s greatest sons, David Rattray and Lawrence Anthony, in the granting of Ingwazi Awards by the Land Of Legends (www.landoflegends.co.za), the only collection of hospitality properties in the world whose common bond lies in their celebration of history, tradition and culture. Appropriately, given David Rattray’s own fame as the world’s best story teller, the awards were presented by one of the best speakers on any subject anywhere, Professor Nick Binedell of the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
Graeme Hawkins is widely recognised as the industry’s number one auctioneer, but it would hardly be doing justice to his performance on Sunday to discredit it as his finest exhibition ever. In the process, the Summerhill sires delivered up R270,000 towards the funding of the School Of Management Excellence, saluted this past week in the achievement of one of its first candidates, Thabani Nzimande, whose name was splashed across several international racing publications as the English National Stud’s “Best Practical Student of 2012.” To put it into context, Nzimande is a young Zulu graduate of the School who grew up in the Summerhill vicinity, and earned his accolades at the National Stud in the company of scholars from seven different countries. On Friday last, the European Bloodstock News (EBN) reported that Brian O’Rourke, Managing Director of The National Stud, said: “With the Childwick Trust’s close connections to South Africa and racing in both the UK and South Africa, the Trustees proposed that a potential link could be forged between The Al Maktoum School of Excellence students at Summerhill Stud and The National Stud’s Diploma programme. It has been an extremely successful joint venture.”
Thabani Nzimande said: “For me it has been a dream to come to The National Stud and work under the management of Brian O’Rourke and the team. I would like to say thank you to the team who organised great lectures for this year’s class that have helped us to build ourselves up in this Thoroughbred business. I am so lucky that I have been able to increase my experience and knowledge in this business, and that memory will stay with me for life.”
Tabitha Smith, Training Director at The National Stud, said: “Thabani has been an exemplary member of the group - he has amassed many new skills and enhanced the considerable practical skills he arrived with. Thabani has never once failed to take advantage of the opportunities available and use his time in the UK to the best advantage.”
Click here to read the full European Bloodstock News article : “Flagship Diploma Course breeding next generation of Stud Managers.”
For the record, here are the details from the auction:
| STALLION | ADVERTISED (ZAR) | BID (ZAR) | BUYER |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADMIRE MAIN | 15,000 | 15,000 | Keith Young |
| AP ARROW | 20,000 | 20,000 | Mark Barnes |
| AP ARROW | 20,000 | 20,000 | Keith Young |
| BRAVE TIN SOLDIER | 15,000 | 20,000 | Keith Young |
| BRAVE TIN SOLDIER | 15,000 | 20,000 | Judge Alan Magid |
| GOLDEN SWORD | 20,000 | 20,000 | Marsh Shirtliff |
| MULLINS BAY | 15,000 | 26,000 | Ashleigh McNabb |
| MULLINS BAY | 15,000 | 26,000 | Ronnie Napier |
| RAVISHING | 10,000 | 9,000 | Dave Scott |
| TRAFFIC GUARD | 15,000 | 17,000 | Syd Rosseau |
| TRAFFIC GUARD | 15,000 | 17,000 | Moses Thembe |
| VISIONAIRE | 20,000 | 20,000 | Judge Alan Magid |
| VISIONAIRE | 20,000 | 20,000 | Judge Alan Magid |
| WAY WEST | 10,000 | 10,000 | Mark Barnes |
| ANTHONIJ RUPERT L’ORMARINS OPTIMA | n/a | 10,000 | Alan Miller & Steve Karlin of Team Valor |
| TOTAL RAISED | 270,000 |
Enquiries :
Linda Norval 27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email linda@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za
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