REFLECTIONS IN A SILVER SPOON

SIYABONGA, BAKHITI

I’m sitting in what is about to become my wife’s new bedroom, in a new house. “Hers” it became when we passed the budget for the third time!

The fold-away doors, all 8 metres of them, have given way to a World Heritage site. To my left lies Ntaba Nquno, where General Botha took command of the Boer forces in November 1899. His predecessor, General Joubert, hero of the first Anglo Boer War, had been wounded the day before at the Battle of Willow Grange, hence the change in O.C.

In the foreground lies one of the planet’s most enchanting valleys, and right here beneath this great hillside, lies the nation’s Champion Racehorse stud. Now I know what the British, the Zulus and the Boers were fighting so furiously about. This is God’s own, and they fought more ferociously for this territory than they did for any other.

Think about that. The British at the time, held dominion over two thirds of the earth’s surface, yet here is where the Empire engaged itself so earnestly, for its greatest military moments, as well as its worst. Since starting this note, I’ve had to walk across the courtyard at the rear of this house, and besides realising my wife got carried away with the size (our plans are simply jotted on the back of exam pads in this part of Zululand, so it’s easy to miscalculate), I also know that, for once in my life, I got really lucky. I married a genius.

The lakeside suites at Hartford House have long borne testimony to her creative talents. The occupancies tell us that, and the admiration of both the architectural and the decorating world confirm it. But “her” house is surely her finest moment.

That said, it really is larger than it should be, and perched beautifully as it is, it’s also a bit on the conspicuous side for a Zulu farmer who still comes to work in a Corsa bakkie, clad in khakis and veldskoens. So I’ve spent the morning planting trees to “hide” it a little!. Equally, this was not the time to be building, though it’s been a 2.5 year project for all the interruptions my management have brought on my builders in the time. You never want to be “splashing out” on a personal indulgence when there are others in pain. The timing was not good, though it might’ve been, had we completed it in 2007 when we first started. My team keeps saying, “purge your conscience, you’ve slaved for it”. I’m consoled only slightly. But it’s to them that Cheryl and I turn with our thanks. In our time here, they’ve run the hard yards with us, they made the sacrifices and at last, they’ve too, reaped their rewards.

Siyabonga, Bakhiti

The Machiavellian Style

Summerhill’s three sons of Machiavellian
(Nicholas Goss)

The Summerhill Sires Brochure 2008/2009 will be on the streets this week. If you’re not on our mailing list already, please let us know at info@summerhill.co.za to ensure that you get  your personal copy. Meanwhile, we follow with an excerpt on the Machiavellian influence from the brochure entitled “The Machiavellian Style”.

“When General Louis Botha, most feared of the Boer generals, took command of his nation’s troops at the foot of Summerhill in November 1899, he knew what he was in for. Britain already claimed dominion over two thirds of the earth’s surface, and here was a man about to engage the most powerful army in creation.

But like another famous freedom fighter, Niccolo Machiavelli, he had a decisive way with battles. He knew how cavalry, skillfully deployed, could turn the tide. As a farmer, he also knew the value of breeding.

Which brings us to the point. Today’s cavalry may well compete on more peaceful fields, but the contest is just as fierce, and the importance of breeding has never been more critical.

In our own preparations for battle, we’ve armed ourselves with every tool at our disposal. One of our discoveries was the early promise of Machiavellian as a sire of sires.

Stallions like Street Cry and Medicean, who’ve set the Atlantic alight on both sides of the pond. And then there’s Kahal, who’s sewing his own breeze, and reaping the whirlwind right here at Summerhill.

The racing battlefields are awash with the blood of Northern Dancer, and one of our principal challenges is to find an antidote to staunch the flow. For reasons which become obvious when you visit us at www.summerhill.co.za, there are irresistible affinities in the Machiavellian alliance, just as there are with Danehill.

And if you delve even deeper, you’ll uncover our complete battle plan, incorporating Machiavellian, Danehill and Northern Dancer.

The best laid plans though, would be fraught if they lacked the “bottle” to produce the footsoldiers to carry the day. And therein lies the tale. The “Machiavellians” don’t only have the blood, they’re the physical types to complement the needs of most of the mothers of the tribe.

So the arrival at Summerhill of Kahal, Mullins Bay and Hobb Alwahtan was no coincidence. They’re as accomplished and as well bred as the best of their sire’s sons. And like the strategies of General Botha, they’re a critical part of the grand plan.

In preparing themselves for the battles of the turf, there are those that like to leave it to luck, on the track or in the breeding shed. And then there are those that take charge of their outcomes, and leave a lasting impression on their finances, and on the breed.

By starting right here. At the end of the day, history rarely remembers who came second.

P.S. General Botha was a Natal “boytjie,” and today he’d have been as vociferous a “Shark” as any of us. He assumed his command on Ntaba Nqumo at the foot of our farm, and earned his fame as the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. He was also a founder member of the greatest dairy business in the land.

Right here, at Summerhill.”