TEAM SUMMERHILL SHINES AT KZN BREEDERS AWARDS 2012

Team Summerhill at the KZN Breeders Awards
(Photos : Taryn Crawford)

KZN BREEDERS AWARDS
17 November 2012

The KZN Breeders Association held their annual awards on a misty evening at Bellwood Cottages on 17 November to honour the people and Thoroughbreds that have done the industry proud of the past season.

It was an evening that was very well-attended by prominent breeders, owners and trainers alike. It also included an event which brought much fun and amusement into the exciting atmosphere - the inaugural running of the ‘Donkey Derby’ which was won by Bradley McHardy of Quest For Success Pre-training.

Graeme Hawkins, the COO of Gold Circle, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event and the KZN Breeders Association Chairman, Koos de Klerk, gave both a welcoming and motivating speech regarding the exciting events that have occurred within the ambit of the KZN Breeders of the past year - as well as giving a hint of exciting prospects and plans for the year ahead.

“I want to extend a personal thank you to the board members of KZN Breeders Club and the effort that each of the members put in for the welfare of the club and breeders in KZN,” said Koos de Klerk. “Thank you too to the sponsors of the awards, it is greatly appreciated. We have had a number of initiatives that have borne fruit and will in future include the KZN Breeders Golf Day and KZN Breeders Million Mile Race Day, KZN Yearling Sales and the R1million race initiated for Vodacom Durban July day which is part of the initiative of our Triple Million Challenge. For a horse that can achieve the treble: winning the R1million race on Vodacom Durban July day, the next year’s Million Mile as a three-year-old and the following year as a four year old, a R1million bonus will be paid. Moving ahead, we will have another six races for R200,000 next year on the KZN Breeders Race Day (incorporating the Million Mile). Further details will be announced very soon - all of which will promote racing and breeding in KZN and we hope to see the results of that. We have already seen the success of the 2012 KZN Yearling Sale. Candiese Marnewick has been appointed as an admin manager and we hope to have her at all sales as well as to brand KZN horses, to promote KZN horses and to promote the Breeders Premium Scheme. We are also looking forward to some serious stallion purchases, starting with the announcement of Crusade.”

Congratulations must go to the winners which saw Dancewiththedevil crowned KZN Breeders Horse Of The Year for a second consecutive year. Breeder, owner and trainer St John Gray was on hand to recieve numerous awards which included Broodmare Of The Year for Emperor’s Dance who resides at Cathy and Jonathan Martin’s Hadlow Stud for St John Gray.

KZN Breeders Stallion Of The Year went to Kahal, owned by Shadwell Stud and now standing at Warwick and Karin Render’s Bush Hill Stud. Kahal was represented with a number of nominees on the evening, in particular he stood out as the sire of every nominee in the category of Outstanding Female Sprinter - won ultimately by Mannequin of Summerhill Stud. Bush Hill Stud took home awards for The Mouseketeer in the category of Outstanding Male Sprinter on behalf of breeder Dr Ian Heyns, as well as for the Bush Hill-stud raised Seal for Outstanding Male Stayer.

Summerhill Stud once again took home the award for Leading Breeder Of The Year and achieved wins in a total of five categories - with Extra Zero, Mannequin and Vodacom Durban July runner-up Smanjemanje.

Keith Russon and Ian Todd of Backworth Stud won the award for Breeding Achievement. Backworth Stud had achieved an impressive 53% runners to winners ratio over the last racing season. Backworth’s Variometer, nominee for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Sprinter Female and Outstanding Three-Year-Old Filly had gone onto win the Gardenia Listed Handicap the evening before the awards in a very impressive fashion from a strong field of sprinting fillies that included winner of the Outstanding Female Sprinter categoey, Mannequin (bred by Summerhill Stud).

The KZN Breeders Awards winners for 2012 are :

Horse	Sire	Dam	Breeder
Outstanding Two-Year-Old Colt
Greenacre	Mogok	Kentucky Home	Yellow Star Stud
Outstanding Three-Year-Old Sprinter Female
Extra Zero	Way West	Haifaa	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding Three-Year-Old Colt
Eton Square	Miesque’s Approval	Monroe	Scott Bros
Outstanding Three-Year-Old Filly
Kalami	Daylami	Kal Sufi	R & Mrs Pickering
Outstanding Sprinter Male
The Mouseketeer	Kahal	Look Sharp	Bush Hill Stud
Outstanding Sprinter Female
Mannequin	Kahal	Model K	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding Middle Distance Male
Smanjemanje	Kahal	In Style	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding Middle Distance Female
Dancewiththedevil	Modus Vivendi	Emperor’s Dance	Graystone Stud
Outstanding Stayer Male
Seal	Silvano	Prestine Performer	IR Heyns
Outstanding Older Male
Smanjemanje	Kahal	In Style	Summerhill Stud
Outstanding Older Female
Dancewiththedevil	Modus Vivendi	Emperor’s Dance	Graystone Stud
Broodmare of the Year
Emperor’s Dance
Stallion of the Year
Kahal
Leading Breeder of the Year
Summerhill Stud
Breeding Achievement
Backworth Stud
Anita Akal Award
Linda Norval
Horse of the Year
Dancewiththedevil

www.kznbreeders.co.za

Extract from KZN Breeders

HAWKEYE'S HOPES

Graeme Hawkins
(Photo : Gareth du Plessis)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE
TBA Sales Complex, Germiston
2nd and 4th November 2012

In “Consider Your Verdict” earlier in the week, we gave you the picks for the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale of the most powerful “bench” in racing. Mike de Kock, Sean Tarry, Dean Kannemeyer, Michael Roberts, Graeme Hawkins, Jehan Malherbe, Alec Laird and Yusuke Tsukahara were restricted though in their selections, to the three colts and three fillies they thought might do the job in next year’s R2.5million Ready To Run Cup. Inevitably, this means they will have been torn between any number of horses in the catalogue, and if you’d care to look at their notes in the years to come, you’ll find they pencilled in more than a few others that went on to distinguished careers as well.

For that reason, and especially because we want to be true to the adage, now well established, that “there’s a horse for everyone in the Ready To Run”, we asked “Mr Racing”, Graeme Hawkins, to provide us with his value choices from the day, in the hope that we could broaden the net a little, and provide succour for those with an eye for a bargain.

Colts
17 FRANCOIS P Captain Al - Great Wall
88 ILIYSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)
73 BELLA’S BOY Mullins Bay (GB) - New York Folly (Really nice, coul be good value buy)
197 YEAROFTHEDRAGON Kahal (GB) - Electric Elegance
72 SOLAR STAR Kahal (GB) - Nevada Sunrise (USA) (Really nice, could be good value buy)
108 UNNAMED A.P. Arrow - Silwood (May need time but plenty of scope)
28 STORM INCOMING Mullins Bay (GB) - Hlabelela (Looks really nice sort)
Fillies
130 ETHEMBA Kahal (GB) - Trusted Instinct (AUS)
95 UKULALA Kahal (GB) - Roman Dream
86 WATERS EDGE Mullins Bay (GB) - Rainbow Lady
120 ADMIRAL’S EYE Admire Mian (JPN) - Surfers Eye
87 RAINBOW RED A.P. Arrow (USA) - Rainbow Red (Lacked pedigree but eye-catching number)
2 TOAST OF THE TOWN Mullins Bay (GB) - Favoured Nation (Could be really good value buy)
66 AYESSAYPEE A.P. Arrow (USA) - Mythical Madam (May need time but looks a classic sort)

A couple of other experts shared their opinions too, both of them renowned pickers:

Tony Rivalland

Colts
31 UNNAMED Jet Master - Hunter’s Glen
88 ILITSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)
157 DIE KAT (AUS) Tale Of The Cat (USA) - America’s Idol (USA)
Fillies
47 MYSTICAL STAR Jet Master - Leading Dame
120 ADMIRAL’S EYE Admire Main (JPN) - Surfers Eye
199 IKIMASU Admire Main (JPN) - Espinado

Gavin van Zyl

(He wasn’t giving much away in the presence of “arch” patron, Brian Burnard!)

Colt
17 FRANCOIS P Captain Al - Great Wall

Don’t forget though, the Summerhill stables were alive on the weekend with visitors from various realms, equally intrigued by what was on offer. Besides John Plumtree, or “coach” as he’s known to the Sharks rugby players, the interest at Summerhill has maintained itself well into the week, and many of those who’ve either visited or been in touch, have sought the choices of the people closest to the horses, our jockeys and grooms. For their opinions, please visit Summerhill’s Ready To Run news page… click here!

Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup • Saturday 3rd November
Lots 1-75 • Friday 2nd November 17h00
Lots 76-202 • Sunday 4th November 14h00

Read more about the
2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale

For more information please visit
www.tba.co.za

PULLER'S PICK

Nico Kritsiotis interviews Garth Puller and Mthokozisi Sithole
(Photos : Leigh Willson)

MTHOKOZISI “SMALL BOY” SITHOLE
“Rider Of The Gallops”

If you’re an outsider looking in, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Ready To Run gallops are about horses. And for the most part, you’d be right. But that would be ignoring the role our people play. There’s not a soul on Summerhill that doesn’t have a hand in it, and on the day, they’re all on deck; there’s no sale in the world that demands more, particularly when you’re hosting it on your farm.

In the end though, it’s about the horses and the way they perform, and the performance is a product not only of the horses’ talent, but of the skills of the little man on top. That’s why we started a new tradition last year, honouring the best rider of the day. Unsurprisingly, the accolade went the way of our senior educator in 2011, John Motaung, who’d enjoyed two scholarships to the United States prior to his “championship”.

We asked a man whom Graeme Hawkins described at Thursday evening’s gala dinner as the most gifted and thoroughly knowledgeable horseman he knew, to be our judge. Garth Puller, genius that he is, needs no introduction. He’s exactly what Graeme Hawkins said he is. And this year, he chose Mthokozisi “Small Boy” Sithole as his Rider of the Gallops, for his style, his finesse and his “oneness” with his mount. No small compliment, coming from whence it did.

Well done Small - you’re a big boy, today.

Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup • Saturday 3rd November
Lots 1-75 • Friday 2nd November 17h00
Lots 76-202 • Sunday 4th November 14h00

Read more about the
2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale

For more information please visit
www.tba.co.za

Enquiries :
Tarryn Liebenberg +27 (0) 83 787 1982
or email tarryn@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

CONSIDER YOUR VERDICT

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE
TBA Sales Complex, Germiston
2nd and 4th November 2012

Racing’s constitutional court handed down its verdict on the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Gallops on Friday afternoon, and while they were split in their choices of the outstanding performers on the day, they were universally at one on the depth and the quality of what they saw. The novel thing about these gallops is that by this time tomorrow, every racing fan will have his opportunity to make his own private judgement, as the gallops may be accessed by visiting the TBA (www.tba.co.za) or the Summerhill websites (www.summerhill.co.za) and you’d do well to remember that several of the sale’s star performers over the years have escaped the attention of a panel even of this stature. That’s the way it must be, as the judges are restricted to a choice of three colts and three fillies each, and racehorses are no different to children inasmuch they’re a work-in-progress at this stage of their lives. In a catalogue numbering more than 200, there are bound to be any number of jewels whose potential is only likely to emerge further down the road. And who’s to say, when the difference between two gallops is as little as a hair’s breadth, that the “chosen one” wasn’t simply the beneficiary of a slightly better ride, or was mentally that bit more ready for the occasion?

What was certainly evident in the number of people that pitched up at Summerhill on Friday, is that this sale continues to enjoy unprecedented popularity, and quite clearly, the new record stake of R2.5million for the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, (equal to the J&B Met in prize money) has obviously got the “juices” going.

While it is so that all five of the Ready To Run Cup winners thus far have emerged from the Summerhill gallops, there were some favourable remarks from Geoff Woodruff and Sharon Patterson about those that did their stuff at Turffontein on Wednesday, including special mention of a Rock Of Gibraltar filly (Lot 161) and a pair of Teofilos (Lots 13 and 90), while Nico Kristiotis observed that the gap between the performances of the Summerhill horses and those of other consignors had narrowed appreciably this year.

This is how the judges called them:

MIKE DE KOCK	Fillies
	47 MYSTICAL STAR Jet Master - Leading Dame
	120 ADMIRAL’S EYE Admire Main (JPN) - Surfers Eye
	181 PICK OF THE FIELD Kahal (GB) - Choice Field
	Colts
	88 ILITSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)
	94 VARIETY ROMP Var (USA) - Rollicking Romp
	122 SWISS ARROW A.P. Arrow (USA) - Swiss Pearl

JEHAN MALHERBE	Fillies
	47 MYSTICAL STAR Jet Master - Leading Dame
	120 ADMIRAL’S EYE Admire Main (JPN) - Surfers Eye
	133 ENCHANTED SILK Kahal (GB) - Vanilla Silk
	Colts
	17 FRANCOIS P Captain Al - Great Wall
	31 UNNAMED Jet Master - Hunter’s Glen
	88 ILITSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)

ALEC LAIRD	Fillies
	110 SKUKUZA Mullins Bay (GB) - Sphalaphala
	192 FLIGHT CHECK A.P. Arrow - Diligence
	199 IKIMASU Admire Main (JPN) - Espinado
	Colts
	22 THE GOBI Kahal (GB) - Haifaa (IRE)
	88 ILITSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)
	138 EAGLE ONE National Assembly (CAN) - Voga Longa

YUSUKE TSUKAHARA	Fillies
	12 FUNEKA A.P. Arrow (USA) - Glitz
	120 ADMIRAL’S EYE Admire Main (JPN) - Surfers Eye
	199 IKIMASU Admire Main (JPN) - Espinado
	Colts
	20 FYRKAT Stronghold (GB) - Habib Laziza (BRZ)
	115 TAKUSHI Admire Main (JPN) - Stolen Beauty
	157 DIE KAT (AUS) Tale Of The Cat (USA) - America’s Idol (USA)

DEAN KANNEMEYER	Fillies
	47 MYSTICAL STAR Jet Master - Leading Dame
	49 YANGTZE KIANG Stronghold (GB) - Lizmay Creek
	131 UNNAMED Dynasty - Until Now (ZIM)
	Colts
	31 UNNAMED Jet Master - Hunter’s Glen
	56 UNNAMED Western Winter (USA) - Making Whoopee (AUS)
	88 ILITSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)

MICHAEL ROBERTS	Fillies
	89 AUTODROME A.P. Arrow (USA) - Resolutiva (ARG)
	198 ENTICE THE ARROW A.P. Arrow (USA) - Entice The Gold
	199 IKIMASU Admire Main (JPN) - Espinado
	Colts
	94 VARIETY ROMP Var (USA) - Rollicking Romp
	157 DIE KAT (AUS) Tale Of The Cat (USA) - America’s Idol (USA)
	197 YEAROFTHEDRAGON Kahal (GB) - Electric Elegance

GRAEME HAWKINS	Fillies
	24 DOVER BEACH Mullins Bay (GB) - Hard To Get
	82 ISTHANDOSAMI Kahal (GB) - Particular Passion
	159 ARABIAN ARROW A.P. Arrow (USA) - Arabian Charm
	Colts
	31 UNNAMED Jet Master Hunter’s Glen
	94 VARIETY ROMP Var (USA) - Rollicking Romp
	157 DIE KAT (AUS) Tale Of The Cat (USA) - America’s Idol (USA)

SEAN TARRY	Fillies
	6 RAINY DAY Stronghold (GB) - Fovesta
	66 AYESSAYPEE A.P. Arrow (USA) - Mythical Madam
	118 SUGAR BAY Mullins Bay (GB) - Sugar Biscuit
	Colts
	22 THE GOBI Kahal (GB) - Haifaa (IRE)
	31 UNNAMED Jet Master Hunter’s Glen
	88 ILITSHE (AUS) Fastnet Rock (AUS) - Reem Albaraari (GB)

The obvious favourities were Summerhill’s Tale Of The Cat colt (Lot 157), their Fastnet Rock lad (Lot 88) and Chevely Stud’s Jet Master colt (Lot 31), while Lots 47,120 and 199 pricked the judges’ imaginations among the fillies. Summerhill will be especially gratified at the broad appeal enjoyed by the first crop of A.P. Arrow, which seemed to have especially athletic frames and the actions that have made the A.P. Indy strain famous. If you can crack one stallion in a season as a studmaster, you can consider yourself lucky, but it seems they may have another “talker” this year in Admire Main. Like the panel, Glen Kotzen made a point of singling out the Admire Mains, while Shadai Corporation’s Yusuke Tsukahara felt they were typical of the Sunday Silence tribe in general.

Given the enormous international success of the likes of Deep Impact, Hat Trick, Stay Gold and Dance In The Dark in recent seasons, this is just about the best news for those who believe in the value of the international outcross, and the benefits of diversity in the success of nations.

It’s now part of the conventional wisdom of the sale that “there’s a horse for everyone at the Ready To Run”, and there may be a perception that the judges’ choices are more likely to be at the top end of the sale, and therefore have an element of elitism to them. While they might not be entirely true, Graeme Hawkins has especially offered another few “value” picks to his list, which will be mounted on the Summerhill blog site tomorrow morning (see Hawkeye’s Hopes).

Finally, talking of judges’ panels, the one that chooses the candidates for the R2.5 million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup, has a growing headache. Before last weekend, they already had an unprecedented 42 winners from last year’s sale, and their dilemma was heightened this week by the first-time victory of Killua Castle (who had to be sold in absentia last year, after undergoing colic surgery during the sale), while Waka Waka (a second timer) and Noble Star trotted up for Gary Alexander and Dean Kannemeyer at Turffontein and Durbanville respectively. Good luck, boys!

Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup • Saturday 3rd November
Lots 1-75 • Friday 2nd November 17h00
Lots 76-202 • Sunday 4th November 14h00

Read more about the
2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale

For more information please visit
www.tba.co.za

LAFF A MINUTE AND OTHERS

Television personalities Paul Lafferty and Andrew Bon at Royal Ascot
(Photo : Lafferty At Ascot)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN GALLOPS
Summerhill Stud, Mooi River
Friday 19th October 2012

You all know the names of the personalities of the men that serve on the Ready To Run Judges’ panel. Without them, South African racing would be a dowdy old place. One of them has gone AWOL though, staying in Cape Town for a fiftieth birthday, which is probably as much a reflection of his own age catching up with him, as anything else. Step up Alec Laird, the man that liberated South African racing when he became the first trainer in history to grab a Group One east of Cape Town. Whatever else it reads, his tombstone will be etched with the words “Trainer of London News”. It ignores of course, one of the deepest pedigrees in the game, and a lifetime of achievement. He’ll be on board on Friday.

In a slight change to the format, Nico Kritsiotis joins Craig Peters in the commentary box, and stands alongside another new face in Paul Lafferty, in the convening of the Judges panel for Channel 239. Laff needs little introduction as one of the sport’s great haymakers, while Nico has etched his name among the greats behind the “mic”. Remarkably, we’ll have four of the world’s best race-callers on hand on Friday, Graeme Hawkins, Jehan Malherbe, “Eagle-Eye” Craig Peters and Nico Kritsiotis. They don’t come much better (or bigger) than that.

Reminds us of the story of the “mother and father” of all battles, which took place just 45 minutes from where the gallops will be staged on Friday. On that day, in early 1900, drawn together by dint of the peculiar circumstances of what had been happening in this territory for almost a century before, was one of the most extraordinary assemblies of men in history. Louis Botha, the outstanding general of the Anglo-Boer War and the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, was there. Alongside him, the man he accompanied to Versailles on the conclusion of the First World War, the man the world chose to write the charters for the League of Nations and subsequently for the United Nations, and the man Churchill nominated to be his successor as Prime Minister in the British War cabinet, Jan Smuts, he was there. The Englishman himself, arguably the most famous of all Englishman, Winston Churchill, he was there. Denys Reitz, Boer General and ironically, a Field Marshall thereafter in the British army and one-time Deputy Prime Minister of South Africa, was on Spioenkop that fateful day. And quite remarkably, the man who liberated India in 1947, the Mahatma Gandhi, was a stretcher-bearer on that mountain that day.

What chance our race-callers might be remembered in the same breath in years to come, for their attendance at the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Gallops in 2012!

Read more about the
2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale

For more information please visit
www.tba.co.za