YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A MILLIONAIRE

Watch Salutation winning the Spook Express Handicap (L)
(Image : JC Photos - Footage : Tellytrack)

“It’s probably fair to say that at the price, you’re unlikely to find these gems anywhere else in the world beyond South Africa, and what is even more unlikely, is that you might buy them from any other nation’s champion breeders.”

When the debutante, Adapt Or Die scooted home on her first racecourse appearance last Tuesday, she gave notice of two things. The first is, she’ll be back for more, and the second is that you don’t have to own a fortune to own a good racehorse. A R5,000 bargain-buy by local trainer, Deon Visser at the inaugural Emperors Palace Summer Ready To Run Sale in our School of Management Excellence, the daughter of Way West recouped her purchase price in the first few strides of this 1000m dash, and the future looks bright for those with a connection.

Yet Adapt Or Die is by no means the only fairytale emerging from this sale; before we get to its luminaries, let’s share an admission. This farm sale is a hotchpotch of liquorice allsorts, the late-maturers, those that couldn’t make an earlier engagement through injury or illness, the unwanted urchins of a former salesring, and those with faulty engineering. The results of the sale tell us that none of these things is a bar to racecourse success, the good ones already including Gauteng Guineas-placed No Worries, the ill-fated Sophomore Sprint ace, Sithela (R45,000), the five-time winner Gida (R35,000) whose name you’ll find these days in Group race company, since sold to Mauritius for a reported R250,000; the four-time winner, Maluti (R5,000); and Corredor, who, fresh off a brace of recent victories (R40,000), earned his Black type bracket behind the country’s best three-year-old, Capetown Noir, in the Byerly Turk (Gr.3) on Saturday.

It’s probably fair to say that at the price, you’re unlikely to find these gems anywhere else in the world beyond South Africa, and what is even more unlikely, is that you might buy them from any other nation’s champion breeders. Yes, we need to get the big scorers to pay the bills here, but we must never forget, they all enjoy a common upbringing, and the will-to-win is inbred at Summerhill. Sunday afternoon at Turffontein that much was evident when the R50,000 purchase, Salutation, bolted home in the Spook Express Handicap (Listed), taking her earnings over the R900,000 mark for her intrepid owner Peet Diedericks. By no means alone in the bargain basement, Van Der Scaler (R10,000) trotted up for Braam van Huysteen in Durban, while Tributary (R10,000) put two lengths between herself and her field in Cape Town.

By way of contrast, impressive as any on a weekend of outstanding performances, was Blueridge Mountain, making her first start since taking out the Majorca Stakes (Gr.1) on J&B Met day: this R2million Summerhill graduate of the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale in 2011 alongside the S.A.Classic (Gr.1) crackerjack, Love Struck looks set not only for a big Champions’ Season, but for a career likely to pitch her against the best in the world in November’s Breeders Cup series in the United States.

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

THERE'S A HORSE FOR EVERYONE AT THE READY TO RUN

EMPERORS PALACE SUMMER READY TO RUN SALE
School Of Excellence, Summerhill Stud, Mooi River
20 February 2013

THERE’S A HORSE FOR EVERYONE AT THE READY TO RUN.
This is true. And it applies more to the Emperors Palace Summer Ready To Run than to any other sale. VALUE is our watchword, and you need only go to www.summerhill.co.za and click on SALES for a reminder.

The Summer Sale is all about those that were left behind, the immature, the injured, and the unsold. Like J&B Met hopeful Black Wing; Imbongi, Bold Ellinore and Emperor Napoleon in the past, and the likes of the Sophomore Sprint aces, Rooi Nooi (R60 000) and Sithela (R40 000); as well as FlyFirstClass (R180 000), I Got You Babe (R7 000), Tomorrow’s Miss (R80 000), Corredor (R60 000), Chili Pepper (R55 000), No Worries, Coming Up Roses (R80 000), Gida R35 000), Golden Dynasty and Maluti (R5 000) among the latest lot.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A MILLIONAIRE:
ALL CAN PLAY, ALL CAN WIN.

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

SUMMER READY TO RUN SALE : DEPTH CHARGE

EMPERORS PALACE
SUMMER READY TO RUN SALE
22 February 2012

The measure of anything in the horse business lies in quality and in the context of a horse sale, in the depth of the catalogue. Last February, Summerhill inaugurated its first Summer Ready To Run Sale, largely for the horses it would normally sell off the farm, horses which for whatever reason, were unable to get to the spring Ready To Run in November. Among those that remained behind over the years were the R8 million earner Imbongi, R5 million accumulator Paris Perfect, ATM “machine” Bold Ellinore, millionaire brother Emperor Napoleon, South Africa’s winning-most racehorse ever, Hear The Drums, and another ace millionaire, Vangelis. A rich harvest you might say, in the arid thoughts of those who might’ve believed that these were the “left-overs”.

There’s been many a horse emerging from these paddocks with little but the fact he could run to recommend him, not much in the way of family, not much to look at, and many of the imperfections the purists would shun. Those that would turn their backs on that horse would need to remember where he comes from, though. The roll of those we’ve just mentioned, reminds us of the jewels you can plumb if you thrust your hand deep enough into the last vestiges of the Summerhill barrel.

Last year, our team took an experimental draft to the Horses-In-Training sale at Shongweni, and it was a bit of a bloodbath. Buyers should’ve known better : there’s always something worthwhile in any assembly of Summerhill horses, and that’s the way it turned out. At R50,000, Sithela turned out a bit of a star, marching off with two in succession, including a stunning victory over two Group One performers in the Sophomore Sprint, only to be robbed of certain favouritism for the R2million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup in a fatal accident. Besides Sithela, Scat Alley (R40,000) couldn’t have been more impressive in her debut victory for Louis Goosen; Michael Miller and The Baroness Bergsma got every bit of their purchase consideration and a lot more back, when I Got You Babe (R7,000) trotted up by 2.5 lengths; and Alesh Naidoo, Ashwin Govender and Paul Lafferty got more than they bargained for when Kahal’s daughter, Equivalence (R15,000) spanked them on the New Year’s weekend on her third racecourse appearance. And then there’s Gida, Wendy Whitehead’s R35,000 purchase, who pricked some ears with a rattling 2^nd on only his 2^nd trip to the races. He’s favourite this weekend.

All of that, though can hardly compare to this year’s catalogue, on the face of it at least. Here’s a taste of it here :

• Kahal colt ex Coastal Waltz (dam East Cape Horse Of The Year, and winner of ten).
• Kahal filly ex Deal A Double (first foal of a five-time winning sister to three Group winners).
• Mullins Bay ex Dignify (dam is a Golden Slipper (Gr.1) winning sister to J&B Met ace, Angus.
• Cataloochee filly ex Excess (dam is a sister to two Black type performers, from the immediate family of two of Europe’s best fillies of 2011, Dancing Rain (English Oaks Gr.1) and Together (Moyglare Stakes Gr.1).
• Kahal filly ex Glitz (sister to Nondweni, from the family of a former Ready To Run star and champion Imperial Dispatch).
• Cataloochee filly ex Lady Red (first foal of a Group performing 5 time winner).
• Mullins Bay colt ex Lotti (dam is a Stakes winner and her first foal is a three time visitor to the winner’s circle).
• Mullins Bay filly ex Nordic Air (sister to champion race filly, Icy Air and current Charles Laird star, Ice Axe).
• Stronghold filly ex Rainbow Ridge (dam is sister to champion Amphitheatre, from the immediate family of Icy Air and Ice Axe).
• Stronghold colt ex Shiyabekala (dam is a sister to J&B Met hero, Angus, and Golden Slipper (Gr.1) heroine Dignify.
• Stronghold filly ex Tribute (sister to Stuart Pettigrew’s star turn, Salutation, family of Premier’s Classic hero, Last Watch).
• Way West colt ex While Rome Burns (dam is a sister to Amphitheatre, from the family of Icy Air and Ice Axe).
• Kahal filly ex Longfields (sister to Thekweni Stakes (Gr.1) winner, Bridal Paths, in turn sister to Group One multi millionaire, Pick Six.

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

BOB YEARHAM COMES TO THE PARTY

Bob Yearham (left) - Emperors Palace COO
(Photo : Tab Online)

EMPERORS PALACE
SUMMER READY TO RUN SALE
22 February 2012

Mick Goss
Summerhill Stud CEOTime was when we traded racehorses off the farm. Those that thrust their hands into the remnants of the farm barrel, came away with Imbongi (Dual Guineas hero, Group winner in three countries and R8.8million earner;) Paris Perfect (the first “South African” to pick up a cheque in the world’s richest race, and the earner of R5.5 million;) Bold Ellinore (Champion race filly;) Emperor Napolean (millionaire and rated in the top three of his generation;) South Africa’s winningmost racehorse, Hear The Drums; Champion Stayer and millionaire, Amphitheatre, and millionaire and thirteen time winner, Vangelis. That’s for starters; the list is long, the achievements enduring.

It occurred to us that we should build a second Ready To Run for those horses which, for whatever reason, missed the Spring edition. Igugu and Pierre Jourdan, the nation’s leading earners for the past two seasons reminded us that we owed this to those that were left behind, and besides, our customers have voted with their feet. They love a Ready To Run.

Already, last year’s experiment has reaped its rewards. The graduates include a string of quality performers (costing as little as R7,000 and no more than R60,000) including the Sophomore Sprint ace, Sithela, who was robbed of favouritism for the R2million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup by a fatal intervention.

There’s little point though, in running a Summer version if it’s not going to be done properly, and especially if it’s not built to last. It’s just not the Summerhill style. So we’ve decided to hold the sale in the world’s most unique venue; we’re going to get the country’s Number One restaurant to cater, and we’re going to have a helluva time. And we’re going to remember that at the Ready To Run, there’s a horse for everyone.

By the way, we’ve an old pal who’s got the best eye for a gap we know. It only took Bob Yearham of Emperors Palace a split second to put his company’s name to the sale. He knows the history, and he knows Summerhill. So welcome to the Emperors Palace Summer Ready To Run Sale.

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

READY TO RUN CUP LOG : 10 OCTOBER 2011

#	Horse	Sex	MR
1	EXTRA ZERO	F	94
2	SHEZTHECLUBQUEEN	F	87
3	KINEMATIC COUNTESS	F	86
4	BLAZE OF FIRE	C	88
5	FRONTINO GOLD (AUS)	C	86
6	ACABAR	C	85
7	LIGHT BLUE	F	80
8	DANSILI EXPRESS (AUS)	C	84
9	BONNY BLUE	F	79
10	COUNTESS BACARDI	F	79
11	IKATI	F	77
12	DEA DIA	F	78
13	SECRET FORT	F	78
14	ACAPELLA	C	82
15	KISS AND RIDE	F	77
16	ADMIRAL JOHN PETER	G	81
17	BLAZING SUNSET	G	81
18	EVEN CHANCE	G	81
	Below The Line
19	SOLAR CHARGED	C	81
20	THE TIGER’S SUN	F	76
21	ARARRAT	C	80
22	CHEDWIN PARK	C	79
23	MOET MAGIC	F	74
24	SAUCY SAVANNAH	F	74
25	BIG BIRD	C	78
26	CAHIRA	F	73
27	ST LOUIS BLUES	F	73
28	WELSH FACTOR	G	77
29	TONY’S TIPPLE	G	76
30	OREGON TRAIL	F	69
31	PENHALIGON	C	74
32	SACRED CHAYYIM	G	74
33	ILUCCI LOOCHEE	F	68
34	SPECIAL OCCASION	F	68
35	ACQUIESCE	C	72
36	WESTERN WAY	G	72
37	TOP TALENT	F	67
38	CLUB CAPTAIN	F	65
39	REVELRY	G	70
40	DICHOTOMA	G	69
41	AMERICANO	G	68
42	DODGE CITY	G	68
43	GOTTABESEEN	F	63
44	ENCHANTRIX	F	61
45	MEMEZA	G	66
46	PRIVATE BANKING	G	66
47	QUANTUM LEAP	F	61
48	SHE’S GOT GEARS	F	61
49	MAGGIE VALLEY	F	60
50	JACK ONE	C	64
National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa Correct as at 10 October 2011 EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE TBA Sales Complex, Gosforth Park, Germiston, South Africa Sunday 6th November 2011 For more information, please visit : www.summerhill.co.za and www.tba.co.za