HERE is the Thoroughbred Breeders Association’s (TBA) message for 2013, from the desk of CEO Tom Callaghan.

Well, 2013 has started at a flat out gallop – no better way to lose a little bit of that Christmas excess right?! 2012 ended on a high note for BloodStock South Africa when the emerging superstar Cape Town Noir, a graduate of the 2011 National Yearling Sale, won the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Cape Guineas in fine style ,and no the irony does not escape me! Congratulations Dean Kannemeyer, Lady Laidlaw and of course the eagle eyed Jehan Malherbe for selecting him.

I have to say that I thought the L’Ormarins Queens Plate on the 12 January was a great spectacle of racing, and it was an honour to be there and experience Variety Club in all his glory. Congratulations to Mr. Jooste and all connections and we hope to see the wonder horse on the international stage soon flying our flag high. Well done to Gaynor Rupert and team for a world class event and we hope that your favourite equine son Trippi shines on the turf this year.

On the international note I have to admit shouting Soft Falling Rain home with immense pride the other night, congratulations Mike De Kock – that was a great start to your campaign and I hope you know that you probably have more passionate support than the Bafana Bafana in the AfCon Cup! Soft Falling Rain is a graduate of the inaugural Cape Premier Sale in 2011 that was run by the TBA, and I think will go down as one of the greats to pass through our sales rings.

What you have to look forward to this year from us is world class sales, with great quality bloodstock offering excellent value for money, as well as a focus on building our breed society services to ensure we do all we can to improve the standard of breeding and racing in South Africa. We have some excellent entries for our 2013 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale and our selectors are very impressed with the standard of yearlings – with some very exciting new season stallions throwing some superb looking individuals, and with broad representation from all the leading stallions in South Africa. This is the last crop of the legend Jet Master and we will be launching the sale with a tribute to a great stallion that has shaped our breed for ever – we are very honoured to be selling his last ever crop of yearlings . It will be a day of very mixed emotions as we salute a fallen hero, whilst we welcome contenders to the throne – the new generation of stallion power that will no doubt take us onwards and upwards.

Our Holy Grail, the export ban, was given a big energy boost this December with the announcement that the 24 hour PCR test has been signed off, and this is hopefully a sign that this year we will start exporting horses. The TBA has committed R1.7m to investing in this all important initiative – if we can open the export barrier all of our lives change forever. In fact we will not be able to keep up demand – what a change to where we have come from! Every horse that is sold through our sales rings and every cent that is spent buying horses through the TBA is being invested in trying to crack the export code and like Davinci we will find a way!

One of the things that I love about horses, and in particular the breeding and racing industry, is that I get a real sense of belonging and purpose and the TBA really does encapsulate that for me – I want to leave a small legacy and be part of the history of this organisation like so many breeders and buyers gone before me.

This is the TBA’s 93rd year in existence – started by some tough breeders who decided the only way to grow the industry was to join together. It is funny how history continues to repeat itself. They would be very proud of how far we have come; this is our time to ensure that we uphold this legacy and keep this history going by working together more than ever before.

I encourage you to Find your Place in history as you try and unearth your champion – the one horse that will change your life and the course of your history.