THE Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale takes place over two days, 4-5 July, and the graduates of the 2012 sale are proving to be in a class of their own having already yielded three Group winners.

A R240 000 yearling purchase Happy Valentine landed the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship and was promptly sold to Barry Irwin of Team Valor who intends sending the Silvano filly to France to continue her racing career after a run in the Gr 1 Golden Slipper and the Gr 1 Cape Fillies Guineas in the Cape.

A yearling that smashed the KZN Yearling Sale records by selling for R1,1million, Tiger Territory, has won and placed from three starts and may be entered for the KZN Yearling Sale Million to be run on Vodacom Durban July day, an incentive race for all graduates of last years Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale.

Other 2012 sales successes include the fairy-tale story of Virgo’s Babe bred by Manny and Mandy Testa of Midlands Thoroughbreds. A part of the very first draft of horses sold by Midlands Thoroughbreds, the unassuming chestnut filly passed through the ring as unsold.
The Fosters’ approached the Testa’s after the sale and having never been involved in racing Testa encouraged them to buy the Malhub filly, for just R10 000. The filly has brought them incredible luck and joy, galloping to a five length victory in the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery and earning almost R350 000 from just six starts.

Not to be excluded are Hadlow Stud’s chestnut colt Jimmi Choo, winner of the Storm Bird Listed and Ace Antonius, the first son of sire Antonius Pius to win and achieve Black-Type. Another first for an exciting young sire, Backworth-bred Colour Of Courage won the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes for sire Judpot.

In the lead up to the Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale, the KZN Breeders Race Day consisting of the KZN Breeders Series with seven races for a stake of R200 000 each as well as the second running of the Million Mile takes place on 30 June at Greyville, all exclusively for KZN-bred racehorses.

Keep an eye on www.kznbreeders.co.za for the updated KZN Yearling Sale Million log. A full catalogue of this year’s Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale draft is available at http://www.tba.co.za