BALMORAL Stud will be adding notable variety to CTS’s Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale scheduled for the Inanda Club in Sandton this Sunday. The Mooi River establishment has an entry of 53 lots, including two imports and representing no fewer than 41 stallions.

Nicola Coppez has invested much time, effort and loving care into expanding her band of broodmares at Balmoral. This is the foundation of a steadily growing operation that has produced a formidable 82% winners from all its runners in the last year and Coppez said: “We’re trying hard, we’ve acquired the best mares we could find. Along with that we don’t push our young horses. We aim to bring sound, well-conformed prospects to all the sales we sign up to.”

Coppez is especially fond of an Elusive Fort filly (Lot 117) from Noble Harriet (Noble Thatch), she describes as “tall, lovely and athletic filly that shows plenty of pace”.

Lot 189: Call To Battle.

Among the other fillies, she singled out Sweet Serenade (Lot 103) a daughter of Biarritz from a mare by Turtle Island; Lot 85 – a Mambo In Seattle filly considered one of the best foals produced by Hope Jo’anna, one of Balmorals older mares; Elegant Beauty (Lot 112), a filly by Oasis Dream stallion Main Aim (GB); Xpat (Lot 161), a Great Britain filly from the Al Mufti mare, Spanish Vixen and Ordained (Lot 183), a lovely filly by King’s Chapel.

Buyers who like to head for the pub at the end of auctions are advised to stick around the sales ring for the last 10 lots which will include seven of Balmoral’s choice offerings. Among them are a Kahal colt from War Echo (Lot 189), a “quality colt with potential” and Ryder (Lot 196), a “big, strong and very impressive colt with athletic ability”.

Coppez said that her imports Lot 115 (My Boy Charlie filly) and Lot 176 (Written Tycoon colt) were both sound, nice types who will take some time to mature, the filly being a bit more forward than the colt.

Champion Breeders Klawervlei Stud’s John Koster reckons that Lot 164, an unnamed colt by Captain Al from Spirit Leader, is an outstanding specimen. “He’s a full-brother to Khaleesi who’s high up on the current Ready To Run log. He was impressive at the Turffontein gallops.”

Koster said that among the others under the Klawervlei banner Sirenne Fort (Lot 100) was a “good-looking” horse who also galloped very well while Umthakati (Lot 75) was a “smashing” import by More Than Ready.

Anton Shepherd of Beaumont Stud believes he has the best-bred filly on the sale in the form of the bay Espera (Lot 62), a daughter of Philanthropist from Easyjadeeasy, the half-sister to up-and-coming stallion Elusive Fort and herself a smart Graded winner.

“Espera breezed really well, but possibly the best showing on the day was put up by our Right Approach colt Rightful King (Lot 50). He galloped like a bomb,” raved Shepherd.

Trainer David Nieuwenhuizen broke in and prepared a Captain Al filly (Lot 150) and a filly by VAR (Lot 186), for the Turffontein gallops and he commented: “Both caught the eye with their runs. The VAR filly has a nice action, she’s a light filly and will take some time, but she moves well and has future promise. Risk All, the Captain Al, also moves particularly well and hers was considered to be one of the best gallops on the day. She will take some time to come into herself but she’s nice and strong.”

As for single entries, David Hepburn Brown’s Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud offers Lot 72, a full-brother to Graded-placed six-time winning sprinter Valberg, by VAR; Patterson Racing’s Fetching Ice (Lot 35) is an imported colt by Danehill’s son Al Maher from a versatile internationally-proven damline and The Alchemy will present a Philantropist filly from an Irish-bred mare (Lot 46).