THE 2016 CTS Emperors Ready To Run Sale drew to a close on a rainy evening at the Randjesfontein Training Centre north of Johannesburg on Friday night. At the end of the two day auction, a total turnover of R34,86-milion was reached, with 187 lots sold at an average of R186,417.

The highest price on Day Two was R800,000, paid twice, first by trainer Duncan Howells for Lot 277, a colt by Big Brown (USA), consigned by Balmoral Stud, and later by Colin Bird for a colt by Poet’s Voice (GB, lot 234), from Far End, the second-last lot on the sale.

Adrian Todd, MD of CTS, was delighted with the results. He commented: “There are a number of positives to take from this week. First off, as noted yesterday, we are pleased with how Randjesfontein has worked out as a venue. There was ample space for our big marquee tent and the stables, and plenty of parking.  I’d venture to say everyone was really chuffed with the gallops last Monday and the professional way the sale was conducted on Thursday and Friday.

“Rain and traffic didn’t keep buyers away, we were well supported and they stayed to the end of the sale. We saw several new faces and there was a good cross-section of buyers. Only one lot was sold for over R1-million, the rest went for anywhere from R20,000 through R50,000 and R100,000 upwards, realising a very good turnover which proves that most buyers got what they came for.  There truly was a horse for everyone and while the aggregate was marginally down on last year, the median was up by R10,000 and to have achieved these figures in the prevailing  economic climate is most encouraging.

“We look forward to the Cape Premier Yearling Sale on 21 and 22 January 2017, just around the corner if you think about it. This has been a wonderful week for us, we thank our clients for their ongoing support and we hope to build on our results next year!”

Summerhill Stud was the top vendor, selling 71 lots for an aggregate of R10.6-million. Rainbow Beach Trading emerged as the top buyer, with ten lots secured for a total of R4,3-million. Visionaire (USA) was the leading sire – 22 of his progeny were sold for R5,1-million in total.

Results are available on http://capethoroughbredsales.com/results

Photo: Lot 25, R1,2 million, top seller.