Siren’s Call’s sire Elusive Fort, who won the Gr 1 SA Derby and Gr 1 Daily News 2000 under Geoff Woodruff, was sold in training to the USA by owner Ebrahim Khan, but injured himself over there and his best effort was a second in a Gr 3.

He consequently had minimal stud value in America and Millenium Stud’s Tony Mincione alerted De Beyer to the opportunity of bringing him home. De Beyer financed and syndicated Elusive Fort and ended as chief shareholder, owning close to half of him. He sends half of his mares to him too. Elusive Fort originally stood at Arc-En-Ciel Stud and his support increased from 40 mares in his first season to 60 in the second and 80 in the third. However, complications following  Arc-En-Ciel’s closure saw him back to 40 mares the following season. The syndicate then decided to move him to Klipdrift Stud and through a mammoth marketing effort as well as the form of the like of Siren’s Call and Elusive Stars on the race track, they were able to close his book at 108 mares last season. Furthermore, De Beyer reported that 90% of these mares are in foal.

Elusive Fort’s progeny appeared on the sales for the first time in 2013.

Siren’s Call (JC Photo)

De Beyer had six of his own-bred horses on the CTS Book 2 Sale of that year, including Siren’s Call and the Dupont colt Forest Fox, who finished fourth in the big race on Tuesday night.

He said, “It was a very tough sale to try and sell fillies and I ended buying back four of them.”

He bought Siren’s Call back for a mere R60,000 and recalled, “That was well below what I thought was a fair price, but anybody could have had her for R80,000!”.

De Beyer wanted to give Elusive Fort some exposure in Johannesburg, so sent two of his progeny, including Siren’s Call to Sean Tarry.

He said, “It came out of the blue, so Sean was surprised but his record speaks for itself. Unfortunately the other Elusive Fort died in  training, but Siren’s Call surprised us by hacking up by 5,5 lengths on debut over 1200m. But it was only when she won a strong Novice Plate over 1600m in her next start that we realised that we could aim her at the Sales race with a winning chance. She then ran second to Majmu in the Gr 3 Starling Stakes and Sean was already saying then that she was looking for 1800m plus. It was perhaps a tactical error to enter her in the Dingaans, but she drew well and we only thought we had Harry’s Son to beat as we didn’t know about Unparalleled yet.

Piere (Strydom) was also committed to Harry’s Son and S’Manga (Khumalo) didn’t know her as well. Sean then decided to give her a break and give her injections, so that she would come into this race fresh. You can see that she struggles to get into a race early enough, but when she gets going she has a devastating kick. The course was running fast so they were all coming around from the wide draws and it was a very rough race, there was a lot of scrimmaging and bunching on the turn and it was like dodgem cars. But Piere rode a fantastic race and she was going away at the line. It was a magnificent ride and you can see why he has ridden 5000 winners. It was great as an owner to win the race, but even better as a breeder and she will now go for the Triple Tiara series.”

Siren’s Call has now earned R1,434,375 in stakes. Her dam, the West Man filly Siren’s Cove, unfortunately died while foaling down a couple of season’s after Siren’s Call was born.

Vaal-based trainer Paul Peter bought Forest Fox for R210,000 for his chief clients GK and MM Nassif and the Hyperpaint Syndicate, but Bernard Kantor as the underbidder was then accepted into the partnership together with Hassen Adams.

De Beyer said, “He was a really good looking yearling. He was reportedly a little unsettled by the lights and has improved so much since gelding that it was really only his third run. . It will be a step up in division in the Guineas and Classic, but he is a super little horse.”

Meanwhile, the yard’s star filly Same Jurisdiction is improving all the time ahead of her engagement in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Guineas on February 28, where she will have a long awaited clash with the mighty Mike de Kock-trained Majmu.

Howells said about Easy Lover’s run, “He ran a very good race, I think he was just beaten by the draw, but these are once in a lifetime races. It was a very rough race and he made up a lot of ground.”

Easy Lover (Nkosi Hlophe)

He praised Randjesfontein-based trainer Stuart Pettigrew, who provided a box and helped take care of Easy Lover during the colt’s stay in Johannesburg.

Howell’s fiancé and assistant trainer Cathy Rymill and one of his chief owners Ian van Schalkwyk short-listed Easy Lover together at the Book 2 Sale. Van Schalkwyk owns him in partnership with GP Stoltz.

Howells said, “He was a very good buy at only R120,000 and has turned out to be one of the best horses from the sale.”

Easy Lover has earned R501,975 in stakes and already has a stakes win to his name, having been an easy winner of the Listed KZN Guineas Trial over 1600m on the Greyville turf.

Howells said about the decision to avoid the Gauteng Triple Crown events, “You have to be realistic, I think he’s a Group 2 horse. We are going to save him for the KZN season. I think he is now looking for a lot more ground.”

The Mambo In Seattle filly Same Jurisdiction will raid for the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and will then stay on for the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic. She will likely stay with Joey Soma at Turffontein between races, which will give her the opportunity to gallop on the grass track and get used to the facilities.

Howells added, “She is doing very well. I am very happy with her progress and she has improved, there are no negatives. She’s a very good filly and still unexposed due to the long break she had.”

Same Jurisdiction was suspended for three months for epistaxis after her Gr 1 Thekwini win at the end of last season and her only run since has been an easy and impressive victory in the Gr 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m at Greyville.

In other less positive yard news there have been a lot of temperatures among the horses, which is “setting them back and delaying things”, and they have not yet found the cause. Same Jurisdiction has not been affected and is “fine.”

Stable jockey Alec Forbes rode all four of the winners.

Gordon’s first win on Friday night was by the four-year-old Right Approach filly Donna Amata, who was returning from a seven month break and making her poly debut, so it was a good training feat to have her fit enough to win the 1400m maiden.

Later Gordon’s four-year-old Ashaawes gelding Assegai, who has always impressed with his lovely action, landed his third successive polytrack victory when winning a competitive MR 90 Handicap over 1900m.

The yard’s last runner on Friday night, the improving Ideal World filly Highly Regal, led close to home in a fillies and mares maiden over 1900m before finishing third. The winner of that race, the Mike de Kock-trained Archipenko filly Noor Dubai, looks one to follow as she overraced early but still finished like a train, so she must have some engine in her.

Yesterday Gordon won a weak maiden over 1200m on the poly with the three-year-old Argonaut filly Syringa, who was having only her third start, and later the four-year-old Judpot gelding Sugarbuzz proved far superior to the field in a 2400m maiden on the turf. The latter is out of a Montjeu mare and, despite being a bit keen early in the race, he waltzed clear to win as he liked so could have a fair future in staying events.

Gordon has a 16,05% win strike rate on the Greyville poly and his strike rate on the Greyville turf in the last two seasons has been 25%, so he is always one to follow at KZN’s flagship racecourse.

Drakenstein Stud are big supporters of this sale and their high flying stallion Trippi will be well represented.

The late great Fort Wood has one lot and his national log leading son Dynasty has two, while the like of established stalwarts Captain Al, Var, Horse Chestnut, Tiger Ridge, Right Approach and Black Minnaloushe are all represented. Buyers will also be interested in the lots by up and coming sires like Judpot, Mambo In Seattle, Jay Peg, Lateral, Sail From Seattle, Archipenko and Ideal World and exciting new sires like Gimmethegreenlight, Pathfork, Gitano Hernando, Querari and Philanthropist.

Trippi’s stallion manager John Freeman said recently when reflecting on Trippi’s current outstanding three-year-old crop, “Trainers now understand not to rush them and give them the time they deserve and the rewards are coming.”

Trippi – Liesl King

The first of four Trippi’s on the sale is a bay colt (lot 5) out of a Fort Wood mare Celtic Cross who won two of her first four races and was considered good enough to be taken to Durban for the Champions Season by Basil Marcus. Trippi then has a bay colt (lot 14) out of the National Emblem mare Milden Magic whose daughter Pamushana is the dam of Triple Crown and Summer Cup hero Louis The King. The Trippi-National Assembly cross has to date produced the stakes-winning speedsters Franny and Agra. Trippi has another bay colt (lot 18) out of Model Man mare Olympic Dam, who is a half-sister to Gr 1 Daily News 2000 winner Flying Duel. This colt is a half-brother to the promising Dennis Dier-trained debut winner Oh Boy. The last of the Trippi’s on the sale (lot 24) is a bay filly out of the Listed-winning Al Mufti mare Secret Pleasure.

The two Dynasty colts on the sale (lot 7 and 10) are both out of black type Jet Master mares and the latter is a half-brother to the stakes placed Kiss Me Hardy. Captain Al has a colt (lot 4) out of the Gr 2 SA Fillies Classic winner Caughtintheslips from the family of the classy but ill-fated Mister Cricket.

Judpot has a full-brother to Mister Cricket (lot 8) and a filly (lot 57) out of Gr 1 Garden Province winner Final Claim.  Horse Chestnut has a filly (lot 6) who is half-sister to Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup winner Wagner.

Gimmethegreenlight has a colt (lot 23) that should attract huge interest as he is out of the Fort Wood mare Secret Mission, an own sister to Secret Heart, the dam of Breeder’s Cup Juvenile winner Pluck. Secret Mission is a half-sister to Promisefrommyheart, the dam of the classy Master Of My Fate.

Gimmethegreenlight also has a colt (lot 52) out of the dual Gr 1 winner Duchess Daba. Sail From Seattle has a colt (lot 83) out of SA Oaks winner Noble Destiny. Lot 81 is of interest being a filly by former teaser stallion Thomas Crown, whose  two first crop foals included the useful Thomas Lytton.

The auctioneers shouldn’t be hard pressed to encourage buyers at this quality, not-to-be-missed sale.

Meanwhile, Julia Pringle will be taking over the duties at the Snaith satellite yard in Port Elizabeth. The yard have also sent the promising two-year-old Buckinghampshire as well as the useful older horse Readytogorightnow up to Johannesburg early for their forthcoming autumn targets.

Jonathan Snaith revealed that the connections of Legislate were looking into the quarantine situation as well as available races overseas before making a decision and the same would likely apply to Futura as owner Jack Mitchell is a common denominator in both horses.

Buckinghampshire is an impressive looking Australian-bred colt by Lonhro, who won the Listed Sun International Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m on J&B Met day in fine style, and he is being aimed at the R1 million Gr 1 SA Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein on April 25.

Readytogorighnow, who has always been highly regarded but has not yet quite fulfilled his promise, was withdrawn from the Queen’s Plate in order to be peaked for the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein on February 28 and the R1 million Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m on March 28.

Justin Snaith’s former satellite assistant trainer Estelle Blake had a lot of success in Port Elizabeth and nearly landed the East Cape trainer’s title for the national champion yard last season. However, she and her husband Gavin have departed for England. Justin’s father Chris has been running the yard for the last week or two. He has already sent out three winners in just two meetings. Pringle, a highly regarded former assistant trainer to Alec Laird, is being mentored by Chris in the Snaith methods and will soon be taking over the running of their Port Elizabeth satellite yard.

The Snaith’s Johannesburg satellite yard, consisting of 26 boxes at Turffontein, will open on May 1 and the yard have made a shortlist of applicants to run it. A couple of boxes were made available early for Buckinghampshire and Readytogorightnow.