horse racing in South Africa

The ban on direct equine exports to the European Union (EU) from South Africa has been lifted, South African Equine Health and Protocols (SAEHP) announced on Monday. It is 13 years since South Africa was last able to export registered equines directly to the EU. SAEHP was formed in 2018 and has been working with the South African Government for the past six years to achieve this export milestone, with the timing of the first official EU audit, scheduled for 2020, having to be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic....

A pair of colts by the late Soft Falling Rain (SAf) topped Bloodstock South Africa's Cape Yearling Sale at the Mistico Equestrian Centre on Friday. Both bought by Pound Bloodstock, they fetched R360,000 (£17,979/€20,633) and R300,000 (£14,987/€17,194). The local Group 1 winner and group winner in Dubai and England also topped this sale with his progeny in 2018 and 2019. The aggregate for 118 yearlings sold was R7,905,000 (£394,355/€452,440), and while that figure was down 22.2% with a slightly smaller offering than last year, the average rose 3.1% to R66,992...

Runner-up in the G1 L'Ormarins Queen's Plate on Jan. 11, One World (SAf) (Captain Al {Saf}) made amends in a thrilling stretch duel with Rainbow Bridge (SAf) (Ideal World) in Saturday's G1 Sun Met at Kenilworth in Cape Town, springing a 15-1 upset with favoured Hawwaam (SAf) (Silvano {Ger}) coming from further back to be third. Unbeaten through his first five runs at two, One World picked up a listed win at the end of that season and earned a first pattern win at three in the G2 Concorde Cup...

They say winning is more fun with friends, and that was certainly the case on Saturday for The Big Five Syndicate-a group of familiar industry faces from Ireland and the U.S.-as it celebrated its victory in the CTS 1600, Africa's joint-richest race with a purse of R5-million (£252,322/€300,317), at Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town, South Africa, with the ascendant 3-year-old colt Count Jack (SAf) (Jackson {SAf}). The Big Five comprises Mick Flanagan, Tom Ryan, Craig Bernick, David Cox, Justin Casse, Ross Doyle and Anna Doyle, the latter of whom was...

A colt by South African champion sire Silvano (Ger) took top billing at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale staged in Cape Town on Thursday. Offered as lot 99 by Drakenstein Stud, the bay was bought by Nicholas Jonsson for R3-million (£159,394/€187,124). He is the second foal out of Song of Happiness (SAf) (Giant's Causeway), a winning daughter of champion Captain's Lover (SAf) (Captain Al {SAf}), who is herself a half-sister to Classic winner and triple Group 1 winner Ebony Flyer (SAf) (Jet Master {SAf}). Jonsson had earlier in the session...