Bloodstock South Africa releases revised timeline of sales for 2020

Bloodstock South Africa has announced provisional sales dates for 2020 with the proviso that they would be reviewed post any updates from the South African government in light of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

With the extended lockdown and the proposed reshuffle of the South African racing calendar, the following measures have been agreed by the Bloodstock South Africa board.

The National Yearling Sale will be held on July 30-August 1. This date will not be changed, and plans are in place to hold the sale under three possible scenarios based on possible guidelines from the South African Government.

The first scenario would be the traditional sale with no restrictions. The second would be a traditional sale at the TBA sales complex with limited sized gatherings. The third would be that the lockdown is still in place and the sale would need to be conducted virtually.

The second sale of the year will be the National Two-Year-Old Sale to be held on November 11-13 at the TBA sales complex.

This Sale would see all horses previously entered for the KZN Yearling Sale transferred across to this sale, as well as the entries that breeders intend to enter for the Two-Year-Old Sale.

This sale will be limited to a maximum of 600 yearlings only. Acceptance on the sale shall be determined by a selection panel and inspection if necessary.

The Cape Mare Sale will be moved to mid-August and details of the date and format will follow in due course.

An innovative sales race programme in addition to the usual added stakes programme will be added for the graduates of the National Two Year Old Sale who will now qualify for four sales races in 2021.

These races will have a guaranteed minimum stake of R400,000 each. Two races will be run in KZN during Champions season and two will be run in Gauteng at a date to be confirmed. The races will be split with a race for colts and another for fillies in each province.

Bloodstock South Africa insisted it will be guided by any rulings from the South African government and would always adhere to the state’s regulations.

Bloodstock SA CEO Michael Holmes said that while the board is very aware of the logistical and financial pressure that the above changes will place on breeders, they felt that the delays to the sale platform are required to afford racing in South Africa every realistic opportunity to return to some form of normality and also hopefully allow the economy time to stabilise.

“As an industry we are all in this together and need to unify in support of one another during these difficult and uncertain times," he said. "There is naturally no quick-fix for the current predicament, and definitely no ‘one size-fits-all’ solution either.

"We have applied our minds to take into consideration the various difficulties and realities that breeders, both big and small, are facing. What works for one, may not be ideal for the next.

"Our revised programme attempts to find a balance between all factors at play – and those are not restricted to racing and breeding.

"On behalf of the board of Bloodstock South Africa, I would like to thank you all for your continued support, patience and understanding. We will get there together,” he added.

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