Dreams could come true for Cheveley Stud grooms at BSA National Yearling Sale

The Cheveley Stud grooms will be hoping to strike gold on day two of the Bloodstock South Africa National Yearling Sale on Saturday, with sale proceeds from the Futura colt out of Siena's Star (lot 394) to be shared between the group.

The colt has been raised and prepared as their own and boasts an attractive pedigree as a son of the 2014-15 Horse of the Year Futura and dual winner Siena's Star, from the family of champion South African racemare Vesta.

Cheveley Stud's Vaughan Koster says: "We bred the mare Siena's Star and decided to keep her when she didn't realise her value in the sales ring.

"I'd been looking for a mare for our grooms to breed from for a little while and so, when she retired from racing, they accepted the option to breed with her.

"They keep the mare at Cheveley Stud at no cost and I try to help them with services to stallions that we have shares in. The final decision on which stallion they go to lies with them.

"The gratuity runs deep, with our vet Dr Hannelu de Villiers, the dentist Gary Waters and our farrier John Gatt giving their services free of charge."

Koster adds: "Siena's Star is a lovely big, strong, scopey mare. Her first foal, a colt by Wylie Hall, was sold at the National Two-Year-Old Sale last year for R200,000 (£9,400/€10,300).

"The colt they have to sell is an outstanding individual and one of those horses that commands your attention. He's by Futura, who has had a wonderful start to his stallion career, and I'm hopeful the colt sells well for them."

The Dynasty stallion Futura stands at Drakenstein Stud and is already the sire of six winners from his first crop with his son Nourbese having landed the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe at Greyville on Saturday.

Many inclusive co-operative programmes have been developed in South Africa for long-serving stud staff and those who have passed specific levels of training, to enable them to become more fully vested in the industry.

These programmes usually include ownership of a mare, with the grooms producing her offspring for the yearling sales. Apart from the potential returns, this also allows the staff involved to better understand the business side of the stud farm and gives a broader understanding of the importance of all aspects of an operation and how each relates to the final results.

View BSA National Yearling Sale catalogue

The most successful of these co-ops to date has been the Riverside thoroughbred co-operative, who were responsible for selling the up-and-coming young stallion Vercingetorix at the National Yearling Sale in 2011.

The Silvano colt, who they had pinhooked as a weanling from Klawervlei Stud, was sold for R1.4 million (£65,700/€72,100).

Vercingetorix began his career in South Africa, racing in the silks of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, and went on to run in Dubai and Hong Kong, with his most notable win coming in the Grade 1 Jebel Hatta. He stands at Andreas Jacobs' Maine Chance Farms.

What is more, the Mauritzfontein grooms struck it rich at the 2018 National Yearling Sale when selling their Dynasty colt for R800,000.

Bloodstock South Africa waives any entry fees and commissions on the sale of any grooms' horses, with the proceeds often used by the co-operatives to re-invest in bloodstock.

Conformation shot of the Futura colt out of Siena's StarCredit: Romi Bettison Photography

Among the more experienced grooms at Cheveley Stud is assistant manager Stoffel Mouton, who is responsible for the barren mares, weanlings and yearlings on the farm

To mark his 16 years of service at Cheveley Stud since 2004, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of South Africa will present Mouton with an award at the start of day two of the sale, before the Futura colt goes through the ring.

Catherine Hartley, chief executive of the association, says: "Our stud staff are the heart of our bloodstock and racing industry - it's their hands-on care, dedication and patience that produces the horses that grace our racetracks and go on to be champions. They deserve all the support and recognition that we can offer them."

Assistant manager Stoffel Mouton leading the Cheveley Stud stringCredit: Candiese Lenferna

Other highlights from Cheveley Stud's ten-strong draft are two sons of multiple champion sire Dynasty, who died at the age of 19 last year.

"Lot 271 is a magnificent individual with a beautiful, quality head and elastic movement," says Koster of the half-brother to juvenile Grade 1 winner Brave Mary.

"Lot 410 hails from one of the strongest families in the South African stud book and is a half-brother to three stakes winners including the dual Grade 1 winner Snowdance.

"His very exciting two-year-old half-brother Captain Fontaine also won first time out at Scottsville recently."

Lot 271: the Dynasty half-brother to juvenile Grade 1 winner Brave MaryCredit: Romi Bettison Photography

The breeding industry employs nearly 2,000 farmworkers across South Africa, many situated in farming communities and remote rural areas.

The TBA of South Africa, together with the Cape Breeders Club and the Kwa-Zulu Natal Breeders Club, works to improve education and training of stud staff, affording them the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through a formalised training programme.

Requirements for skills training start from a basic level - some staff are only semi-literate - including important life and practical skills such as personal finance, handling credit, wills and retirement, legal rights, communication, etiquette and workplace conflict, through to business skills and computer literacy for more advanced students.

The programme involves increasing levels of technical and business skills development starting with the professional grooms' programme, followed by a certificate, and through to qualifications for head groom and yard manager.

Mouton completed all levels of the stud yard manager training as part of his professional development.

Lot 410: the Dynasty half-brother to dual Grade 1 winnerCredit: Romi Bettison Photography

Koster also shared his opinion on how the coronavirus pandemic might affect the upcoming sale, saying: "It must have a negative impact on the total sale. Hopefully, it will be less than we expect but it's a reality that we have to deal with.

"I think a few of the international buyers will still be active with someone on the ground, however it will be less than usual."

The National Yearling Sale takes place on Friday and Saturday and also features a Silvano colt (185) whose siblings Hawwaam, Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat all struck at the highest level.

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