TBA CEO Message (tu)

Picked this article up from the new TBA website and really like Tom's energy and passion,he also is a big supporter
of this website (tu) all the best for 2013 Tom/Bloodstock SA





Well, 2013 has started at a flat out gallop – no better way to lose a little bit of that Christmas excess right?! 2012 ended on a high note for BloodStock South Africa when the emerging superstar Cape Town Noir, a graduate of the 2011 National Yearling Sale, won the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Cape Guineas in fine style ,and no the irony does not escape me! Congratulations Dean Kannemeyer, Lady Laidlaw and of course the eagle eyed Jehan Malherbe for selecting him.

I have to say that I thought the L’Ormarins Queens Plate on the 12 January was a great spectacle of racing, and it was an honour to be there and experience Variety Club in all his glory. Congratulations to Mr. Jooste and all connections and we hope to see the wonder horse on the international stage soon flying our flag high. Well done to Gaynor Rupert and team for a world class event and we hope that your favourite equine son Trippi shines on the turf this year.

On the international note I have to admit shouting Soft Falling Rain home with immense pride the other night, congratulations Mike De Kock – that was a great start to your campaign and I hope you know that you probably have more passionate support than the Bafana Bafana in the AfCon Cup! Soft Falling Rain is a graduate of the inaugural Cape Premier Sale in 2011 that was run by the TBA, and I think will go down as one of the greats to pass through our sales rings.

What you have to look forward to this year from us is world class sales, with great quality bloodstock offering excellent value for money, as well as a focus on building our breed society services to ensure we do all we can to improve the standard of breeding and racing in South Africa. We have some excellent entries for our 2013 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale and our selectors are very impressed with the standard of yearlings – with some very exciting new season stallions throwing some superb looking individuals, and with broad representation from all the leading stallions in South Africa. This is the last crop of the legend Jet Master and we will be launching the sale with a tribute to a great stallion that has shaped our breed for ever – we are very honoured to be selling his last ever crop of yearlings . It will be a day of very mixed emotions as we salute a fallen hero, whilst we welcome contenders to the throne – the new generation of stallion power that will no doubt take us onwards and upwards.

Our Holy Grail, the export ban, was given a big energy boost this December with the announcement that the 24 hour PCR test has been signed off, and this is hopefully a sign that this year we will start exporting horses. The TBA has committed R1.7m to investing in this all important initiative – if we can open the export barrier all of our lives change forever. In fact we will not be able to keep up demand – what a change to where we have come from! Every horse that is sold through our sales rings and every cent that is spent buying horses through the TBA is being invested in trying to crack the export code and like Davinci we will find a way!

One of the things that I love about horses, and in particular the breeding and racing industry, is that I get a real sense of belonging and purpose and the TBA really does encapsulate that for me – I want to leave a small legacy and be part of the history of this organisation like so many breeders and buyers gone before me.

This is the TBA’s 93rd year in existence – started by some tough breeders who decided the only way to grow the industry was to join together. It is funny how history continues to repeat itself. They would be very proud of how far we have come; this is our time to ensure that we uphold this legacy and keep this history going by working together more than ever before.

I encourage you to Find your Place in history as you try and unearth your champion – the one horse that will change your life and the course of your history.

See our website for sales dates www.tba.co.za

Happy Racing

Regards
Tom Callaghan

CEO'S BLOG - HAVE YOU SEEN THE RAIN?

What a week we have had in the world of racing – Yogas standing by his word and retiring the J &B Met winner Martial Eagle instead of trying for the July, well done Yogas, you are a great example of putting the horse first.

Soft Falling Rain and Mike De Kock are flying the South African flag high in Dubai and the way SFR won the Guineas last night bodes well for his future as he showed he is world class and is destined for greater things! It is amazing how watching horses like this run make the rest of the real world stand still for 2 minutes – spine tingling moments. Just a thought for our overseas friends – he cost only R350,000 as a yearling (or a paltry $30,000!), South Africa has the best value bloodstock in the world and this horse proves that! Congratulations must also go to Kavanagh who ran a great race and a very honourable second last night in Meydan.

Some new season stallions like Judpot and Sail from Seattle are doing well in the winners enclosure and bode well for our industry. We wish them great and distinguished careers.

Sharp Design, a R120 000 buy at the 2010 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, scored the first feature race win of his career when he won Tuesday night’s Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap. The Tommy Hotspur, one of Gauteng’s top sprint races, was a triumph for past BloodStock South Africa graduates, as the first three home, (Sharp Design, Showmetheway, Polar Moon) were all purchased off a BSA sale. Well done to successful breeders Highflyer Stud, and to winning owner Mr Burg. Sharp Design, by the late National Emblem, is out of the Fine Edge mare Sharp Ledge. The lightly raced 4yo has now won five races, from just eight starts, and is clearly a top-class sprinter.

How is this for a great story – the great sprinter Tommy Hotspur is alive and well and by the sounds of it has the perfect life! These kind of stories are good for the soul and a great advertisement for the sport of racing.

“He's 21 now and is fully retired. He currently roams a 64 hectare paddock every day, and has a harem of 6 mares, which he spends the day rounding up and managing. I have known and ridden many horses, but he is the greatest of them all. Generous in spirit and courage, this horse will be loved and looked after to the end of his days. This brings tears to my eyes, because he is still loved and respected by so many. We salute you Tommy Hotspur. He even has his own Facebook page!” Quote from African Betting Clan

For those of you reading this blog and wondering what it would be like to get involved in this great sport, please get in touch with us, it is a lot easier than you think!

Please keep an eye on our website www.tba.co.za for the 2013 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale catalogue, it will be online over the weekend. The clock is ticking down to the famous annual National Yearling Sale - save the date please 26 – 28 April.

Happy Racing!
Tom Callaghan

CEO’s Blog – Monday 3rd June

To get Black Friday over with…I apologise to everyone who received sms’s in error on Friday. Our database supplier had a technical glitch that sent out repeat SMS’s to many of you in error requesting payment for NYS13. In fact some of you received SMS’s selling Life Cover and Car Insurance from us too! I apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused you, and this error has been rectified. On a positive note thanks to those who did pay us as a result.

Moving forward -what a day of racing on Saturday at Greyville – a clean sweep by South African breds which is a great advert for South African breeding and the investments breeders and buyers have made in local bloodstock is starting to pay off.

In fact except for one race all racing in South Africa on Saturday was dominated by South African breds. Pardon my patriotism but that does make the $10 rand a better pill to swallow.

Silvano stamped his class on Saturday with two impressive fighting victories in the feature races , Maine Chance,John Slade and Andreas Jacobs deserve all the good fortune coming their way. What a month it has been for this magnificent stallion and team! The Grooms Co-op selected Vercingetorix and he definitely seems to have the Asterix magic potion as he sure runs them off their feet(this is for those who remember the Asterix and Obelix comics!). This story behind this horse is destined to become legend. Well done to all connections involved. Do you Remember provided Mr de Broglio with first GR 1 winner , and to add to this he bred the filly as well who seems to be coming into her own - well done Geoff Woodruff and team.

The Epsom Derby Meeting showed that it is the premier racing event in the world ,and our South African connection with Mr Kantor and the title sponsor Investec make it another South African victory this weekend.

On the sales front the KZN Yearling Sale catalogue is online( www.tba.co.za ) and printed copies should be ready soon. We have a strong catalogue with some excellent sales incentives ,and with the way that Natal horses are performing at the moment this sale makes a lot of sense. We have a great mix of studs, stallion power and some striking specimens so make a note for your dairy of the 4 -5 July.

Vendors are urged to finalise their entries for the KZN Mare and Weanling sale this week - I am hoping to get some more weanlings and fillies for stud entries as breeders are looking for breeding stock, and the pinhooking market is definitely on the up.

Please note entries for the Emperors Palace National 2 year old sale are closing this week so remember to send us those entries. Owners and trainers make note that we will be selling fillies for stud at this sale too so please contact us if you would like to enter fillies on this sale.

To all those in the Cape wrap up warm!

Have a good week.

Tom