Bortz a major player once again at Cape Yearling Sale

There was a sense of déjà vu at Sunday’s BSA Cape Yearling Sale with racehorse owner Greg Bortz again involved in the big action securing two colts for R1m each.

Last November, Business Day reported that Bortz was the big spender at the BSA November Two-Year-Old Sale in Germiston. He was comfortably the top buyer, purchasing 10 lots for R3.2m.

At Sunday’s sale — held at Kenilworth racecourse — Bortz again topped the buyers list outlaying R2.95m for four yearlings. The next biggest spender was bloodstock consultant John Freeman who bought six yearlings for R2.055m.

Bortz will have travelled to the sale in a buoyant mood as a three-year-old he co-owns, Pomp And Power, won Saturday’s grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby. The gelding was another big race winner for Justin Snaith and has shortened to 14-1 for the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

Pomp And Power is a son of Vercingetorix so it was no surprise that Bortz was interested in a colt by the 2013 Equus Champion three-year-old consigned by Millstream Farm. The bidding stopped in his favour at R1m.

The progeny of top stallion Gimmethegreenlight are on the shopping list of many potential buyers. His son, Cosmic Highway, won Saturday’s Diadem Stakes and another of his sons, Universal, took the R200,000 second cheque in the Cape Derby.

Varsfontein always sends a strong draft to this sale and this year was no exception and they comfortably topped the vendors list with an aggregate of R4,235,000, well ahead of Wilgerbosdrift’s total of R2,905,000.

Topping the list of yearlings was a Gimmethegreenlight colt with Bortz once again having to go to seven figures to secure the youngster out of the Caesour mare, Alexia.

John Freeman’s most expensive purchase was a Vercingetorix colt from La Berg Stud which he secured for R800,000. Just three weeks ago he bought the top lot at the CTS Premier Yearling Sale at De Grendel wine estate for R2m.

Though ruling champion owner Suzette Viljoen had a rare winnerless day last Saturday, the lady from North West will be hoping she has bought another top horse with another Varsfontein offering — a colt by Vercingetorix out of the mare Victorian Secret.

This mare, a daughter of Captain Al, retired to the paddocks a five-time winner with victories in the Lady Pendant Stakes and Laisserfaire Stakes. Viljoen had the final say for the colt at R700,000.

It was predictable that Vercingetorix and Gimmethegreenlight would head the stallion averages, but perhaps a surprise that the former’s average was at least R200,000 more than his rival. Their averages were R600,000 and R393,000.

There was plenty of interest in two other stallions, Danon Platina and Lancaster Bomber, who returned averages of R293,750 and R289,000.

US-bred Lancaster Bomber, a son of War Front, won the grade 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and ran second in the grade 1 Dewhurst Stakes. Danon Platina, Japan’s champion two-year-old colt in 2014, is a son of Deep Impact.

When the sums were done at the end of a well-attended sale, it revealed an aggregate of R22.75m and average of R155,655 for the 145 lots sold.