GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT's latest stakes winner Second Base stamped himself a genuine Triple Crown contender with a stylish victory in the Gr.3 Sea Cottage Stakes at Turffontein.
Considering he had to defy top weight and the deepest draw, it was a performance out of the very top drawer from Johan Janse van Vuuren's charge, who powered away to score by the best part of two lengths.
Beaten just once in six starts, this was a fourth consecutive victory and fifth overall from the gelding, who was bred by Ashley Devachander and is raced in partnership with the Wernars. Remarkably, Second Base boasts a Varsfontein pedigree through and through.
We bred and sold his dam Passionate Kiss (Fort Wood) at the National Yearling Sale under the name Whatnot. A half-sister to juvenile Stakes winner and Gr.1 Cape Guineas third Kiss Again (Al Mufti) and Gr.3-placed Stakes winner Top Jet (Jet Master), she is out of our homebred Whatsinakiss (Elliodor), a daughter of Champion three-year-old Kiss Of Peace (Fordham).

PAISLEY PARK STILL PERFECT

Paisley Park salutes in the Secretariat.

UNDEFEATED Paisley Park is yet another talented three-year-old who looks destined for the top.
Rated a 'Rising Star' following his stylish victory in Turffontein's Listed Secretariat Stakes second time out, he again stepped up to the plate to complete a perfect hat-trick in his Vaal debut.
Sean Tarry's charge was made for victory though and had a race on his hands when challenged by above-average Vars Vicky. He certainly did not shirk the issue, for in a fierce duel to the line, he showed grim resolution to take the honours by a neck. To add further credit to his victory, the runner-up subsequently franked that form with an easy win next time out.
Out of the Casey Tibbs mare Eva Tibbs, the Klawervlei-bred Paisley Park remains unbeaten in three starts.

DADDY'S GIRLS FOR SURE
IT'S not just Gimmethegreenlight colts that can run! Our homebred stakes winner Favorita faced her sternest test to date in the Gr.2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes at Kenilworth and she passed with flying colours, finding only one too good, that being none other than Champion Celtic Sea.
The three-year-old ran the race of her life and flashed home to finish less than two lengths behind Sean Tarry's triple Gr.1 winner.
In contrast to the fleet-footed Favorita, another of Gimmethegreenlight's daughters, Catchafallingstar, excels  on the opposite side of the aptitude spectrum and is fast maturing into a stayer of note.
She earned that all-important first black type when beaten a longhead and a neck in the Listed Ardmore Jamaica Handicap.
Two weeks later, the Glen Kotzen-trained four-year-old took a step up in class when facing a field of seasoned male stayers in the Gr.2 Western Cape Stayers over 2800m. She proved up to the task and ran on stoutly for third behind former Gr.1 Cape Derby hero Atyaab and Gr.3 Chairman's Handicap winner Silver Host.
Carl and Amanda bred Catchafallingstar from Broodmare of the Year Star Of Arcole and as Amanda has 'kept a leg' so to speak, the filly will no doubt return to Varsfontein at the conclusion of her racing career and may we hope, as a stakes winner! 

FLAMBOYANT GLORY FOR INDI ANNA

Indi Anna sweeps to a first Stakes success.

MASTER OF MY FATE, whose rise to prominence this season has been nothing short of phenomenal, received a belated Christmas gift when first-crop daughter Indi Anna opened her stakes account in the Gr.3 Flamboyant Stakes on Boxing Day.
Owned by Andre and Joyce Macdonald and a second stakes winner for rookie trainer Peter Muscutt, the five-year-old mare proved her superiority in no uncertain terms as she dashed up the Greyville straight for a length-and-a-half victory. She joins Sentbydestiny and African Adventure as her sire's third stakes winner of the season and ninth overall.

ISLAND LIFE FOR TWIST OF FATE

Classic success for Twist Of Fate in the Gr.2 KRA Guineas.

MASTER of My Fate's accomplished first-crop son Twist Of Fate has arrived in Mauritius where he has joined the Allet Stable.
One of the leading colts of his generation, Twist Of Fate became his sire's first stakes winner when landing the Somerset 1200 as a juvenile. The colt came into his own at three with a classic victory in the Gr.2 KRA Guineas, in addition to which he completed the Gr.3 Cape Classic/Politican Stakes double.  Runner-up in both the Gr.1 Cape Guineas and Gr.1 Daily News 2000, he also had the honour of being the first sophomore home in the Gr.1 2019 Vodacom Durban July.
Owned by a Mauritian partnership, it was always a given that Twist Of Fate would eventually leave his birth country for the Indian Ocean island. We will follow his progress with interest.

WYLIE WENCH BACK ON TRACK

Wylie Wench posts her third victory.

SHOWING a welcome return to top form, our Wylie Wench notched up a third career victory when successful over 1500m at Turffontein.
The Mike Azzie-trained chestnut looked above average after winning two of her first three starts last season, however, she went off the boil in four subsequent outings. Freshened up, she returned after a three-month break and promptly regained the winning thread. Fingers crossed she can build on that effort.
Purchased from breeders Lammerskraal Stud, the half-sister to Champion Juvenile Filly Laverna is by SA Derby winner Wylie Hall out of Champion Sprinter Enchantress. Coincidentally, her third dam is the Varsfontein foundation mare Lucky Libra!

SALES NEWS
HAVING sold almost a dozen stakes winning graduates since 2015, the BSA Cape Yearling Sale has entitled us to a great deal of bragging rights. Australian Gr.1 winner Surcharge heads an impressive list which also includes the Graded stakes winners Doosra, Gold Standard, Green Pepper, Hack Green and Final Judgement.
We will be offering another fine draft at this year's sale, which will take place at the Mistico Equestrian Centre on February 28.
Our 17-strong draft (two of which we will sell as agent) includes yearlings by Gimmethegreenlight, Master Of My Fate and Judpot, as well as outside stallions Ideal World, Flower Alley, What A Winter, Futura and William Longsword.
Pictures of our draft will be posted on our website closer to the auction date, alternatively, we look forward to welcoming you to Stable blocks A and B in the days leading up to the sale.