A son of last season’s champion South African sire Trippi (End Sweep) became the joint top priced yearling sold in South Africa when he was knocked down for R6 000 000 on the first day of the 2017 Cape Premier Yearling Sale on Saturday.

Catalogued as lot 32, the handsome bay colt was knocked down to Coolmore’s MV Magnier for R6 000 000 –equal to the price paid for Silver Coin (a Silvano half-brother to Halve The Deficit) at the 2016 Premier Sale.
Like Silver Coin, the colt was consigned by Drakenstein Stud –who sent out four of the top five lots offered at Saturday’s session.

The sales topper, already named Charles, is out of Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge winner Demanding Lady (Dynasty) and is from the same family as Coolmore sire and champion War Command (War Front) and former top sire Silver Hawk (Roberto).

While the much anticipated hype over the first Frankel (Galileo) yearlings by and large failed to materialise, Juddmonte’s unbeaten superstar was responsible for the session’s top priced filly, an unnamed daughter of Little Fastnet (Fastnet Rock), who was sold to Justin Casse for R4 million. The filly, offered by Klawervlei Stud as agent, is out of a three parts sister to Gr2 Flying Childers Stakes winner and Coolmore sire Requinto (Dansili), and her second dam is former champion and Gr1 Phoenix Stakes winner Damson (Entrepreneur).

A striking feature of the sale was the success enjoyed by Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas winning half-sisters Captain’s Lover (Captain Al) and Ebony Flyer (Jet Master), with the former having a Var filly fetch R3.6 million (bought by Lammerskraal Stud) and the latter producing the second top lot sold on day one –a Captain Al colt who fetched R4 000 000.

A feature of the sale has been the large number of international buyers in attendance, with such major players as Coolmore, Justin Casse, and China Horse Club all purchasing at least one lot at the sale.

The sale, held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, continues on Sunday when it is due to get underway at 17:30.