Although Varsfontein Stud was started by Anthony Kalmanson in 1974, stud manager Carl de Vos alongside the Kalmanson family, helped grow and develop the stud, since 1988. De Vos has been involved in the acquisition of their sires Judpot and Gimmethegreenlight and producing their homebred stallion Master Of My Fate. Although extremely busy preparing his 2019 draft for the premier BSA National Yearling Sale, De Vos spared a few minutes to chat with The Impact about his consignment as well as his insights into the breeding industry:
Q: What does your draft comprise this year in terms of both quality and quantity?
A: We have 35 yearlings in our draft, a lovely string of well-made individuals which we are very excited about. The sale is divided into two sessions and although we have 15 lots on session 1 we have a range of stand-out yearlings on session 2 that will also attract a lot of attention. We have a good depth of quality with 3 yearlings by Captain Al, 2 by Dynasty and 1 by Silvano. With the recent loss of 2 of these top-class stallions, these well-bred yearlings should be in high demand. Our resident sire Gimmethegreenlight is currently 2nd leading active sire on the general sires log after champion sire Silvano and equals his 7 black-type wins for the season. He is represented by 7 yearlings in our draft. We also have 9 yearlings by our other young up-and-coming sire, Master Of My Fate. With just two crops to race Master Of My Fate is surging into stardom. This season alone his South African based runners have already won all of the G3 Politician Stakes, G3 Cape Classic, Listed Derby Trial and Listed Ruffian Stakes. Other quality sires found in our crop include Var, What A Winter, Judpot, Duke Of Marmalade and Flower Alley.
Q: What are the highlights of your 2019 draft?
A: We have a few potential sale-topping lots which we are exceptionally proud to present at this sale. Lot 61 Erik The Red is a Captain Al colt out of homebred, group 1 winner Covenant. Covenant is a half-sister to champion race mare Promise from my heart who is the dam of sire Master Of My Fate. This colt is powerful, beautifully put together and a good walker. So not only does he have the look but he also has the stallion’s pedigree. From the same family is Lot 115, also a colt by Captain Al. His dam Just the way you are (Listed winner) has already produced a bold black type full sibling in Captain Splendid which proves that this nick works. Lot 201 is a Dynasty colt out of stakes winner Secret Obsession. We are so pleased with this mare as both her first two foals have already performed well at the group level. This Dynasty colt oozes quality and class and has an uncanny likeness to his sire. We have two lovely Judpot colts on offer from the family of champion broodmare Mystic Spring. Lot 236, Mister Blue Sky, is out of Touch the Sky, stakes-winning daughter of Mystic Spring. Lot 246 who is out of duel listed winner Victorian Secret who is a full sister to dual Gr 1 winner Snowdance.Lot 52 is a high-quality Dynasty filly out of Castle Pine who is a half-sister to Carolina Cherry the dam of champion Grade 1 race filly Cherry on the top. Lot 44 is a Captain Al filly out of Black Flame named Captain’s Flirt. This female line has already seen great success with Captain Al blood. Lot 129 - The Gimmethegreenlight filly boasts a dam and grand dam who are both stakes winners. She is physically a very attractive individual with an athletic frame inherited from her sire.
Q: Given your exceptional records, could you give us an insight into the factors taken into consideration when you plan matings?
A: Planning matings on paper is important as well as repeating successful nicks that have worked in the past. However, we also place a lot of emphasis on matching physical attributes. This cannot be ignored as we want to maintain a good balance of breeding a horse that both attracts a buyer in the sales ring and goes on to achieve success as an athlete. Through experience, we learn the strengths and weaknesses of our broodmares and the sires we use and we try to complement the mares with stallions that will work with them physically. Further to this the owners Susan Rowett and John Kalmanson, bring a wealth of international knowledge and understanding of pedigrees when they plan our matings and have a hands-on approach to this important part of the stud. Another practice commonly used at Varsfontein is boosting young mares. Young mares are often sent to proven stallions early in their careers and this has paid off many a time in order to give them a great foundation to their career. In general, maintaining a high standard when selecting broodmares and sires is of utmost importance and the annual cycle of bringing in new blood from strong female lines and cutting out the bottom portion of lower-performing mares helps us maintain this standard.
Q: Which 2019 first-crop sires do you think are underrated current but will improve in the next 3-5 years?
A: Of the first couple of sales which I have attended this year, I have quite liked the look of the Global-View yearlings.
Q: Are there any elements on the breeding and sales industry which you feel are present in other parts of the world but still emerging in South Africa?
A: The players in South Africa are very forward-thinking and the best elements of international practice are in place here. The one element that is missing here though is free movement of horses and that is a major hindrance to our industry.
Q: What was the best advice you were ever given?
A: Successful studs are built on families; never underestimate the importance of strong female lines.
Published in The Impact 9 Issue, 2 Vol
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