Birch Bros is a name synonymous with South Africa’s racing & breeding legends Sea Cottage, Colorado King, Wolf Power, Bold Tropic, Evening Mist and Royal Chalice among others. These champions of multiple Grade 1 winners, were bred and raised by the Birch Bros in Dordrecht, Eastern Cape.Established in 1910, Birch Bros now has their fifth generation Birch at the helm of this fantastic dynasty that has such a proud history of success.The Impact has a signature opportunity to chat with Colin Birch, about their 2019 draft:
Q: What does your draft comprise this year in terms of both quality and quantity?
A: At the 2019 National Yearling Sale we are offering a strong draft of nine yearlings made up of seven colts and two fillies. Represented by quality proven sires Querari (2), Ideal World (2), hot young sires Master of My Fate and Captain Al, and the first season sires Global View, Coup de Grace and Willow Magic. Physically the yearlings are well grown and conformationally correct and have good pedigrees to back them up. A colt (Lot 264) and a filly (Lot 366) by the ‘next champion’ sire Querari, both very racey sorts with the appeal. An outstanding filly (Lot 251) by Ideal World that could be in the mould of the champion mare Smart Call. The Ideal World colt (Lot 329) is an exciting mating being out of a sprinting female line. A Master Of my Fate colt (Lot 308) by the extremely exciting sire, he is a neat, well put together, the nicely balanced colt named Own your fate. The Captain Of All colt (Lot 381) is a striking, classy individual and should prove very popular with buyers. The colts by the first season sire Willow Magic (Lot 488) and Coup de Grace (Lot 438) are both powerful and very impressive individuals and should have many admirers.We have a strong Global View colt (Lot 468) that certainly looks the part to complete our draft!
Q: What are the highlights of your 2019 draft?
A: The Querari colt (Lot 264) out of a well related Silvano mare shows that he could be very speedy and has appeal as an individual. The Ideal World filly (Lot 251) is a beautiful filly, has always impressed us since being a foal at foot, looks like she may have the full package. The colt (Lot 308) by Master Of My Fate from a lovely family, shows good balance and strength and should be very impressive when he has matured a bit more. The Captain Of All colt (Lot 381) oozes quality and class, the nice scopey colt that stands over the ground and an easy mover. The colts by Willow Magic (Lot 488) and Coup de Grace (Lot 438) are standouts and they will have to ‘go some’ to better them as individuals, exceptional lookers that scored very high on inspection!
Q: Given your exceptional records, could you give us an insight into the factors taken into consideration when you plan matings?
A: Our ambition is to produce Grade 1 winners so we really focus on mating our mares to the best possible stallions available to us. In the past, we had numerous champion stallions standing on the farm but these days have to travel far and wide for coverings. Although we do have the exciting young stallion Red Ray resident with us at present. As a stud, we have re-built our broodmare band up exceptionally well in a relatively short space of time recently. We have a number of high-class mares in the paddocks now. Bearing in mind we are ‘farmer breeders’ and not hobby/boutique breeders, we work within certain parameters. We put a lot of emphasis on planning the mating for our various mares and try to get to the best-proven sires available to us, and also focus on the first/second season sires that we believe have the best chance of cracking it as stallions. Sometimes a third season sire is a gamble worth taking too if you have that ‘gut feeling’ about a horse. Conformation and pedigree are major considerations when doing mating. Matching your mare to a stallion is crucial so we do an in-depth analysis to try to achieve the desired result. As a breeder, there is no better feeling than when a mating comes off and proves successful. Let’s not forget luck plays a big part too!
Q: Which 2019 first crop sires do you think are under rated current but will improve in the next 3-5 years?
A: Global View I feel has a massive chance at stud, he is getting them to look the part and being by the world champion sire Galileo out of a Storm Cat mare he certainly has the right blood. He stands at Ascot Stud and has a powerful broodmare base to work from, also receiving great outside support from breeders around the country. Another is the sire Willow Magic who has impressed me massively with the colt we are taking to the sale, and being by the magnificent sire Dubawi he should be a force to be reckoned with when his offspring hit the tracks. The Klawervlei based sire Coup de Grace by Tapit should also command his respect in the stallion ranks in years to come; he suits South Africa with his speed and is producing very smart looking horses! Hence the reason we have used these three stallions and have yearlings by them on the National Yearling Sale.
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 bloodstock on the breeding farms in South Africa is continuously being upgraded, top sires of international bloodlines are being imported readily and this is fantastic for the gene pool of the South African thoroughbred. South Africa runs a world-class thoroughbred sales programme, the flagship being the National Yearling Sale held every April. The bloodstock we offer in South Africa is probably the best value for money horseflesh you can buy around the world. But the export protocols are currently a limiting factor, but when sorted out fairly the South African thoroughbred breeding industry will boom. South Africa has proven that our racehorses can compete and perform against the best in the world, and foreign buyers are fully aware of the potential that is offered in the sales rings out here. There has been an increased presence of foreign buyers at recent sales, and it is imperative that the export protocol situation is sorted out. Our thoroughbreds need to be allowed to move around the world with ease and compete on a level playing field. We now meet all the criteria and standards to be given the green light.
Q: Your farm sold one of the most expensive horses at this sale last year. Can you tell us more about the horse, where is he now and who was the buyer?
A: Captain Al colt named Believe Achieve went through the ring as Lot 172 on the 2018 National Yearling Sale. He was a cracking foal from day one and had plenty of substance and quality about him. A standout individual at the sale that ticked all the boxes on conformation and pedigree. By deceased champion sire Captain Al out of the Fort Wood mare In the Shade (Fort Wood was also a champion sire and sire of sires, and is a top broodmare sire in South Africa). The Captain Al x Fort Wood cross is a proven nick and has produced many top racehorses in recent times. The colt was knocked down to Shadwell and is with world-renowned and multiple champion South African trainer Mike de Kock. We certainly look forward to following his progress on the race track.
Q: In the past which horse is the most expensive one, you have sold at this sale?
A: We have achieved good results in the past at this sale, and had many yearlings go through the ring at Nationals that have gone on to be top racehorses. There could be one or two lurking in this year’s draft for sure!
Q: Please tell us a bit more about the farm and how you got involved in running this farm?
A: Birch Bros – Vogel Vlei Stud was established in 1910 and have been champion breeders on many occasions in the past. We are the oldest existing thoroughbred stud in the country. Not many can stake a claim to have been around for that long. The farm is situated near the town of Dordrecht in the Eastern Cape on the edge on of the Karoo, at the foothills of the Stormberg Mountain range at an altitude of 5650 feet above sea level. In the winter months, temperatures dip to as low as 20 degrees Celsius below zero with snowfall at times. Summer conditions are warm with cool evenings. It is a very healthy climate for animals – The cold sterilizes the environment. These lands have bred and raised countless top-class thoroughbreds and Birch Bros has a very proud history of producing many of South Africa’s legendary racing champions and big race winners (Durban July, Met, Queens Plate, Derby etc). Famous names like Sea Cottage, Wolf Power, Colorado King, Bold Tropic and Elevation to name a few. We certainly have ambitions and goals to build on these successes into the future as breeders. I am a fifth-generation Birch on the farm and run the operation along with my dad, Syd. We are very hands-on in the day to day running of the stud. In addition to the horses, we also breed cattle and sheep commercially on the farm. After completing a Bachelors degree in Marketing and gaining sound business experience in the corporate world my intention was always to move back home and breed horses. After all, racehorse breeding runs thick through our veins and is in our blood, it is a massive family passion. We pride ourselves on breeding and raising our horses in a relatively unique way. The framework from which we work is still very similar to how we have raised horses successfully here for generations. We raise our horses to grow up tough and try to ensure that they have every chance of standing up to the demands of training and racing. Mares with foals, weanlings and yearling are raised on a combination of vast open spaces of natural growing grasses and planted pastures, inhttp://theimpact.secretariatsworld.com/ccess to on the farm, we are fortunate to have the option of running our stock extensively for periods of the year. This is a massive advantage as they are able to ‘just be horses’ growing up out in the open for a period of their lives. Youngstock is run in a large post and rail pasture paddocks closer to the home where paddocks are surrounded by well-covered trees to allow them access to shelter from the extremely cold winters we experience in our area. We produce the majority of our own hay which is vital for the cold winter months too. Our sale yearlings are brought in for a couple of months to be stabled at night and conditioned accordingly for sales.
Q: What are you currently reading?
A: On the farming side of things a book on Holistic Management by Allan Savory
Other:
Creativity, Inc – Inspiration
Black Leopard, Red Wolf (Marlon James)
Published in The Impact 9 Issue, 2 Vol
Click To view the complete The Impact Library - http://theimpact.secretariatsworld.com/