Restaurant guests are asked to arrive between 17h00 and 18h30 and to place their dinner orders by no later than 18h15.  The set menu of 2 courses for R135 and 3 courses @ R175 is great value for money and you can sit back and enjoy a cosy evening next to the fireplace with a nice glass of wine or two, in our highly regarded restaurant directly after work, thereby cutting out cooking yourself!

As this offer is very popular, it is  advisable to book at openhand@polka.co.za or +27 21 855-4296, although walk-ins are welcome.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Oratorio relaxing after the excitement of the parade

A cool autumn morning in the Boland turned out to be the perfect setting for a celebratory day consisting of gorgeous horses, great wine and a buffet spread aimed to please the most discerning palate.

After Michael Taberer welcomed the guests, it was the turn of Avontuur’s well-known champion sire VAR to take the “stage” and he was greeted with admiration by all attendees, most of whom by now knew him and his star progeny very well.  Then it was the turn of the “man of the day”, Oratorio who went through his paces like the pro he is, and coolly posed for the pics like a super model of note.

Guests then moved to the restaurant and winery for a relaxing afternoon with the Avontuur team.

All ended off well for a new addition to the SA racing and breeding scene and for which we have high hopes!

On Sunday, Sciolina, a 4 year old daughter of Oratorio won Premio Tadolina LR at Capannelle Italy and on Saturday two more made him very proud at Haydock Park and Nottingham.

1. Scream Blue Murder (IRE)  3f  out of Holly Blue (GB) (Bluebird (USA))

Won E.B.F. Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Kilvington Fillies’ Stakes (LR), 1200mT, Nottingham

(runs in the colours of Mrs Rupert)

2. Eton Forever (IRE) 6g  out of True Joy (IRE) (Zilzal (USA))

Won Pertemps Network Spring Trophy Stakes (LR), 1400T, Haydock (GB)

Avontuur’s Minelli Pinot Noir Reserve 2010 and Luna de Miel Chardonnay Reserve 2010 will be two of the stars of the show at a Burgundian themed food & wine evening on Friday, 17 May from 19h00 at neighbouring Helderberg winery, Longridge.

 Longridge Restaurant Chef Bruce von Pressentin has put together a menu showcasing Burgundian cuisine with a SA twist. The wines for each courses will be presented by the relevant winemakers, and comments and questions will be expected!

 Welcome:  Snails wrapped in tatsoi with mustard cream in a hyllo pastry basket & Luna de Miel

Starter:  Warm Chevre salad with honey vinaigrette & Vriesenhof Chardonnay and Longridge Pinot Noir

Main: Boeuf Bourguignon with wild mushrooms and potato  & Vriesenhof & Avontuur Pinot Noir. 

Dessert: Quince and chocolate torte with hazelnut ice cream & Longridge Chardonnay.

Coffee

Cost: R250 pp.  Reservations essential at restaurant@longridge.co.za or +27 21 855-4082

All the wines will be for sale on the night with a special price on a promotional  mixed 6-pack. 

Caption:  Some of the incredible wines which will be presented on “Burgundy Night”!

The filly has won twice over 6f and was racing beyond that trip for the first time in the 7f contest which makes owner Sheila Lavery very proud.

Trainer Eddie Lynam said “we came to find out if she would stay, would she settle and was she worth her place in the Irish Guineas on May 26 and all the answers to these questions are yes so we will be able to dream for another 20 days”.

Only R20 pp for the tasting.

Deceased champion sire Jet Master topped the sires list for the last time with an aggregate of R16 140 000 for 24 yearlings, with Dynasty totalling R15 370 000 for 29 yearlings.  Varsfontein Stud headed the vendors list with R8 540 000 for 24 yearlings, with Drakenstein Stud close behind with R8 515 000 for 11 yearlings.

Form Bloodstock spent R11.125 million for 18 yearlings to top the buyers list, with Mayfair Speculators spending R9.020 million on 9 yearlings and Singapore trainer Patrick Shaw spending R7.580 million on 13 yearlings.  The sales topper was lot 263, a Dynasty colt, knocked down for R3.6 million to Mayfair Speculators, just shy of the South African record price of R4 million. While the top price for a filly was R1.6 million paid for Lot 330, an Encosta De Lago(AUS) filly.

Bloodstock South Africa CEO Tom Callaghan was very pleased with the final results, commenting that the sale showcased the strength of South African racing. “We also look forward to the export ban being lifted shortly so that our horses can compete fairly on the international stage”, he added.

Lot 330 an Encosta De Lago filly out of the unraced Danehill(USA) mare Catching Moonbeams(IRE) travelled all the way from Australia to grace a South African sales ring. Consigned by Summerhill Stud, the hammer fell to Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift Stud at R1.6 million, the top price paid for a filly. With Prix de l’Abbaye winner Imperial Beauty(USA) as second dam, the filly certainly has great paddock value.

“I love the looks of this horse, she has lovely extra long ears and I just loved her pedigree. I think if I bought her in Australia she would have made a very similar price.  I am very much looking forward to her joining the broodmare band eventually, as she has very good broodmare potential”, said Slack.

Right at the end of the sale, after a trying day for the vendors, Dean Kannemeyer, locally known as the Master of the Guineas, made his presence felt when he went to R3 million, in a spirited bidding war, for Lot 503, a flaxen mane chestnut colt from Avontuur Stud.  By Trippi(USA) out of the American Chance(USA) mare La Normandie (ARG), the colt is a half brother to Normanz (Var), winner of the Grade 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes at his third start. Normanz has been one of the outstanding two-year-olds of the season, having won his second start by three lengths and then running away with the Godolphin by 4.25 lengths.

Kannemeyer was very pleased to have secured the flashy colt.  “He is a quality colt with a lot of class and I am very fortunate to be training him. He should make a Classic horse and hopefully he will be my Guineas contender one day.  We are really excited about buying him as he is a lovely colt, but as my dad use to say, they always look better when they stand in the winner’s box!”

The sale concluded with 411 lots sold out of the 493 lots on offer.

by Liesl King

Tripandie

The Sha Tin crowd enjoyed a thrilling spectacle on a day when attendance was up 3% on last year to 29,931, while turnover increased by 14% on 2012 to HK$1.189 billion.

Berry, 22, has already snared the Golden Slipper and Doncaster Mile in his homeland this month and made it three top-flight triumphs for April with a copybook ride on the John Moore-trained five-year-old. Off a stop-start pace, the jockey settled his mount into a smooth tempo just behind the leaders and when the field fanned for home he was poised to strike.

“They really ran to the first corner – probably a bit quicker than I anticipated – but I just got my horse into a nice rhythm,” said Berry. “They backed it off and then quickened it up again going to the half-mile.”

With the leaders folding early in the home stretch, Berry sent Military Attack to the front half-way down the home straight. The gelding battled to see off runner-up California Memory and drew clear for a length and three-quarter triumph in a time of 2m 02.15s.

“I probably had to come out a little bit earlier than I wanted to but we got forced out, and watching the replays of this horse in the past he’s got a really long sustained run -he looked like a really nice horse and he showed that today. It was a beautiful training effort, I’ve got to say – perfect with a few weeks in between runs,” said Berry.

Moore, winning the race for the third time after Viva Pataca in 2007 and 2010, was ecstatic. The veteran handler has now guided Military Attack to three straight wins with this G1 victory following on from impressive wins in the HKG1 Hong Kong Gold Cup and last month’s HKG3 Premier Plate. Moore now has his sights set on the G1 SIA Cup in Singapore.

“Wow, I just need to pinch myself to understand what’s just transpired,” said Moore. “I think it was thanks to Zac (Purton) that we found out that we could vary the tactics on him and that made a big difference – instead of riding him out the back and have him closing off in these exceptional times. Tactically, we’ve got a very smart horse on our hands.

“It was a great ride by Tom today, he got him just in the right position and he had to kick a little early but he showed a lot of fight. I can’t be happier with this horse’s progress – he’s won his first Group 1 and now we’re off to Singapore!”

While Military Attack enjoyed a dream run, there were hard luck stories in behind with sixth-placed Ambitious Dragon the unluckiest of all. Zac Purton was just beginning to ask Hong Kong’s champion for a race-winning effort when his mount was baulked and badly impeded at the 250m as California Memory drifted off a straight course. The interference cost the Tony Millard-trained runner any chance of a second APQEII Cup win to sit alongside his 2011 triumph.

And as that drama unfolded, Japan’s Eishin Flash, anchored at the tail from gate 13, surged home late down the inside fence under Mirco Demuro to finish third, a nose behind Tony Cruz’s two-time G1 Hong Kong Cup winner California Memory. Godolphin’s G1 Dubai Duty Free heroine Sajjhaa, having missed the kick and then travelled four wide under Silvestre de Sousa, ran a brave race in fourth.

Berry has now notched six G1 wins in all this season and is contracted to ride for the Hong Kong Jockey Club until the end of the current campaign on 10 July.

“It doesn’t get much better than this,” he said. ‘I’m only 22 and I don’t think I’ll be able to beat what I’ve done in the last 12 months in my whole career. But that comes with a lot of support from a lot of great owners and trainers in Australia and now Hong Kong.”

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, was delighted with the day.

“On the sporting front, I’m very happy with the result,” he said. “It was a great day of racing and a fascinating race. We had a little incident, which made the whole thing for Ambitious Dragon probably ‘mission impossible’ but I think we should not take the credit away from Military Attack – it was a terrific performance. It’s probably one of the best APQEII Cups we’ve ever had, ratings wise, and the depth of talent in the field today reflects the quality of Hong Kong racing.”

We are obviously thrilled that his sire Oratorio now stands at Avontuur and look forward to showing him off to the South African racing fraternity at Avontuur on 16 May. His book is filling up fast and any enquiries can be directed at Pippa Mickleburgh at stud@avontuurestate.co.za

Military Attack wins again!

After the nail biting finish by Via Africa just a lenght after What a Winter earlier in the day in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, spirits were high, especially as we had 2 VAR’s in the top 4 in that race!

Avontuur Yearling Sale Stud Lounge at the TBA complex, Joburg.

A fantastic day in Joburg, and more to come today at the Sales.