Dec 22, 2022
This November at Capital Stud has certainly been one to remember. From the results at Burlington Cup, to the hugely successful 2022 Capital Stud Hybrid Auction and finally the dominance of the Capital Stud horses at the United Aviation Group Grand Prix Tours, it’s been an incredible month to end an incredible year.
The 2022 Capital Stud Hybrid Auction was a huge success.
“ My love for sport horses and my vision to see south african horses and teams competing at international levels has never been surer.”
- Henning Pretorius
The Capital Stud team were privileged to welcome clients old and new back to their venue in Skeerpoort. This year the Stud introduced a brand-new format to South Africa, setting up the Auction at floor-level in line with international standards. This new format was elegant, atmospheric and had all the ingredients for a top-notch event; 80 tables set with white tablecloths, exquisite flowers and trees were all set at arena level giving a fabulous perspective of the Auction display. Congratulations goes to the team for the incredible decor and refreshing set-up of the arena offering a brand-new experience for the audience. The feedback was very positive from all those in attendance, and it seems this international Auction format will be here to stay.
The Friday night under-saddle presentation was attended by a large number of people, and provided very valuable insights into the quality of the young horses many of whom had already progressed considerably since the video sessions. At the end of the night, the anticipation for the day ahead was clearly palpable.
The Saturday morning started with a buzz as excited bidders assembled for registration and the energy grew as the stallion presentation began. It was a treat to watch the stallions jumping, get closer to the future stars of Capital Stud and hear Henning’s insights and stories about each one. Impressive displays from Capital Impossible, Capital Cornet Blue, Capital Figaro and Capital Qorland had the audience’s full attention but when Aiden Lithgow introduced Capital Levubu the emotion in the room became charged. As Levubu entered the arena to the Hall of Fame Song by The Script, silence descended. This special stallion has really had a magnificent year, and his qualities are impossible to ignore. He has been likened to world-famous Cumano on multiple occasions and becomes more and more of an icon in the sport with every class he jumps. To see him jumping up close was a real privilege for all in attendance.
With a brief break before the bidding began, the sense of anticipation was running high. The next few hours saw all 37 horses sold to new homes, with bids flying back and forth between online bidders, from as far afield as America, and, of course, the bidders in the room. An average price of R411 000 was achieved across the lots, showing just how valuable this large collection really was.
Notable lots included Capital Denver (Diamant de Semilly x Mylord Carthago x Quidam de Revel), who reached the top price of R920,000. This youngster is full of blood and scope, and looks set to take his new rider to the very top. The seven Colnardo’s on auction all shared his characteristic class, rideability and scope – a top future is almost guaranteed with a Colnardo youngster. This first batch of Levubu offspring also performed strongly (Capital Laurentia, Capital Lailah, Capital Lavinia, Capital Lorenzo and Capital Lavanda), fetching an average price of R588 000. With time we are sure to see some very exciting results from this top class of young athletes, who take after their father in many ways. Finally, the exceptionally rideable Rendements attracted excellent prices, reiterating the popularity of this legend in the sport. With his first Auction horses from 2021 throwing all the right shapes in the arena, this much-loved stallion has proven his stamp in producing quality horses with superb temperaments.
Capital Stud wish to congratulate all successful bidders on the purchase of their young talented sporthorses, and thank all who attended the Auction both live and online. We are privileged and grateful to receive your support, as we continue to raise the standard in the sport. We wish all our horses and new owners a bright future and look forward to following your success stories over the coming months and years.
With our vision and the investment in the future of the horses we are breeding and producing, Capital Stud is going from strength to strength and Henning’s dream becomes more of a reality with every single step.
"We are incredibly thankful to our exceptional young horses and the many adventures we get to share with them. We would also like to thank the entire team of caring and talented people from Summerhill Equestrian, who loved and attended to them in their formative years, and the Training Team at Capital Stud who have brought them to the point where they are ready to shine in their careers. It has been an extra special collection to work with, and we look forwards to seeing them take these next steps."
- Capital Stud
The weeks both preceding and following the Capital Stud Auction provided some affirming results to round out 2022!
BURLINGTON CUP
A weather delay for Burlington Cup created the ultimate lead up to the Capital Stud Auction with the Capital Stud horses winning the top classes in fine style. Thomas van Rijckevorsel and Capital My Lady convincingly took the 1.40m Championship win, with a lightning-fast jump-off on the Thursday before the Auction and Jorja Rohrich and Capital Don Costello won the title of the week – the much-coveted Burlington Cup – in the hours before the Friday night jumping display. Both of these partnerships evidence the quality of Capital Stud’s offering and the Team were particularly thrilled to see Jorja and Capital Don Costello win their first big title together.
THE UNITED AVIATION GRAND PRIX TOUR
The United Aviation Grand Prix Tour, on the weekend after the Auction, saw Nicole Horwood take both the UAG Diamond and Gold Tour Grand Prix titles in perfect style. Capital Hitoshi was back to his winning ways, seizing the UAG 1.40m Gold Grand Prix title with the only double clear in the class and Capital Night Star and Nicole got their first major title winning the UAG 1.50m Diamond Grand Prix. Capital Night Star is beginning to show just what he is capable of, and this title is sure to be the first of many. Nicole and her team are rewriting a classic with this incredible horse - another partnership for the history books.
As if winning the top two tickets for the show was not enough, Thomas van Rijckevorsel and Capital My Lady once again came to the fore for Capital Stud with a second place in the 1.40m UAG Gold Grand Prix. With an unlucky pole at the final fence in the first round, Thomas and My Lady put on an exceptional show in the jump off, setting an almost unbeatable target for the other riders in the class. Thomas and My Lady have really made the jump from the 1.30m/1.35m to the 1.40m classes seem easy, with a simple relocation from one set of podiums to the next.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We are proud to see the consistency of our horses. The top classes have unequivocally proven their quality, and we are humbled by the response and growing interest in our Stud both in South Africa and overseas. As we begin our sixth year of Auction horses entering the arena, we feel enormously proud of what has been accomplished and excited for where we are headed in the future. We have a clear vision, and are committed to growing and investing even further in the horses we breed and produce. We would like to thank you for your support and for being part of the Capital Stud adventure. - Capital Stud Team
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