Gary Player swings for son of The United States at BSA Sale

Legendary golfer Gary Player swooped for the top lot at an encouraging edition of the Bloodstock South Africa Cape Yearling Sale at Kenilworth racecourse on Sunday.

Player has also been a well-known figure in racing circles as the breeder of the likes of Broadway Flyer, who won the Gordon Stakes and Chester Vase for the late John Hills and later the Grade 1 Sword Dancer for Bill Mott.

Although the sprightly 87-year-old has reduced his racing interests in recent years he went to R850,000 (£39,000/€44,000) for a colt named Palancar from the Wilgerbosdrift draft. 

His purchase is a half-brother to six-time winner Belle Of Belize, from the family of French champion and influential broodmare Miss Tahiti. Palancar's sire is The United States, the Australian Group 1-winning son of Galileo and former Aidan O'Brien trainee who stands at Moutonshoek Stud and had sired Saturday's Bloodstock SA Sales Cup winner The Charleston.

Champion sire Gimmethegreenlight, whose daughter Live Your Life won Saturday's Grade 3 Prix Du Cap at the track, was responsible for the top-priced filly sold on Sunday, with Gimmesmoreicecream sold to Cape Town racing chief Greg Bortz for R800,000. Bortz has an interest in her half-brother Salvator Mundi, a recent Grade 2 winner.

The sale saw increases posted to new highs across the board. The aggregate rose from R22.57 million to R25.965m, with the average and median prices increased from R155,655 and R110,000 respectively to R171,954 and R130,000, with a good clearance rate of 88 per cent.

Wilgerbosdrift was leading vendor, selling all 15 of its yearlings for R4.2m, while there were encouraging results for the stud's new stallion Buffalo Bill Cody, the well-bred son of Redoute's Choise who was leading sire on aggregate from his first crop of yearlings.

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