People are desperately seeking signs of an upturn in South Africa’s economic fortunes. Microscopic increases in gross domestic product, itty-bitty rises in business confidence or infinitesimal changes in the inflation stats are seized upon to shows things are looking up.
These seekers of sunshine should take in the results of Bloodstock SA’s 2026 National Yearling Sale last week.
The country’s premier yearling auction was a big success, with no sign of fear that the economic ship might be heading for rocks.
The two-day sale – the 50th edition – produced a record aggregate, a rising average, an increased median, a standout top lot and a clearance rate above 93%, “driven by top-end demand and strength across all levels”, according to BSA.
“The record-breaking total turnover of R208-million was an increase of 21% on 2025. The average price of R647,975 represented a 15% lift, year-on-year, and the median of R425,000 was up 6% on 2025.
“An impressive 55 yearlings sold for R1-million or more, including 16 above R2-million and five that topped the R3-million mark,” said the sales company.
The top lot was Red Trix, a colt by Vercingetorix out of the Western Winter mare Redberry Lane, who many current racing fans will remember as a top-performing filly and winner of the 2018 Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes at Greyville.
Red Trix fetched R5.25-million for Lammerskraal Stud and was knocked down to Form Bloodstock. This is well short of SA’s R9-million record yearling auction price but is not seen as a negative given the sale’s overall success.
Form Bloodstock’s principal, Jehan Malherbe, finished as the leading buyer overall, securing 19 lots for a combined R29,650,000 at an average of R1,560,526. Jonathan Snaith – brother of national champion trainer Justin – landed 20 lots for R16.9-million with an average of R845,000.
The easing of export rules for SA’s horses is set to boost the market for the country’s stud-farm produce – which sells at bargain prices in an international context – and the presence of buyers from the US and Hong Kong at BSA’s sales ring in Germiston last week indicates growing foreign interest.
Cynics might say a top-end thoroughbred racehorse sale simply represents the mega-rich at play, in a bubble of their own, and doesn’t reflect the real state of economic confidence.
A counter is that the sport of kings cannot live by kings alone and the racing game swims in seas of ordinary economic reality. People at the top of the wealth tree, many of whom are leading businesspeople who buy expensive horseflesh, might well be seeing promising vistas around them.
