Overlooking the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in Henley-on-Klip, Gauteng, lies the newly established Suikerbosview Stud, who offer just one lot at this week’s big sale.
Situated just 30 minutes from both the Vaal and Turffontein racecourses, Robyn Klaasen has found her slice of heaven.
At the relatively youthful mark of 26, Robyn is the middle of two sisters, and the only ‘horsey’ person in the family. Starting riding young, and living on a plot, she was fortunate enough to receive a R1500 ticket horse from her parents soon after she started riding and she’s been had the wonderful creatures around her ever since.
“We used to have donkeys on the plot. My sisters and I would try ride them by one of us sitting on the donkey and the other one would carry a packet of carrots around to make them walk. My parents eventually sent us for riding lessons rather than let us torment the poor donkeys any longer!”
She studied Equine Science at her Dad’s wish through Warwickshire University in England and hasn’t stopped studying since, incorporating her love of horses in her everyday life.
“I’ve always had a passion for Thoroughbreds and racing, but it always seemed impossible to get involved in the industry. I eventually found my way in and I worked as a stable employee for about two years with the Alexanders. From there I worked as an Assistant to Sean Tarry, and then Paul Peter,” she tells us.
She also did a few months with Tony Gollan in Brisbane, Australia, which was unfortunately cut short due to Covid.
Robyn & Ingear in Australia, the first horse she ever strapped – who was a winner that day.
While Robyn is still relatively new to racing, and says there is still plenty to learn in the industry, horses have been the biggest part of her life for as long as she can remember.
“I absolutely love the game and couldn’t imagine doing anything else!”
“My dad has always been, and continues to be my biggest supporter, and thankfully, the racing bug has bitten him too and he loves the farm and what we do just as much as I do!”
“After my unexpected return home from Australia due to Covid, I had no clue what my next step was going to be. But for some reason, my dad was suddenly very interested in buying a farm, although I had been begging him for years, and so we started our search”
When they went to see the farm, it turned out that they had actually been to see the same farm 5 years before and had been unable to purchase it. Fate works in strange ways! There had been a lot of deterioration happen since the last time they had seen it, with almost no activity on the farm for about 15 years- plenty of TLC was in order.
“Being a ‘racing farm’, it already had all the infrastructure such as a track, stables and foaling boxes- all of which needed and still need a lot of work!
“While the farm is still a work in progress, we have spent the last months working non-stop to get the property to resemble some sort of working horse farm and we are finally getting there! We currently have 20 horses on the farm and our first foals were born in 2020!”
Getting into the breeding industry was an unexpected turn of events for Robyn, she had bought the farm around the same time as the Summerhill Dispersal Sale, and while Covid has been a scary time for most people, Robyn is hopelessly optimistic and decided to take the risk of buying horses when they were cheap.
“I bought some weanlings, with no real plan as to what we were going to do with them. I had a ‘we’ll figure it out when we get there’ kind of logic and have since bought some mares off various other sales too.
“At the moment I am breeding out of pure passion and love for the whole process. It is very difficult and expensive breeding from the Highveld, and so I probably won’t get any more than 5 mares until we figure out a way around this,” says Robyn.
Robyn and Joshua Peter are partners in the stud, and she feels very lucky that he puts up with all of her crazy ideas. They currently have three very nice mares that they are excited about, and are always on the lookout for more.
Currently Robyn and her team are attending the National Yearling Sale with a draft of their own for the first time! A young colt by the champion racehorse Rabada out of the Kingmambo(USA) mare Deceptive Charm(IRE).
“There is no disputing the fact that Rabada was a champion racehorse and, as always, we can only hope that these champions can be just as good at stud. From what I’ve seen (and heard), his progeny are showing lovely class and quality. He seems to be an exciting stallion and with only four Rabada’s on the sale- I’m excited to see how they do!”
Having worked with a few of Deceptive Charm’s progeny while at the Sean Tarry Racing Yard, Robyn has first-hand experience on just how lovely her foals can be.
Lot 434- Rabada x Deceptive Charm (IRE) (Pic- Candiese Lenferna)
“Lot 434 has a quality about him that was present even as a yearling- we used to call him the Sports Car. He has a lovely temperament and is very easy to work with. He’s very neatly put together and confirmation-wise, he doesn’t have much to fault. He is on the slightly smaller side and a bit immature, but he is a late foal and the whole family is small!”
There’s not much to fault in his pedigree either with the dam producing the likes of Witchcraft- who is a Gr3 winner and Gr2 placed, In Cahoots- who is Gr3 placed and the most recent winner is Under Your Spell- who is now 3 from 3, including a Gr3 and Listed Race.
Suikerbosview is also offering a special on spelling for yearlings bought off the National Yearling Sale.
Having spent a lot of time and money building the farm up in time for the sale, Robyn and her team are hoping to receive support so they can keep building it up to be the farm they dream of.
Click here to view the BSA National Yearling Sale Catalogue.
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