In twenty-five years at the helm of the home of fine wines and fast horses, Mickleburgh has consistently raised the bar to compete at the highest level. Avontuur Estate is one of South Africa's dominant studs known for bringing not only high-quality drafts but also drafts with the most number of horses each year.
Pippa Mickleburgh chats to The Impact about their high quality 2019 draft for the Cape Premier Yearling Sale:
Q: What can buyers expect from your 2019 draft, both in terms of quantity and quality?
A: This is quite a hard sell to find yearling for as you need size, and with international interest in this sale they like proven sires and top families and January is early to have a horse in sale condition without doing any damage to them for the long term. Saying that however, I think this year I have got it dead right with a mixed array of leading sires top female lines and seriously gorgeous horses.
Q: If I’m looking for something special in your draft where should I start?
A: Delta Queen the Var x River Jetez filly, both the sire and dam need no introduction and with this pedigree, her paddock value must be huge, she is a super athlete and gorgeous to boot. Tempting Fate (Master of My Fate x Miss October by Var) is an amazingly powerful high-quality colt he brings through the size and scope of his sire and athleticism and grace of his speedy da.
Q: If you had a personal Cape Premier highlight reel what would be on it?
A: I do not know maybe just the venue is so cool during the hot days. Relaxing for both horses, vendors and clients and that week in Cape Town is so pretty, busy , hot and happening so maybe just the Mother City at its best.
Q: Avontuur is considered the home of fine wines and fast horses. How did your journey begin down this road of excelling in two different and equally challenging industries?
A: The original owner the man with the vision was the late Tony Taberer believed that wine, horses and a wonderful restaurant would bring three fabulous things together and that the Western Cape was the place to do it in..so from a tourism point of view we can offer the complete experience. Tony also believed in great foundation broodmares so we are continually looking to buy the best we can get and our paddocks are full of his original purchases and their offspring. His two sons Mike and Phil continue in that vein and with their youth and vigour, we can hopefully drive the farm onward into this changing world.
Q: Which particular yearling in recent years gave you the most pleasant surprise with the sale price?
A: Hard to pinpoint one but last year’s beautiful Trippy filly Spring Break selling for the R2 million was wonderful sand really when you sadly have to sell fillies sleek that when a fellow breeder buys it you may be a bit sad but also proud and relieved she will get the paddocks of a leading stud and continue to uplift the pedigree.
Q: As a breeder, what would you say makes the most commercial horse?
A: I feel actually if you breed a good-sized correct attractive horse they are normally easier to sell then the average looking incorrect one bred in the purple. So for me, I look for medium-sized strong-boned and a good walk and hope its pedigree is good enough…
Q: Where is Val De Ra at the moment and how is she doing?
A: Val is really well, safely in foal to Silvano with a Trippi filly foal at foot. She has had a difficult few years after foaling Miss Frankel with some ups and downs but she is well and the pride of my life…Val De Ra and her sire VAR really help push the farm up a level and us as a quality producer of racehorses to be taken seriously.
Q: Who would you say was your most special horse and why?
A: As we owned and bred Val De Ra she must be one, she had many health issues along her path, not soundness but sickness.. and she pulled through all the time …and she was sound and out and her gate speed was something I have not seen before and her ability to win Gr 1 races in all three provinces and two against the colts. That hard to do…as a special girl. Legal Eagle must be a one in million to do what he had done, it will be very hard to breed another like him. A durable sound honest and true hero to me. Both hold a special place in my heart and to have decided on their mattings foaled them down produce them and care for them along the way ..what an honour it has been.
Q: Please tell us a bit more about your family and how you got involved in racing?
A: And the wines as well. My dad was a racing journalist for many years my mom and artist and Cordon Bleu chef. We had horses from the day I could walk, dressage and show jumpers and ponies galore. I used to help my Dad with his pedigree and racing research in those days all done manually and learnt what I know today from writing in down it a file after file when I finished school I went to study horse management overseas and never looked back. Wine wise I was managing the stud for around 12 years when the late Tony Taberer offered me the GM job and my love for the vineyards grew. Vineyard management is similar to breeding you plant a young vine, nurture feed protect you then harvest and go over it all again…so attention to detail and careful management is paramount just like the horse breeding…patience is paramount in both practices. Winning wine awards is great but actually selling out a vintage is just as much fun.
Q: When do think, the stringent import-export rules are likely to be relaxed?
A: One dream pls let this happen I am staying positive and I know 2019 is going to be the year we deserve it, and just watch how our horses will do…
Q: How has technology affected the breeding and the wine-making business?
A: Nowadays, we have many gadgets and instruments to help us check water and soil and bunch analysis’s and there are amazing things we do to keep up to date, on the stud obviously Social Media I think is an important medium and with the jockeys we sponsor they have a wide reach and they are great at helping us promote the farm its wine and horses. The NHRA and Export Council have been getting up to speed with tablets and online registrations, so I think going forward we can only improve as a racing and breeding jurisdiction.
Q: And finally, if you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, whose would they are and why?
A: Sir Henry Cecil: I worked for him for a while when I was very young: he was way before his time and imagine training the horses he did and the mighty Frankel how amazing.
Q: What book are you currently reading?
A: Michelle Obama’s biography. I would also be grateful if you could provide any photos of yourself and your top lots. Photos of top lots and me to follow just shout if you need anything else.
Published in The Impact 3 Issue, 2 Vol
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Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com