A catalogue built on Capital Stud conviction
‘Blood doesn’t lie.’
It is a phrase Henning Pretorius returns to often, and it is the right place to begin any assessment of the Capital Stud May Broodmare Auction. The philosophy behind those three words, that pedigree, properly assembled across generations, produces results that are not luck but the predictable outcome of disciplined selection, runs through every lot in this catalogue. Twenty-four in-foal mares went under the hammer across two evenings (29 and 30 May 2026), generating a total turnover of R2,640,000 and an average price of R110,000. The numbers are solid, but the story behind them is much richer than that.
What a broodmare offers
The catalogue’s introduction is unusually candid about the proposition on offer: “When you buy a broodmare, you are buying something rarer and more durable: you are buying a foundation.” As Dirk Zagers, a well known figure in European breeding states, starting from scratch with a mare without a proven damline costs a breeder twenty years: “Henning has invested the time for you by figuring it all out over the years. When you buy a broodmare on this auction, you’re buying time so that you can get ahead.”
The headline act
The top lot was Capital Carezza (Lot 25), a 2017 chestnut by Capital Colnardo x Capital Ulior v/h Wuitenshof x Filou Des Mesnils, carrying a foal by Capital’s Harton v/d Berghoeve Z (Heartbreaker x Diamant de Semilly x Darco) due 16 December 2026. She realised R230,000, comfortably the highest price of the sale. The catalogue describes her as ‘a forward-thinking investment in a well-constructed Capital line,’ and the combination of her youth, her Capital Colnardo (Colman) scope, and the Harton cross evidently made a compelling case.
The two lots at R165,000 offered contrasting profiles. Capital La Mercy (Lot 09), a 2011 bay by Nabab de Reve x Hemmingway x Ramiro Z and already the dam of Capital Kingsland (competing at SJ 1.30m), was offered in foal to Capital’s Castello Z (Chacco-Blue x Darco x Heartbreaker). The catalogue pitches this as ‘the modern speed and brilliance of Chacco-Blue meeting Nabab de Reve depth for a foal with every prospect of elite performance.’ Capital Calimera (Lot 11), a 2016 grey by Capital Castigo x Capital Chicoletto Z x Guidam, was carrying a Capital Legacy foal. What gives Calimera added weight in the catalogue is the fact that she is the daughter of Capital Carnella (Lot 08), also offered in this sale, making it one of the few instances across the auction season where a buyer could acquire a mare and her dam in the same session.
Capital Caitlin (Lot 01) at R150,000 and Capital Cambria (Lot 14) at R145,000 round out the top five, both in foal to Capital’s Barnardini JT Z (Baloubet du Rouet x Heartbreaker x Carthago Z). Caitlin, described in the catalogue as ‘a tall, striking grey with an impressive pedigree built entirely within Capital Stud’s own programme,’ is a 2017-born mare combining the scope of Capital Colnardo with the careful technique of Capital Chicoletto Z. Cambria, also a grey and born in 2016, stacks scope upon scope through Colnardo, Capital Hitoshi (Winningmood) and Conan Z on the dam side – a pedigree the catalogue says ‘targets the highest levels of the sport with real conviction.’
The producers
Alzu Carissa (Lot 03), the eldest mare in the collection at nearly nineteen, has produced Capital Hemmingway (SJ 1.40m), Capital Carina (SJ 1.20m), Capital Cleveland (Eventing 2*) and Capital Cullinan (SJ 1.30m) – a range and consistency that explains why a mare of her age still commanded R70,000.
Capital Christelle (Lot 15), at R110,000, is one of the stronger producer profiles in the catalogue: Capital Chico competes at SJ 1.35m, Capital Hurricane at 1.10m. Her Cassini II (via Chicoletto Z) and Caretino (Caletto II) dam-line foundations are described as ‘celebrated for producing careful, technically gifted horses with excellent rideability,’ and her record bears it out.
Alzu Optima (Lot 22, R100,000) has produced Capital Carlton at SJ 1.40m, and at fifteen still has producing years ahead. Her Ramiro Z influence through Optimum v/d Wellington sits well against the Harton cross she carries.
Capital Cougar (Lot 10, R140,000) is described in the catalogue as not merely a proven producer but ‘a proven producer of producers’ – her offspring Capital Hope competes at SJ 1.40m. That distinction carries weight in any breeding programme.
The stallion picture
Five Capital Stud stallions were represented as in-foal sires, each profiled in full in the catalogue.
Capital’s Barnardini JT Z (Baloubet du Rouet x Heartbreaker x Carthago Z) covered the most mares, seven, averaging R112,857. The catalogue leans heavily on Barnardini’s Olympic lineage: his sire, Baloubet du Rouet, carried Rodrigo Pessoa to gold, and his dam, Happy Days Z, is a full sister to Olympic jumper Hardrock JT Z. His dam line runs three generations deep with multiple black-type performers. These are strong credentials for a young stallion still building his own progeny record.
Capital Legacy (Capital Levubu x Untouchable x Cassini I) covered five mares and produced the most consistent average of the five books at R116,000 – no lot carrying his foal sold below R95,000. The catalogue describes him as ‘purpose-built for today’s top-level competition,’ combining the scope and bravery of Levubu with the agility and technique of his dam Capital My Lady, herself a 1.50m jumper.
Capital’s Harton v/d Berghoeve Z (Heartbreaker x Diamant de Semilly x Darco) has the strongest individual story: he was the top seller at the 2019 Zangersheide Auction, his dam Hiamant van’t Roosakker has produced seventeen sporthorses, including seven black-type horses, and his great granddam Usha van’t Roosakker anchors a dynasty of elite international jumpers. Six mares carried his foals.
Capital’s Castello Z (Chacco-Blue x Darco x Heartbreaker) covered three mares at an average of R123,333, boosted by La Mercy’s R165,000. The catalogue makes the most of Castello’s Chacco-Blue sire, whose ‘remarkable consistency’ in transmitting ‘exceptional temperament, natural carefulness, and scope’ is well documented at international level.
Capital Voice (Pegase van’t Ruytershof x Chacco-Blue x Berlin) covered three mares at the lowest average of the group: R90,000. What the catalogue adds is that Voice is a horse of Capital Stud’s own making – his dam Cha Cha Floreval is one of the stud’s most significant mares, already the dam of Capital Moonlight, Capital Cornet Blue Floreval Z and Capital’s Toulouse. His sire, Pegase van’t Ruytershof, is a son of Comme Il Faut, ‘one of the most decorated and sought-after jumping stallions of his generation.’
Family threads
One of the more unusual features of this catalogue is the number of internal family connections it offers buyers. La Mercy and her daughter, Harloquin, appear as separate lots (09 and 13). Carnella and her daughter Calimera appear as separate lots (08 and 11). Alzu Sonador and her daughter, Celinda, appear as separate lots (04 and 18). For a buyer who wanted to invest in a complete dam line across two generations, this auction offered the rare chance to do exactly that.
Also notable is the stallion context for Harton’s damline running through Capital Hirona (Lot 07): the catalogue points out that Hirona carries the Darco influence twice over – through her sire Capital Hitoshi (Winningmood via Darco) and through her Harton foal (Heartbreaker x Diamant de Semilly x Darco) – creating what the catalogue calls ‘genuine depth of scope and competitive will’ in the resulting foal.
Market depth
Perhaps the most encouraging signal from the sale is not the peaks but the floor. Not a single mare sold below R70,000, and 14 of the 24 lots, just under 60% of the catalogue. reached six figures. The three lots at R70,000 were all older mares: Alzu Carissa (2007), Capital Hirona (2010) and Capital Celinda (2010).
The numbers
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total lots | 24 |
| Total turnover | R2,640,000 |
| Average price | R110,000 |
| Top price | R230,000 (Capital Carezza) |
| Lots at R100,000+ | 14 (58%) |
| Lots at R150,000+ | 4 (17%) |
All mares were certified in foal prior to auction. Breeding details and producing records as per the official Capital Stud catalogue.