Foundered in 1967 by Dr Robin Rous, Henham Stud was named after the farm in which legendary British handicapper Admiral Henry John Rous was bought up on. Early on, the stud only had 15 mares give or take, but managed to produce horses of the ilk of top-class sprinter Tucson and fellow smart sprinter, Cavilan, winner of the SA Airways Sprint, among others. Robin was passionate about his horses and on his death, his sons, Trevor and Gavin took over his breeding operation. Through all the ups and downs of the racing industry, older established stud farms have gone but these two die-hards continue their father’s legacy and love of racing.
Henham Stud has continued to produce top-class thoroughbreds from a relatively small band of mares, including G3 Gold Vase winner, and Equus Award nominee, Walter Smoothie, ten time winner Ghost Dog, and the smart Abbottsbury. Remarkably, that trio were sired by Biarritz, Mellifont and Grey Eminence respectively -stallions who were hardly the height of fashion!
At the Summerhill Dispersal Sale, Henham Stud managed to procure Jet Master mare, Movingandgrooving for only R5000. This was before her first foal, Pilgrims Progress had won and before her second foal, Running Brave was sold. Running Brave subsequently went on to earn nearly R2 000 000 in stakes, winning the G2 Gold Bracelet twice as well as the 2021 G3 London News Stakes.
At the National Sale this year, Henham Stud will be offering a beautiful Vercingetorix half-sister (Lot 66) to Running Brave by the name of Miracle In Motion.
Judy Rous describes the three other lots in their draft as:
Lot 155: a neat, beautiful moving filly by Potala Palace out of the Galileo mare Sehaba
Lot 341: a tall handsome colt by Potala Palace out of the Western Winter mare Cresta
Lot 26: a beautiful big racy colt, he is a Querari full-brother to Liberty Hall, who ran second in the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes
The latter colt is offered by Henham Stud on behalf of John Slade.
The Rous Bros’ quartet can be viewed in Block B in the TBA complex during the week leading up to the 2022 National Sale.
Stone Hill Stud is another farm represented at this year’s National Yearling Sale. Heinrich Rix’s Parys based farm will be offering a pair of yearlings sired by the very well performed stallion Royal Mo.
Winner of the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Royal Mo is the only son of outstanding US stallion Uncle Mo at stud in South Africa. He is represented in Stone Hill’s draft by a colt (Lot 90) out of smart racemare Peach Delight, a stakes placed winner of seven and a daughter of a stakes placed winner of six.
Royal Mo is also the sire of Donna Mo (Lot 293), a filly out of Listed The Scarlet Lady runner up Banking April, from the same female line as current talented galloper Saragon. Both Royal Mo yearlings can be viewed in Block H at the TBA complex in days leading up to this year’s National Sale.
