Team Valor on Fire in South Africa

Team Valor on Fire in South Africa… 
Barry Irwin of Team Valor International has been a longtime supporter of South Africa bloodstock, and the Kentuckian has over the years seen his faith rewarded. He has campaigned a number of international Grade/Group 1 winners bred in South Africa, such as GI Matriarch S. heroine Gypsy’s Warning (SAf) (Mogok) and G1 QEII Cup winner Irridescence (SAf) (Caesour). Irwin has also reaped the benefits of maintaining some of his classiest South African fillies for his American broodmare band, as was the case with Secret Heart (SAf) (Fort Wood), whose first foal was Pluck (More Than Ready), winner of the (then G2) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2010. Team Valor has even entered into the South African stallion market, sending it’s GI King’s Bishop S. winner Visionaire (Grand Slam) to stand at Summerhill Stud. Members of that standout sprinter’s first crop go through the ring at the National sale this weekend. 
Irwin will be on hand in Johannesburg to see 10 of his South African-bred yearlings go under the hammer, and he experienced any seller’s dream yesterday when his homebred She’s A Pippa (SAf) (Var), a half-sister to Lot 44, a filly by Western Winter, became a stakes winner in Fairview’s Listed East Cape Oaks. The 3-year-old is the first foal out of multiple graded winner and Grade 1-placed She’s On Fire (SAf) (Jet Master {SAf}). Further down the page is Champion South African Stayer Devon Air (GB), as well as Grade 1-winning sprinter August Rush (SAf) (Var). 
“A lot of people were surprised that [She’s A Pippa] was able to get 1 1/4 miles, because she’s by Var, who was a sprinter, but she comes from a family that has a ton of stamina,” Irwin explained. He noted that She’s On Fire also has a 2-year-old filly named Bountiful Harvest (SAf) (Kahal {GB}), also retained for Team Valor, but that “she’s a big filly, she won’t run for a while.” 
Also amongst the Team Valor-breds in this weekend’s sale is Lot 92, a regally-bred colt out of Champion Broodmare Sunshine Lover (SAf) (Badger Land), whose first two foals, Captain’s Lover (SAf) (Captain Al {SAf}) and Ebony Flyer (SAf) (Jet Master {SAf}) both won the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas. Ebony Flyer went on to win two more Grade 1s. During the sale’s second session Monday, Team Valor will send out Lot 490, the first foal out of Group 1 winner On Her Toes (SAf) (Western Winter), who Irwin purchased as a yearling and campaigned. Lot 490 is a filly by Captain Al (SAf). The above mentioned horses are all consigned by Klipdrif Stud. 
Team Valor has already experienced success as a seller in the South African market this year, having sold a filly by Giant’s Causeway out of Captain’s Lover for at January’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale for R3,200,000 (US$300,285)–the co-highest price of the sale. 
“I’m hoping to top the sale here, too, so I can retire undefeated,” Irwin quipped. He noted that Team Valor’s South African operations have come full circle. 
“We have two things we do here,” he explained. “One is we buy yearlings and horses that have run a time or two for our racing stable. That’s one operation. And then if we like the mares and they have black-type, we keep them and breed to sell from them. When we put them in the sale, we put very light reserves on them, usually about 60% of what we think their value is. If nothing happens, we’ll buy one back, but it hasn’t happened yet. We sell everything, and that operation is a for profit operation.” 
Irwin indicated his plans to be active as a buyer over the next two days. 
“I saw four I really liked, and I’m going to try to get them,” he said.