Klawervlei Stud, South Africa’s six-time champion breeder, is set to enter a new era. The Koster family’s multi award-winning Bonnievale establishment has been acquired by prominent businessman and leading racehorse owner, Laurence Wernars.

The transaction marks one of the most significant developments in the local breeding industry in recent years, with stewardship of one of South Africa’s most successful thoroughbred operations passing to a new owner committed to preserving its rich legacy and reputation for excellence.

The formidable roll of honour of stars born and raised at Klawervlei reads like a who’s who of South African thoroughbreds over the past four-and-a-half decades. Among them are South Africa’s standard-setting super stallion Captain Al (Al Mufti), his outstanding son One World, exported champion filly Carry On Alice, international track star and reigning champion stallion Vercingetorix (Silvano), multiple champion mare Roland Song (Roland Gardens), globetrotting sprint sensation Shea Shea (National Emblem), and Durban July hero and freshman stallion Kommetdieding (Elusive Fort).

The transfer of ownership will be accompanied by a full dispersal sale of Klawervlei’s existing stallions, mares and weanlings – about 160 in total – to be conducted on the farm on Monday, 10 August.

Wernars said: “We are purchasing a beautifully equipped farm with its assets and equipment, not the existing bloodstock. The improvements made to Klawervlei over the years – the dams, paddocks and infrastructure – required enormous investment and simply could not be replicated today.

“We currently have 54 mares spread around the country and most of them will be relocated to Klawervlei. We hold stallion shares in many of the leading Cape-based sires, so our mares will be kept busy.

“Aside from that, Klawervlei will remain a luxury boarding facility and the broodmares owned by outside clients will be staying on. The farm is spacious and can easily accommodate 120 mares.”

Wernars, who admits to being completely smitten with everything horse-related, said that owning a stud farm was never really on his radar. He quipped: “Can you imagine a businessman in a suit and gumboots trying to look after prized thoroughbreds?”

However, a recent trip to the United Kingdom proved influential. He was captivated not only by the standard of racing at Royal Ascot, but also by visits to Juddmonte Farms and Darley Stud.

“I was hugely impressed by the excellence of their operations, and getting to touch the legendary Frankel and Dubawi was an unforgettable experience,” he said.

“My visits to the studs reminded me of the horizons our wonderful sport continues to present. This feels like the next step in our journey.”

Wernars said that breeder John Koster’s remaining on the farm to assist with the transition, training of a new stud manager and overseeing operations as long as possible was integral to his decision.

“John is a great and accomplished horseman. His family house is on the farm and while we know he wishes to enjoy his retirement with some travelling in the next few years, we asked him to stay as long as he wants.”

 Koster, the third-generation breeder responsible for much of Klawervlei’s headline success, paid tribute to Wernars and said he was delighted to welcome a man of such stature into the world of thoroughbred breeding.

Koster commented:  “Laurence is a man with huge energy and a deep passion for horses, racing, breeding and people. He means a great deal to all of us. It will be my profound privilege to assist Laurence and the Wernars family to attain their dreams on this beautiful and magnificent farm. I look forward to our future together with great enthusiasm.

“For 45 years, our family has taken this farm to magnificent success for both equine athletes and the human community. As the new custodian of this land, Laurence has a firm commitment to the soil, the horses, the people and traditions that have shaped our past success. He is a man of true principle who has bought into our vision, our philosophies and our way of conducting our activities and business on and off the farm.

“I have a heart full of gratitude. I’d like to convey a personal and heartfelt thank you to all our staff, also our clients and friends who have supported us on this extraordinary journey. Most important, we thank our wonderful thoroughbreds, who have been at the heart of everything we have done and remain the enduring legacy of this farm.”

For enquiries on the Klawervlei dispersal sale, please contact Grant Knowles at centralrtrading@gmail.com  or on 082 882 9774.

Outstanding five-year-old OMBUDSMAN (Night Of Thunder), a close relative of Klawervlei Stud’s four time G1 winning stallion TWICE OVER (Observatory), once again showed his considerable class when he won the G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
In the process, Ombudsman made it back to back wins in the Ascot showpiece.

A quality field of eight runners went to post for the 10-furlong Group One, with John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman the 11-10 favourite to become the first horse to go back-to-back in this event since the Gosden-trained Muhtarram in 1995.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz and multiple Group One-winning filly Minnie Hauk were both in there pitching as the pacemakers faltered, but neither could resist the electric turn of Ombudsman, who powered clear late on to win in hugely impressive fashion by four lengths from Minnie Hauk.

Ombudsman, whose fifth dam LOST VIRTUE (Cloudy Dawn) ranks as the third dam of Twice Over, has won nine of 12 starts and he has earned £4,722,048. He has now won four G1 wins including this year’s Dubai Turf.

His four-time G1 winning relative TWICE OVER has been in the news this season as the sire of G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met/G1 HKJC World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge winner SEE IT AGAIN.
The latter currently heads the log for the title of Horse Of The Year for 2025-2026.

Klawervlei’s exciting young stallion KOMMETDIEDING (Elusive Fort) hails from one of the best families in the stud book.
This remarkable family gained yet a further boost when progressive gelding ERROL FLYNN (Master Of My Fate) won the TAB Egoli Mile (1600m) at Turffontein on Sunday.
Trained by Joe Soma, the three-year-old stormed home, under Keagan De Melo, to claim the first leg of the Highveld Winter Series by more than two and a half lengths, and Errol Flynn looks capable of winning at a higher level.

Bred by Sandra Michelle Ajax and Target Acquired, Errol Flynn has won four of just six starts. The gelding, who races for the Wernars Family, Dayalan Chinsammy, and TKP Racing, is out of the stakes placed WHAT A PLAYER (What A Winter). The latter is directly descended in female line from the influential broodmare QUEEN OF LIGHT (Borealis), who is also ancestress of Kommetdieding.

Winner of the G1 Vodacom Durban July at three, and G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met at four, Kommetdieding has some very well bred yearlings on offer at the upcoming KZN Yearling Sale. His KZN Sale draft includes a filly (Lot 7) from the immediate family of JET MASTER (Rakeen), and a filly (Lot 139) from the family of current high-class performer GRAND EMPIRE (Vercingetorix).

Outstanding five-year-old OMBUDSMAN (Night Of Thunder), a close relative of Klawervlei Stud’s four time G1 winning stallion TWICE OVER (Observatory), showed his class once again when he won the G3 Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on Thursday evening.

Ombudsman did all that was required of him before Royal Ascot with a narrow triumph over GETHIN (GHAIYYATH) in Thursday’s contest.

John and Thady Gosden’s superstar was beaten under a penalty by Almaqam (Lope De Vega) in this race 12 months ago and deep inside the final furlong it looked like history might repeat itself, with this time Gethin the one benefiting from a weight concession.

But the William Buick-ridden Ombudsman (2-5 favourite) managed to keep him at bay by a neck, setting himself up for a blockbuster showdown with Arc hero DARYZ (Sea The Stars) in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes next month.

John Gosden said of his five-year-old, who had debuted this year in the Dubai Turf on World Cup night in March: “He needed the race last year and honestly he hasn’t seen grass since Meydan, he’s trained entirely on all-weather, that’s how much we’ve had a drought and no rain at all.”

Ombudsman, whose fifth dam LOST VIRTUE (Cloudy Dawn) also ranks as the third dam of Twice Over, has won eight of just 11 starts including last year’s G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and G1 Juddmonte International Stakes.

Twice Over, whose progeny have earned more than R6.635 million this season, could be represented by his outstanding son SEE IT AGAIN in next week’s G1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge.

Klawervlei Stud’s four time G1 winning stallion TWICE OVER (Observatory) made headlines at Turffontein on Saturday night.
His outstanding son SEE IT AGAIN was crowned Champion Older Horse and Champion Middle Distance Horse at Saturday’s Highveld Feature Season Awards ceremony.

During the past Highveld Feature Season, the Justin Snaith trained See It Again won the G1 HKJC World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge and finished second in the G1 Wilgerbosdrift H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut.

The Nick Jonsson owned six-year-old also won this season’s G1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met. To date, See It Again has won nine of 31 starts and he has earned in excess of R10.16 million in prize money.

Bred by Drakenstein Stud, See It Again is a three-parts brother to DO IT AGAIN (Twice Over), South Africa’s Horse Of The Year in 2018-2019.

Twice Over has enjoyed another good season in 2025-2026, with his runners having earned more than R6.63 million.

The Klawervlei Stud bred PERFECT MIRACLE (Hawwaam) made it back to back graded stakes wins when she won the G2 TAB Camellia Stakes (1160m) at Turffontein on Tuesday. Trained by Tony Peter, the three-year-old was always prominent, under Marco Van Rensburg, in Tuesday’s sprint.

Perfect Miracle kept finding more in the closing stages, and the filly powered home to score a shade cosily by three-parts of a length.
In the process, the filly provided her owner Suzette Viljoen with a welcome birthday present!

Perfect Miracle, who had won the G3 World Sports Betting Sycamore Sprint prior to her win on Tuesday, has won four of nine starts. The filly’s earnings stand at R489 511.

Out of the TIGER RIDGE (Storm Cat) mare FREDDY’S SISTER, Perfect Miracle, the first graded stakes winner for her sire Hawwaam, was a R425 000 buy from the 2024 National Yearling Sale.

Klawervlei also enjoyed notable success at this year’s National Yearling Sale. Klawervlei, as Agent, sold 13 yearlings at the National Sale for an aggregate of R11 million, with their yearlings averaging R846 154.

Image: JC Photos