OFF THE RECORD #123
Breeding Hope, Building Dreams
Life has changed dramatically for Suzette and Basie Viljoen since they traded the dusty, unrelenting landscapes of the North West for the mountains and green valleys of the Western Cape in pursuit of Suzette’s dream of owning a stud farm.
Their entry into the notoriously challenging world of commercial thoroughbred breeding has brought its fair share of obstacles, but through persistence, sacrifice and plenty of hard work, Hopes And Dreams Stud is steadily growing into an operation with genuine promise and momentum.
The farm was originally named Arc-En-Ciel, a tribute to owner Shirley Pfeiffer’s Rainbow Chickens empire, and was developed as a stud enterprise by breeder Jan Mantel between 1989 and 1996.
Shirley’s runners were trained by Chris Snaith, who helped her to acquire the property, which consisted of two adjoining wine farms. In 1991, Snaith won the then Rothmans Durban July for the jubilant Pfeiffer team with Flaming Rock (Ballad Rock), who stood as a stallion at Arc En Ciel when he retired and was buried in a marked grave under one of the oaks near the stallion barn.
Ironically, Chris Snaith pointed Suzette and Basie to the very same farm almost 40 years later. By 2023, Arc-En-Ciel had undergone a few face lifts. When Mantel left, Craig and Amanda Carey occupied the farm for 17 years and housed stallions including Cordoba, Stage Call, Alado and, for a short while, Elusive Fort.
While Arc-En-Ciel lacked the firepower to compete with the big players at sales, the farm quietly prospered. The vegetation matured, the land found its rhythm, and Carey bred and raised the champion racer and current leading stallion Act Of War (Dynasty) from a Cordoba mare.
When the Carey family moved on in 2013 – five years after Pfeiffer’s passing – Arc-En-Ciel reinvented itself as a game farm. Her daughter, Suzanne Rueda, and her husband removed the paddocks and established a game breeding operation comprising both exotic and commercial species, together with game camps and specialised fencing.
The property was redeveloped with an emphasis on creating an aesthetic experience and was successfully operated with exclusive game drives and picnics for the public.
When Suzette and Basie moved into the manor house on their new farm midway through 2023, their first task was to reconstruct the paddocks to accommodate their 100-plus broodmares and foals – reviving the stud farm Arc-En-Ciel once was and shaping it into something even better.
Their first challenge came not from the horses, but from nature itself as they received an immediate baptism into the Western Cape’s unpredictable weather patterns. “It started raining,” Suzette remembered. “The heavens opened and we were told it was the heaviest rainfall in 50 years. Then, the following year, that record was beaten again!”
So far this rainy season, there have been no indications of even higher rainfall figures, although Suzette said the power of nature was recently felt again when the Limiet River, which runs through the farm, came down in flood and carried driftwood and debris from the mountains, damaging the bridge linking the property to its 5km entrance road.
The original wooden structure of the bridge remains strong and sound, according to Suzette, but repeated flooding has a habit of breaking through at the old repaired sections.
It is the same bridge where former resident Craig Carey narrowly escaped disaster after his Toyota Prado was nearly swept away in floodwaters powerful enough to threaten carrying him all the way to the Berg River and out towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Suzette said: “We were truly weather-beaten and somewhat overwhelmed in those first few months as we found our feet, but all our neighbours and fellow breeders have been welcoming and supportive.
“One day our neighbour, Julia Pilbeam from Soetendal Farm, arrived at our gate with her husband, Deon. She said she had seen me in a supermarket in Wellington and thought I looked down and out. “They arrived with a bottle of wine and a few encouraging words, and it meant more to us than they probably realised.”
Now, however, things are beginning to take shape and the Viljoens have added a further 110 hectares from an adjoining property to their existing 150-hectare operation.
Suzette explained: “We felt our weanlings were a little restricted in the existing paddocks. They needed more space to move around, play and strengthen. Our first crop of yearlings did not arrive at the sales in the ideal shape. Some were overweight and have required more time to come to hand in training.
“It became clear that they needed more space to develop naturally and, since moving them onto the additional ground with its open spaces and freedom to move, we’ve seen a marked improvement. We are producing stronger, leaner yearlings and it is showing in our sales averages, which have improved with every sale.”
Suzette said that Basie has embraced pedigree research and the day-to-day management of the stud farm with enthusiasm. Having traditionally taken a supporting role in Suzette’s ownership adventures, Basie is now very much in the thick of things and loving it, although he laughs that Suzette is usually out with the horses at first light while he negotiates an extra hour under the blankets.
“We’ve suffered together and learnt together. In the early days we tried to do most things ourselves, but ‘look and learn’ only takes you so far. Over time we entrusted many of the specialist responsibilities to our team, including foreman Ferdi Swartbooi, 23 experienced farm workers and our veterinarian, George Schabort.”
Swartbooi honed his skills under Carl de Vos and Jaco Erasmus at Varsfontein and is regarded as one of the most qualified and certified horse handlers in South Africa. “Ferdi is a wonderful horseman and, even now, he occasionally phones Carl or Jaco for guidance, which they have always been generous in providing,” said Suzette.
Hopes and Dreams announced last week that dual Grade 1 winner Lucky Lad (Gimmethegreenlight) will be joining their stud barn to commence duties at the start of the 2026 breeding season in September. This follows his recent retirement, and an agreement made with his US-based owner, Anthony Beck.
Suzette said: “Now that the paddocks have been rebuilt and the stables renovated, we are ready for a second resident stallion to stand alongside Cracksman’s full-brother Frantastic (Frankel), who has already sired some stunning foals. His first progeny will be offered at next year’s Race Coast Cape Premier Sale.”
Their long-term plans naturally include cross-matings involving mares from both the Frankel and Gimmethegreenlight lines, while also accommodating the planned and booked outside coverings for the resident stallion pair. Basie, meanwhile, has turned his attention to further improvements, with the foaling barn next on the upgrade list.
Among the mares in the Hopes and Dreams broodmare band are Grade 3-placed Mary O (Oratorio), Listed winner Princess Izzy (Master Of My Fate), and Ruby And Roses (Mambo In Seattle), the former Flamingo Park juvenile champion. Well-performed race mares will continue to join the roster periodically as the operation strengthens and deepens its quality base.
Suzette has also kept a few of her favourite retired male performers, including Hoedspruit (Legislate) and Vanderbilt (What A Winter), both of whom have always held a special place in her heart. She also has an obvious soft spot for Cappy’s Girl (Jet Dark), the first and only foal of their superstar filly Captain’s Ransom, who tragically died while giving birth.
“Cappy’s Girl is special, soon turning two and almost a mirror image of her mother. The other day I walked over to her paddock and she was standing a short distance away with her head turned to the side and the sun on her back. She looked like a painting. It was a surreal moment because it felt as if Captain’s Ransom herself was standing there, posing for me.”
“The fact that Cappy’s Girl is the daughter of two champions who raced in the same era is another endearing aspect of her story. Basie has told me to stop pampering her – he wants her to toughen up for her racing career. Who knows what she can become? We’ll certainly be holding thumbs.”
With their focus shifting increasingly towards the breeding operation, the Viljoens have reduced their racing string, with roughly 30 horses currently in training compared to the 103 they had when they won the National Owners’ Championship in 2020/2021 after recording 70 winners and R5,4-million in stakes earnings.
Despite the reduced numbers, they still claimed the 2026 Highveld Racing Owners’ Award for the feature season last week, thanks to flagship performers such as The Ultimate King and Perfect Miracle.
Suzette said: “We have a new challenge now, and that is to build Hopes and Dreams into a major player in the breeding industry. I visited Varsfontein Stud some time ago and its beauty took my breath away. The professional manner in which they manage their operation is something to behold.
“Susan Rowett of Varsfontein said to me, ‘You know, Suzette, we had big ambitions too, and it took us more than 50 years to realise our dream.’ Basie and I won’t have that length of time to do what we want to do at Hopes and Dreams, but we are going to enjoy the journey and lay the foundation for what is still to come.”
In their typical ‘full-steam-ahead’ fashion, the Viljoens have achieved in three years what might have taken others twice as long, and Suzette said: “Hopes and Dreams finally feels like home now. We still commute to Schweizer-Reneke and Potchefstroom from time to time for business interests, but we’ve sold our house in Potchefstroom. Just last week the last of our furniture arrived – including my favourite old chair!”
And the essence of their vision?
Suzette said: “More than anything else, we want to breed horses that can make dreams come true for other people. We want to give others the same things this wonderful sport gave us – Grade 1 winners, unforgettable memories and hours of pure joy. That is our mission.”