Record Returns For Arrowfield At Easter

Sydney, AUSTRALIA–Thursday's third and final session of the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale proved a historic one for Arrowfield Stud. Not only did the Scone nursery consign the A$2.5-million sale-topping son of Redoute's Choice (Aus) purchased by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum, it sold five of the top seven lots of the day, all for seven figures and all by Redoute's Choice and his son Snitzel (Aus). Arrowfield's gross receipts of A$18,595,000 for Session I of the Easter sale are a record for a vendor at a Southern Hemisphere yearling sale; the previous record of A$16,575,000 was set by Coolmore at Easter in 2008.

The 2 1/2 days of Session I of the Inglis Easter sale saw 302 yearlings sold from 355 offered for a total of A$107,740,000 at a clearance rate of 85%. The average of A$355,875 was up 25.5% on last year, while the median climbed 30% to A$260,000. Last year, 349 were sold for A$98,937,500 at a clearance rate of 84%. Seventeen yearlings sold for seven figures, which is the third-highest ever at the sale. Record prices were set for the progeny of seven sires: Medaglia d'Oro (A$2.4-million), I Am Invincible (Aus) (A$1.6-million), Sebring (Aus) (A$1.4-million), Not A Single Doubt (Aus) (A$1.25-million), Exceed And Excel (Aus) (A$1.2-million), Written Tycoon (Aus) (A$1-million) and Zoustar (Aus) (A$1-million). Thirteen buying groups spent A$2-million or more.

The 66 offerings of session two of the sale followed on Thursday afternoon. Forty-eight of those were sold for A$5,902,500, at a clearance rate of 73%. The average was up 39% at A$122,969, while the median climbed 20% at A$90,000. The top-priced offering of Session II was lot 456, a Snitzel colt bought by the sale's leading buyer for the fifth straight year, Shadwell. The colt was consigned by Arrowfield.

Straight As An Arrow…

John Messara's Arrowfield Stud is ingrained in the history of the Australian Thoroughbred due to Messara's ultimately brilliant decision to shuttle the great Danehill Down Under in the late 1980s, and the nursery subsequently crafted the stud career of Danehill's three-time champion sire son Redoute's Choice. The next generation is currently rewriting the record books, with the likes of Snitzel (Aus) and Not A Single Doubt (Aus) standing alongside their sire at Arrowfield and posting excellent returns both on the racetrack and in the sales ring.

The pedigrees of Arrowfield's five seven-figure colts to sell on Thursday reiterate the story of the stud's success, and also hold potential pointers to the future of the breed. Three of the five colts are brothers to Arrowfield stallions past and future: the sale-topping lot 333 is a full-brother to 'TDN Rising Star' Pariah (Aus), who was sold by Arrowfield for A$700,000 at this sale last year. The stud announced on Wednesday night that it had bought back a 50% interest in the G3 Canonbury S. winner and G1 Blue Diamond second from James Harron Bloodstock and would stand him upon the conclusion of his racing career. The A$1-million lot 354, a colt by Snitzel (Aus) bought by trainer Robbie Griffiths, is a half-brother to G3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Beneteau (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), the champion first-season sire who sadly died after leaving just two crops. Lot 370 is a Redoute's Choice (Aus) half-brother to multiple champion Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), whose first yearlings have sold this year. He was bought by trainer Paul Perry for A$1-million.

Completing Arrowfield's quintet of millionaires was lot 386, a Snitzel colt out of American stakes winner Tara From The Cape (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) bought by China Horse Club for A$1-million; and lot 395, a Snitzel colt out of stakes producer Top Cuban (Aus) (Anabaa) bought by Hong Kong-based agent George Moore for A$1.7-million.

“It's an amazing day with multiple bidders on every nice horse, especially those by Snitzel, Redoute's Choice and Not A Single Doubt,” said Messara. “We're so lucky to have those stallions all standing at Arrowfield. The buyers came from various parts of the world; we have Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, China Horse Club and George Moore from Hong Kong. We have Australians involved in syndicates; it was a very buoyant market and we had the product there. The stallions have been very active in the stakes programs over the last few months, winning a lot of stakes races and we had some lovely colts and people went for them. I'm so proud it's an Australian farm that has recaptured the record vendor title, because there are some nice farms that aren't Australian and I'm pleased it's an Australian farm.”

Reflecting on the strong returns at the Easter sale throughout the week, Messara added, “Someone said to me, 'what do you put all this to?' It seems like a bit of a seachange, up 20%, and I'd say it's the product of internationalization. We've been importing all these mares from America and Europe. We've improved our stallion ranks and we've developed an international buying bench. I always used to say international pedigrees, international currency. Local pedigrees, local currency. And I just feel that Australia has really come of age with the production of its yearlings. We're better at preparing and we must not forget the prizemoney. The domestic prizemoney is as good as any in the world in terms of returns to owners, barring Japan and Hong Kong, which are closed markets. But of all the open markets, New South Wales in particular, but New South Wales and Victoria have the best returns to owners. That is an underpinning factor. It is a confluence of a lot of factors that have come to give us this extraordinary couple of days.”

Messara said Arrowfield's support of its stallions and belief in carrying on the strongest lines is a contributing factor to its success.

“I took a definitive view of making Arrowfield the house of Danehill,” he said. “I tried to secure his best sons and then I tried to identify that one that would carry the flag and tried to secure his best sons and grandsons. That's what I've done fairly fastidiously over the years and I've managed to keep the legacy going and it's still paying off. You'll find that a lot of these stallions' best performers will be Arrowfield-bred because we put our good mares to them. We're conviction breeders and we stand behind our product and we support our stallions strongly.”

A view towards the future of Thoroughbred breeding has to also include outcrosses to the most successful sires, and Arrowfield's next big bet will be on sire sons of Deep Impact. Japanese and Australian Group 1 winner Real Impact (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) shuttled to Arrowfield last year and covered 134 mares, and he will be joined this year by Deep Impact's champion sprinter-miler Mikki Isle (Jpn). Arrowfield will also shuttle Japanese Horse of the Year and six-time Group 1 winner Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}).

“We have to have an eye on the outcross because we can box ourselves into a corner,” Messara said. “To some extent we're victims of our own success. While you can't have too much of a good thing, you need to be having an eye on the future, and we've zeroed in on the Japanese Deep Impact line. Maurice is an exceptional athlete that deserved a go, but the line we're zeroing in on a bit is the Deep Impact line. It's worked all around the world and I can see no reason why it won't prove itself here with some of our Australian mares by Danehill stallions. I'm backing that and those horses will get a real chance.”

Stallion Prospects In Hot Demand…

Arrowfield wasn't the only vendor to enjoy seven-figure returns on Thursday. There was plenty of action towards the end of session one, with a pair of colts selling for seven figures in quick succession. First up was lot 372, a Sebring (Aus) colt from Segenhoe Stud who is a half to South African Group 2 winner Ektifaa (Aus) (More Than Ready). He was signed for by Garry Cuddy on behalf of Spendthrift Australia for A$1.4 million.

“He was one of the picks of the sale for us and we're just happy to have him in the stable now,” said Cuddy. “He's by one of the best stallions we have here in the country and he was probably one of the best-moving horses we saw all week. We waited long enough to get him and we're very happy to have him now.”

The bay's dam, Stellar Vinia (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), is a half to triple New Zealand champion Calveen (Aus) (Canny Lad {Aus}) and three other stakes winners.

“The main thing is we like to buy horses from running pedigrees and you can't knock that family,” Cuddy added. “They go short, they go long and everywhere in between.”

Just a few minutes later, Aquis Farm and Blue Sky Bloodstock went to A$1.5-million for another colt with stallion potential in the form of lot 376, a son of I Am Invincible (Aus) from Widden Stud. The colt is out of the winning Streetcar Stella (Aus) (Blevic {Aus}), who is a sister to a pair of stakes winners. It has been a productive sale for Aquis, who were also involved in the purchase of Wednesday's A$2.4-million session-topping Medaglia d'Oro colt as well as a A$900,000 Fastnet Rock (Aus) colt.

“Coming to Easter we had a very small shortlist and we've managed to pick up three or four on the list,” said Blaxland. “It's been stiff competition but if you want to buy the best you've got to put your hand up.”

Of the latest acquisition, he added, “I thought he was an outstanding colt. He's by one of the great young speed sires in Australia in I Am Invincible and out of a speed mare by a great Aussie stallion in Blevic. He's just a beautiful colt. He was raised at Widden Stud which has been around for 150 years, and I thought he was one of the best colts of the year. The Fung family in Hong Kong have their big startup at Aquis and they're committed to making stallions and standing stallions in Australia and we hope one day this colt will be one of them.”

Richards Busy for HKJC…

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Richards is a regular shopper at Inglis Easter for horses to place in Hong Kong's International Sale, and the agent was busy early in Thursday's final session when securing a clutch of pricey colts. First up was lot 330, a son of leading sire Snitzel (Aus) scooped up for A$870,000. Richards said the pricetags on Snitzels have generally placed them out of his reach.

“We haven't had too many of them but those that have arrived have done very well,” he noted. “Normally it's because we're priced out of them; they don't come cheaply. This horse for us was an absolute athlete, out of a Group 1-winning mare. He sold himself. He's a well-balanced horse and he walked particularly well. He seems sound in his mind as well. We're very happy to have got him.”

That aforementioned Group 1-winning mare is New Zealand S. and Queensland Oaks winner Scarlett Lady (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}), whose lone foal to race is the 3-year-old filly Fashionably (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who broke her maiden in New Zealand since the catalogue was published.

Richards said the Snitzel colt would be re-offered in two years' time, with the Hong Kong International Sale moving more towards offering 3-year-olds.

“He'll go onto the sale in two years' time as long as all goes well,” he said. “He'll come up as a 3-year-old in 2019. We just find it's better like that, we give them time to fully mature in the right environment. We've certainly had some success in the last couple years from changing that, from moving it from mainly 2-year-olds to a 3-year-old sale.”

Richards a short time later spent A$530,000 on lot 338, a colt by Written Tycoon (Aus) who is a half to the Group 3 winner Take Pride (Aus) (Reward For Effort {Aus}) out of a half-sister to five-time Group 1 winner Mummify (Aus ) (Jeune {GB}). He also secured a son of Exceed and Excel (Aus) (lot 360) for A$800,000. That one is a half-brother to a pair of stakes winners in dual South African Group 1 winner Happy Archer (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}) and listed winner Femina Fashion (Aus) (Shamardal).

Inglis's Managing Director Mark Webster said, “There have been 22 yearlings sell in Australasia in 2017 for A$1-million or more, of which 18 have come at Inglis and 17 at this Easter Sale alone. There has never been a stronger message to vendors that Inglis is the clear market leader and continuing to increase that lead, and that's something all of us here work very hard toward achieving and are extremely proud of.”

“Easter has always been one of the world's top sales and it's never been more evident than this year,” he continued. “With buyers from all around the world including Japan, North America, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East and of course Australia, it's created an unbelievably strong marketplace and the results have been evident. I'd like to congratulate John Messara and his team at Arrowfield for setting a new Australasian record for a vendor at a yearling sale at $18,595,000, beating the previous record set in 2008. That is a phenomenal achievement and everybody at Arrowfield should be extremely proud of themselves.”

Sales action continues at Inglis on Friday with the inaugural Chairman's Sale – Elite Breeding Prospects session beginning at 5 p.m.