Plenty of Thunder Down Under

By Rob Burnet
    The much-anticipated Teeley Assets Dispersal Sale commenced at 1:20 p.m. at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale at Bundall on the Gold Coast on Wednesday and when the final member of the 56-strong draft went through the ring at approximately 4 p.m., the gross turnover was a resounding A$23 million, with 10 of the offerings attracting seven-figure bids for an average of A$404,000. All totaled, A$35.8 million was traded on 174 lots for a record average of A$205,810. This was after the Teeley weanlings sold on Sunday for almost A$3 million with an average price of over $105,000. 
    “The story is in the numbers,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox commented. “From the moment you walked onto the grounds this morning, you could sense we were in for something special and we weren't let down. Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined these figures. Congratulations must go to the Arrowfield team and those associated with Teeley Assets for presenting such a magnificent draft of horses.” 
    The results captivated international observers, who were unable to remember a sale with such quality descending, in the main, from one key blue-blood mare. 
   Shantha's Choice (Aus) (Canny Lad {Aus}), has the remarkable record of being the dam of 13 foals with 10 to race and nine being winners. Those include champion sire and Group 1 winner Redoute's Choice (Aus) (Danehill); Group 1 winner Platinum Scissors (Aus) (Danehill); Group 1 winner and young sire Manhattan Rain (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}); Group 3 winner Sliding Cube (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}); stakes winner Echoes Of Heaven (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}); and stakes-placed and winner Superior Sateen (Aus) (Danehill). The Teeley dispersal also included the Group 1 Blue Diamond S.-winning filly Miracles Of Life, by Not A Single Doubt (Aus) out of the More Than Ready mare Dazzling Gazelle, who sold for A$900,000 to Stonestreet Thoroughbreds from the U.S.; and Estelle Collection (Aus), by Stravinsky out of the Zabeel mare Ana Zeel (NZ), the dam of the Lankan Rupee (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), who recently became the top-rated sprinter in the world with an outstanding victory in the G1 Darley TJ Smith S. at Randwick moving to a career high Longines World Ranking of 123. 

A 'Choice' Draft… 
    The entire collection of mares descending from Shantha's Choice, as well as Teeley's other broodmares, were a magnet for world-wide buying attention and the results did not disappoint, accounting for the most number of seven-figure horses since the third session of the 2008 Easter Yearling Sale, when 17 yearlings sold for over the $1 million mark. 
    The top price was the A$2.3 million that Coolmore gave for lot 730, Monsoon Wedding (Aus), a 12-year-old full-sister to Redoute's Choice and the producer of six foals with all to race and all winners. They include the Group 3 victress Precious Lorraine (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), who was sold for $1.5 million to Newgate Farm as lot 733; and Lucky Raquie (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) who won the Listed Black Opal S. this year. Monsoon Wedding was sold in foal to juvenile Triple Crown hero Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}). The sale was achieved after a tussle between Henry Field from Newgate Farm, standing at the back of the sale ring out by the outside parade ring, and the Coolmore team sitting at their table at the front of the ring. Tom Magnier prevailed for Coolmore as he did with five other lots. 
    “She is a lovely mare and we were delighted to have got her,” Magnier said about Monsoon Wedding. “These mares you do not see them come onto the market much. We are very happy with our (stallion) roster at home with Fastnet [Rock {Aus}], Pierro (Aus), Declaration of War and Camelot (Ire) and you have to back it up. We have got the stallions and we have to get the mares. We will take them home and have a look at all the mares and we will have a think about where they will go. 
    Coolmore was also the successful bidder for lot 714, Lankan Rupee (Aus)'s dam Estelle Collection (NZ) (Stravinsky), in foal to Redoute's Choice, at A$1.4 million. Auctioneer Steve Davis called for $1 million to start proceedings, but he accepted A$500,000 as the starting point knowing that his mark would be exceeded. 
    “She [Estelle Collection] was a lovely mare and I think a lot of people liked her,” Magnier explained. “Everyone knows how good Lankan is, so if she gets a few more of those underway, we will be very happy.” 

Harron, Hill 'n' Dale Team Up… 
    In addition to the Stonestreet purchase of last year's 2-year-old filly sensation Miracles of Life (Aus), James Harron assisted Kentucky nursery Hill 'n' Dale with owner John G. Sikura present along with Will de Burgh on a couple of purchases. They focused on fillies and proved successful with lot 704, Drifting Cube (Aus), by Encosta de Lago (Aus) out of Sliding Cube (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) for A$1.1 million and two lots later with lot 707, Taste Of Heaven (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}–Shantha's Choice {Aus}) for $1.5 million. In each case they were determined with their bidding and prevailed in the face of good opposition. 
    “I have known Will for some time and I have spent a bit of time with him in America about five years ago,” Harron explained. “When this dispersal came up, the guys wanted to get involved with what was the best family involved and I was lucky to be the point of contact. They have certainly been impressed by Australia and the industry and the market here. To be able to come here and get involved with these families, it does not come up very often, and they were really keen to come down and buy two really nice young fillies from the family.” 
    Harron indicated that the Hill 'n' Dale purchases would go back to Newgate Farm before shipping to America. Harron was not surprised that the Teeley dispersal proved as popular as it was. 
    “I think [the sale] was as could be expected,” he stated. “It is rare for this calibre of mares to come up and there were huge opportunities for people to get involved. It can take decades and sometimes it never happens to develop these families in their breeding programmes. So to be able to buy into this family and to get involved was a unique opportunity,” he added. 

Three Sibs for Newgate Farm… 
    This was a similar theme from Henry Field, as Newgate Farm finished as the session's leading buyer with six lots for A$6.2 million and accounting for three of the top seven prices. Newgate spent about half that sum in the span of four hips, first acquiring the aforementioned Precious Lorraine before adding lot 736, Quench the Thirst (Aus), the year-younger full-sister to Precious Lorraine, for the same A$1.5 million pricetag. 
    “It was one of the greatest families in the world, a family that has produced champion stallions and you do not get this opportunity very often,” Field commented. “We are very happy to have acquired the majority of the family. It will be the cornerstone of the Farm going forward for us. To have bought the mares out of this dispersal is a privileged position,” he said. 
    The buying was not without its strain with Field on a pacing trip as the last of the Shantha's Choice family was presented in the ring. Your Life Style (Aus), an unraced 5-year-old Hussonet mare out of Monsoon Wedding and served by Manhattan Rain, was introduced by Davis as the last chance for the buying bench and he commenced the bidding at A$500,000. 
   Davis took A$50,000 bids and the A$1-million mark was reached. Field, on the phone, bid A$1.05 million and then counter bid came at A$1.1 million. He then walked off with the phone to his ear deep in conversation and Davis waited with some patience, but with hammer at the ready to bring down to conclude the sale. Eventually Field turned toward Davis and nodded another a final bid of A$1.2 million and this time there was no response. 
Other highlights included Arrowfield's Peter Jenkins bidding for lot 738, Rex Is A Star (Aus), (Encosta de Lago {Aus}–Sliding Cube {Aus}), for A$1.1 million. The mare, in foal to Pierro, is a full-sister to the rising 2-year-old Group 3 winning colt Rubick (Aus). 
    “A lovely maiden mare carrying her first foal in Pierro, who is a highly credentialed stallion, so we look forward to putting that through the ring,” Jenkins commented. “I bought the mare for Murray Anderson and his family who are the breeders of [It's A] Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}). They wanted to reward Dundeel with a high class commercial mare in his first year. We tried to buy three earlier and we were at the full extent of our budget, but the three previous ones went for more and we just managed to secure her. We were thrilled,” he concluded. 

All In the Family for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa… 
    Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum has had some success at the races with the offspring of Redoute's Choice, including Musir (Aus), a Group 1 winner in South Africa and winner of five pattern races in other parts of the world. It was therefore no surprise that Tim Stakemire, the Australian bloodstock manager for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, went to A$1.1 million for the last offering of the half-siblings to Redoute's Choice in lot 747, Unspoken Choice (Aus), an unraced 10-year-old mare by Giant's Causeway. 
    “Amazing, I think this must be the best broodmare sale ever held,” he enthused. “That one mare has created nearly $20 million from her. We wanted to get into the family and we are happy to be in it.” Stakemire indicated that Unspoken might be sent offshore. 
    Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox commented that it had been an outstanding experience handling the Teeley Assets sale from the moment it was confirmed for the Gold Coast. 
“From the outset, this has been a world-class experience including the marketing and placing the pedigrees in front of buyers throughout the world,” he said. 
    Cox said that there were international buyers who had bid on multiple lots without success throughout Wednesday's session, and he expected that while there would not be the obvious impact of the Dispersal at the second Broodmare session on Thursday, he expected there would still be strong demand for young well-credentialed mares. 

Shopping for Zoustar… 
    The recently retired Northern Meteor (Aus) colt Zoustar (Aus) might be on the other side of the world in England enjoying a northern summer before taking his place on the stallions' shuttle in August, but there was action back in Australia on his behalf Wednesday with Widden Stud's Antony Thompson adding to the book of mares Zoustar will serve at the Hunter Valley stud. 
    The Group 2 winning mare Flying Snitzel (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) entered the ring as lot 625, from the draft of Yarraman Park Stud as agent for Triple Crown Syndications. Bidding started at A$100,000 with the price moving in A$10,000 bids except for two A$20,000 bids from A$380,000 to A$400,000 and A$340,000 to A$360,000. The last was not sufficient to settle the matter and, with Thompson sitting in front of the ring, the price continued to climb as he kept the initiative. With the bid at A$400,000, he was finally able to land the mare at A$410,000 when the opposition saw he was unrelenting in his wish to secure her. 
    “I really liked this mare and thought she was worth every bit of $400,000,” he said. 
    Flying Snitzel was purchased as a yearling by Triple Crown Syndications for A$25,000 at the 2011 Magic Millions Yearling Sale out of the draft of Bellerive Stud. Trained by Gerald Ryan at Rosehill she won the 
G2 double of the VRC Kewney S. and ATC Schweppervescence H., the G3 ATC 2YO Handicap and placed fourth in the G1 ATC Champagne S. to earn connections A$340,950. 
    Thompson said that he and the partners in Zoustar, Woodside Park Stud and Qatar Bloodstock, were taking the opportunity to top up the quality mares they have already committed to the freshman sire. 

'Singo' Gets Even More Joy… 
    John Singelton's Strawberry Hill Stud, based at Mt White in the NSW, sold a line of young stock including the metropolitan winner Killcareless (Aus) (More Than Ready–Climatic {Aus}, by Fusaichi Pegasus). The filly is from the family of Redoute's Choice that would feature so prominently later in the sale. Newgate Farm went to $290,000 to secure Killcareless as lot 637, and then bloodstock agent James Bester went to A$625,000 for lot 651, Most Joyful (Aus) (More Than Ready–Sunday Joy {Aus}, by Sunday Silence), from Strawberry Hill's draft. Most Joyful, a full-sister to the champion mare More Joyous (NZ), was prepared by Gai Waterhouse to run fifth in the Listed ATC Widden S. at her first start. She had two further starts and was then discovered to have an irregular heartbeat and she was retired. 
Bester had to see off determined bidding for the filly from two separate areas of the ring as the bids went in A$50,000 increments from A$100,000. There was a brief pause at A$600,000 before Bester lobbed in a further $25,000 bid and he was able to sign for her for Kai Ora Stud in the Hunter Valley. 
    “This is probably–outside of the Redoute's Choice family–clearly Australia's number one family, the Denise's Joy family. A full-sister to More Joyous speaks for itself,” said Bester. “She was a much better filly than her race record, and I like to buy those–you get them at half-price. Obviously the leading stallions will be considered for her from Fastnet Rock to Street Cry (Ire) and others. She is the kind of filly who could throw a A$1 million yearling by those stallions so she will be well mated up,” he added.