Fastnet Rock Colt Tops Aussie 2yo Sale

A colt by superstar sire Fastnet Rock (Aus) out of the former North American runner Dakota Sue (Pollard’s Vision) fetched a final bid of A$360,000 (US$317,441) to set a new record price for the Inglis ‘The Star’ Ready-2-Race Sale at the company’s Newmarket complex Tuesday and will race in Hong Kong for a client of trainer Manfred Man. 

Catalogued as hip 24 and consigned by , the Oct. 15 foal is the first produce of foal Dakota Sue, who became the third of her dam Fancy Prancer (Bertrando)’s produce to win the Bird of Pay S. at Northlands Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 2009. Hip 24, who quickened up nicely to clock :10.52 during his under-tack work at Canterbury, was bought back on a bid of A$275,000 at this auction house’s Easter Yearling Sale this past April. 

The three next highest-priced colts will remain in Australia for their racing careers. Hip 144, a Snizel (Aus) colt consigned by New Zealand-based Lyndhurst Farm, was scooped up by local trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith for A$240,000. A Sept. 2 foal, the half-brother to Excuse My French (Aus) (French Deputy) was purchased by Lyndhurst Stud for a sales-topping A$140,000 out of this year’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale and breezed an eighth of a mile in :12.02 through a driving rain storm over a Cambridge turf course rated a slow 8. Hip 63, a Glastonbury Farm-consigned son of New Approach (Ire) whose second dam is champion sprinter Isca (Aus) (Rory’s Jester {Aus}), will also remain Down Under after John McArdle’s Regum Racing signed the winning ticket at A$215,000; and hip 47, a colt by in-form stallion Starspangledbanner (Aus), will join the Peter Snowden barn after representatives of Inglis made the winning bid at A$210,000. A Nov. 16 foal consigned by Wadick Racing, the bay is out of Hot’n’dreamin (Aus) (Nothin’ Leica Dane {Aus}), a full-sister to dual Group 1 winner Hot Danish (Aus).

“The buying from Hong Kong, Singapore and Macau was strong in the middle to upper market, as were local Australian buyers,” said Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster. “We sold almost three times as many horses to Hong Kong as last year including the top priced colt.” Webster was also pleased with the participation from the locals. “A great endorsement for this sale’s format is seeing respected local judges James Harron, John McArdle, Noel Mayfield-Smith, Peter Snowden, Independent Syndications and Triple Crown Syndications all purchase Ready2Race horses for $100,000 or more,” he commented. “These horses have been professionally prepared to excel on the grass surfaces familiar to the major races here in Australia.” 

A total of 23 horses landed final bids in excess of six figures, just shy of the 24 recorded last year from a larger catalogue. The average of A$71,398 represented a marginal decrease of 3.6% while the median was off by 9.1%.