By Kelsey Riley
The opening session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was highlighted by a strong top end of the market and growth across most key indicators at the Bundall complex in Queensland yesterday. A total of 140 horses (77.3%, down from 79.7% last year) changed hands for A$23,335,000, a figure that was up 20.3% from last year's gross of A$19,400,000 from the same session. The average was up 17.7% to A$166,679, while the median remained steady at A$130,000. An A$850,000 filly from the first crop of Sepoy (Aus) topped trade when hammered down to Michael Wallace of the China Horse Club.
“It's been sensational,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said. “Effectively you can say the market is up 20%, which is outstanding. In saying that, there's horses here to be sold. Buyers should not be intimidated by the market, as there's some really nice lots who were passed in who will turn out to be good horses. There will be some great opportunities coming up during the next few days,” he added.
Cox suggested that the market had responded positively to an outstanding line up of yearlings by exciting first-season sires.
“You wouldn't have ever thought a first season sire would be sitting that higher level for a start but to be there topping the market is incredible,” he offered.
Hit Out of the Park…
The South Australian-based Mill Park Stud sent three of its seven-strong draft through the ring yesterday, and it was apparent the 25-hour cross-country trek had little effect on the horses, which each brought prices in excess of A$300,000. The first through the ring was lot 13, a colt from the last crop of the ill-fated champion 2012/13 first-season sire Northern Meteor (Aus), who fetched A$300,000 from Scone Thoroughbred Services. He was followed by the session-topping Sepoy filly, lot 143, and lot 185, a colt by Redoute's Choice (Aus), brought up the trio when sold to David Raphael for A$575,000 late in the session. (Click here for a TDN feature on Mill Park Stud).
“The results were well beyond what we were hoping, especially starting off with the Northern Meteor colt for $300,000–that was just a fantastic result,” said Mill Park Stud's Chris Watson. “It was good to see him get off to a fast start for the last of the Northern Meteors. The Sepoy filly, that was an amazing result. It's exciting, she's going to a really good judge in Michael Wallace. It's a really good home and she's obviously staying in Australia for a while so that's great to see. And the Redoute's Choice colt is going to a really good trainer in Gerald Ryan, so we couldn't be happier. It's been a fantastic day for us.”
Lot 143 was the leading light in an exceptional opening session for Darley's first-season sire Sepoy (Aus) (Elusive Quality), who was Australia's champion 2- and 3-year-old after wins in the G1 Blue Diamond and G1 Golden Slipper S. as a juvenile, and the G1 Manikato S. and G1 Coolmore Stud S. as a sophomore, all in 2011. The chestnut is the first foal out of the dual listed winner Celebrity Girl (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}), and she was hammered down to Wallace after a prolonged bidding war that included Peter Devitt seated alongside trainer David Hayes and Californian Jon Kelly standing near the front of the ring. Wallace noted the September foal would remain in Australia to race, and that a trainer had not yet been identified.
“She's a filly with an exceptional pedigree,” Wallace remarked. “She has great similarities between her sire and her mother. She's an outstanding first foal from some of the best breeders in Australia in Mill Park, so she has plenty going for her. That was probably a little more than we expected to pay, but diamonds don't come cheap.”
Wallace added, “We always knew there was going to be intense competition for a filly like that. She ticked all the boxes for a lot of people, so there was always going to be plenty of interest.”
Sepoy's six yearlings sold on the day averaged A$367,500.
The Redoute's Choice colt, who is the second foal from the G2 Villiers S. winner Dances on Waves (Aus) (Anabaa), marked the fourth purchase of the day for David Raphael, who was acting on behalf of his own Stallion Racing and Damien Flower's Jadeskye Racing. The colt will be trained by Gerald Ryan.
“Gerald [Ryan] knows the mare so well and when you are buying Redoute's you are buying at the top end, and that is what we are trying to do,” Raphael said. “It is hard to compete against the big boys–they have got good money and the Australian currency is down so the international buyers can step in and really buy some cracking horses,” added Raphael.
On behalf of Stallion Racing and Jadeskye, among others, Raphael purchased TDN Rising Star Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) for A$460,000 at the 2013 Gold Coast sale. Turned over to Ryan, Rubick won the colts and geldings division of the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude S. in just his second start last February and added a first-up victory in the G2 Schillaci S. this past October.
Of his newest acquisition, Raphael added, “We all looked at him separately. When I first saw him when he walked out of the box, I thought, 'he has got it.' He is expensive and there will probably be other horses by Redoute's from the Easter Yearling Sale that will be as good, but you have to put them on the line at some stage and buy the one you want.”
Waterhouse Ready and Willing…
Trainer Gai Waterhouse knew it would take some pocket power to secure lot 153, a son of More Than Ready from the draft of Segenhoe Stud, but with her proven track record with the sire as a confidence booster, the Hall of Famer stayed strong to secure the flashy chestnut for A$600,000 late in the session. The October foal is the third produce of the multiple group winner Chinchilla Rose (Aus) (Lion Hunter {Aus}), herself a full-sister to Leone Chiara (Aus), the dam of exciting young sire Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) and Group 3 winner Nostradamus (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro {Aus}).
“I liked him a lot–from the moment I saw him I fell in love with him, and I've had such success, especially with the likes of Sebring, with this sire,” Waterhouse reasoned. “He's probably a little underrated with many people. I knew what the reserve was, and I thought, 'why pussyfoot around?' I knew I had a chance to buy him by forcing the market.”
Waterhouse conditioned the successful young sire Sebring (Aus) (More Than Ready), himself an A$130,000 Magic Millions graduate, to win the G1 Golden Slipper. She confirmed this colt would be trained for a syndicate.
“A group of people came together–Segenhoe has taken an interest in him, so it's really exciting,” she said.
Agent Guy Mulcaster went to the same sum late in the session for lot 195, a son of Fastnet Rock (Aus) from the draft of Coolmore Stud. Mulcaster noted the son of Delta Girl (NZ) (General Nediym {Aus}) would be trained by Chris Waller, and of the new owners he remarked, “We'll be working on that tonight before we get back here tomorrow.”
Mulcaster added, “He looked good on the farm and he looked good when he got here. He's a real good walker so hopefully he goes on to be a good racehorse.”
Rookie Stars…
This year's roster of first-crop yearling sires in Australia is one of the strongest in memory, and the early part of the session was dominated by the rookies, with a colt by Sepoy causing early fireworks when selling for A$460,000 to David Raphael. Lot 43, from the draft of Riversdale, is out of Academy Idol (Aus) (Made of Gold {Aus}), who has produced two stakes-placed winners from three foals to race.
Raphael predicted big things to come from Sepoy.
“He was expensive–he wasn't cheap, but I think by the end of the year we'll get through all the Sepoys, and the average might even be above that,” Raphael noted. “We might even come through the end of the year, through Easter, and he might be at market price.”
Of the roster of first-season sires, Raphael said, “I think there's some really nice first-season sires. It's exciting to have Sepoy, Smart Missile, So You Think, Foxwedge–they're all really nice horses. I'm normally conservative–I'd rather wait for a proven product, but I just think there's some really nice first-season sires.”
The early-August foal was secured for Stallion Racing, Jadeskye and Teeley Assets, the same team that races Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) with Coolmore. The 3-year-old Rubick cost Raphael the same price here in 2013.
“He was the horse we all wanted, and it's a bit spooky–he's the same price as Rubick for the same team,” Raphael said, noting that he expected to pay between A$400,000 and A$500,000 for the colt.
Of his stable star Rubick, Raphael said, “He's back [in training] and he looks great. He's grown a bit, he's a bit longer. He looks really good.”
Newgate Farm's Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) finished second to Sepoy in the Coolmore Stud S. and earned his Group 1 in the following year's G1 William Reid S., and he made a statement early in the session when a pair of colts that went through the ring consecutively fetched A$350,000 and A$150,000. The former, lot 24, was secured by young trainer Bryce Heys, who worked with the G1 William Reid S. winner Foxwedge during his six-year tenure with trainer John O'Shea. Heys, who secured his trainer's license in late 2013 and trains from Ellerslie Lodge at Warwick Farm in Sydney, said the resemblance of the colt to his sire was “uncanny.”
“He's an outstanding colt and he has all the physical traits his father has,” said Heys after bowing out of the bidding on the second Foxwedge colt, who was hammered down to Gai Waterhouse. “I was fortunate enough to be involved with his father, and it's uncanny how his father can leave someone so similar, so here's hoping he's just as fast.”
Heys noted the colt was purchased for “a bunch of new clients.” The strapping bay is out of Xaar's Jewel (Aus) (Xaar {GB}), and is a three-quarter sister to the G2 Villiers S. winner Ninth Legion (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).
So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) was undoubtedly one of the best racehorses Australia has seen in recent years and he proved himself a worldwide champion, winning 10 Group 1 races across the world. His progeny are therefore under the microscope of the most astute buyers and he passed the test early in the session yesterday when trainer Anthony Cummings shelled out A$350,000 for a colt from Coolmore Stud catalogued as lot 80.
“I thought at that price he was pretty good value,” Cummings explained. “He's not going to be a huge horse, but he's full of quality, really nicely built and an athlete.”
Cummings noted that his father, Australia's legendary trainer Bart Cummings, trained So You Think, while he conditioned another first-season sire, Smart Missile (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).
“I think they're going to be the pick of the first-season sires this season,” he predicted.
The conditioner commented of the new ownership group, “I have some stable clients taking half and I think the Coolmore boys are taking half.”
So You Think was purchased by Coolmore midway through his 4-year-old campaign before relocating to Ballydoyle in Ireland, and he now stands dual hemisphere at Coolmore Ireland and Australia. His other six-figure prices yesterday included an A$325,000 colt hammered down to trainer Robbie Laing.
Kelly's Choice…
American Jon Kelly made waves here a year ago when swooping for the A$1 million sale-topping Redoute's Choice colt during his first visit to the sale, and the California businessman didn't take long to get into the action yesterday, signing for a Redoute's Choice filly for A$450,000 while sitting alongside Gai Waterhouse. Lot 86 is out of the dual Group 3 winner Augusta Proud (Aus) (More Than Ready), and she is from the family of GI Florida Derby and GI Hopeful S. winner Mercedes Won (Air Forbes Won).
“I found her very nice and the price was right, so I bought her,” Kelly remarked. “It's as simple as that. I have a lot of confidence in Gai, so we'll see how well we do.”
The early afternoon provided a fruitful spell for Redoute's Choice. Three lots later, another filly by the three-time champion sire fetched A$280,000 from Corumbene Stud, and a further two lots later agent Gary Mudgway paid the same A$450,000 sum for a Redoute's Choice colt. Mudgway noted lot 91, a son of G3 Doomben Roses scorer Awesome Planet (Aus) (Giant's Causeway), would go into training with Leon Corstens, who conditions the colt's Group 2-placed three-quarter brother Awesome Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), an A$575,000 yearling here two years ago from Newgate Farm.
“Leon rates the horse really high, and this colt will be given time to develop out and I think he'll make a lovely 3-year-old,” Mudgway said. “Redoute's Choice is obviously on fire; he has the fastest horse in Australia in Lankan Rupee, and young horses coming up like Panzer Division and Scissor Kick. We're very hopeful and very happy to be buying off Newgate Farm.”
Henry Field of Newgate remarked, “He's a very nice horse, and he's a brother to a very smart horse in Awesome Rock. He was the right horse with the right pedigree, so that was his mark.”
Newgate was founded five years ago by Field, and he noted the operation has grown considerably.
“The farm is going really well, it's built up over the last five years to a situation now where we have 1000 acres of land, a beautiful band of broodmares and we've just bought [three-time Group 1 winner] Dissident, who will be our fifth stallion. It's built up very well.”
Newgate signaled its indication for further growth recently when adding Bruce Slade to its roster of personnel. Slade is the former racing manager to Gai Waterhouse and founder of Round Table Racing.
“It's great to have Bruce Slade on board as our director of sales,” Field noted. “He's one of the top young guys in the industry so it's piecing together really well. His role will be to help grow the operation, manage and recruit stallions and manage the sales consignments and stallion syndicates. He's one of the top young guys in our industry so it's great to have him on board.”
Commenting on the opening day's trade, Field added, “It's been a very good market. I think AusHorse have done a great job bringing people into Australia. We've had seven horses go through the ring, six have been sold and every one of them has sold in excess of their reserve, which is a good sign of the depth of the market.”
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