Trio of Million-Dollar Mares at Magic Millions

by Rob Burnet, Thoroughbrednews.com.au

The 2015 edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale was always going to have big shoes to fill compared to last year, when the horses comprising the dispersal of Teeley Assets took centerstage, resulting in sensational statistical gains. Nevertheless, Wednesday opening session of the sale posted results that were well ahead of the last comparable sale in 2013, and featured no fewer than three top-class racemares who eclipsed the seven-figure mark. 

“It has been great, it has been a very solid sale from start to finish,” said Vin Cox, Magic Millions managing director. “Comparing apples to apples we have to go back a couple of years as last year we had the Teeley Dispersal, which was extraordinary, but we are sitting here at a turnover of A$22.5 million compared to two years ago of A$16 million, and that sale was up 50% on the previous year. Again the National Sale is on the move. It is standing out there right on its own and it is great to be part of. 

Cox added, “The jewels today sold extra well. To have three million-dollar mares already is great and it is not going to get any lighter as we have a lot of high quality mares to come,” he said.

Saving the ‘Sweetness’ for Last…
In an extraordinary 15-lot Select Race Fillies and Maiden Mare Supplementary catalogue, a total of A$6,396,000 in sales were recorded with the highlight–as anticipated–being the sale of lot 1356, G1 Galaxy S. upsetter Sweet Idea (Aus)(Snitzel {Aus}). The daughter of Group 3-placed Flidais (Aus) (Timber Country), an A$240,000 as a yearling from the same sale ring, was trained by Gai Waterhouse, but was recently removed from consideration for the Brisbane Carnival after a tendon injury and was subsequently retired. Winner of eight of her 19 career starts for earnings just shy of A$2.4 million, the mare was purchased by part-owner Nick Vaas for $1.6 million. 

Bidding opened at A$1 million and went through to A$1.5 million when there was a long pause as the bidding parties considered their positions. Then a further $50,000 came to be countered immediately by Vass. 

Remarkably, Vass had offered the large group of owners of the mare a price to buy them out of the mare after she was injured. Collectively the group was not able to agree on the offer and she went to auction. 

“I offered them some money early in the piece and they did not take it and I am glad they did not take it, as I got a better deal,” he offered. “So it just goes to show you have to be patient sometimes and stick to your guns with what you think they are worth. I just wanted to make sure I got her and it was my limit as well, but I am glad I did get her. The plan is to get her home and to nurse that leg of hers. They have been working hard on it here in the stables and we need to take the stress of that leg. Then we can work out a mating.” 

Vass said no decision had been made yet as to which stallion would serve the Sweet Idea in her first season at stud, though he was able to rule a handful out of consideration. 

“She’s from the Danehill line, so she can’t be mated to too many,” he explained. “But she might be going to Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), she might be going to Sebring (Aus) (More Than Ready), she might be going to Dissident (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). I don’t know just yet. Getting her was the main thing and now trying to work out her mating is the next thing.” 

Vass has history with Sweet Idea’s family as he owned and raced Electronic (NZ) (First Norman) with Waterhouse from the third dam Aegean Blue (NZ) (Blue Vermillion {GB}).

Coolmore Gets Their ‘Fix’…
Another late addition to the National Broodmare Sale was lot 1365, 2012/13 New Zealand Filly of the Year Fix (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), who was eventually hammered down to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for a final bid of A$1.25 million. The soon-to-be 6-year-old was consigned to the Gold Coast sale by Newhaven Park, agent. 

“She is obviously a lovely type and she has a very good pedigree. She is one of the highlights of the week so we are delighted to have her,” said Magnier. 

Trainer by Ken and Bev Kelso at Matamata, Fix blossomed in late 2012 and early 2013 with consecutive Group 2 scor 
es in the Eight Carat Classic, the NZB Royal S. six days later and the Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic. She completed the exacta for the fairer sex behind Habibi (NZ) (Ekraar) in the G1 New Zealand Derby in her next start and made a total of eight trips to the winner’s circle. 

Fix’s dam Destined (GB) (Danehill) is closely related to treble Group 1 winner Foreteller (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and has also produced Galileo’s Destiny (Aus) (Galileo {Ire}), a three-time winner who was second in the G1 South African Derby, so the pedigree mix is very familiar to the Coolmore braintrust.

It Takes a ‘Villa’…
The first million-dollar purchase of the sale came from the main catalogue in the form of lot 575, Villa Verde (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}). 

Competition came from different areas of the ring and eventually came down to a battle from bloodstock agents James Bester at the front and Dean Hawthorn at the rear. Hawthorn held the bid at A$1 million before Bester, on the phone, countered with the ultimate offer of A$1.1 million, enabling him to sign for the mare. 

“She was purchased for Ananda Krishnan’s Kia Ora Stud, an owner of Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteoi {Aus}) with Alan Bell and Newgate Farm. Ananda wanted to buy a speedy precocious mare to get Deep Field off to a good start,” Bester explained. “She was without doubt the best individual in the sale and the fastest mare. This was the favourite for the [G1] Golden Slipper before Christmas of her 2-year-old career and she ended up being the top sprinting filly of her 3-year-old career. She was awesomely fast and she did not quite achieve her potential. In my view she was a Group 1 mare. She is an extraordinary physical type of mare and that is just the type of two-year-old speed horse that they were looking for to send to Deep Field. So the idea was to buy her for Deep Field and to provide him with a mare that had the precocity and speed to get a stallion like that up and running.”

Villa Verde, a Group 2 winner, third in the G1 Galaxy S. in 2014 and victorious three times overall, was the Joint Top Filly of the 2013/14 Australasian 3YO Classifcation (Sprint). She comes from an illustrious family including the champion sprint sire and Golden Slipper winner Rory’s Jester (Aus) (Crown Jester {Aus}) and Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed (Aus) (Southern Image). 

Coolmore Stays in the ‘Zone’… 
As they did later in the supplemental section of the catalogue, Newhaven Park and Coolmore did business on lot 542, Rezoned (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). A winner of the 2014 G3 South Australia Fillies’ Classic over 2500 meters, the 4-year-old is out of the winning Flying Spur (Aus) mare Better Alternative (Aus), and is hence bred on the famed Sir Tristram/Danehill cross. Better Alternative is already the dam of Rezoned’s full-brother Preferment (NZ), hero of the 2014 G1 Victoria Derby during the Melbourne Cup Carnival last November. 

Bidding commenced at A$100,000 and swiftly A$500,000 was reached. Three bids later it was A$700,000 and then in A$25,000 increments, it was up to A$800,000, with bids coming from Rosemont Stud out in the front of ring and Coolmore’s Tom Magnier out to the left of the rostrum. It was the nod from Magnier for an additional $25,000 bid that secured the mare for the Hunter Valley operation. 

“For us it is about having Fastnet at home and she is by Zabeel, but also we have a couple of exciting stallions at the farm now, so we want to get the mares to them,” said Magnier. “They are not making Zabeel’s any more and you just have to try and get them. We are just delighted to have her and we just need a bit of luck,” he said. 

Magnier said that they would decide after the sale on any future racing for Rezoned, but the chances are that she will be retired to the broodmare paddock for mating in the spring. 

Rosemont Stud did not go home empty-handed, as they were successful with lot 566, the multiple group-placed Tahni Dancer (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}). The half-sister to Group 3 winner Maschino (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) was secured for $600,000 when Astute Bloodstock’s Louis Le Metayer, bidding on behalf of his Hunter Valley client alongside him, declined to counter the final bid. 

Coolmore were in action later with the China Horse Club and bloodstock agent Michael Wallace going to A$740,000 for lot 612, Diademe (NZ), by Savabeel (Aus) out of the O’Reilly (NZ) mare Bling (NZ). The New Zealand Group 1-winning mare has won seven times and will continue her racing career in the A$500,000, G1 Tattersall’s Tiara at Doomben, the final Group 1 of the Australian season June 20. 

Demonstrative of the broader appeal of the National Broodmare Sale, Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida, doing his bidding through representatives of Arrowfield Stud, went to A$800,000 for lot 705, Kneeling (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). The daughter of the Sunday Silence mare Sunday Service (Aus), was offered in foal to Arrowfield’s sire Snitzel. 

The National Broodmare Sales continue Thursday morning at 10 a.m. local time. For full results, please visit www.magicmillions.com.au.