Fastnet Filly Dazzles On The Gold Coast

Book 1 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale came to a close on Saturday with its customary evening session following the A$10-million Magic Millions Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club. Just as it had all week trade remained as hot as the staggering Gold Coast temperatures, with the session headed by a A$1.2-million daughter of Fastnet Rock (Aus) purchased by Coolmore's Tom Magnier to become the sale's fifth seven-figure lot.

At the conclusion of 3 1/2 days of trade, 649 yearlings were sold for A$134,292,500 at a clearance rate of 87%. Last year, 592 yearlings were sold in Book 1 (from 70 fewer catalogued) for A$115,806,000 at a clearance rate of 89%. The average climbed 5.8% to A$195,618, while the median was up 6.7% to A$160,000.

Redoute's Choice was the sale's leading sire by average, with 12 sold averaging A$369,583, and he was followed by his son Snitzel (Aus), with 41 sold averaging A$337,439. Arrowfield Stud was Book 1's leading vendor with 38 sold for A$10,900,000. James Harron Bloodstock was leading buyer with 12 purchased for A$4,915,000.

Magnier Gets A Fastnet Filly…

Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Thoroughbreds spent A$400,000 on Dazzling Gazelle (Aus) (More Than Ready) at the Teeley dispersal at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2014, the same draft from which she purchased the mare's G1 Blue Diamond S.-winning daughter Miracles Of Life (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) for A$900,000. Banke bred Dazzling Gazelle to Fastnet Rock (Aus) later that year, and the resulting filly (lot 765) rewarded her investment when fetching A$1.2-million from Coolmore's Tom Magnier on Saturday. Coolmore also consigned the September-foaled bay.

“Barbara Banke bought the mare at the sales and sent her back to Coolmore, and she's bred a fantastic beauty,” said Magnier, who noted the filly was purchased for his father John Magnier and will go into training with David Hayes. “We've had a lot of success with Fastnet Rock; we've had [multiple Group 1 winner] Atlantic Jewel and we've had a lot of success with his fillies here. We just need a bit of luck now, but to be fair Barbara Banke did a great job breeding this filly, and we're hopeful for a bit of luck for the future.”

Dazzling Gazelle did not produce a foal in 2016 after coming up barren to Snitzel.

Magnier also paid credit to the sale company itself, saying, “I'd just like to say that we give great credit to the Magic Millions. They get all these people down to Australia, and people come here because of what the Magic Millions put on. It's a credit to Katie [Page-Harvey] and Gerry [Harvey]. The whole world is watching this week and it's a credit to everyone at Magic Millions, Vin Cox and the whole team.”

Sheikh Fahad Stocks Up On Stars…

Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Bloodstock has been in attendance at this week's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for the first time, and through Book 1 signed for six yearlings in conjunction with Guy Mulcaster. Five of those are by first-season Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), whom Qatar Bloodstock bought into during his racing career. The most expensive of those acquisitions was a filly purchased from Widden Stud (lot 725) for A$550,000 on Saturday evening. The others were purchased for A$510,000, A$500,000, A$450,000 and A$400,000.

“We've taken the position that they're going to be good,” said Mulcaster. “They're good types and we're really happy with this one. We thought she was a gorgeous filly and the one yesterday we bought, (lot 714) we're really happy with both of them.”

Mulcaster said Zoustar is throwing a type.

“They're just like peas in a pod,” he said. “Good, strong horses and they look like they want to do it. Their attitudes have been faultless and we're really happy with them.”

The six yearlings will go into training with Chris Waller, who trained Zoustar to wins in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. and G1 Golden Rose.

Zoustar ended Book 1 as the sale's second-leading first-season sire by average, with 32 sold for an average of A$265,156. Just edging him was Dundeel (NZ), with 10 sold for an average of A$272,500.

'Excel'lent Results…

Darley sire Exceed and Excel (Aus) enjoyed a productive sale with 12 sold for an average of A$335,417, good for fourth by average among sires with three or more sold through Book 1, and his Saturday evening haul was headed by lot 805, a chestnut colt from Bhima Thoroughbreds hammered down to syndicator Julian Blaxland of Blue Sky Bloodstock for A$550,000. The pedigree page reveals some of the obvious appeal of the colt; he is out of the G1 South Australian Oaks and G1 Australasian Oaks winner Episode (Aus) (Scenic {Ire}), making him a half-brother to G1 Flight S. winner First Seal (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G2 Tulloch S. winner Book Of Kells (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). Click here for a TDN feature on Mike Fleming's Bhima Thoroughbreds.

Invincible Filly Makes Late Appearance…

Segenhoe Stud's lot 99, a daughter of I Am Invincible (Aus), had been one of the more anticipated lots for the sale's opening session on Wednesday, but had been unable to take her turn in the ring after developing a foot abscess. Recuperated on Saturday, the daughter of the stakes-winning Hooness (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) was the first horse put through the ring, and she got the evening off to a fast start when hammered down to Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock for A$540,000. Her popularity in the ring certainly couldn't have been hurt by the fact that her red-hot sire had provided the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner just a couple hours earlier.

Flower Picks Another Snitzel…

Damion Flower of Jadeskye Racing and his partners in Chauffeur (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) earned A$370,000 for that colt's second-place finish in Saturday's Magic Millions 2YO Classic, and a few hours later Flower was back across the street at the sales grounds reinvesting in lot 722, a daughter of Snitzel from Yarraman Park Stud, for A$340,000. The bay filly is the second foal out of the stakes-winning City Of Song (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}).

Flower, who raced Snitzel and buys plenty of his progeny at the sales, paid a sale-topping A$1.6-million for Chauffeur in the same ring a year ago, and he said of the bay's fast-finishing second, “We thought his run was terrific today. It was a win getting him into the race but just the way he finished it was exactly what we thought he'd do. Just the way his demeanour is, he's always looking for six furlongs. He's actually a miler; today, the way he finished off–we're excited.” Flower also paid credit to the winner, Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}). “The filly was really good,” he said. “That filly, she jumped, she ran, she led them, and she was entitled to stop and she didn't stop. She is a very, very good filly.”

Flower noted Chauffeur could target the longer juvenile races like the 1400 metre G1 Sires' Produce S. and the 1600 metre G1 Champagne S.

“I think in [trainer] Gerald [Ryan]'s eyes he's more of a Sires', Champagne-type horse,” Flower said. “We'll take him home, Gerald will go over him and whether he thinks he makes it to the Slipper first or not, we'll just leave that to Gerald.”

Another well-bred Snitzel featured among the top lots of the evening when lot 775, Kitchwin Hills's half-brother to the four-time Group 1-winning mare appearance, was hammered down to trainers Peter and Paul Snowden for A$450,000.

Speedway Adds To Stable…

U.S.-based agent Marette Farrell traveled to Magic Millions last January and purchased a Snitzel filly for A$320,000 for Peter Fluor and KC Weiner's Speedway Stables–the first horse for the Texas-based businessmen in Australia. The filly, now named Debonairly (Aus), gave Speedway an excellent introduction to racing Down Under when winning on debut at Warwick Farm in December and earning 'TDN Rising Star' status for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Farrell returned to Magic Millions this week and picked up two more fillies for Speedway: lot 600, a More Than Ready filly out of stakes winner Absolutelyfabulous (Aus) (Langfuhr) for A$325,000 on Friday, and lot 769, a Sebring (Aus) filly out of a half-sister to that sire's dual Group 2 winner Bring Me The Maid (Aus), for A$320,000 on Saturday night.

Farrell explained that Fluor and Weiner were keen to expand their stable after Debonairly's debut win.

“They were so excited about her win; in fact, Peter said the win felt like Hard Not To Like's [GI] Diane win in Saratoga. It was an awesome feeling for them,” Farrell said. She noted that buying fillies was the original business plan.

“They like to zone in on fillies because of the residual factor,” she explained. “I think that's a great game plan and that's one that was set up by John Adger initially. Peter and KC are very much business people and they like to have a focus on something that will work.”

Highclere Active On The Gold Coast…

Highclere, which has enjoyed success in Australia with the likes of Group 2-winning stayer Libran (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), has been active at this week's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, signing for a pair of fillies. The first, lot 239, is a daughter of Smart Missile (Aus) out of the Group 3-winning Miss Vandal (Aus) (Don't Say Halo {Aus}), already the dam of Group 2 winners Miss Marielle (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Eurozone (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), as well as the dam of Group 1 winner Peeping (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). Highclere Australia later acquired lot 639, an Exceed and Excel (Aus) filly out of the Grade III winner Ashley's Kitty (Tale of the Cat). The Smart Missile filly will go into training with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, while David Hayeses team at Lindsay Park will handle the Exceed and Excel filly.

Highclere will further bolster its Australian racing stable for the 2017 autumn carnival, with Libran to be joined by stayers Regal Monarch and Foundation, as well as 3-year-old gelding Knighthood and 2-year-old filly Pageantry (Aus).