Fastnet Filly Golden Down Under

By Kelsey Riley 

The sale of an A$1,050,000 filly by champion sire Fastnet Rock (Aus) to the China Horse Club late in the session highlighted another strong day of trade during the third session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale yesterday. 
Key figures continued to climb on those posted 12 months ago. Over three days 451 yearlings have changed hands for A$75,102,500 (US$60,695,959), up from A$63,447,500 for 455 sold this time last year. The average climbed 19.4% to A$166,524 (US$134,580), while the median rose 12.5% to A$135,000 (US$109,104). The buyback rate sits at 17% compared to 12% last year.

Right Response… 
While Thursday's second session was all about Redoute's Choice (Aus) and his son Snitzel (Aus), the torch passed to another champion sire son of Danehill yesterday in Fastnet Rock (Aus) when a filly by the Coolmore resident sparked fireworks late in the day, hammering to Michael Wallace of the China Horse Club for A$1,050,000. Lot 566, the first foal out of the G1 Robert Sangster S. and G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. heroine Response (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}), becomes the most expensive horse sold this week and surpasses last year's A$1 million sale topper. 

Bidding on the phone just outside the pavilion exit to the left of the auctioneer's stand, Wallace had to fend off fierce competition from Spendthrift Farm, as well as some phone difficulties, to secure the gem. 

“It cut out at about A$750,000 and I was trying to push redial and we went a little bit further and then I got him back on the phone so it all ended well,” said Wallace. He added, “She is a filly we have all been waiting for, a champion sire and Group 1-winning mare and she was a real runner. She has a good depth of pedigree and is a lovely type. Fastnet fillies are doing really well.” 

Wallace continued, “She has been bought for China Horse Club so it carries on their worldwide investment in bloodstock, and Australia is an important part of the long term strategic plans and a key element of that. She was bought for Australia and she will stay in Australia.” 

Wallace noted the Club has about 20 horses in training in Australia, and that haul includes this season's G1 Flight S. winner First Seal (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). 

It was Wallace's second time of the week signing for a session topper; he also purchased Wednesday's A$850,000 Sepoy filly on behalf of the China Horse Club, which now owns the top two lots of the sale. 

The early-September foal was bred by SF Bloodstock and born at Henry Field's Newgate Farm in the Hunter Valley, which also consigned her. Newgate's Director of Sales Bruce Slade likened the filly to royalty. 

“She's an absolute queen,” he said. “She's a terrific first foal, beautifully put together, a wonderful mover and she has a great attitude–she's a typical Fastnet filly.” 

SF Bloodstock purchased Response carrying this filly for A$840,000 at the 2012 Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale. She was a A$50,000 yearling at the Inglis Easter yearling sale in 2008. 

“The mare's been bred up,” Slade noted. “She's in foal to Snitzel and has an Exceed and Excel colt at foot, so she's been looked after. She was hot property today.” 

Slade said the Newgate team expected their charge to be amongst the sale toppers. 

“We knew she'd be right up there,” he said. “It's one of those things where you just need a couple of the right people on her, and obviously a lot of people saw real value in her and her long term prospects. We certainly knew she'd be at the top end of the sale, and it's terrific to get that kind of money. I'm sure she'll go on to be a really nice racehorse based on her physicality and her disposition, and hopefully $1,050,000 looks pretty cheap in a couple year's time.” 

Newgate's other strong results through the first three sessions have included a A$450,000 Fastnet Rock filly sold to Gary Mudgway; a A$300,000 colt by its resident first-season sire Foxwedge (Aus) hammered down to James Harron Bloodstock and Snowden Racing and a A$280,000 Smart Missile (Aus) colt to the same connections. 

“It's been great–it's very strong,” Slade said of the market. “There's people there for every level of horse, and we've had a good sale.” 

It's has been a fruitful week for SF Bloodstock across the globe; the operation also bred Shook Up (Tapit), who earned TDN Rising Star status when graduating at Fair Grounds Saturday. 

Hawkeses Fire For Smart Colt… 
Arrowfield's colt by its resident first-season sire Smart Missile (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was hyped as one of the leading lights of the sale in the leadup, and thus it was no surprise to see the ring come alive when the strapping bay (lot 485) stepped in. Upon the conclusion of a prolonged bidding battle, it was the training team of Hawkes Racing that secured the son of Negotiate (Aus) (Red Ransom) for A$700,000. 

Negotiate has produced three winners from three foals to race, including the Group 3-placed Sweetener (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}). His second dam is the G1 Champagne S. winner Euphoria (Aus) (Marauding {NZ}) and it is also the family of Group 1 winners Tuesday Joy (NZ), Sunday Joy (Aus), Bentley Biscuit (Aus)and Thorn Park (Aus), as well as last year's G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Sterling City (Aus) (Nadeem {Aus}). John Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his sons Michael and Wayne, noted that they trained Negotiate's 2008 filly, Chivvy (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}), to her two wins. 

“We trained Chivvy a few years ago and we liked her,” Hawkes said. “This one was just an athlete, and Smart Missile was a very good horse–if he won the Slipper we may have been paying more for him. We just loved him and he was an athlete.” 

Smart Missile handed Sepoy his lone defeat through his first 11 starts when winning the G2 Todman S. as a juvenile, and he finished second to Sepoy in the G1 Golden Slipper. Hawkes said he was unfazed to spend a bit more than he expected to have to on the colt. 

“I thought half a million or a bit more,” he said. “We had to pay a bit more but so be it. You're better to take home the one you loved than one that you're taking home just for the sake of taking a horse home, and he was our pick of the sale.” 

The Missiles continued firing late into the session when Debbie Kepitis, from Australia's famed Ingham family, went to A$400,000 to secure lot 546, a filly from Amarina Farm out of Rain Melody (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}). Kepitis, whose father Bob Ingham raced Lonhro and sold his famed Woodlands Stud and its bloodstock to Darley in 2008, noted she would race the filly with her children and husband under the name Whoppit Bloodstock, and Peter Snowden would train. 

“We've been trying to get a filly for the whole sale, and the one we really liked was the A$850,000 [sale topper by Sepoy],” Kepitis noted. “I wasn't going that high, but this one took my fancy. The guy I want to give her to to train, Peter Snowden, loved her, so we went for it. I'll race her with my kids and my husband, so we'll have a lot of fun then we'll breed from her.” 

Smart Missile's other strong sales yesterday included a A$200,000 colt hammered down to trainer Peter Moody. 

A Sepoy Speedster For McEvoy… 
The popularity of Darley's first-season sire Sepoy has been one of the recurring themes of this sale, and the 2- and 3-year-old champion's hot streak failed to wane yesterday, and was highlighted by the sale of an A$575,000 colt to trainer Tony McEvoy. Catalogued as lot 452 from the draft of Strawberry Hill Stud, the bay is out of the listed-winning and group-placed Miss Mooney Mooney (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), a half-sister to Group 3 winner Publishing (Aus) (Testa Rossa {Aus}) and to the dam of multiple stakes winner Better Than Ready (Aus) (More Than Ready). 

“I'm glad that's over,” McEvoy quipped after signing the ticket. McEvoy said he was buying the colt specifically with next year's Magic Millions 2YO Classic in mind, which will be worth A$2.5 million as part of a significant prizemoney boosted unveiled late last month that will make the card with A$10 million. 

“He's a really exciting horse,” the conditioner said. “I want a runner in the race next year. There are a few [Sepoy's] on the grounds that look like they'll make it into the race, and I loved this horse's temperament, his rhythm and his athleticism. The stud farm said he's never turned a hair in anything they've ever done to him. He has a cracking eye and a willingness that I loved about him. It's all there, I just hope I don't stuff it up now.” 

McEvoy said Sepoy has passed his favorable attitude onto his foals. 

“The great thing great horses have is temperament,” McEvoy said. “Sepoy was unfazable in all the races I saw him in. He just arrived, accepted, did the job and went home. It's a quality great horses have, and that's what [the Sepoy's] have, all the ones I've seen. There's been a half-dozen Sepoys I probably could have bought, but I settled on this fella. I think the stallion has a real chance and I can't remember a dominant [G1 Golden] Slipper winner that's failed [at stud].” 

McEvoy revealed the colt would race for a group of clients. 

“I've got together a syndicate of guys. I don't think they were quite expecting to spend that much, but I've got my business partner Wayne Mitchell ringing them right now with the bad news,” he laughed. 

Necessary Buy For Surace… 
A pair of consecutive lots through the ring caused a stir early in the afternoon when each brought A$460,000. The first to go under the hammer was lot 483, a colt from the last crop of Australia's ill-fated 2012/13 champion first-season sire Northern Meteor (Aus). The half-brother to G3 Blue Diamond Prelude victor General Rippa (Aus) (General Nediym {Aus}) was secured by agent James Harron on behalf of Peter and Paul Snowden. 

Moments later, Ricky Surace of B2B Bloodstock paid the same sum for lot 484, a filly from Coolmore Stud by Fastnet Rock (Aus) out of the G3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. winner Necessary Evil (Harlan's Holiday). Necessary Evil was a $340,000 Keeneland November purchase by Demi O'Byrne in 2011, and Surace, who was acting in partnership with Damien Flower's Jadeskye Racing, noted the American pedigree was of great appeal. 

“I like all horses out of running, American families,” he said. “They're fast and they're proven to be very good horses here in Australia. They just work really well.” 

Reason To Dream… 
Phil Sly has already experienced the highest of highs as a racehorse owner in Australia, having campaigned the four-time Group 1-winning filly Mosheen (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) with trainer Robert Smerdon, and that pair have another horse to dream about after securing lot 496, a chestnut son of Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}) from Emirates Park Stud, for A$380,000 yesterday. 

“We've seen nearly every horse on the ground, and we thought he was as nice a colt as we've seen,” said Smerdon. “I think we would have gotten him [cheaper] than that, but there was a lot of competition, so you have to stick to your guns.” 

Dream Ahead, Europe's joint top-rated juvenile with Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2010 and a five-time Group 1 winner at two and three, shuttles Southern Hemisphere time to Emirates Park Stud in the Hunter Valley, where he stands for A$27,500. He is represented by his first Australian-bred yearlings this year, and his other six-figure prices at the sale thus far are a A$150,000 colt purchased by Singapore's Cliff Brown, and a A$110,000 colt secured by Magic Millions as agent. 

Gai's Great Run… 
Trainer Gai Waterhouse embarked on a buying streak late in the session when snapping up lots 530, 533 and 536 and 553 for A$400,000, A$200,000, A$380,000 and A$400,000, respectively. The former, a bay colt from Eliza Park International, is by Fastnet Rock (Aus) out of the unraced Pretty Flamingo (Aus) (More Than Ready), a daughter of G3 Tokyo City Cup winner and dual Group 1-placed Milanova (Aus) (Danehill). His third dam is L'On Vite (Secretariat), the dam of dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). 

Lot 533 is a son of Snitzel (Aus) from Kitchwin Hills. He is out of Push Fire (Aus) (Scenic {GB}) and from the family of G1 Thousand Guineas and G1 Sires' Produce S. winner Shame (Aus) (Scenic {GB}). 

Lot 536, a bay colt by Exceed and Excel (Aus) from the draft of Rosari Farm, was purchased by Waterhouse and Dynamic Syndications. The October foal is the first produce of Quack It (NZ) (Ustinov), a half-sister to a pair of stakes winners. 

The latter is a regally bred filly by Redoute's Choice (Aus) out of the G1 Oakleigh Plate heroine Reactive (Aus) (Geiger Counter). 

The action will move across the street this afternoon to the Gold Coast Turf Club, which will host the Magic Millions Raceday featuring the A$2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the A$1 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas. Today's evening sale session kicks off at 6 p.m. local time.