Medaglia Colt Turns To Gold At Easter

Sydney, AUSTRALIA–The best pedigreed and conformed colts can be worth any amount of money in the Inglis Easter ring, and that proved to be the case with a Medaglia d'Oro colt from Yarraman Park Stud on Wednesday, with Aquis Farm, Stonestreet Stables and Tom Magnier of Coolmore partnering to secure a future stallion prospect in lot 178 for A$2.4-million.

Through the first two days of the sale, 225 yearlings have been sold for A$79,660,000 at a clearance rate of 81%. The average improved from the opening session's A$347,045 to A$354,044 on day two, which is up 26% from this point last year. The median is up 35% at A$270,000.

Partnerships of international entities have become commonplace at this sale in recent years, and Aquis Farm's Justin Fung said, “We do partnerships with a lot of different companies out there. We want to be known as a farm that's easy to work with and we're willing to be malleable in whatever deals come our way, and as long as the horses are good we're interested.”

Of Aquis's first purchase of the week, Fung added, “It's in a partnership with a few great partners in Coolmore and John Moynihan and Stonestreet, so we're really excited. He's a fantastic colt. With this sale being as strong as it is we wanted to come in and pick a couple horses we really loved and make sure we had good partners in it, and we came out with one we're really excited about.”

All three entities have enjoyed success with Darley shuttler Medaglia d'Oro. Aquis sold a son of the horse for A$1-million at Magic Millions in January, while Coolmore stands his best Australian son, the G1 Golden Slipper winner Vancouver (Aus), and Stonestreet raced his best daughter, the American Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.

“He's a beautiful horse,” said Stonestreet advisor John Moynihan. “He's one of the first horses I saw here and I was actually in the courtyard looking at other horses and I saw him come out and I said, 'I want to go look at that horse.' He's a beautiful, beautiful horse. We've had Rachel Alexandra, and he's arguably the best Medaglia d'Oro I've ever seen, even in America. He's just a wonderful horse. I didn't know we'd have to go that high, that's an awful lot of money, but I think he's a special horse and if he's as good as we think he is, he's certainly a horse that could come to America and reverse shuttle. He looks like he could be an early 2-year-old; we just think he's a really nice horse.”

Yarraman Park's Arthur Mitchell added, “He was always very nice but I think he bloomed in prep and as every day went on he was nearly the perfect yearling. He never put a foot wrong, never missed a parade; he's just a lovely natured, nice colt.”

The bay colt is the second foal out of the stakes-winning Hoss Amor (Aus) (General Nediym {Aus}), who has an I Am Invincible (Aus) foal at foot and is back in foal to Yarraman Park's flagship sire.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum was underbidder on the session topper.

A short time later, Coolmore and Aquis partnered with South Africa's Mayfair Speculators to secure a colt by Fastnet Rock (Aus) and Canadian champion Inglorious (Hennessy) for A$900,000. Consigned by Kia Ora Stud, lot 185 is the first foal out of Inglorious, winner of the Queen's Plate and Woodbine Oaks and three other stakes. Inglorious is a half-sister to Grade III winner Dixie Strike (Dixie Union).

The session proved to be a strong one for Fastnet Rock. He also had a full-sister to Group 2 winner Lumosty (Aus) (lot 214) purchased by BBA Ireland's Adrian Nicholl for A$850,000, and a colt from the family of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) (lot 227) bought by Asian Bloodstock Services for A$700,000.

Late Session Double For Arrowfield…

Arrowfield Stud enjoyed a seven-figure double late in the session, with a Snitzel (Aus) filly (lot 310) fetching A$1.7-million from Emirates Park Stud and a colt by Not A Single Doubt (Aus) (lot 298) bringing A$1.25-million from YP Cheng's Domeland Pty Ltd.

The Snitzel filly is a daughter of the dual Group 1 winner Response (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}), whose first foal, the A$1.05-million yearling Alter Call (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), was named a 'TDN Rising Star' when breaking her maiden in December. She was secured by Emirates Park Stud's Hussain Lootah, who signed the docket alongside trainer Gai Waterhouse. That was the same combination that bought last year's A$2.3-million sale topper by the same sire.

“She's strong, she's got a superb pedigree, and all the heads in the breeding industry from overseas over here wanted her, so that shows she was a jewel in the crown,” said Waterhouse. “Emirates only have very quality fillies and mares on their farm. I trained for Hussain's father and for him for 20 years and their pedigrees are essential.”

The A$1.25-million paid by Domeland for the Not A Single Doubt colt is the highest paid for a yearling by that sire at public auction. The transaction continued a good week for the sire, who last week was responsible for the Chairman's Sale – Elite Racing Prospects top lot, the A$1.4-million Gunnison (Aus), who was the sire's previous most expensive yearling when fetching A$850,000 at Easter last year.

Lot 298 is out of the unraced Quiet American mare Quiet Maggy, a half-sister to dual American Classic winner Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet) and stakes winner Unforgettable Max (Northern Afleet).

YP Cheng of the Beijing Jockey Club has been heavily involved with Australian Thoroughbreds, having raced the Group 1 winner Zadok and having imported plenty of Australian stock into China, and he was represented at Inglis by agent Kevin Connolly, who said, “I really liked him, he was a very active horse. He has a lot of substance and will turn into a lovely 3-year-old.”

The colt will also go into training with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

Perry Stays In The Family…

Just shy of a year ago, agent Bruce Perry went to a sale-topping A$3.4-million to secure the multiple stakes-producing mare Listen Here (Aus) (Elusive Quality) at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for the China Horse Club. Perry displayed his affinity for the family once again on Wednesday when going to A$1-million for Listen Here's filly by Zoustar (Aus) (lot 207). This time, he was acting on behalf of New Zealand-based businessman Lib Petagna, who has raced Group 1-winning fillies Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) and Sofia Rosa (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) in recent years.

“I know the mare well, it's a different client this time though,” Perry said. “I thought she was a standout in the catalogue on pedigree so I'm delighted to get her.”

The latter statement would certainly be true by anyone's standards. Listen Here, who was dispersed by Edinglassie Stud after that farm's former owner Bob Oatley died last January, has proven to be a blue hen producer. Her first two foals are the Northern Meteor colts Deep Field (Aus) and Shooting To Win (Aus), winners of the G2 Tab.com.au S. and G1 Caulfield Guineas, respectively. Deep Field stands at Newgate Farm, while Shooting To Win is a dual hemisphere sire for Darley. Listen Here's third foal is Look and Listen (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}), the winner of her lone start for trainer Kris Lees, and this is her fourth foal. Listed Here produced a Medaglia d'Oro colt last year.

“She's a slightly different type than her dam,” Perry noted. “Hopefully we've bought a wonderful racehorse, then in the future she'll go to stud and go to a horse like Snitzel.”

The filly is from the first crop of Northern Meteor's Group 1-winning son Zoustar, whose yearlings have averaged A$260,000, through the first two days of the sale, making him the leading first-season sire by average with two or more sold.

Click here for a feature on vendor Edinglassie Stud.

Moody Strikes For Familiar Family…

Former trainer Peter Moody is well familiar with the progeny of the stakes-placed Nureyev's Girl (Nureyev), having trained her Classic-winning daughter King's Rose (NZ) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and having selected that one's full-brother, the stakes-placed Hardham (Aus), for A$300,000 at auction. Moody had to go considerably higher than that to secure Nureyev's Girl's latest yearling, an Exceed and Excel (Aus) filly from Bhima Thoroughbreds (lot 267) at Easter yesterday, spending A$1-million, and he reasoned, “I trained Hardham and am now a part owner and I trained King's Rose who we had great success with. King's Rose's first foal, a Deep Impact colt, is racing well in Japan, so this is a filly with a truly international pedigree. We'll take her home to Victoria and break her in and just play it by ear.”

The international nature of the family goes beyond Australia and Japan. Appearing under the bay's second dam is American Grade III winner Hessonite (Freud), French stakes winner Soneva (Cherokee Run) and her Qatari champion son The Blue Eye (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Bhima later sold a Redoute's Choice (Aus) filly (lot 284) to Domeland Pty Ltd for A$625,000.

Darley's former champion sire and successful shuttler Exceed and Excel notched another seven-figure filly late in the session when the Hawkes training team of Michael, John and Wayne Hawkes went to A$1.2-million for lot 294 from Middlebrook Valley Lodge. The Hawkeses are well familiar with the family, having trained the filly's G1 Caulfield Guineas-winning half-brother Divine Prophet (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}). The filly is also a half to G3 Spring S. winner and multiple Group 1-placed Proisir (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}).

Another Frankel For Northern Farm…

As he did in Europe, Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) enjoyed a flying start in Japan with his first-crop 2-year-olds last year, with Group 1 winner Soul Stirring (Aus) and 'TDN Rising Star' Mi Suerte (Jpn) to his credit. Both fillies are bound for Sunday's G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), and Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, the breeder of Mi Suerte, has added another potential star to his stable with the purchase of a Frankel colt out of South African stakes winner Lovetorn (Aus) (Giant's Causeway) (lot 210) for A$850,000.

Consigned by Glastonbury Park, the chestnut is the second foal of Lovetorn, who is a half-sister to Grade III winner Lovemelikearock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). He hails from the family of Grade/Group 1 winners Arazi (Blushing Groom) and Noverre (Rahy).

Frankel had one other offering at the sale, lot 102, a A$500,000 purchase on day one by Dermot Farrington on behalf of Paul Makin.

Star Filly For Kia Ora…

Agent James Harron purchased an Exceed and Excel (Aus) filly from Kia Ora Stud for A$800,000 on opening day on Tuesday, and yesterday that agent was working on Kia Ora's behalf when spending the same sum on lot 255, a Sebring (Aus) filly out of Starspangledbanner (Aus)'s half-sister National Anthem (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). The filly is the third foal out of the mare, who is also a half-sister to the dam of G1 Thousand Guineas winner Amicus (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The third dam, National Song (Aus) (Vain {Aus}), is a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winners Elvstroem (Aus) and Haradasun (Aus), and thus it is clear why Kia Ora was keen to add the family to its barn.

“It's a great page but more importantly she's a gorgeous filly so that came first for us,” said Harron. “It's a lovely page, a real international page with lots happening. She's been purchased for Kia Ora Stud. They have a big breeding operation in Scone and have a great collection of mares and she'll join that broodmare band someday, but we'll have a bit of fun with her on the track first.”

Harron added, “She looks like she could get up to a mile but we'll let her tell us once we get going with her. She has a good size and good action to her, certainly sprinter/miler is where I'd see her.”

The final session of the Inglis Easter yearling sale begins Thursday at 12 p.m.