Redoute’s Is Magic Again

by Kelsey Riley

The second session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale yesterday was dominated by Australia’s three-time champion sire Redoute’s Choice (Aus) and his successful son and fellow Arrowfield resident Snitzel (Aus), who were responsible for the top three lots and six of the top 10. Redoute’s Choice reclaimed his rightful place atop the price list with a colt and a filly that each fetched A$720,000. 

The cumulative statistics built on Wednesday’s strong opening session. The gross of A$50,645,000 (US$40,930,020) is well up on last year’s figure of A$41,007,500 at this point of the sale, with 295 sold for a clearance rate of 82.4% (down from 88% 12 months ago). The average shot up 22% to A$171,678 (US$138,746), while the median climbed 16.6% to A$140,000 (US$113,144). 

“Today’s just been an amazing day, it really has,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox. “It’s been amongst the strongest yearling sales that I’ve been involved with in over 24 years in the business. There’s some star lots to come over the next couple of days so we may see some more fireworks yet. 
Cox added, “While many horses have sold beyond expectations there’s still some great value on offer, and prospective buyers will get some great opportunities through the remainder of the sale.”

Worth the Wait… 
When the type and pedigree match on an offering by Redoute’s Choice, bidders had best be ready to dig deep into their pockets. That was certainly the case yesterday with lot 249, a bay filly offered by Arrowfield Stud. Warwick Farm-based trainer Rick Worthington prevailed in a prolonged bidding battle to take home the daughter of Flavoured (Aus) (Hussonet)–who could enjoy a significant pedigree update Saturday when her three-quarter sister Aerobar (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}) starts as one of the favorites in the A$2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic–for A$720,000. 

“If this filly was going through after the race it could end up being quite a good buy if the three-quarter runs well on Saturday,” Worthington reasoned. He admitted his new acquisition probably wouldn’t appear on next year’s Magic Millions card, however. 

“A filly like this, you may not expect her to be at the race, she’s more of an autumn 2-year-old type,” he said. 

The appeal of the October foal’s pedigree goes far beyond her first dam. Her fourth dam is the legendary producer Weekend Surprise, and thus she is from the family of A.P. Indy, Summer Squall and the like. Her dam is a full-sister to the stakes-winning Ego’s Dare (Aus) (Hussonet). 

“Our initial valuation of this filly was A$400,000 to A$500,000,” Worthington revealed. “With the market the way it is and with the quality fillies such as this filly, if you want them you have to up your sights, otherwise you’ll walk away empty handed.” 

Worthington also acknowledged the filly’s physical attributes. 

“Whenever we buy yearlings, whether it’s a colt or a filly and regardless of their pedigree, you have to buy an athlete, because at the end of the day you can’t train a pedigree page,” he said. “The fact that this filly has a great pedigree just increases her value, of course. The fact that this filly has both [conformation and pedigree] puts her on an elite level.” 

A Choice Buy For Bolton… 
George Bolton has enjoyed success racing at the highest level at some of the world’s best race meetings, and he will now look to tick Australia off the list after partnering with James Harron to purchase lot 359, a Redoute’s Choice (Aus) colt from Newhaven Park, for A$720,000. 

Harron and agent John Moynihan were present in the ring but the bidding was conducted by Magic Millions’ Barry Bowditch, who stood to the left of the right and had to see off stiff competition from all corners of the auditorium. Like the co-topping Redoute’s Choice filly earlier in the session, Moynihan noted the November foal, a half to a pair of stakes winners in Singapore, had the ideal combination of pedigree and conformation. 

“We loved the horse,” Moynihan said. “We thought he was arguably the best well-bred horse in the sale. If he runs like he looks, the sky’s the limit. He could be a stallion. We’re excited.” 

Explaining the partnership, Moynihan said, “We both liked the horse, so there was no sense in bidding against each other. We talked about doing some things together in the past, and this was a good time to start.” 

The colt will be trained by Peter and Paul Snowden. 

“James Harron has a group of guys together,” Moynihan continued. “We haven’t worked out the details yet, but we’re going to do some kind of partnership with the horse.” 

Bolton’s The Factor stands Southern Hemisphere time at Newgate Farm, but this colt will be the first horse Bolton will race in Australia. 

“George stood The Factor here, who was a horse he raced in America,” Moynihan said. “We stood him Southern Hemisphere with Newgate, and George came down and looked at the horse in October and went to the races. George has raced horses at Royal Ascot and in Dubai. He was a part-owner of Curlin. He’s done a lot of racing in the U.S., so he thought he’d take a chance down here.” 

Moynihan indicated he may not be finished shopping, saying he would look at a few more yearlings. 

Snitzel Standouts… 
Redoute’s Choice’s successful sire son Snitzel, who finished second to his sire in the 2013/14 Australian sires’ premiership, was another popular sire of the session, and American Jon Kelly, who purchased a colt by Redoute’s Choice for A$450,000 Wednesday, got into the mix when signing for a filly for A$620,000. Lot 308, from the Arrowfield consignment, is out of Hokuspokus (Aus) (Red Ransom), a winning half-sister to stakes winners Come Hither (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) and Fun In Flight (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus). It is also the family of sires Not A Single Doubt (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) and Zizou (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus). 

Reg Inglis did the bidding on behalf of Kelly, and he remarked, “She’s a smashing filly by Snitzel and very athletic. She just took our eye the instant we saw her.” 

Kelly confirmed the August foal would go into training with Gai Waterhouse, who will also train Wednesday’s purchase. Waterhouse has also been entrusted with the 2-year-old Redoute’s Choice colt Red Knot (Aus), who Kelly purchased to top this sale 12 months ago for A$1 million. 

“I’m just happy we were able to get her,” Kelly said. “She was the pick of the litter.” 

Waterhouse added, “Jon’s come down to Australia and he’s invested in horseflesh, last year and again this year. He identified this filly as the standout Snitzel filly of the sale, so we got our heads together and talked about her. I said, ‘she’s going to be hard to buy,’ and he said, ‘I’m not leaving Australia without her.’” 

“And we were almost at our limit,” Kelly said. 

Kelly, a California businessman who races horses in the U.S., Europe and Australia, noted he’s been involved in racing Down Under for a number of years. 

“I had horses 10 or 15 years ago that I bought in Karaka [in New Zealand] and then brought over to Australia. I’ve been a friend of Reggie [Inglis] for a long time through contacts in America, and I’ve been coming to Australia for 30 or 40 years and I love it down here. Reggie and I are going trout fishing in New Zealand next week after the sale and we’re just as excited about that as buying the horses.” 

Kelly described racing in Australia as “fun.” 

“The purses are good, and the enthusiasm of the Australians is fantastic,” he noted. “To me it’s the greatest racing environment on the planet. It’s fun down here and everyone is having a blast, and I like to be included.” 

Kelly also purchased two youngsters with trainer Lee Freedman yesterday. One of Australia’s most celebrated trainers, Freedman handed his license over to his brother, Anthony, in 2011, but recently came out of retirement to train in partnership with his brother. Freedman will train for Kelly a Fastnet Rock (Aus) filly purchased yesterday for A$400,000 and a A$500,000 colt by Redoute’s Choice (Aus) (lot 389). 

The Redoute’s Choice filly is out of the dual winner Line Honours (Aus) (Hussonet), a daughter of champion 3-year-old filly and four-time Group 1 winner Alinghi (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), who was trained by Freedman before embarking on a brief U.S. career with Bobby Frankel, where she won the G3 Ballston Spa S. 

“She reminded me of her grandmother,” Freedman said. “Jon liked her so I’m very happy to get her.” 

Of his budding relationship with Kelly, Freedman commented, “I only met Jon in England at the Tattersalls sale a couple months ago. We got along really well, and he said, ‘if you’re ever coming back into training let me know.’ So all the credit to Jon. He’s a man of his word and he’s bought some nice horses.” 

One For Mr Snitzel… 
Gerald Ryan, who trained Snitzel for Damien Flower of Jadeskye Racing, was the underbidder on Kelly’s Snitzel filly, but he will not go home empty handed, as he will be entrusted with another Snitzel filly Flower secured for A$450,000 early in the session. From the draft of Bell View Park Stud, lot 230 is well credentialed to run early and well–her dam, Fairchild (Aus) is by Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner General Nediym (Aus) and was precocious herself, winning a prep for that prestigious event. The filly’s second dam, Dancer’s Joy (Aus) (Danzatore {Aus}) won the Magic Millions 2YO Fillies S. 

“She’s out of a really nice mare,” Flower acknowledged. “And the second dam was a nice mare. She’s a lovely filly with a bit of scope about her. She’ll be early and Gerald’s the right man to train her.” 

He added, “We watched every Snitzel go through the ring yesterday and this is the type we wanted to buy. She has a bit of leg under her, a good body and really looks like she can run.” 

In The Mood For A Sepoy… 
The Sepoy frenzy that kicked off Wednesday continued into yesterday’s session, and Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody stamped himself as a fan of the first-season sire when going to A$520,000 for lot 252, a bay colt from Segenhoe Stud. The August foal is out of the G3 Gold Coast Guineas winner Florentina (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), a half-sister to Group 1 winner Gathering (Aus) (Tale of the Cat). Interestingly, his fourth dam produced Shantha’s Choice (Danzig), the dam of Redoute’s Choice, and he is inbred 3×3 to Danehill. 

“That’s not a bad thing,” Moody said. “It’s worked in Australasia for many years so I’m looking forward to getting him home and into the barn, because he looks like a really nice horse. I bought him on spec so we’ll take him home and syndicate him with some stable clients hopefully, otherwise he’ll race for Mrs. Moody.” 

Moody said the colt’s pedigree encouraged him to take a shot on an unproven sire. 

“He’s a very nice colt, obviously by an unknown in Sepoy but he was a champion 2-year-old and champion racehorse, and he’s out of a mare that probably had untold ability–you didn’t get to appreciate her true ability because she was injured. He fit the bill of a nice young horse–he has a hell of a pedigree, and let’s hope he makes a racehorse and then the future everyone dreams of, a stallion.” 

Moody admitted that while he generally leans toward proven sires, it’s hard not to be taken by this year’s freshman crop. 

“It’s always exciting with young stallions, but only time will tell if we’re mugs or geniuses, but they look the part,” he said of the Sepoy’s. “It’s hard not to be attracted to [all the first-season sires]–So You Think, Smart Missile and the like. They were all very good racehorses. I’m a preacher of the tried and true–I like my Snitzels, my Sebrings and the like as well, but it’s hard not to be taken by those young horses when they come along.” 

First-season sires were well represented during Wednesday’s opening session, and that theme continued during the early part of trade yesterday when lot 207, a strapping bay son of So You Think (NZ) from Kia-Ora Stud, made A$430,000 on the bid of Kieran Moore of Scone Bloodstock Services. The late August foal is the second produce of the dual New Zealand Group 1 winner Dorabella (NZ) (Postponed {GB}). Moore noted his new purchase would race for established clients, and that he was specifically targeting the sire, who won 10 Group 1 races worldwide and stands dual hemisphere for Coolmore. 

“It was a little more than I wanted to pay, but we were trying to buy a nice So You Think, and he was a great type–he’s far superior to the others we’ve seen by the sire,” Moore noted. 

Moore purchased a colt by another popular first-season sire, Smart Missile (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), for A$170,000 on Wednesday. That Arrowfield resident drew many admirers again yesterday, with a colt bringing A$330,000 and two making A$280,000.