Figures Steady At Inglis Easter

[Wandering Eyes]

SYDNEY, Australia–The second day of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney on Tuesday was once again all about the proven sires. While the reigning champion sire Snitzel (Aus) had dominated day one, day two was about another champion sire, Coolmore’s Fastnet Rock (Aus), who was the sire of three of the top four lots, including the sale-topping A$1.8-million colt bought by Hong Kong-based agent George Moore. Snitzel added two more millionaires on Tuesday, taking his haul at the sale to four, while I Am Invincible had two seven-figure lots on Tuesday. Pierro (Aus), the sire of the G1 VRC Oaks and G1 Australian Derby winners in his first crop, had a colt sell for A$1.05-million.

Fastnet Rock is the sale’s current leading sire by average with three or more sold (23, A$551,739), followed by Snitzel (27, A$522,963) and I Am Invincible (23, A$511,522).

Cumulative stats through the end of two days show figures relatively on par with 2017. By Tuesday evening 232 yearlings had changed hands for A$80,827,500, compared to a gross of A$79,660,000 at this stage last year. The clearance rate improved slightly from day one but was down a tick on last year at 80%. The average and median both dipped very slightly at A$348,394 (-1.6%) and A$260,000 (-3.7%), respectively. Eight lots were bought back for over A$500,000 on Tuesday.

The 15 seven-figure lots achieved thus far outpaces this stage last year (when there were 10), and there have been 54 lots sold for a half-million plus, compared to 48 at this stage in 2017. Fifty percent of spend has been made by Australian interests, 30% by Asian, 10% by buyers from the Middle East and 7% from New Zealand.

Shadwell Racing Manager Angus Gold, the leading buyer at this sale on a number of occasions in the past, had signed for six by the end of Tuesday, including a A$1-million Snitzel filly late in the evening (lot 324), and he said of the market, “It seems a little all or nothing to me. When you want one you have to really pay. But there are quite a few slipping through, not making what the vendors have valued them at. I suppose it’s a bit patchy to me. When it’s good it seems really good so you can’t say it’s not strong, but I just don’t know underneath that whether it’s strong. The sales have been so strong here in Australia so I think expectations may have been a bit higher than reality has been this week. But it’s a luxury we don’t have in Europe that they’re racing for such fantastic prizemoney here that if they value them at that, they’re entitled to take them home. We can’t do that in Europe, we have to sell them.”

Fastnet Colt For HK Connections…

First foals of fast, stakes-winning mares have understandably been in vogue at Easter. If that yearling also happens to be beautifully conformed and by a champion sire, all the ingredients are there to produce a great return for the vendor. All that is needed thereafter are the bidders to drive up the price, and all those elements certainly came together for Kia Ora’s son of Fastnet Rock (Aus) and the Group 1-winning O’Marilyn (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) when George Moore and Coolmore battled it out for the early September foal (lot 268). In the end it was Moore, acting on behalf of a new Hong Kong-based client, who had the final say at A$1.8-million.

The bay colt, who was bred by Katom, is out of the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S. winner O’Marilyn, who is a half-sister to Group 1 winners Headturner (Aus) (Anabaa) and Anacheeva (Aus) (Anabaa).

“I think he [the client] got the best horse in the sale,” Moore said. “That’s basically the only horse I wanted. He’s a great-moving, medium to small-sized Fastnet Rock and that’s exactly what you want. You know when Coolmore are going against you, you should be pretty pleased, because they know what they’re talking about when they’re buying horses.”

“This client had me buy the best horse I could find at the sale and it turned out to be a A$1.8-million horse,” Moore added. “I had A$900,000 for the horse so I doubled. But the owner was on the phone and he said keep going. I’m real grateful to the owner.”

Moore compared the colt to a Group 1 winner by the sire, Foxwedge (Aus).

“He was the best mover of the sale and when you get that Fastnet Rock that really glides and moves well; he wasn’t the biggest horse but look at Foxwedge, he’s 15.3 and he’s shown a lot of similarities to that horse.”

Moore said it was undecided whether the horse would be exported immediately to Hong Kong or go into training in Australia.

Kia Ora Manager Alex Kingston said, “This is a pinnacle for us as a farm and a pinnacle for me. These horses are finely selected for Easter and I’ve been at Kia Ora for eight years now and this is the best result in my time. As a boutique farm, this is our greatest moment. You hope for a good result but when it happens you don’t expect it. Easter really is the best of the best and this was my best horse and he was always going to come to Easter as a result, but to get this result is still amazing, a huge result for the farm.”

Kia Ora Stud’s other sales on the day included a son of Fastnet Rock and the Canadian champion Inglorious (Hennessy) (lot 175) to Northern Farm for A$525,000; and an I Am Invincible (Aus) filly (lot 215) who, at A$500,000, is the lone purchase at the sale thus far by Phoenix Thoroughbreds.

Kia Ora Stud was also active as a buyer early in the session on Tuesday, spending A$1.15-million for a full-sister to current-season stakes winner Long Leaf (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (lot 144) through agent James Bester. Offered by Coolmore, the filly is out of Frustrating (Aus) (Stravinsky), a half-sister to Group 1 winners Tiger Tees (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Terravista (Aus) (Captain Rio {GB}), as well as Singapore champion Super Easy (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}). It is the same cross that produced the four-time Group 1 winner Mosheen (Aus).

Bester has been involved with the purchase of enough good Fastnet Rocks to know what to look for, and he said, “She’s exactly the sort of Fastnet Rock filly that runs. I’ve had some like Ennis Hill and Lake Geneva, for instance, that are that high- quality, not overly big, good head, a lot of forearm and gaskin, hip and hindquarter; she’s exactly the sort of Fastnet Rock filly that we think will be a 2-year-old and a fast filly, like her brother indeed.”

Fastnet Rock enjoyed another seven-figure result late in the session when Coolmore’s filly (first foal) out of the Group 3-winning Rezoned (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) (lot 325) made A$1.25-million to the bid of Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock. Not only is the filly from the immediate family of the four-time Group 1 winner Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), but she also represents the highly successful Fastnet Rock/Zabeel cross that has yielded Group 1 winners Atlantic Jewel (Aus), Planet Rock (Aus) and Avantage (Aus).

Glenlogan Loads Up At Easter…

Glenlogan Park has been a flagbearer of Queensland breeding for 25 years, producing top-quality racehorses off its nursery in addition to standing many of that region’s leading sires. The operation took a change in direction, however, this time last year when announcing it would no longer stand stallions and would instead focus on breeding and racing on a national level. The farm certainly put itself in pole position to achieve that goal when snapping up a Snitzel (Aus) colt (lot 152) for A$1.5-million at Easter on Tuesday in partnership with Whitby Bloodstock and Rifa Mustang. The colt is the first foal out of the G1 Champagne S. winner Go Indy Go (Aus) (Bernardini), herself a full-sister to Group 3 winner Essay Raider (Aus), and he was offered by Kitchwin Hills.

“I saw him as a foal at Kitchwin Hills so I’ve followed this colt for a long time,” said Glenlogan Stud Manager Steve Morley. “It’s not often you go into a paddock full of horses when they’re young and one just takes your eye. He’s not one I’ve had my eye on for five days; he’s one I’ve had my eye on for quite a long time.”

“At the end of the day, there’s no rush for us; he’s a horse that will improve with time,” Morley added. “I wasn’t sure how many people would be on him because he was quite high in the hindquarter. He’s going to be a magnificent-looking horse in six months. I had the benefit of seeing him as a foal, so when you’ve got that you know what you’re going to end up with and I’m absolutely thrilled.”

Explaining the shift away from standing stallions in Queensland to seeking out stallion prospects for the Hunter Valley, Morley cited the support of government in New South Wales and Victoria.

“We’ve been at the top of the pole in Queensland for 25 years,” he said. “We’ve found it quite frustrating up there that both sides of government haven’t given the same support to racing and breeding as what we’ve found in both New South Wales in Victoria. We have a national industry that’s flying and a local industry that’s struggling, so it makes a lot of sense. We can raise our horses in the best climate in the country and compete on the national stage.”

“We still believe geographically we’re in a terrific place,” he added. “We have the opportunity to grow our horses out on a much steadier growth plane with beautiful warm winters. Glenlogan bought a beautiful filly here earlier today off Highgrove Stud. They’re a top Queensland breeder and we love that kind. We’ll be out on the national scene very strongly but we’re certainly not leaving Queensland.”

That aforementioned beautiful filly was lot 131, a daughter of Snitzel who was the first horse through the ring on Tuesday. Morley noted that Glenlogan on Monday had also bought into the A$1.2-million Snitzel colt purchased by Gai Waterhouse, Julian Blaxland and Kerri Radcliffe.

More From Amor…

A Medaglia d’Oro colt out of triple stakes winner Hoss Amor (Aus) (General Nediym {Aus}) was the second top lot at this sale last year when making A$2.4-million from the partnership of Coolmore, Stonestreet, and Aquis. That mare’s latest colt, a son of I Am Invincible (Aus) (lot 169), became her second millionaire yearling from three foals when making A$1.05-million from the partnership of China Horse Club, trainer John O’Shea and Craig Rounsefell’s Boomer Bloodstock.

The mare’s first foal, Poetic Charmer (Aus) (Your Song {Aus}), is a winner, while the A$2.4-million Medaglia d’Oro, now named Meticulous (Aus), is in training with Peter and Paul Snowden and, incidentally, had his first trial on Tuesday morning, beating one home in an 800-metre heat at Gosford.

John O’Shea, who about a year ago relaunched a public stable after three years as private trainer to Godolphin, trained Hoss Amor for Champion Thoroughbreds Syndicate, and he said, “To me he was the best I Am Invincible here and I had an affiliation with the mother. He was just a beautiful athletic colt, a great attitude, a running 2-year-old. We put together a syndicate of people to buy him headed by China Horse Club and Boomer Bloodstock, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for our clients to get access to a horse of that quality. I’ve had a couple opportunities to come across a good stallion prospect and this sire is the hottest sire on the planet at the moment, so we just wanted to be a part of it.”

“We had a bit left [in the budget],” O’Shea admitted. “I saw him at the farm [Yarraman Park Stud] and he was just a standout there. Most importantly he is a 2-year-old and they’ve got to get up and running early. He comes off a great farm so the job will be up to my staff and I, and [jockey] James McDonald to get him out of the barriers in time.”

O’Shea said he has “a half dozen” in training for China Horse Club, and those ranks also include Irish Bet (Aus) (Smart Missile {Aus}), who won the Inglis Nursery in December and who is the second-leading earner from last year’s Easter sale behind the G1 Golden Slipper winner Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}).

While the market has been showing some signs of selectivity, O’Shea said, “The market is really fair. I think they’re making their money if you’ve got the right horse but I still think there’s good value. It’s just an unbelievable sale to be a part of.”

I Am Invincible achieved a second seven-figure lot when the Hong Kong Jockey Club, back on the Australian auction scene after a brief hiatus due to quarantine disputes, spent A$1-million on Kitchwin Hills’s first foal out of the listed-winning Marianne (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) (lot 223). I Am Invincible has had 10 winners from 11 starters in Hong Kong and this colt will follow the usual route of the Jockey Club’s buys into the Hong Kong International Sale in two years’ time.

“We don’t spend a million dollars lightly,” said the Jockey Club’s Nick Columb. “We’ll now put him away for two years and re-sell him.”

“We’re in the marketplace; how do you put a ceiling on nice horses?” he added. “We didn’t go to Magic Millions and we like to have Australian-bred horses in our sale, so we buy the good ones.”

Columb described the market as “hot.”

“To me it’s an unrealistic market but we have to play in it,” he said. “I’m sure there are people who had a look at yesterday’s prices and doubled their expectations today, which makes it a little difficult to buy. A lot of horses have been passed in, and when horses are being passed in for A$850,000, it’s kind of ridiculous. But we’re playing in that market and we’re forced to buy what we can buy. Luckily for us our market is reasonably strong in Hong Kong. Racing is very strong and getting stronger all the time and our people understand if we’re bringing in a nice horse, they have to pay, and they’re happy to pay.”

The Hong Kong Jockey Club later went to A$900,000 for a Snitzel three-quarter brother to the stakes-winning Pretty Fast (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) (lot 241).

I Am Invincible’s Tuesday sales also included a A$750,000 filly out of the Group 1-winning Peggy Jean (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) bought by Emirates Park Stud, which bought the Slipper winner Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) on this day a year ago; and a A$700,000 colt bought by Godolphin.

I Am Invincible’s son Brazen Beau (Aus) led the way among first-season sires on Tuesday, with a A$700,000 colt bought from Coolmore by trainer Tony McEvoy. Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) had a A$530,000 colt bought by Lucky Owners, while Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus})’s lone yearling to sell was a A$420,000 filly and Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) had a A$400,000 filly.

Eclipse Thoroughbreds, which bought its first Australian yearling, the subsequent G1 VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}) at this sale two years ago, bought its first horse of the week on Tuesday, lot 281, a daughter of Wandjina (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) for A$260,000.

“Loved the filly,” said Eclipse representative Jacob West. “She is out of a liquid fast mare that we were familiar with because she raced in the states and was trained by Jim Cassidy. She won the GIII La Habra S. at Santa Anita. She’s by a son of Snitzel, Wandjina, who was extremely talented in his own right winning the G1 Australian Guineas. She’s a pure athlete and now we hand the reigns over to Gai Waterhouse to try and duplicate our luck that we’ve had with Pinot. She’s also a half-sister to Zousain, who is trained by Chris Waller and he looks to have a lot of ability and talent.”

The leading first-season sires by average (three or more sold) are Brazen Beau (three, A$420,000), Dissident (five, A$317,000) and Deep Field (six, A$283,333).

Sir Patrick Closes Cambridge Era…

An end of an era in the New Zealand–and rightfully so, global–bloodstock industry was marked last week when Sir Patrick and Justine Hogan officially passed on the baton at Cambridge Stud to Brendan and Jo Lindsay after a sale was finalized earlier this year, and another milestone took place on Tuesday when Sir Patrick’s final yearling under the Cambridge Stud name was sold at Easter. That colt, a son of Cambridge stallion Tavistock (NZ) out of the Group 2 winner Lovetrista (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) (lot 210), was bought by recent Golden Slipper-winning trainers Hawkes Racing for A$240,000. It is also fitting that he is a grandson of the Group 1-producing Sir Tristram (Ire) mare Tristalove (NZ); Sir Patrick’s lengthy list of accomplishments in the bloodstock and racing worlds includes importing Sir Tristram and masterminding the legendary stud careers of he and his son Zabeel (NZ).

While Hogan is nearing 80 years young, he assured he is not leaving the industry.

“He was certainly the last and final yearling on behalf of Justine and I under the Cambridge Stud name,” he said. “That name has been passed on to the Lindsays so we won’t be using that name again. We can continue to breed and sell yearlings but they’ll have to be vendored by someone else as agent for us. We can’t go marketing against Cambridge Stud’s new Cambridge Stud.”

“I’m going to certainly remain in the industry, hopefully in a big way because I have a large property that’s set up for horses that didn’t get sold with Cambridge Stud,” Hogan said. “In the sale I was able to keep all the broodmares that were in partnership and I was able to keep all the racehorses, about 48, some nice fillies, colts and geldings. The bottom line is I can’t use the Cambridge Stud brand name because we sold that, and I can’t stand stallions in the future in competition to their stallions. But, in saying all that, it suits me because I’m nearly 80 and I needed to cut back. I’ve gone from 40 staff to two, so life’s going to be a lot easier for me.”

The struggles of the New Zealand racing industry have been well documented, and Hogan admitted the country, which continues to breed world-class Thoroughbreds, is helped by its neighbour.

“Without Australia next door, we would be probably struggling in a lot of ways,” he said. “We’d survive, but it would be hard to make inroads aggressively, because for one, we only have 4 1/2 million people in the whole of New Zealand so we don’t get great turnover with the betting. So the fact that we are next door to Australia, and Australia opens their door for us to come across, race in the big races and use the stallions, that is basically how the breeding and racing industry survives in New Zealand.”

“Probably the ideal situation would be if we could get New Zealand to float a little closer to Australia,” he said. “But having the All Blacks we wouldn’t want to touch their borderline. We’d like to stay separate when it comes to the All Blacks. We don’t need them for that, I think we’re the best at that.”

The final session of the Inglis Easter yearling sale begins at 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

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