Australians continue their spending spree
Kia Ora’s determination to diversify their broodmare band to support their three-strong roster of stallions soared to new heights when Shane Wright, the farm’s bloodstock and breeding manager, purchased three lots during Tuesday’s session of Tattersalls December Mares Sale.
The New South Wales-based operation began their spending spree on Monday, when they secured Listed-winning filly Wonderful Times (Golden Horn) for 460,000gns (approx. AU$919,900) and on the second day of the breeding stock sale, they splashed 930,000gns (approx. AU$1,872,000) on a trio of mares during the Sceptre Session.
Wright told ANZ Bloodstock News that, while no matings had been planned, all four of their purchases this week would head straight back to Australia.
“We don’t buy them with stallions already planned for them. They just go into our own broodmare band and then we look at everything in April and May and make plans then,” he said.
The first purchase on Tuesday was South African Grade 1 winner Vernichey (Vercingetorix), who they secured from Voute Sales for 250,000gns (approx. AU$503,000).
The six-year-old mare’s four career wins are headed by her victory in the Allan Robertson Championship (Gr 1, 1200m) as a two-year-old, while she also won at Grade 3 level.
Wright said South African mares have a history of producing top-line performers in Australia, including Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner and now Newgate Farm-based sire In The Congo (Snitzel), who is out of Via Africa (Var), a three-time winner at the highest level in South Africa. Via Africa’s filly by The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) topped this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when she was purchased by Arrowfield Pastoral and Hermitage Thoroughbreds $1.8 million.
“She is a complete outcross and a Grade 1 winner. Regardless of which country it is – they don’t give out Group 1s for free,” said Wright. “There have been plenty of winners out of South Africa, including In The Congo. The right South African mares with the right sort of form can produce the right sort of horses and suit the Australian market.”
Vernichey’s pedigree will be well received in Australia. Her third dam is Burst (Marauding), winner of Australia’s juvenile Triple Crown in 1992.
“I think she will suit the Australian market, she has the right page with her third dam being a Golden Slipper winner,” said Wright. “We went to look at her during the first inspections and she wasn’t there.
“She arrived yesterday [Monday] morning and she was pretty much straight off the plane and she paraded so well and looked in magnificent shape for a mare that wasn’t long out of quarantine.”
A few lots later, Kia Ora got their name on the sheet again when they went to 420,000gns (approx. AU$845,400) for Listed winner and dual Group 3-placed Secret Angel (Dark Angel).
Trained by Karl Burke, the three-year-old is out of dual Listed winner Meydan Princess (Choisir) and Wright said, while they were impressed with the filly physically, they were taken with her form and the speed-laced family.
“She has great form,” said Wright. “We loved her physically. She is a big, strong mare and very forward type, who looks like she could definitely throw you a two-year-old. Dark Angel over Choisir, there is a lot of speed already in that family and as a commercial aspect we think [it] will suit down south.”
The operation’s final buy of the sale was Zain Claudette (No Nay Never), winner of the Lowther Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) and Princess Margaret Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) in 2021, parting with 260,000gns (approx. AU$523,400) for the Barton Sales-consigned four-year-old.
Wright was delighted to have got the filly for that price tag and was looking forward to getting her back to Australia and mating her to the right stallion.
“This was a filly we were very, very happy to pick up. The Lowther is a two-year-old Group 2 race and if you were trying to buy a Group 2-winning two-year-old filly in Australia, they are very hard to get, so we were delighted to buy her,” he said.
“She will definitely let down into a lovely broodmare in time and we are really excited about her. We thought she might make a little bit more – but I thought that was a reasonable price for her.”
Zain Claudette is out of four-time winner Claudette (Speightstown), who is herself a daughter of Grade 3 Tippity Witch (Affirmed).
In an industry flushed with Danehill (Danzig) and Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer), Wright said they were happy to secure females who are complete out-crosses and can therefore be covered by most stallions in the southern hemisphere.
“It is definitely a huge positive, getting out-cross mares, because it leaves you with so many more options. We look for really nice, athletic fillies that were well-performed,” said Wright. “We like to leave all the options open. I think the aim of this whole exercise is getting into families that you can’t typically get into when you’re buying on the southern hemisphere market.”
Hawthorne takes two
Dean Hawthorne added another two mares to his portfolio on Tuesday, teaming up once again with Badgers Bloodstock to buy a pair of unraced mares carrying commercial covers.
The team stuck first for Podium (Galileo), who they bought for 375,000gns (approx. AU$754,846) and then later on in the day they bought for Fraxinella, a daughter of Frankel (Galileo), for 440,000gns (approx. AU$885,700).
Podium, who was offered in foal to Coolmore Stud shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), is a sister to Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Peaceful and Listed scorer Easter.
“She will be staying up here and we will be mating her up here for a season or two,” said Hawthorne. “She wasn’t very big and actually that doesn’t matter when we take her home, because we can breed a neater sort, which doesn’t look like it will take forever – so that’s why her size doesn’t worry me too much.
“Wootton Bassett is having his first Australian-bred yearlings go through the ring at home next year and the reports are that they are very nice. But this Wootton Bassett will be sold through the ring.”
Hawthorne said the mare would foal down in Europe and the Wootton Bassett would be offered in the northern hemisphere. Her next cover will likely be to the Aga Khan stallion Siyouni (Pivotal).
Fraxinella was offered in foal to Kingman (Invincible Spirit).
During the first two days of the Tattersalls sale, Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock and Badgers Bloodstock bought three lots for an aggregate of 975,000gns (approx. AU$1,962,600).
Over the first two days of trade, the Australian-based Lucky Vega syndicate purchased five lots for an aggregate of 1,620,000gns (approx. AU$3,260,900) and the most expensive of the quartet was the unraced mare Tierra (Dubawi), who was offered in foal to Frankel. The mare is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and successful stallion Zoffany (Dansili).