Culham recovering after scare
Popular Magic Millions bloodstock consultant Ben Culham is recovering at home on the Gold Coast after a frightening incident that left him seriously injured about a fortnight ago.
How, where and why the roadside incident occurred, which left him with head injuries, and who was responsible for it remains a mystery, but it’s one that Culham is grateful that he will make a full recovery from.
When he didn’t turn up to work one morning, and he didn’t answer his phone, his Magic Millions colleagues visited his house. When it was evident that Culham also wasn’t there, bloodstock manager Dane Robinson called the local hospital in search of their friend and peer.
He had been taken to the Gold Coast hospital the previous night following the mystery incident which happened while he was making his way home that evening.
After an extended stint in hospital, earlier this week Culham was discharged to continue his recovery.
He wrote: “I’m extremely lucky it isn’t so much worse and I’m out of hospital a long time before was once predicted.
“[I am] incredibly gracious for my amazing family, wonderful friends and brilliant colleagues – amazing care and support throughout, and huge thanks for the many (as yet unanswered I’m sorry) messages and well-wishes. Thank you to you all.
“Recovery will be a long road ahead, but I’m well on my way and time [is] the main factor. Should have no long term effects. Back bigger and better soon.”
Hear, hear, Benny. Rest up and we look forward to seeing you at a sale once again in the near future.
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Queensland’s Western Downs Wagyu breeder Laird Morgan already had something in common with Yulong’s Zhang Yuesheng but after this week’s Classic sale they also have another mutual interest, a Pierata (Pierro) colt.
The fourth-generation cattle breeder, who is based 340 kilometres north-west of Brisbane near Condamine, sold the Pierata colt to Zhang for $320,000, a big return on the $26,000 Morgan paid for the yearling’s mother Just No Kissing (Canford Cliffs) in the September 2020 Inglis Digital Sale.
A relative newcomer to thoroughbred breeding, Morgan sent Just No Kissing – a half-sister to Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) placed Light Up Manhattan (Manhattan Rain) and to Abscond (Galileo), the dam of Group 1 winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible) and stakes winners Secret Blaze (Sizzling) and Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice) – to Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit) that season before taking her back to Queensland and mating her with the then Aquis Farm-based Pierata in 2021.
Advised by Kenmore Lodge’s Cameron and Kellie Bond, Morgan chose to offer the impressive October-born colt at the Classic sale through the Robyn Wise draft and he was handsomely rewarded when Zhang won the bidding duel.
While Zhang’s global thoroughbred interests are well-known, he is also a big player in the Wagyu beef business, investing significantly in the fullblood breed including paying a record-price of $400,000 for a 13-month-old heifer in 2022.
Morgan and his wife Sonia operate Arubial Wagyu, which was set up in 2015, across five properties.
Yulong acquired Pierata from Aquis Farm last year.
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Inglis’ Japan representative and independent agent Satomi Oka is building up quite the reputation for sourcing a quality horse.
Oka bought dual Group 2 winner Roots (Press Statement) for $52,000 at the 2020 Classic sale for Japanese owner Yugengaisha Murakami Kinya Bokujo, who has since on-sold her to agent Sheamus Mills and his co-investors for a premium, and at this week’s Classic she had Japan’s R Unicorn Stable buying two horses.
They were a $120,000 filly by Astern (Medaglia d’Oro) and the North Pacific (Brazen Beau) half-sister to Inglis Millennium (RL, 1200m) winner Fully Lit (Hellbent) for $420,000, the latter in partnership with the Rising Sun Syndicate.
Perhaps even more notable is Oka’s $180,000 2023 Easter Yearling Sale purchase, the September 15-born Piko Argyle (Justify) for Japan’s Champions Farm.
Out of a half-sister to Sunlight in Solar Girl (Lonhro), the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum-bred, Segenhoe Stud-sold Piko Argyle is unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile in Japan last December – despite giving away a six month age disadvantage against his northern hemisphere-bred rivals.
Piko Argyle’s two wins have occurred on the local NAR circuit, but his prize-money earned of approximately AUD$75,000 makes him eligible to join a national JRA stable. However, at least for now, the colt is likely to remain on the NAR circuit.
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Boom two-year-old Shangri La Express resumes in tomorrow’s Pierro Plate (1100m) at Randwick to open his Golden Slipper campaign, but don’t expect his sire Alabama Express’s (Redoute’s Choice) stock just to be jump-and-run two-year-olds.
That’s the view of agent Paul Moroney whose brother Mike trained the Yulong stallion to win the C F Orr Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and has a few two-year-olds by the sire in his Flemington barn.
The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Alabama Lass also caught people’s attention with her 9.5-length win at Matamata on February 7. She was bought by agent Dean Hawthorne and the Kiwi trainers for $120,000 at last year’s Inglis Premier sale.
“The sire’s on fire and the one in New Zealand the other day, we thought she was the best filly in Victoria last year and Ken Kelso got hold of me in September and he said he may have hit the jackpot,” Paul Moroney says.
“One thing they’re all saying about them is that they have bombproof temperaments and he also had a bombproof temperament, he was very easy to train as a colt and has thrown that through.
“They all just go about their job, they don’t get uptight, they’re relaxed, they’re tractable and clearly they’ve got ability.”
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Harry lives!
And I’m not referring to the headline-grabbing red head Prince Harry who also spends most of his time north of the equator.
But Darley’s feisty shuttler Harry Angel (Dark Angel) who is also well and truly still with us despite suggestions last week that were making their way around Inglis’ Riverside Stables complex in Sydney.
After hearing the rumour three or four times within hours it was a matter of finding out the truth.
So, with that, a message was sent to a Darley/Godolphin confidante seeking a straight answer. When he didn’t reply, it only added to the growing speculation about the premature death of Harry and the jungle drums kept beating. (It turns out my go-to Darley contact was skiing in the French Alps).
Just as the front page was being cleared to report the death of Harry Angel – the sire of this season’s Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Tom Kitten, Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) winner Stretan Angel and stakes-winning, Group 1-placed colt Arkansaw Kid – Darley’s friendly noms guy Arvin Chadee appeared in the distance wearing a coveted Harry Angel puffer vest.
His chosen branded attire wasn’t a mistake, either, with Arvin also hearing the scurrilous suggestions about the demise of dual-hemisphere Harry.
After all that, however, we can thankfully report that Harry Angel, the sire of nine stakes winners overall, is fit and well.
He covered 119 mares in his fifth southern hemisphere season at Darley’s Kelvinside last year and Arkansaw Kid’s brother sold for $300,000 to Ohukia Lodge (with the help of Mitchell Bloodstock) early on day two.
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There was plenty of discussion about how quickly Inglis’ auctioneers – Jonathan D’Arcy, Chris Russell, Brett Gilding and Angus Robertson – flew through the Classic catalogue of 270 lots on days one and two and 268 on day three (prior to withdrawals which ranged from 32 to 26 across the three sessions).
There has been criticism in recent years about how long sales days can drag on for – and not just at Inglis – and that the buying bench disengages late in the day when they’re concentrating more on a dinner reservation than what’s in the ring.
But there was no excuse at the Classic sale, with Sunday’s session concluding at 4.38pm, 4.40pm on Monday and about 4.42pm on Tuesday. Selling started at 10am each day.
Broadly, buyers and vendors were in favour of the auctioneers’ rapid approach to selling. Those few buyers caught out by the change and didn’t show their hand until it was too late or thought horses weren’t on the market when the gavel came down will be better prepared next time.
Whether the Easter sale can operate quite as fast, considering some of the deep thinking some buyers undertake when you’re buying million dollar horses, it’s unlikely but regardless the earlier finishes are welcomed.