Firsts
And, for good measure, purchaser James Harron was also the first to pay $1,000,000 for a Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) yearling which was Wandjina – at the 2013 Easter Sale.
The irrepressible Stuart Ramsey, from Turangga Farm offered the colt, by the Woodside Park-based stallion and first foal from the Elvstroem (Danehill) mare Brilliant Bisc which Ramsey purchased as a weanling for just $11,000 from Amarina Farm at the 2011 Inglis Weanling and Bloodstock sale.
“She’s proved a bargain and I thought, even at the time, she was cheap as a daughter of Stella Cadente,’’ said Ramsey who has the further blessing of having of an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt foal from the mare.
Propitious indeed given that soon after the Brilliant Bisc colt was sold, Lot 71 also reached seven figures with James Harron again the buyer of a colt by the aforementioned I Am Invincible from the O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Captivating Claire who was the day one second highest purchase at $1,600,000.
The sale of the Turangga colt was a great result for Ramsey who well acknowledges that a smattering of good fortune is needed to complement any amount of good judgement in this game.
“It’s all swings and roundabouts. I think the first yearling I sold at Easter was a filly by Royal Academy from Marscay’s Dream who failed the scope. Her next foal was Mr Murphy who won the Australian Guineas in 2001. He was passed in but Lee Freedman bought him later on behalf of Eduardo Cojuangco.
“At about that time, I was in the market for a good Marscay mare and she proved quite handy but the other I was looking at was Circles Of Gold,” Ramsey lamented. Circles Of Gold, of course, went on to produce Elvstroem, Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Hveger (Danehill), the dam of Highland Reel (Galileo).
Ramsey, who bred the Hong Kong champion miler Able Friend (Shamardal), will be hoping the 2017 Easter good fortune continues tomorrow with its first Wednesday offering – Lot 205 by Fighting Sun (Northern Meteor) from the Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) mare Life On The Edge whose dam Our Quivira (Spinning World) has produced the highly talented Glenall (Redoute’s Choice) who ran fourth in the recent The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m) at just his fourth career start.
“He might be the best we’ve had,” Ramsey said of the colt who has accepted, to run in the Ramsey’s colours, in Saturday’s Arrowfield Sprint (registered as Royal Sovereign Stakes) (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick.
Four yearlings made $1,000,000 or more on day one and while it’s easy to record the high priced yearlings flops there’s been reward for many who’ve gambled big time at Easter. They include:
Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice – Milliyet) – cost $1,500,000 at 2007 Easter, won three Group Ones, and later sold for $3,850,000.
All Too Hard (Casino Prince – Helsinge) – cost $1,025,000 at 2011 Easter, won four Group Ones and now potential top stallion.
Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock – Forest Native) – cost $925,000 at Easter 2010, won William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and now a quality stallion.
Forensics (Flying Spur – Prove It) – cost $900,000 at 2006 Easter, won three Group Ones including the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).
Wandjina (Snitzel – La Bamba) – cost $1,000,000 at 2013 Easter, knocked down to James Harron, won Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and now hugely valuable stallion.
Gunnison (Not A Single Doubt – Colorado Claire) – cost $850,000 at 2016 Easter, undefeated in two starts including a Group Two, and last week sold for $1,400,000 at Inglis Chairman’s Sale. His half-sister sold for $360,000 today.
Summer Passage (Snitzel – Subsequent) – cost $800,000 at 2016 Easter, had four starts for two wins and two seconds, including in the Inglis Sires at Randwick last week.
MURRAY BAKER:
Last weekend’s racing cannot pass by without mention of trainer Murray Baker.
Back in October 2012, I wrote about Murray Baker and his extraordinary success as a trainer. It was just after he’d trained his 1000th winner with Neo (One Cool Cat) claiming the Wellington Guineas (Gr 2, 1500m) and just after It’s A Dundeel (High Chaparral) had won the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
It was before Dundeel went on to win another five Group Ones races in Australia. Before Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) and Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) won Group Ones here; before Saracen (Per Incanto) and Eleonora (Makfi) won stakes races; and, of course, before last Saturday when Jon Snow (also by Iffraaj) gave Baker (now training in partnership with Andrew Forsman) his fourth Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) win.
I would argue he has no peer when it comes to New Zealand trainers raiding on Australian shores.
Although, in terms of Australian Group Ones wins, he is equal – on 19 – with his ‘mate’ John Wheeler according to colleague Danny Power. “No New Zealand trainer has produced more Group One winners here (Australia) than them,” Power says.
Baker, who began his training career at Woodville, in the North Island, in the mid 80’s after working for other trainers including Eric Ropiha who trained the 1960 Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Illumquh (Sabaean), also has the distinction of winning those Group Ones in four states (Vic, NSW, Qld and SA).
Back then, when I spoke to Baker at length in 2012, Power assured me that he’d be more talkative if I began by asking him about his cricket career.
He played cricket for Central Districts, winning two Plunket Shields (equivalent of the Sheffield Shield), in the mid 60’s and early 70’s. He made 522 first class runs at an average of 23.72. ‘It’d have been better if I hadn’t been an all-rounder,’ he joked then of his average. Baker also bowled leg breaks.
His CV of major races won includes the Caulfield Cup, Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), Futurity Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Emirates Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), Crystal Mile (Gr 2, 1600m), Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m), Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m), AJC/ATCDerby, Randwick (Gr 1, 1600m) and Rosehill Guineas’ (Gr 1, 2000m), Spring Champion Stakes, Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m), Brisbane Cup (Gr 2, 2400m), Prime Minister’s Cup (Listed, 1400m), Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m), Gloaming Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m), Ranvet Stakes (registered as Rawson Stakes) (Gr 1, 2000m) and South Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m).
The Phantom (Noble Bijou), Lion Tamer (Storming Home), It’s A Dundeel, Nom Du Jeu (Montjeu), Harris Tweed (Montjeu), Prized Gem (Prized), Dowry (Bahhare) and My Eagle Eye (Grosvenor) are among his successful horses who preceded those aforementioned.