I Am Invincible relation to Winx comes out on top in pandemic-affected market
Ryan lands $700,000 colt at Inglis Easter Round 2 sale at Riverside
An I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt from the same family as Winx (Street Cry) has become the headline act of a prevailing buyers’ market at Round 2 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, the first live auction to be held in the country since the coronavirus-led lockdown.
In what was described by some industry participants as a “tough” market, the Bhima Thoroughbreds-consigned sales topper gained the honour after Sydney trainer Gerald Ryan successfully negotiated with the colt’s breeder to buy the rising two-year-old for $700,000 after he had been passed in through the ring.
Yulong sold the two next highest-priced lots, a Frankel (Galileo) filly and an I Am Invincible colt, who each made $500,000.
Overall, 51 of the 83 Easter Round 2 yearlings were sold yesterday at an average of $131,588 with a number of passed in lots finding new homes, as buyers and vendors were able to agree on market values while the Scone Yearling Sale which followed, achieved a clearance rate of 81 per cent at an average of $17,652.
Ryan, who also bought a Corumbene Stud-bred son of I Am Invincible for $130,000 and a No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) filly for $50,000 from Coolmore yesterday, thought the market had held up well given the circumstances which included Victorians being banned from attending the complex only days out from the sale due to Racing NSW coronavirus protocols.
“I know a few of the vendors would be a bit disappointed, but given the present situation I think they’ve sold OK,” Ryan said.
“The colts and the good fillies, the same as every sale, they make their money.”
Sam Fairgray, chief operating officer for leading vendor Yulong which sold three of its 12 yearlings on offer, was in no doubt the Covid-19 pandemic created a “buyers’ market”.
“Everyone has to deal with the current economic circumstances – everyone is in the same boat globally,” he said.
“It will stay like this a bit longer yet where it’s probably a buyers’ market at the moment, but that said, to get $500,000 for those two horses we’re really happy about.
“It’s been great Inglis has been able to even create a marketplace with this live auction, so credit to them.’’
Agent Jim Clarke, who acts for clients including Bjorn Baker and Stuart Kendrick, agreed that it was a big effort from the industry to be able to conduct a live sale during the unprecedented crisis.
Clarke bought two yearlings by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) in conjunction with Baker including a colt from the Edinburgh Park draft for $400,000.
“It is changing times, no doubt, but we’re in the racing business, so we’ve got to keep buying horses and racing them,” Clarke said.
“The fact that the prize-money has gone back to pre-Covid levels gives us a lot of confidence to bid strongly and there’s always going to be people who want to be involved.
“We’ve taken a cautious approach in terms of the horses we’ve bought since the pandemic struck and we have focused on quality.”
Inglis managing director Mark Webster was well aware of the importance the company played in providing an avenue for vendors to be able to sell their stock, and was pleased with yesterday’s outcome.
“In general I would say that although we had a mix of three different sales here – we had yearlings from Easter, Scone and the (Melbourne) Gold sale – all up we have cleared over 70 per cent of the offering which under the circumstances with the economic climate, the health crisis and the travel restrictions … is still a positive, certainly for the participants who need the cash flow,” Webster said.
Last week Victorian participants were denied entry to Riverside Stables after a Racing NSW directive, but prominent trainers still took the chance to add to the depth of their yearling crops this year.
Pakenham-based Phillip Stokes and Peter Moody were both active, while Mick Price and Lindsay Park were also active while international buyers from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand also featured on the buyers’ sheet.
“I think over the last three or four months everyone has found a way to continue to do business even if they aren’t physically present,” Webster said.
“I don’t think they ever participate to the same degree when they are here, so our preference is to run a live auction and have everyone in attendance but that’s not possible, so we have to work with what we have.
“I was very disappointed when it became clear that we couldn’t have Victorian buyers here. A number of Victorian vendors were hamstrung.
“Some of them decided to send their yearlings, others didn’t. I certainly commend the crews that were put together to sell yearlings at the last minute – yearlings that they had never encountered in the past.”
Queensland vendor Ron Gilbert of Highgrove Stud sold the Snitzel brother to Group 2 winner Thronum for $300,000 to Aquis Farm as well as an American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) colt who was purchased for $130,000 by A List Stud’s Chris Lee.
“It’s been a tough sale, but also being a later sale people have already bought a lot of horses,” he said.
“We bought two lovely colts down here and sold them both. They made their money. Had it been a normal year, would they make more? I’d say buyers have bought well.”
Ryan’s powers of observation pay off with Miss Atom Bomb colt
Ryan, meanwhile, was pleased to be able to secure the third foal of the unraced Miss Atom Bomb (Encosta De Lago), a mare the Rosehill trainer saw firsthand when she was in training with Tim Martin.
“He’s a nice horse who is by a great stallion out of a mare who was unraced but I knew what she could do,” he said.
“She had a stack of ability and she was very fast and she is a half-sister to none other than Winx, so you wouldn’t get a better page.
“He’s a big, strong horse and while you wouldn’t say he’d be a pre-Christmas two-year-old, he’d definitely be ready to run in the autumn.”
The high-priced colt, who has already been broken in, will be given a short break to get over the rigours of the sale before continuing his education with Ryan.
“I saw him pre-Easter (in March) and then I saw him on Thursday and again today. He has grown and filled out a lot – and he’s grown a lot of hair, too.
“He goes out now, has a little bit of a break and with a bit more work it will stimulate his growth and come the autumn he should be a nice horse.”
Catalogued as Lot 95 as a supplementary entry, the colt’s older half-sister Nuclear Blitz (Sepoy) is a winner and she made $600,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale when purchased by the James Harron Bloodstock Elite Mares Partnership.
Miss Atom Bomb, who is also a half-sister to Group 3 winner El Divino (Snitzel) as well as Winx, is one of seven named foals for the Fairway Thoroughbreds-owned Vegas Showgirl (Al Akbar). She has another I Am Invincible colt born on October 19.
The colt was bred by Peter and Terry Board who bought Miss Atom Bomb for NZ$150,000 at the 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale.
“The next foal out of the mare was Winx so we might not have got the best one to race but we’re certainly having some fun breeding with this mare,’’ Terry Board said.
“She always had a lot of ability and speed and Tim Martin who trained her always liked her but she never made it to the races.
“So we went on the breeding journey with her and while this year has been a little stressful at times to be honest, given everything that’s been happening, we’re so very happy with this result today to get the $700,000 for the colt.’’
Coolmore strike for $500,000 Vinnie colt
Coolmore, which has been a buying force throughout the 2020 yearling sales, also made its mark on the July auction, securing another colt by I Am Invincible from Yulong for $500,000.
Tom Magnier signed for two colts by the Yarraman Park Stud-based stallion to a top of $1.4 million at the April Easter Yearling Sale.
Yesterday, it was left to Colm Santry to bid on behalf of Coolmore when landing Lot 85 for the $500,000 figure.
The second foal for Group 2 winner and the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) fourth-placed Gypsy Diamond (Not A Single Doubt), he will be trained by Chris Waller as part of Coolmore’s stallion syndicate.
Santry said the entire Coolmore team had endorsed the decision to make a play for the colt.
“He’s a high-quality horse, a strong and mature horse who really should be highly effective as a two-year-old,” he said.
“He’s already broken-in which is good so he can basically go straight into the Waller system as normal immediately and just see how far he gets with him this first preparation.
“It’s great to be able to buy a lovely colt from Yulong as they have been great supporters of our stallions and Mr Zhang and his team continues to invest heavily in our industry. Yulong had an extremely high-quality draft at this sale and it’s a credit to their team.”
Fairgray said: “This colt was from day one the perfect article and he just kept progressing in the right direction.
“Nothing was ever a problem for him, he’s strong and everyone who saw him fell in love with him. He’s a beautiful animal and I’m sure the Waller team will get the best out of him.’’
I Am Invincible had five lots sell yesterday for a total of $1.55 million.
Frankel filly heading to Japan
Earlier, Yulong parted with a Frankel filly for the same $500,000 figure after Japanese owner Dr Yamazumi had previously missed an opportunity to buy into the successful international family.
Satomi Oka, the Japan representative for Inglis, handled the bidding on behalf of Dr Yamazumi who will send the filly to Champions Farm in his home country.
Catalogued as Lot 6, the daughter of Frankel, who was bred to southern hemisphere time, is the first foal out of the unraced mare Lake Hamana (Shamardal) who is a three-quarter sister to Ascot Listed winner Sixth Sense and a half-sister to European Group 1 winner Sobetsu (Dubawi). Further back in the filly’s family is Satsuki Sho (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Dee Majesty (Deep Impact).
“There’s a very strong Japanese influence through the first three dams especially, the likes of Sobetsu and Sixth Sense and Tower Of London so it’s fantastic to be able to buy this filly,” Yamazumi said from Japan.
“I tried to buy one from the family a couple of years ago but missed out so it’s a great relief and very exciting to be able to secure this beautiful filly.
“It’s a world-class pedigree being by the great Frankel and we liked everything about her.”
The filly’s dam Lake Hamana was purchased by agent Sheamus Mills and Yulong at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale for 210,000gns.
Yulong have supported Frankel in recent years and race rising three-year-old Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Hungry Heart by the stallion. She is back in training for the spring with Waller.
“She’s a lovely filly who had been popular all week and even prior to that,” Fairgray said.
“To get $500,000 for her in this market, we’re definitely pleased with that. She’s a belter of a filly, she had the size and strength about her and is such a good-moving filly. She was similar to Hungry Heart but probably with a bit more substance to her.
“She’s just a horse who everything was easy for her from the outset.’’
Baker and Clarke stick with the family
Jim Clarke and Bjorn Baker, who is currently fourth in the Sydney metropolitan trainers’ premiership, used the Easter Round 2 sale to target yearlings they deemed to be of quality rather than seeking quantity in a depressed market.
That led the pair to securing the $400,000 Snitzel colt who is a half-brother to Baker’s consistent Spencer (Pierro) as well as a filly by champion sire Snitzel for $140,000 who is the first foal out of the Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) placegetter Muzyka (Danehill Dancer).
“We’d seen a lot of these horses from the first Easter sale, so we had a pretty good idea of what was going to be in the catalogue,” Clarke said.
“We went up to the Hunter and looked at a number of them on the farm a couple of weeks ago, so the majority of the homework was done before we got here and we zeroed in on a couple of well-bred ones by stallions we liked and we are happy to come away with both of them.
Bred and offered by Ian Smith’s Edinburgh Park Stud, the Snitzel colt is the fifth foal out of Alice’s Smart (Smart Strike), making him a brother to the stakes-placed Miss Wonderland and a half-brother to Spencer, who Baker has trained to win six races and more than $250,000 in prize-money. He was catalogued as Lot 61.
“I know Ian has had a good opinion of the colt all the way through and Bjorn obviously trains Spencer out of the mare and she has done a fantastic job,” Clarke said.
“She’s a young mare and she’s got a stakes horse on the ground and three city winners in Sydney, so she’s doing a fantastic job.
“There’s not much to say about Snitzel other than the fact that he is still at the top of the tree in terms of stallions in this country and pedigree wise he ticked all the boxes. He’s a lovely big athletic horse and hopefully he can do it on the racetrack and he can find a home at stud one day.”
Scone sale record set
Meanwhile, the relocated Scone Yearling Sale set a new benchmark with Hawkes Racing playing a key role at the top end of the market after buying the top three lots, including a Toronado (High Chaparral) colt for $180,000 from Jazcom Thoroughbreds who bought him for $10,000 as a weanling.
“I’d made it quite clear to people close to us that I thought he could top the sale, I thought he’d bring $60,000 but wouldn’t be surprised if he bought $100,000 so to get that great result, it really pays off for what Meagan and I do with the pinhooking investment,’’ Jazcom’s Colin Branthwaite said.
“He’s a quality horse, he’s got a lot of presence, an aura and demeanour that good judges like.’’
The father and son team also bought colts by Shamus Award (Snitzel) and Exosphere (Lonhro) for $75,000 and $70,000 respectively.
Inglis will host the two-day Australian Weanling Sale at Riverside on Wednesday and Thursday.
Lot 58
Breeding: Capitalist – Zingaling (Redoute’s Choice) colt
Price: $200,000
Buyer: Snowden Racing
Vendor: Macquarie Stud
“He’s a nice colt, strong, athletic with good length, probably a better type than the one we have at home now (Hurt Money) by a stallion we think will get two-year-olds,” Peter Snowden said. “We’ve got a few Capitalists who are showing us quite a bit as well, so it’s not a bad combination – out of a good mare who can produce by a stallion we know very well. He’ll be broken in straight away and, all going well, we’ll give him a fair bit of time, let him grow out a bit more and target some later two-year-old races with him.”
Sale statistics – Easter Round 2
Catalogued 100
Offered 83
Sold 51 (61%)
Aggregate $6,711,000
Average $131,588
Median $85,000
Top Lot $700,000
Sale statistics – Scone Yearling Sale
Catalogued 176
Offered 158
Sold 128 (81%)
Aggregate $2.259,500
Average $17,652
Median $10,000
Top Lot $180,000