March 18: Don’t be late for David Chester
Many commercial breeders are cashed up after continued record yearling sales and the majority of pinhookers have been so far well-rewarded in the rising market in 2022.
With that in mind, how many breeders will choose to hold onto more of their foals for the yearling sales who normally would take drafts to the Magic Millions and Inglis weanling sales, an important cash flow generator which helps pay the service fees due from the previous year’s breeding season?
Will some breeders contemplate swimming against the tide and offer commercial weanlings to the market in the hope of a windfall given the strong possibility that demand could outstrip supply?
Entries for the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale officially close today, as do entries for the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, while nominations for the Great Southern sale close on April 29.
Entries for the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale, to be held on June 17, close on April 14.
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In this column last week, Cambridge Stud’s Henry Plumptre and Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson said that, in their opinion, on balance, the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale should return to its late January slot next year.
However, we hear that the view is not shared by all Kiwi vendors, many appreciating this year’s March date because they enjoyed the luxury of a Christmas break for the first time.
No matter what decision NZB and the vendors make, next year’s sale probably won’t be a true reflection, as the international buying bench returning to Karaka is sure to boost the figures.
The argument of getting a crack at the money early in the season, just weeks after the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, I think is a compelling one.
It might not be as vital in a booming market, particularly with locked out internationals flocking to New Zealand next year, but if there is a downturn in demand, whatever the triggers for it may be, then a sale’s placement could have a significant impact on the end results.
We’ll continue to follow the developments from across the Tasman.
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Adelaide trainer Will Clarken is already plotting a return to Dubai for next year’s carnival just days after his two horses began their long journey back to Australia.
Seven-year-old gelding Parsifal (Darci Brahma) raced three times for Clarken at Meydan, finishing third in the Blue Point Sprint (Gr 2, 1000m) on February 18 as well as finishing sixth twice at stakes level over 1200 metres, either side of his placing.
Five-year-old stablemate He’s A Balter (Spirit Of Boom) raced twice in the United Arab Emirates for a second over 1200 metres and a fourth in the Blue Point Sprint, finishing a neck behind Parsifal.
“They are on the way back home now but it will take a little while to get back here through quarantine and we’re in no rush. They’re going to end up (racing) in the back-end of the spring.” the trainer said from the Magic Millions Adelaide sale this week.
“They weren’t the highest-quality horses in our yard to go over there, so there’s no real grand final for them. They wouldn’t have been good enough for a Goodwood.”
Clarken intends to take a younger team to Dubai in 2023.
“I’ve got a couple of theories that I’ve come back with. I think that our two-and-a-half-year-olds will be able to be competitive with their three-year-olds when we get over there, so we’ll have a go at that next year,” he said.
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Cornerstone Stud stallion Sir Prancealot (Tamayuz) will return to the South Australian farm in 2022.
Sam Pritchard-Gordon, who was promoted to general manager earlier this year to allow co-owner Sam Hayes to pursue a real estate business venture, confirmed that the US shuttler would be back later this year for a sixth straight southern hemisphere season.
He will stand alongside Valencia (Fastnet Rock).
“He had runners in the two-year-old stakes race (Cinderella Stakes) and one in the Adelaide Guineas (on Monday at Morphettville),” Pritchard-Gordon said.
“He only had 38 yearlings entering into the stables from his first crop, so we weren’t expecting big announcements from that crop, but from his second crop there is a bit of movement and I am looking forward to seeing what happens as they develop.”
Cornerstone Stud enjoyed a successful Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, the Barossa Valley farm’s draft of 27 horses raking in $2.072 million to see it crowned leading vendor by aggregate.
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The best evidence that advertising works is when it creates discussion and that was the case on Monday when Newgate Farm announced that Tiger Of Malay, the Group 2-winning son of Extreme Choice, would stand for a fee of $16,500 (inc GST) later this year.
The front page advertisement in ANZ’s Monday edition had breeders, rival studmasters and nominations team members discussing the merits of the stallion and his fee, some even suggesting, if they owned him, they would have stood him for more.
Other industry figures questioned how Henry Field and the Newgate team would handle having so many new stallions on the roster, with Tiger Of Malay standing alongside fellow newcomers Wild Ruler (Snitzel), Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) and Profiteer (Capitalist) whose fee has also been set at $16,500.
Decisions about fellow Newgate-controlled Group 1-winning colts In The Congo (Snitzel) and Artorius (Flying Artie) have so far not been announced, although Royal Ascot was touted for the latter by co-trainer Sam Freedman earlier this week.
Field and co, though, only need to look back to 2017 when Newgate did launch four stallions – Extreme Choice, Flying Artie, Capitalist and Winning Rupert – and that huge investment has thus far paid off handsomely for the stud and its supporters.
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I now know why Magic Millions has David Chester “opening the batting” at its respective sales. The long-time auctioneer is nothing if not punctual, and he expects others to be the same. I’ll never again dare suggest I’ll be late to a pre-arranged dinner engagement!
David’s company was, of course, worth the effort and his years of experience is borne out when playing host.
He does it well, and the early finishes are appreciated, even if others lead you astray when attempting to get home at a reasonable sale-eve time.