Merchant Navy colt tops Book 2 on the final day of record-breaking Perth Sale
Curtain comes down on two-day Magic Millions auction which has seen increases across the board
Coolmore’s Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) claimed the highest price from Book 2 in another strong session at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale yesterday, with an Amelia Park-bred colt by the stallion selling for $160,000.
As the sale closed with its overall two-day gross up by a resounding 35 per cent on last year, prominent West Australian breeder and owner Wally Daly snared the powerfully-built youngster – the only lot on offer at the sale by the first-season sire – on a day in which strong demand and high prices continued.
At the close of the session, the average price of $44,489 was up on last year’s completed Book 2 figure of $40,922, with the median rising $1,000 to $36,000.
A total 128 lots sold for an aggregate of $5,694,500, up from $5,033,500 through 123 lots last year, although the end-of-day clearance rate dipped to 88 per cent from 95 per cent in 2021.
Across both days, 271 lots were sold for an average of $68,871, median of $55,000 and a gross of $18,664,000, up from last year’s 250 lots sold at $55,338, a median of $40,000 and an aggregate of $13,834,500.
On a day dominated by colts, with only two fillies reaching $100,000, second top lot went to WA-based stallion Gingerbread Man (Shamardal), with trainers Chris and Michael Gangemi paying $140,000 for a Yarradale Stud son of War Chant (Danzig) mare Habenera.
While yesterday’s top lot failed to match the $180,000 paid last year for a colt by Rommel (Commands), ten lots fetched six figures, up from eight in 2021.
Yesterday’s higher lots included a $110,000 Playing God (Blackfriars) colt bought in novel fashion by local trainer Trevor Andrews, who was in the auditorium but bidding online via his laptop in a shrewd and thoroughly modern play to keep his cards close to his chest.
Playing God, the overall sale-topper with his $330,000 colt from Book 1, was the highest grossing stallion of Book 2, with 11 lots yielding $738,500 at a $67,136 average, while Awesome Rock (Fastnet Rock) had six lots sold for $375,000 at $62,500.
Alwyn Park Stud finished the day as the leading vendors having sold 16 lots for an aggregate of $878,500, while the recorded an average of $54,906, marginally below Yarradale’s leading average (with three or more lots sold) of $55,250 for 12 yearlings sold for a total receipts of $663,000.
Commercial Bloodstock Services was the biggest buyer, having spent $322,000 on seven lots, ahead of trainers Dan and Ben Pearce who parted with $316,500 on six yearlings.
Magic Millions Perth manager David Houston described the sale – following on from booming results in the east of the country on Monday – as “a sensational two days” that flew in the face of Covid-related travel issues, which made for a heavily local buying bench.
“In spite of everything we’ve had a wonderful result in the end. All the figures are going to be up, and I’m sure all the vendors and buyers will be happy,” Houston told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It’s justification for the quality of the stock that are going through, and the effort that buyers are putting in to find horses, and the way racing’s going in WA. So I think it augurs well for the future.
“Racing has become more popular. I think we’ve ironed out a lot of the issues people might have had, and certainly the prize–money is good here. If we could get a few more of those million dollar races like they’ve got over on the eastern coast, who knows what might happen here, but certainly racing is an event now that people want to be involved in.
“We had a very local buying bench. I actually bid on a couple of horses for interstate buyers, but like yesterday, the locals were too strong, and it’s good to see these good horses staying here in WA. It’s going to improve our product and that’s going to bring more people to the races.”
Catalogued as Lot 274, the Merchant Navy sale-topper was the second foal of Irish-bred mare Listed-plaed mare Bumbasina (Canford Cliffs), who first foal, Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni), is an early fancy for Perth’s two-year-old highlight, the Karrakatta Plate (Gr 2, 1200m), in April, having won a barrier trial.
Bumbasina herself is a half-sister to Irish Group 2 winner Epona Plays (Australia) and Dolce Strega (Zoffany), who won at Group 3 level in Ireland.
“Merchant Navy is Fastnet Rock blood, which is some of the best blood in Australia,” Daly told ANZ Bloodstock News. “And the Canford Cliffs haven’t done so much as a group but there’s one or two outstanding Canford Cliffs, so that cross is quite good too.
“The colt wasn’t on my list before I came to the sale, but now and again you get a rush of blood – and that was a rush of blood.”
Amelia Park’s Sarah Brown said the colt, to be trained by Sean and Jack Casey, had been a late bloomer and hence wasn’t selected for Book 1.
“To be fair he shouldn’t have been on day two. He was probably a day one horse. He was a little slow to develop early but hit his straps at the right time,” she said.
Meanwhile, Nathan Jaskola, who snared the $140,000 Gingerbread Man yearling on behalf of the Gangemi team, said the yearling was the team’s pick of the colts across both days of the sale.
“They’ve had a few by Gingerbread Man, three to race for three winners for Gangemi Racing, so they obviously go pretty good for them,” Jaskola said.
Andrews pulled a nimble move by using his laptop to buy Lot 275, by Playing God out of winning Oratorio (Stravinsky) mare Castle Keep. Andrews trains the colt’s as-yet unraced two-year-old half-sister by I’m All The Talk (Hussonet), and was keen to re-invest in the family.
“Trevor has the half-sister and he really liked this bloke, but there were other trainers in there (who) knew that he liked it, so he thought he’d disguise how he was bidding. It was sneaky but very smart,” said vendor Mogumber Park’s Colin Brown with a smile.
Andrews revealed he had taken a crash course in online bidding just before his manoeuvre, asking a Magic Millions staff member to “show me how to use the online bidding”.
“We had a few dummy runs on some previous lots, but that’s the first horse we bought. It’s nice to fly under the radar and buy online like that,” Andrews said.
WA-based first season sire Bondi (Snitzel), who was Group 1 placed in Sydney, achieved a strong result when the Misty Valley Thoroughbreds-bred Lot 311 – out of the 2010 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Juice (Bertolini) – fell to Neville Parnham for $110,000.
The top-priced Book 2 filly was the Alwyn Park-consigned daughter of Maschino (Encosta De Lago youngster out of the top producing Tale Of The Cat (Storm Cat) mare Amazingtale and she was purchased by Todd Harvey for $110,000.
BOOK 2 STATISTICS
(2021 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 160 (140)
Lots Sold: 128 (123)
Sale Gross: $5,694,500 ($5,033,500)
Average Price: $44,489 ($40,922)
Top Price: $160,000 ($180,000)
Median Price: $36,000 ($35,000)
Sold %: 88.3 (95)
COMBINED BOOK 1 & 2 STATS
(2021 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 338 (303)
Lots Sold: 272 (250)
Top Price: $330,000 ($325,000)
Average Price: $68,765 ($55,338)
Median Price: $55,000 ($40,000)
Sale Gross: $18,704,000 ($13,834,500)
Sold %: 87.4 (90)