Miller makes his mark with epic $325,000 battle for Russian Revolution colt
Locals dominate at Magic Millions Perth sale in absence of interstate competition
Western Australian owners and trainers have taken advantage of a decimated interstate buying bench to dominate their local Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale in which a son of first season sire Russian Revolution (Snitzel) was the scene stealer after selling for $325,000 early in the session.
The highest-priced yearling to sell at the Perth sale since 2017, it was Ascot trainer Simon Miller who was forced to pull out all stops, warding off Sydney–based agent Andrew Williams and Upper Bloodstock, to ensure he bought the powerful colt, one of five yearlings sold yesterday for $200,000 or more.
While the Book 1 sale did not follow the trend of the Magic Millions Gold Coast auction or the Inglis Classic sale, which saw significant year-on-year growth, the competition for quality lots was evident throughout the day, which lasted right to the end of the 163-lot afternoon session.
The top-priced colt, by Newgate Farm’s dual Group 1-winning freshman sire Russian Revolution, was bred by the Western Breeders Alliance and foaled at Darling View Thoroughbreds, making him eligible for the lucrative Westspeed bonus scheme, a major factor in the state’s owners seeking their local product so strongly.
“He’s from an active family that’s already thrown stakes winners,” Miller said.
“The Deep Field half-brother (Winner Method) in Hong Kong is clearly above average. The mare’s doing a good job, he is a good type and even though he is a late foal (November 8), he still looks imposing, so I was happy to have a crack at him.
“But I didn’t have any bullets left – that was about me. Now, I’ll be trying to jam black type on him, in any direction, and keep him as a colt.”
The colt is the seventh living foal out of four-time winner Magical Belle (Blackfriars), making him a half-brother to four winners including WA stakes winner Enchanted Dream (Patronize), the stakes-placed Mystic Maid (Patronize) and recent impressive Hong Kong scorer Winner Method (Deep Field). He was catalogued as Lot 21.
Darling View Thoroughbreds’ Brent Atwell, meanwhile, has held the session-topping Russian Revolution colt in high regard from the time he was born, but he admitted the price tag surpassed his lofty expectations.
“I thought he was the star of the show and I always thought he’d make good money as he’s always been a lovely colt,” Atwell said.
“The fact that he can go to a really good trainer in Simon and stay in Perth is great. He’s got the Westspeed bonuses, which is great for Simon and his clients, and we look forward to watching him race here.”
Atwell also praised Brian Nutt of Attunga Stud at Scone for his assistance in agisting the Western Breeders’ Alliance mares and foals when they are sent to the Hunter Valley to be covered.
He said: “Our mares over the east reside at Attunga, but she came home to foal. They are always a big part of what we do over there. We love breeding to Newgate stallions. They are quality horses, so we are very happy.”
Miller also bought a colt by Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon) for $140,000 from Western Breeders Alliance (Lot 126) and a Deep Field (Northern Meteor) half-brother to his high-class mare Dance Music (War Chant) (Lot 136) for $100,000. He also paid $75,000 for a Patronize (Redoute’s Choice) colt (Lot 138).
Western Breeders Alliance sold 17 yearlings yesterday at an average of $89,765. The draft also included a $220,000 Choisir (Danehill Dancer) colt and a $170,000 Zoustar (Northern Meteor) colt who were both bought by trainer Neville Parnham who also prepares stakes-winning sprinter Indian Pacific by the Widden Stud-based Zoustar.
Parnham, who is third on the WA trainers’ premiership behind the Bob Peters-backed Adam Durrant and Grant and Alana Williams, will also prepare a $200,000 Playing God (Blackfriars) filly who is the first foal out of Boutique (Discorsi), herself a half-sister to WA stakes-winning sprinters Quilista (Scandal Keeper) and Red Can Man (Gingerbread Man).
The Willaview Park-consigned Lot 105, who is by the same sire as the Parnham-trained Group 1 winner Kay Cee, was bought by Michael Fagan.
Claire Williamson sold the filly under her newly formed Willaview Park banner after the dispersal of the family’s Mungrup Stud last year.
“That was probably our expectation for her. She is a beautiful filly who is a great breeding prospect (once her racing career is over). It is very exciting to get this result for our first year.”
The equal second highest-priced lot of the sale (Lot 161), the Choisir colt out of six-time Perth winner Hot Goods (Time Thief), was another strong result for the Western Breeders Alliance.
Jane Beynon of Einoncliff Park, one third of the alliance, said: “I think we were a little bit surprised (he made that much) being a Choisir. Overall, the Western Breeders have done exceptionally well and better than we expected.”
Parnham was the leading buyer yesterday, purchasing nine yearlings for a total of $785,000, ahead of Miller who spent $640,0000 and Ridgeport’s Santo Guagliardo who bought three for a combined $450,000. WA trainers Ben and Daniel Pearce, Roy Rogers and Dan Morton all bought five yearlings each at their local sale.
Brockman gets his early running Oratorio colt for $210,000
The adrenaline of a yearling sale was a welcome distraction for the staff at Yarradale after the drama they were forced to encounter when a bushfire raged near the farm earlier this month and their dedication was rewarded with a stunning six-figure result late on day one.
After a flurry of competition from a range of Western Australian buyers, it was experienced trainer Vern Brockman who won the battle for the Oratorio (Stravinsky) colt, but he had to go to $210,000 to get him.
“He is a very strong, early two-year-old type of horse who can hopefully provide a quick return. He is an outstanding horse – I thought he was the best two-year-old type in the sale,” Brockman said.
Catalogued as Lot 147, he is a half-brother to the talented Martin Allan-trained Time To Sizzle (City Place), a winner of six of her 12 starts so far. The fifth foal out of Frizzled (Dehere), his three siblings to race have all won in Western Australia.
Yarradale Stud manager Bernadette Hamill watched 12 yearlings go through the ring yesterday, selling 11 of them for a total of $728,000 at an average of $66,182 to be second leading vendor behind Western Breeders Alliance.
“It is good to have them selling, especially after the couple of weeks that we have had,” said Hamill who declared the farm’s Oratorio colt as “a belter ever since he was born”.
“(The market) was right about where we thought it would be, although we did think that the War Chants might be a bit stronger, but that’s OK, we’re meeting the market.”
As for Yarradale’s interrupted lead-up to the delayed Magic Millions sale, Hamill said: “The staff have done a tremendous job, worked really well as a team and they pulled through.
“(When the bushfires were burning near us) we had no power, so the yearlings were starting to get a bit neglected, so they’ve done a lot of handwalking.”
Milestone for Scenic Lodge
Yesterday’s session also brought an important milestone for respected Western Australian stud Scenic Lodge after a filly by its resident sire Snippetson (Snippets) sold for $200,000, the highest-priced yearling ever sold by the farm and the stallion.
The honour laid with the August-born half-sister to dual Listed-winner Friar Fox (Blackfriars) and the stakes-placed Friaresque (Blackfriars), who was bought by Millfields Park for the record figure.
Scenic Lodge general manager Jeremy Smith was almost overwhelmed by the result.
“It is a fantastic result and it is just nice to get that recognition because Snippetson has been doing a good job for us over here in WA. It was very rewarding,” Smith said.
“The filly has been really popular, but you never know where they (buyers) are going to go. We thought she might have been around the $100,000 mark with the amount of interest, so it was a great result for the stud.”
Catalogued as Lot 41, the filly is the sixth foal out of Pearlesque (Statoblest), herself a sister to the three-time Listed winner Impressive Stats.
Snippetson (Snippets), who relocated from Widden Stud to Scenic Lodge in 2016, is the sire of the David Harrison-trained Gemma’s Son, the first horse to complete the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and Magic Millions WA 3YO Trophy (RL, 1200m) double.
Overall, he is the sire of 14 stakes winners led by ATC Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Fast Clip and Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) winner My Poppette.
The previous highest-priced yearling by Snippetson was $185,000 when the subsequent Listed-winning, Group 1-placed Nobby Snip was bought by Apollo Ng in 2010.
Smith said: “Snippetson is having such a good run lately. I think he’s the leading active stallion in WA with a lot of early two-year-old horses.
“They are the horses people like, so they are ideal for the Magic Millions race concept.”
Meanwhile, the Matthew Sandblom-bred Capitalist (Written Tycoon) colt, the only one in the sale by the current leading first season Newgate Farm-based sire, was bought by prominent trainer Lindsey Smith for $220,000.
By the same sire as Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m) winner Profiteer, the colt is the first foal out of two-time winner Munjai (Trusting), a three-quarter sister to ATC Breeders’ Plate (Listed, 1000m)-winning stallion Whittington (Tale Of The Cat). He was catalogued as Lot 31 and offered on behalf of Sandblom by Willow Dale Farm.
Locals make most of weaker competition
Western Australian buyers purchased 105 of the 119 yearlings sold in the Book 1 session yesterday, with interstate participation well down year-on-year. Just nine lots yesterday, compared to 31 last year, were bought by buyers outside of WA.
There were 16 yearlings bought by Victorians in 2020, but only three were purchased this year, underlining the impact the snap Covid lockdown by premier Daniel Andrews had on the Perth market.
Interestingly, four horses were bought by Hong Kong clients, two horses by Upper Bloodstock, one by Simple Bloodstock Services and one by Eden Wong and Anita Chu.
The average of $71,374 and the median of $55,000 was on par with the 2020 sale but the clearance rate of 79 per cent was up on the same day last year, a figure that pleased Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch.
“I think it’s been a really healthy day’s trade for Western Australia in a market where we have obviously had fewer interstate buyers this year given the border restrictions,” Bowditch surmised last night.
“The locals on a whole have got in and participated and rightly so given the huge bonuses these horses race for, whether it be the Magic Millions race series at Pinjarra or Westspeed.”
One factor that was clear, Bowditch said, was that vendors who had invested in quality mares had been rewarded in the sales ring by the buyers.
“For Brent Atwell and the Western Breeders Alliance to get a result topping the sale today, it is well deserved as they have been investing heavily for the past few years, be it in sires here in the west or mares in the east,” he said.
“It was a fantastic result for them.”