Nutt and Clarke head west to score prized War Chant filly
Strong demand for the progeny of leading Western Australian stallion War Chant (Danzig) and a quality colt by first season sire Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon) has helped fuel a buoyant Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, continuing the upward market trend of 2020.
The most expensive yearling sold yesterday, a half-sister to Group 2-winning mare Quilista (Scandal Keeper) by Yarradale Stud’s War Chant, made $240,000 while a further 29 lots made $100,000 or more including a Victoria-bound $200,000 son of Newgate Farm’s young stallion.
In contrast, there were 24 yearlings who made six figures last year to a top of $260,000 with three breaking $200,000 at the Magic Millions’ purpose-built Swan Valley selling complex.
The Book 1 average was last night sitting at $71,302, up 9.7 per cent year on year, with a clearance rate of 73 per cent compared to 77 per cent in 2019.
Sydney-based agent Jim Clarke and Attunga Stud’s Brian Nutt signed for the top-priced War Chant filly on behalf of Victorian owner Geoff Walsh who is set to race her on the eastern seaboard.
“War Chant has got a very good Group 1-winning filly in Silent Sedition in the east already who subsequently sold very well as a broodmare ($1.5 million) and he is a proven stallion,” Clarke told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“The filly has got a very big pedigree and she is going to have very good residual value with Quilista … who is in foal to I Am Invincible, so there’s a lot of upside. Physically, I thought she was the most impressive type of the sale.
“Brian Nutt and I looked at every horse in Book 1, but before we got here she was one that we had earmarked on pedigree as one of the ones we were particularly interested in and she had looks to match.”
Catalogued as Lot 166 from the Willow Dale Farm draft, the Ellie Giles-bred filly is eighth foal out of the stakes-placed juvenile winner Brocky’s Ace (Surtee), making her a half-sister to five winners including Listed winner Red Can Man (Gingerbread Man) and ATC Sapphire Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Quilista.
Nutt’s Attunga Stud sold Quilista at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale for $950,000 to Aquis Farm’s Tony Fung and the popular Hunter Valley breeder consulted the sprinter’s original trainer Justin Warwick before committing to buying the filly.
“He was instrumental in my buying her. He gave me the confidence I probably didn’t have five days ago. I was very happy to get her,” Nutt said.
Clarke, who was attending his second Perth sale, has been buying fillies at the recent yearling sales for a separate syndicate with the view of trading them at the end of their racing career.
He thought yesterday’s purchase for a client of Nutt’s hit the mark price wise.
“I think, from a value point of view, it was probably pretty well spot on what she was worth,” he said.
“Certainly, on pedigree she was an obvious standout in the catalogue and the fact she had the physique to back up her pedigree was the reason why we thought she was worth what we paid for her.”
The first horse to hit the $200,000 barrier was the Western Breeders Alliance-consigned colt by Newgate Farm’s young Group 2-winning sprinter Winning Rupert who was purchased by Victorian trainer Matt Laurie.
He was consigned by Western Breeders Alliance (Darling View Stud) as Lot 161 and is the second foal out of the winning mare Bitter Twist (California Dane), herself a sister to the stakes-placed Inspector and half-sister to Perth Listed winner Hoegaarden (Flying Spur).
“I thought he was a standout and obviously I had to bid pretty hard to get him but he is a really forward, well-muscled, well-balanced colt who is a typical early running sort of horse,” Laurie said.
“He is from a tough family, speed on speed, and his physical attributes matched his page and we’re thrilled to get him.”
Birthday girl Cheng celebrates with War Chant pair
Singapore owner Constance Cheng, under her Thoroughbred Owners Association and Sports Trust (TOAST) banner, bought two yearlings by Yarradale Stud’s flagship stallion War Chant, a colt for $120,000 and a $180,000 filly who momentarily held the status as the highest-priced lot of the sale.
The filly, who was catalogued as Lot 133, is a half-sister to the 11-time winner Lamasery (Commands) who was successful at stakes level four times. She is the 11th foal from the unraced Verse (Quest For Fame), herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner Anthems (Palace Music) and Listed winner Vocalist (Bluebird). The filly is also from the same family as ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Microphone (Exceed And Excel) whose second dam is Vocalist.
Cheng, who races horses in Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong, believes she was “the top filly of the sale”.
“I really liked her as a type – with a deep girth and beautiful hips,” said Cheng who was also celebrating her birthday yesterday.
“It was great to be able to buy her off Yarradale Stud as I have had a lot of success with stock from the farm.”
Her $120,000 colt, who was catalogued as Lot 50, is closely related to talented Group 2-winning three-year-old Dalasan (Dalakhani) being out of La Rochelle (Honour And Glory) and a half-brother to the stakes-placed Khandallah (Kitten’s Joy).
She in turn is the mother of the Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas-trained Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Dalasan.
Parnham delivers $170,000 knockout blow
This season’s Kingston Town Classic (Gr 1, 1800)-winning trainer Neville Parnham was the first to make a statement at the Perth sale, securing a colt by War Chant with a single $170,000 bid just ten minutes into the auction.
Parnham was aware of the presale hype about the colt but the similarities between his new acquisition and the trainer’s 2019 WA Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) winner War Saint were unmissable.
“I thought he was the best of the War Chants and we have had a bit of luck with the War Chants over the years and then we won the Guineas with War Saint last November,” Parnham told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“I thought this bloke had a lot of likeness to him in looks and shape, so I was pretty keen to get hold of him.
“I thought $150,000 would probably stop him but $170,000 was the only bid I had. I waited until the end and I got them in the finish.”
Parnham, one of WA’s leading trainers for nearly four decades, already has 75 per cent of the colt sold with breeder Ron Sayers of Yarradale Stud also set to retain a share.
Catalogued as Lot 5, he is the fourth foal out of the Viscount (Quest For Fame) mare Diamonds’N’Dreams, making him a half-brother to three-time winners Together We Dream (Discorsi) and Deadly Shot (Musket).
Parnham said the quality horses stood out and vendors who did present better-credentialled lots were well rewarded.
The declining clearance rate, therefore, was not a complete surprise to the trainer.
“I think it has been a pretty handy sale,” he said.
“There has been a few passed in lots but some of those were disappointing horses. The lots that are nice have made their money.”
Fellow prominent Perth trainer Simon Miller also struck yesterday, going to $170,000 for a colt by WA’s late champion sire Blackfriars (Danehill) from the family of dual Group 1 winner Scenic Shot (Scenic).
The colt, who was sold as Lot 104 by Dawson Stud as agent, is the second living foal out of the placed mare Sky Rumba (Shrewd Rhythm) who is a half-sister to WA Listed winner London Line (Blackfriars).
His third dam is the stakes-placed Sweepshot (Dr Grace) who is the dam of the former Dan Morton-trained Scenic Shot as well as the stakes-placed Flight Path (Bletchley Park).
McEvoys strike for colts by Hunter Valley stallions
Another yearling to feature in the top lots sold yesterday was the Western Breeders Alliance-offered $170,000 So You Think (High Chaparral) filly who was bought by McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock.
By the Coolmore-based So You Think, the sire of 24 stakes winners including five at Group 1 level, the filly is a half-sister to the Magic Millions WA Trophy (RL, 1400m) winner Enchanted Dream (Patronize) and the Group 2-placed Mystic Maid (Patronize). The filly was catalogued as Lot 56.
“She oozes class. She had great honesty about her, a great willingness and her purpose was incredible,” Tony McEvoy said.
Earlier in the session, agent Suman Hedge combined with Tony and Calvin McEvoy and Belmont Bloodstock’s Damon Gabbedy to secure a colt by Nicconi (Bianconi) for $160,000 who will be joining the So You Think filly at the stables of the dual-state trainers.
Hedge, who bought a Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) colt for $285,000 at the Gold Coast in partnership with the McEvoys and Redwall Bloodstock, was happy to be able to link with the leading stable to buy the colt who was offered by Dawson Stud.
“First and foremost he was a lovely, athletic horse who is really strong. He moves well with good angles and he had a bit of quality about him and, physically, he was a horse that we rated highly in the sale,” Hedge said.
“Tony felt the same way as I did and Damon Gabbedy, who is doing some work with Tony. We were all on the same page with him.
“Tony’s had a lot of success with that breed. He’s had a horse like Concealer run for him and he is out of a fast, running Exceed And Excel mare who won five. He ticks a lot of boxes for me and I was really happy.”
McEvoy, who was under bidder on a $370,000 Nicconi colt at last week’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, is a fan of Nicconi having helped train the Group 1-winning sprinter when an assistant to David Hayes at Lindsay Park and Hedge was happy to receive the trainer’s endorsement to buy the colt.
“They call me Tony Nicconi back east,” the trainer said. “I love the Nicconi breed and had quite a bit to do with the stallion himself when he was in training.
“Gee, this colt was big and powerful and such a great mover. He’s going to have a very big stride and is going to be very hard to get past. With him being a big fellow, we might have to watch his weight, but he looks like a real running type to me.”
Catalogued as Lot 13, the colt is the third foal out of the five-time winning mare Elite Ateates (Exceed And Excel) with his second dam the smart Group 2-winning juvenile Ateates (Zeditave) in turn a sister to Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Ruffles (Zeditave).
Aquis Farm was also active at the Perth sale, purchasing an Amelia Park Racing and Breeding-consigned colt by Coolmore sire Pierro (Lonhro) for $160,000.
The colt’s commercial appeal was aided by the recent important pedigree update after his two-year-old half-sister La Farola (Deep Field) won on debut at Pinjarra on January 11.
Catalogued as Lot 15, the colt is the fifth foal for the Melbourne-winning juvenile and stakes-placed mare Europa Point (Rock Of Gibraltar).
“He is very similar to his half-sister who won her first start for us about six weeks ago. He’s an early runner, strong and being by Pierro he attracted a lot of buyers,” Amelia Park’s Sarah Brown said.
“It is always nice to have eastern state buyers here and nice to know that we have a draft here that those big eastern state buyers are interested in.”
Amelia Park also sold a Vancouver (Medaglia d’Oro) colt from the family of Group 1-winning filly Special Harmony (Spinning World) for $150,000 to trainer Vern Brockman and a Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor) colt for $140,000 to Pearce Racing.
The son of Darley’s Shooting To Win is half-brother to five winners including the recent Simon Miller-trained three-year-old filly Kentucky Love (Uncle Mo) who made it back-to-back victories this campaign when scoring at Ascot last Wednesday.
Amelia Park’s Peter Walsh, who owns Kentucky Love, was also active on the other side of the fence, buying a War Chant filly for $130,000 from Yarradale Stud.
“She was a beautifully balanced filly with a lovely walk. She was eye-catching to me and we are always interested in buying fillies to race and bred with,” Brown said.
“We came here looking without being serious about buying but she had some ‘wow factor’.
Meanwhile, a colt by Gold Front Thoroughbreds’ first season sire Awesome Rock (Fastnet Rock) will also head interstate after Shane Nichols landed the yearling who is closely related to the Mornington trainer’s stakes-winning mare Tahitian Dancer (Dawn Approach). The highest-priced yearling sold by a first season Western Australian-based stallion, Nichols paid $165,000 for the colt.
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch described the Book 1 sale as “a really solid day’s trade” but admitted he would have liked to have seen more horses change hands through the ring.
“The huge average of over $71,000 is well up on last year and the gross of over $8.8 million is impressive considering we grossed $2 million less last year,” Bowditch said,
“It’s a disappointing clearance rate, which will improve over the next 24 hours.
“As the results indicate everyone was playing a part – from the locals to our interstate and international visitors.”
Bowditch also reserved special mention for Giles, the breeder of yesterday’s top-priced yearling.
“It was a great result today for one of the state’s most celebrated breeders in Ellie Giles. We couldn’t be more thrilled for her to top the sale,” he said.
“(Today’s) sale will present so many opportunities to buyers considering the healthy prizemoney and incentives around the state.”
The Book 2 sale starts at 11am local time today.