Premier back on track after big finish to Showcase Session
Street Boss filly makes $180,000 as world health crisis makes little impact at Oaklands Junction
Investors again appeared to shrug off any fears about flagging consumer confidence impacting world markets with demand for quality stock showing no signs of abating as the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale came to a close yesterday, with the auction’s figures finishing well ahead of the corresponding sale last year.
The Victorian sale last night ended with 236 six-figure yearlings, up 192 on 2019 across Books 1 and 2, after yesterday’s Showcase Session was backed by a buying bench that was headed by home-state trainers who demonstrated their willingness to support the local breeding industry.
Ciaron Maher Racing again led the way with five lots added to his swag of yearlings secured on Sunday and Monday, while the next five on the leading purchaser list by aggregate yesterday were also Victorian-based trainers.
Despite the downturn of financial markets in recent weeks, caused by concerns over the growing coronavirus outbreak, the depth of the buying bench at the Showcase Session did not seem to faze those speculating on young horses.
The rebadged Book 2 session averaged $45,788, up nearly 31 per cent, with 177 lots selling at a clearance rate of 76 per cent. The median was $36,000, up $10,000 year-on-year, in a market that saw a filly by back-in-favour stallion Street Boss (Street Cry) make $180,000.
The aggregate of $8,104,500 was up almost 40 per cent compared to last year’s auction.
Inglis general manager of bloodstock sales and marketing Sebastian Hutch said yesterday’s session topped off a successful three days for the company.
“We are really satisfied with not just how today played out but the last three days,” Hutch said.
“The clearance rate over the first two days has grown steadily in the 24 hours since the completion of the main session (to 82 per cent) without compromising the average figure to any significant degree – so that is really pleasing.
“The nature of the better horses in the Showcase Session was really quite extraordinary. What was particularly encouraging about it was the diversity of the people involved and there were a lot of people that made their way on to the buyers sheet today because they couldn’t just not buy a horse, they couldn’t even get a bid in (on days one and two).”
On Monday, leading vendor Phil Campbell of Blue Gum Farm stuck with his long-held conviction that the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale should remain in early March and Hutch holds the same view.
“We’ve been at pains to stress to all our stakeholders, be they vendors or buyers, that we are not ignorant of ways things may be done better. We are always considering improvements,” Hutch said.
“But there was a genuinely held conviction that this was the appropriate slot for the sale. We asked vendors to support us with quality stock, and we are delighted with the manner in which they have done so and are satisfied with the outcome of the sale.
“We always continue to re-evaluate the sale structure and the sale season, but I think the setting on where the sale sits on the calendar is an appropriate one.”
Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm’s James O’Brien, who is also the president of Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria, described the past three days as being “a magnificent sale overall”.
“The good horses sell well as we saw with the Manhattan Rain (yesterday),” he said.
“I think the middle ground still struggles a bit and we’ve had a few that have fallen into that middle ground, but the sale’s just been magnificent as it is for Melbourne to have such a sparkling industry.”
The Magic Millions Adelaide and QTIS March Yearling Sales will be held in consecutive weeks before the focus switches to Inglis’ flagship, the Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Hutch is confident that leading buyers from around the world would again be at the Riverside Stables complex in Sydney for the auction early next month.
“We get a degree of feedback about Easter through this sale and through Classic. Obviously a significant number of the participants here will be involved in Easter and the feedback has been that those people are looking forward to that sale,” he said.
“The response to the catalogue has been extremely positive. We will start to get some feedback though pre-sale inspections over the next few weeks when people go to various farms.
“I don’t think we have any reason other than to be optimistic. Consistently the industry has demonstrated itself to be very robust.
“It is built on a good set of fundamentals. It’s not something we ever want to be complacent about, but I think there’s every reason to be optimistic.”
McDonald beats Maher for Street Boss filly
Rival Caulfield trainers Ciaron Maher and Clinton McDonald went head to head for a Street Boss filly out of the Rosemont Stud draft but it was the latter who came out on top, securing the daughter of the Darley-based stallion for $180,000.
“Ciaron Maher, I don’t like Ciaron Maher, I’ll have to belt him tomorrow,” McDonald joked. “Let’s hope he’s a good judge, he buys enough of them.”
Catalogued as Lot 627 (https://inglis.com.au/sales/info/2020+Melbourne+Premier+Yearling+Sale/catalogue/627), the filly is the third foal out of the four-time winning Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Irish Teardrop, who was bought for $51,000 at the 2017 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale by agent Sheamus Mills before being mated with Street Boss. She was subsequently sold last year for $75,000.
Irish Teardrop’s second dam, Is Amazing (Laranto), won 11 races, two of which were at stakes level, and produced six foals to race who were all winners. Further down the page is BMW Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) and Victorian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Preferment (Zabeel) as well as Group 1 winner Ancient Song (Canny Lad).
McDonald also broke the news that he is set to bring on a co-trainer later in the year but is yet to announce who it will be.
“It’s been a really good week for us,” he continued. “We’re looking at going into a training partnership later in the year so we’re trying to stock up and hopefully hit the ground running.”
Breeders Simon Bilalis and Daniel Gangi, who operate under the GB Thoroughbreds banner, admitted the price tag exceeded expectations.
“She moves well and she would run tomorrow if there was a two-year-old race,” Gangi said.
“Clinton has been going really well lately and he deserves the results he’s been getting.
“We went in blind, we’ve never been in racing or breeding and Mitho (Rosemont’s Anthony Mithen) and his team are unreal. They always do the right thing by us and every now and then we get a result like this.”
The mad punters’ breeding experiment has nearly reached double figures.
“We’ve got nine mares between a few of us. We love it, although it is the hardest thing I have ever done in life. We work hard at it so it’s a great result,” Gangi said.
Mithen added: “There were plenty of people waiting around to buy her, that’s for sure, and she was worth the wait.
“She was for great clients, of course, who have been great supporters for four or five years now and this is great for them, one of their best results. They were in tears afterwards – they were rapt, which is fantastic.’’
Winning Rupert colt at Upper end for Lao
Earlier, Upper Bloodstock struck the second highest lot of the day, a $175,000 Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon) colt from the Woodside Park draft, who is bound for Hong Kong.
“He is a very nice horse. I thought he was the best colt in book two,” Ross Lao of Upper Bloodstock said.
“I bought it for a client and he will go to Hong Kong if it is good enough. We will break it in first and then see how good it is and go from there.”
On what he liked about the colt, Lao said: “His walk and strength and he was a good type. I always liked the Winning Ruperts, they look fast and athletic.”
Catalogued as Lot 554 (https://inglis.com.au/sales/info/2020+Melbourne+Premier+Yearling+Sale/catalogue/554), he is the first foal out of the placed Sebring (More Than Ready) mare Call Me Sachi, who in turn is a daughter of the Listed winner La Chasseuse (Lion Hunter).
Call Me Sachi was bought by Belmont Bloodstock’s Damon Gabbedy for $21,000 carrying the $175,000 colt at the 2018 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale after being offered by Glastonbury Farms on behalf of agent, and Yulong bloodstock manager, Luke Wilkinson.
James Price of Woodside Park, who sold all of their 22 lots offered over the three days, said: “He’s a wonderful physical. He paraded like an absolute superstar and paraded at the end of the week exactly how he did at the start of the week.
“He’s got a wonderful walk, he never turned a hair, never got upset or grumpy, it’s hard not to like him.
“We’ve sold everything, it’s been a great week for Woodside and a great week for the Victorian industry overall really. It’s a quality sale all round.”
Maher strikes early for Shalaa filly
Earlier in the day, Ciaron Maher secured a Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) filly from the draft of Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds for $160,000.
Catalouged as Lot 542 https://inglis.com.au/sales/info/2020+Melbourne+Premier+Yearling+Sale/catalogue/542, Maher said the filly was one of his top picks of the entire sale.
“I loved her, she is a beautiful moving filly,” he said.
“I quite like the Shalaas, I’ve bought a few of them and a couple out of the family can gallop. Aaron (Purcell) trains one, I think (Nigel) Blackiston has got the other and both have got ability.
“It was a little more (than I thought I’d have to pay), I thought I’d get her a little bit cheaper, but someone else obviously saw what I saw as well.
“I marked her up really high, I loved the way she swung along.”
Renowned for targeting two-year-old types at the sales recently, Maher can see this filly training on as a nice three-year-old.
“Yeah (I think she’s a two-year-old type), but I think she’s scopey enough to train on as well, so I think she’s clean and strong enough to go early but scopey enough to train on.”
Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace, also purchased Lot 541 https://inglis.com.au/sales/info/2020+Melbourne+Premier+Yearling+Sale/catalogue/541, a Tivaci (High Chaparral) colt for $18,000.
Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds sold two horses in the Premier Session for $180,000 and $260,000 respectively but Kim Alderton of the Victorian farm was delighted with the sale of the Shalaa filly.
“I’m absolutely over the moon, obviously they have sold well all year and leading up to our filly going through,” Alderton said.
“Once again she made overs of what we expected, but given the amount of interest we had and the hits on x-rays we were quite confident that she would make some good money.
“She is a lovely walking filly and she has gone to a very good stable as well, which is always good.
“I think from my point of view, although we had a small draft, we have been very busy and lots of people were looking and there were plenty of hits on x-rays – it has been a great sale.”
Out of the multiple English stakes-placed mare Bana Wu (Shirocco), the Shalaa filly is related to multiple Group 1 winner Ramruma (Diesis) and Strategic Prince (Dansili), a dual Group 2 winner who was also Group 1-placed.
Salamander’s owner toasts Manhattan success at Oaklands Junction
Andrew Goulopoulos, who raced Toorak Handicap, Turnbull Stakes, Sandown Cup winner and Melbourne Cup runner-up Salamander (Approval) in the 1970s, was yesterday more than satisfied with the $165,000 received for the Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago) colt he bred.
Catalogued as Lot 712https://inglis.com.au/sales/info/2020+Melbourne+Premier+Yearling+Sale/index/712, the colt is out of the five-time winner Royal Singer (Royal Academy), who has had two winners from three to race and hails from the family of Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m)-placed mare Performing Arts (The Minstrel).
Goulopoulos praised his agent Tim Stewart and vendor Lauriston Thoroughbreds’ James O’Brien for their assistance in the mating, management and preparation of the yearling, who was purchased by retired champion jockey Stephen King.
He is working with Flemington trainer Steve Richards who will prepare the colt.
“He was a very nice colt who comes from a family that has probably underperformed but I think there’s a bit left there,” Goulopoulos said.
“Manhattan Rain had come down as a sire of a Golden Slipper winner and it was hard to pass at the price that he came up at and he seems to always throw a nice type.”
The breeder was confident the colt could crack the six-figure mark and was delighted that the buyers were prepared to go higher than the $100,000.
He said: “We thought he could go for somewhere between $80,000 and $100,000 and that it might run after that, which he did. He’s gone to a very good judge in Steve Richards and he will have every opportunity.”
The eight-strong Goulopoulos-owned broodmare band, which trades under Fitzwood Pty Ltd, is overseen by manager Richard Scott and Stewart who recommended Royal Singer be mated with Manhattan Rain who had relocated from NSW to Victoria’s Blue Gum Farm in 2017.
Goulopoulos has his mares on a private property near Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula.
“My agent and friend for years, Tim Stewart, organises all the matings, etc. He, Richard and I talk about it all the time, but Tim is the one who makes the final decision,” he said.
“This year’s we’ve got a Fastnet Rock out of Maglissa; a Written Tycoon out of Beirut; a Sebring and a couple of Star Witnesses.”
Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm principal O’Brien said the sale of the Manhattan Rain colt was another endorsement for the Victorian industry and the lucrative Super Vobis and $1 million The Showdown (1200m) two-year-old race.
“You look at that Manhattan Rain, he is eligible for The Showdown, so there’s opportunities to race for extra prize-money,” he said.
“He’s a Victorian-bred horse racing in Victoria with a Victorian trainer. We appreciate Andrew entrusting us to look after the colt. Right throughout the sale he’s been very popular and been out of the box all the time. I think the result is fantastic and well deserved.”
Moroney Holler’s to Charles with $100,000 purchase
Hobby breeder Christine Charles was ‘thrilled to bits’ that her $100,000 Holler (Commands) colt, the son of a $1,000 mare, will head to leading trainer Mike Moroney after selling at Oaklands Junction yesterday.
The Euroa-based Franklin Farm proprietor is also looking forward to having new lino put down on the kitchen floor from the proceeds of her first six-figure yearling, who was purchased by Moroney’s brother Paul and Ballymore Stables Australia.
Charles, who has five mares but did not breed any in 2019, took the gamble to bring the colt to the Premier sale despite her one-lot offering.
“It’s a big thing to do one horse. My friend Anne Richardson from up the road has been down most days to help me,” Charles recounted.
“The old 12-year-old gelding’s had a yearling prep with him, so he had a mate.
“We had 87 parades and he never once missed a beat. He never stopped or jacked up. He got very colty but he’s as honest as the day is long.”
The intense interest in the colt heightened Charles’ expectations but such is her opinion of the horse she was prepared to take him home if he did not realise the reserve, which is what happened when he was passed in at last year’s Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale.
“I put a minimum $60,000 on him because I thought, ‘if I’m going to go home broke I may as well take my horse home with me’,” she said.
“You get a bit sick of doing it just for the cost of production – you actually have to make some money at some stage.
“I actually thought he could bring more with that interest.”
The fact that the colt would join Moroney’s Flemington stable only added to Charles’ satisfaction as she wanted him to be prepared by ‘a racehorse trainer, not a trader’.
“I am thrilled to bits with the trainer. I said to my partner a few weeks ago, ‘I’d just love Mike Moroney to get this horse’,” she said.
“That’s a new lino on the kitchen floor, anyway.”
Catalogued as Lot 550 (https://inglis.com.au/sales/info/2020+Melbourne+Premier+Yearling+Sale/catalogue/550), the colt is the fourth foal out of the twice-winning mare Bon Vacance (Good Journey) whose two foals to race so far have been successful. Charles bought the mare in foal for the meagre sum of $1,000 from the 2014 Inglis Great Southern Bloodstock Sale.
“I really try hard to mate my mares up with stallions who suit on type and temperament and I got what I wanted. He’s been a little gem all the way through,” she said.
“I bought the mare a few years ago now and I paid $1,000 for her in foal to Von Costa De Hero and every foal she’s had has been a really good type. She just needs a bit of luck to get one on the track and get going.”
On the mating, she added: “I love Holler and I loved Holler as a racehorse. I was always going to send something to him and once I saw him I knew which mare I had to send.”
Lot 775
Breeding: Reward For Effort – Viva Dubai (Dubai Destination) colt
Price: $155,000
Buyer: John Salanitri Racing
Vendor: Two Bays Farm
John Salanitri struck late in the day of the final session of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale to secure a Reward For Effort (Exceed And Excel) colt for $155,000 from the draft of Two Bays Farm. “He just stood out,” Salanitri said. “He ticked a lot of boxes that I look for in a horse. You’ve got to pay for what you want sometimes and unfortunately he was pretty strong today. I didn’t expect to pay that much. Right through the page is a winning family and he was an outstanding type himself, hence the reason he went for the price he did.”