Southern NSW breeders get chance to showcase Magic Millions yearlings to buyers
On-farm inspections becoming increasingly popular with trainers and bloodstock agents
On-farm yearling sale inspections across Australia and New Zealand is nothing new, but bloodstock agents and trainers are placing increasing importance on the exercise as they attempt to lessen their respective workloads in the lead-up to the 2021 series of auctions.
Earlier this week, an entourage of about 20 agents and Magic Millions bloodstock consultants started their two days of inspections in the Southern Highlands, visiting Steve Grant’s Silverdale Farm, Milburn Creek, Lime Country, Rheinwood Pastoral and Ricky Surace’s B2B Bloodstock property.
The second day consisted of inspections at Redbank North near Jugiong, Twin Hills Stud at Cootamundra, Bowness Stud near Young and Newhaven Park near Boorowa.
“Rarely do we have on-farm inspections but this year we’ve had quite a few. I think that people enjoy looking at the horses in their home environment and to see how much they improve and, with the size of the scope of the Magic Millions catalogue, they wanted to get on top of it,” Newhaven Park’s John Kelly said on Tuesday.
“It’s changed a little bit down here (in southern NSW) with Olly (Tait) going to Twin Hills and John North at Bowness, so suddenly down here, if you do those three farms in the day, you see 80 yearlings, so it is a significant percentage of the sale and people are prepared to come down here and have a look at them and we’re happy to host them.
“We’ve enjoyed today and we’ve enjoyed everyone who has come and looked at them.”
Kelly, whose farm will consign 29 yearlings at the Gold Coast, is maintaining a conservative outlook in 2021, despite optimism among many industry stakeholders heading into the New Year.
He said: “I just think that after the year we’ve been through that it may not be quite as simple as everyone thinks it’s going to be, but of course I hope it is.
“We just want to get our horses on the market and we are going to set very realistic reserves.”
Twin Hills’ Tait, who acquired the former Transmedia Park, Woodlands and Godolphin/Darley property with wife Amber in early 2017, agrees with Kelly that the southern NSW region is an important piece of the Australian thoroughbred breeding industry.
“Between us, Newhaven Park, Bowness and Redbank North, just in our immediate area, there is a very good number of horses going to the Gold Coast, so it is worth people’s while coming to see them,” Tait said.
“We think this is as good a place as any to breed horses and the record of the farms that I have just mentioned proves that, so it is nice that people have come to see the yearlings now and you obviously get a different perspective on horses a month out from the sale compared to what you do on the sales grounds.
“We are very proud of the horses that we have got and we think that they are in good shape at the moment.”
Tait added: “Pre-sale inspections in the Hunter Valley have been going on for quite some time, but we’ve had a lot of interest in our yearlings at the farm this year and I know we and other farms in southern NSW have had a good stream of people through.
“Magic Millions has brought a good bunch of buyers, so it’s very encouraging that the interest is there and it was nice to not only be able to show them our yearlings but our farm.”
Agents such as Merrick Staunton, Will Johnson, Aquis Farm’s Shane McGrath, Michael King and Kacy Fogden, Jamie Walter, Damon Gabbedy, Johnny McKeever, Peter Twomey, Dave Mee and Emirates Park’s Bryan Carlson were among those who were guests on the Magic Millions tour.
Victorian agent Peter Ford also headed north to inspect yearlings in preparation for his alliance with Cranbourne trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock.
“There’s a few more horses to get through in the catalogue and, while I am used to seeing the mares on farms and things like that, it seemed like a good idea to bowl over a couple of hundred (yearlings) on the farm before we get to the Coast,” Ford said.
“Also, I hadn’t been to Newhaven before and it’s a magnificent 7,000-acre farm and it’s worth seeing given the standard of horses that they produce. It was also good to go to Twin Hills, which has got a lot of history, and of course John Muir’s at Milburn Creek is a lovely farm.
“Hopefully I have found enough nice horses to add to the list for Griffiths de Kock Racing.”
Bowness Stud is another farm to open its gate to an increased number of visitors and principal North said traffic had been constant over the past three weeks.
“Gai (Waterhouse) has been down a few times in the past, but this is the largest volume of potential buyers that have come to the farm,” North said.
“They are coming every second and third day in December and everyone you talk to says they are going to be on the Coast in January, so I think it’s going to be a very popular sale.”
Bowness Stud paraded 26 yearlings in front of the potential buying bench and the experienced breeder says the exercise will help his draft’s preparation.
“The more parading practise they get and get used to people being around all helps when you get up to the Gold Coast because they are straight into it as you are not spending too many days getting them to settle in and parading properly,” he said.
“They have come up particularly well. There is a little bit of fine-tuning to do with their manners and so forth, but every time we do this, they get better, so we are very happy.”
Redbank North’s Jamie Middleton, who along with daughter Dimity solved a potential accommodation issue for the travelling party, was happy to show off his draft of four yearlings which includes a Zoustar (Northern Meteor) half-sister to Group 1 winner Single Gaze (Not A Single Doubt).
“I am relaxed about (on-farm parades), to be honest. If people want to come and see them we are more than happy to show them. We have only had them in for four weeks, so they don’t look their best and we don’t rug them – because we don’t believe in rugging – as we are all about trying to get good racehorses, not show ponies,” Middleton said.
“Even when our horses get to the Gold Coast, we see a huge improvement during that week. Ciaron Maher came through (on Wednesday) and Bill Mitchell and Annabel Neasham turned up the week before to look at our yearlings.”
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch, who led the contingent alongside Dane Robinson and Tim Brown, believes the on-farm inspections have become part of the spectacle of the Gold Coast auction.
“In years gone by, this has been a huge part of the lead-up to the sale, but this year I think it has become part of the event really,” Bowditch said.
“Since Covid, people want to get out and get their work done. It’s a huge catalogue and the anticipation and build-up starting so early is exciting for the team at Magic Millions.”
The Hunter Valley has been the principal destination for pre-sale inspections but Bowditch said agents and trainers had been criss-crossing borders in recent weeks to take a look at as many lots as possible ahead of the seven-day sale, which starts on January 12.
“We’ve had some good parades in Victoria, we’re doing Queensland next week and to do the Southern Highlands and southern NSW this week with a huge team was fantastic,” he said.
“I think it’s great to see our buyers get to the farms and see behind the scenes what these farms are about and see the history behind them, where the horses are raised because it’s an important part of the whole process.”
Since announcing an extended schedule, with 1,273 Book 1 and Book 2 lots going through the ring over seven days, Bowditch says buyers have been complimentary about the horses on offer.
“The feedback on the catalogue has been nothing short of fantastic and we knew when we were selecting the catalogue that we were putting something very good together,” he said.
“Buyers are enjoying their time looking at these yearlings and, obviously, there’s a lot of anticipation about getting to the Gold Coast and getting involved in a live sale with fewer restrictions.
“We’re really excited about hosting everyone in January.”