Spitting image Lonhro colt sells for $180,000 in Book 2 of Magic Millions National Sale
Gold Coast auction comes to a close as Bowditch expresses satisfaction with results
If there was ever a need for further proof that well-credentialled horses will be found by buyers no matter what marketplace they are offered through, there was another example yesterday when a striking colt by champion sire Lonhro (Octagonal) made $180,000.
The top-priced lot in Book 2 of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, purchased online by the Hong Kong-based Upper Bloodstock, also capped off a successful 2020 pinhooking exercise for NSW’s Jazcom Thoroughbreds.
The fact that there were numerous bidders on the colt past the reserve of $80,000 also highlighted the continued demand for new season two-year-olds from an array of participants in an array of racing jurisdictions.
The strong result for the Lonhro colt – and the $260,000, $160,000 and $160,000 price tags for racehorses Noble Privilege (Lonhro), Sole Heir (Exceed And Excel) and Haunted (Lonhro) respectively – brought a satisfying end to the seven-day national Gold Coast sale which for some time was in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s National sale may not have seen the exorbitant turnover of past years, but for Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch it was one of the most satisfying, given the problems faced in the lead-up to the delayed auction which managed to set a new milestone with the selling of $4.2 million mare Sunlight (Zoustar) last Monday week.
“It has been a long haul for both us and the vendors,” Bowditch said. “There are plenty of people that have gone to extraordinary efforts to be here, whether it be vendors, buyers, staff, some of which have had to isolate in hotels, leaving states early to work within the restrictions that were put in place.”
“We thank them for what they have done and helping us in making the best of it. To have well over $80 million for the stock we had, and to be clearing well over three quarters of what we offered, is a phenomenal effort in the current climate.
“This sale was for the participants of the industry and they got in behind it and met the market and the buyers were here and they were very motivated to play and I think that is evident. It has been an extraordinary sale from start to finish.
“To the team at Magic Millions, to put a plan in place to hold this sale and I have never been more proud of them.”
Jazcom celebrate another pinhook success
Meanwhile, the Book 2 sale-topping colt was a $46,000 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale purchase from Twin Hills Stud by Jazcom Thoroughbreds, He is the second foal out of the twice-winning mare Respected (Street Cry) who is a half-sister to the Listed-winning sprinter Federal (Medaglia d’Oro). Further back is MRC Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Flit (Medaglia d’Oro). Consigned by Goodwood Farm for Jazcom, the colt was catalogued as Lot 1625 .
Jazcom Thoroughbreds’ Colin Branthwaite had intended to offer the colt for sale earlier this year but was forced to wait until the delayed National sale to put him to market.
“It was a bit of a mistake (that he was in Book 2), but in all honesty, we had the same thing happen two years ago when we topped Book 2 at Magics in January when our Brazen Beau filly was in Book 2,” Branthwaite said.
“We were all down and out about it, but I just find when Book 2 horses are able to be viewed at the same time as Book 1 horses, if you’ve got the right product they find their way.
“That Brazen Beau filly two years ago made her way to be one of the best (by the sire) in the sale even though she was in Book 2 and she brought $230,000.
“This horse he made himself and the buyers don’t miss the nice horses.”
Magic Millions bloodstock staff helped facilitate the sale on the Lonhro colt with Upper Bloodstock.
“We have been an information service for those guys who are in Hong Kong and they have been doing their work back there,” Bowditch said.
“Upper Bloodstock bought a lovely Capitalist (on Monday) and a fantastic Lonhro today and I know when they actually get to lay eyes on these horses, they will be delighted with what they have purchased.
“The way the sale has gone gives us confidence that we can provide a competitive market even in tough circumstances. The virtual or online platform is the way the world is going to be for quite some time.
“This has been an outstanding effort just to pull it off, but for it to be as successful as it has been is truly humbling for me and the whole team.”
The sale of the Lonhro colt was not the only success for Branthwaite’s Jazcom Thoroughbreds which also turned $10,000 into $180,000 after topping last month’s Inglis Scone Yearling Sale with a son of Toronado (High Chaparral).
Branthwaite placed an $80,000 reserve on the Lonhro colt and would have been happy to retain him to race.
“Everyone who saw his x-rays would have seen that they were good and his video scope was good,” he said.
“The horse has ended up as the closest looking horse to his sire as I’ve seen. He was a Lonhro colt who looked like Lonhro.”
As for next year, Branthwaite has not let the economic uncertainty dent his confidence, having secured 29 weanlings for the 2021 yearling sales.
“Put it this way, the worst we’ll do with our 29 horses is break even. We’re fortunate enough at the farm to be able to run our horses here through the farm and all our staff look after the weanlings the same as they do with all the spelling horses that we have,” he added.
Darby Racing secure unraced Noble Privilege
After missing out on a Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) colt at Monday’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, Darby Racing, in conjunction with Will Johnson Bloodstock, returned yesterday and secured three-year-old colt Noble Privilege (Lonhro) for a session-topping $260,000.
Catalogued as Lot 1808, the colt was from the unreserved draft of The Estate of the Late Eduardo Cojuangco, and hails from a family that includes Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago) and Smart Missile (Fastnet Rock).
Mark Holland, sales manager for Darby Racing, was delighted to secure Noble Privilege.
“We missed out on the Shalaa last night, we were wrapt with that Shalaa, but when this guy came up, he was just a must get for us,” Holland told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“Lonhro, outstanding family, two stallions in the family and he’s a horse that’s won a city trial already. We’ve had success buying breeze-up horses last year with Malkovich, who was a horse that had won a city trial as well. We bought him for good money and sold him very quickly. This horse is still a colt, he’s Lonhro who is a champion stallion and he was just a must have.”
Holland lauded the fact the colt is a racehorse which means shareholders won’t have to wait long for him to hit the racetrack.
“That’s one of the massive bonuses,” Holland said. “We’re up here buying yearlings at the moment and now we can get our shareholders into a racehorse and with legitimate reasons for Gooree to be moving him on.”
Formerly trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Noble Privilege is set to join the Team Hawkes stables.
“Obviously John (Hawkes) with Lonhro, it’s a great match for them,” Holland said. “They pride themselves on good types and this colt was a mirror image of his father and we think it’s a perfect fit for Team Hawkes.”
“There was good competition, but everyone was up against it because we got beat for the Shalaa colt, so we really wanted this bloke.
“We found this sale tough, it has been hard work and the competition has been strong for the good horses and a lot of work has gone into it.
“I know there were rumours going round that there weren’t a lot of people here and there wouldn’t have been a lot of money, the sale has been very, very strong.
“Magic Millions should be absolutely rapt with how the sale has gone. We have noticed that as the sale has gone on, the prices have gone up and people have decided to think: I’ve got to get a horse because it is the last sale so you have to grab one while you can.”
A winner of a 742-metre trial at Randwick in April, Noble Privilege is one of six foals out of dual Group 3 winner Queen Of The Hill (Danehill), who herself is a half-sister to the late stallion Northern Meteor and Comical Smile (Comic Strip), the dam of Twin Hills Stud resident Smart Missile.
This is also the family of BRC Sapphire Stakes (Gr 3, 1630m) winner Sure Knee (Snitzel).
Darby Racing also secured Sole Heir, who is also out of Comical Smile and is a three-year-old colt that has had five starts for one win and two placings.
Catalogued as Lot 1812, the syndicate purchased him from the unreserved draft of The Estate of the Late Eduardo Cojuangco for $180,000.
Sale statistics – National Yearling Sale – Book 2
2020 2019
Catalogued 178 180
Offered 141 154
Sold 110 (78%) 122 (79%)
Aggregate $1,348,000 $1,360,500
Average $12,255 $11,152
Median $7,000 $7,750
Top Lot $180,000 $60,000
Sale statistics – National Racehorse Sale
2020
Catalogued 35
Offered 30
Sold 30 (100%)
Aggregate $1.8 million
Average $60,300
Median $60,000
Top Lot $260,000