Standout Spirit Of Boom colt makes $370,000 at Magic Millions March Yearling Sale
Metrics on day one of the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale have jumped dramatically year-on-year, providing the biggest example of the staggering increase in market confidence 12 months on from the first Australian thoroughbred auction significantly impacted as the shock of the pandemic started to hit.
As buyers continue to soak up the yearling market at record pace, yesterday it was Queensland vendor River Junction who became the latest beneficiary of the immense appetite for racehorses when a quality colt by Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) made $370,000 during the opening session.
The session-topping colt, who was bought by Gold Coast trainer John Morrisey, was one of 21 yearlings to make $100,000 or more at an average of $47,156, up 62 per cent year-on-year, while the aggregate of $7,545,000 climbed a remarkable 110 per cent.
The booming demand follows on from records achieved at the Magic Millions Gold Coast January, Adelaide, Perth, Tasmania and Inglis Classic and Premier sales.
The Spirit Of Boom colt, catalogued as Lot 69, is the second foal out of the unraced mare Chroma (Lonhro), a three-quarter sister to the stakes-placed Diamond Oasis and a half-sister to New Zealand Group 2 winner Knight’s Tour (Reset), his half-brother by All Too Hard (Casino Prince) made $150,000 at last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
The September 23-born Spirit Of Boom colt had developed well in recent months, justifying River Junction’s Joe Heather’s decision to hold the yearling back for the March sale.
“We’re only a small farm, so to be able to get a price like that at our local sale is a really good result.” Heather told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“We bought Chroma as a race filly off Godolphin at a sale in Melbourne (for $110,000 in 2017). Her first foal is an All Too Hard colt we sold at Classic last year to Matt Dunn. We’re part of the original ownership group in Spirit Of Boom when he raced, so we were always big supporters of his.
“She’s a lovely mare who probably suits him quite well, so we sent her to him and it paid off, so to speak. We had originally retained a breeding right but we’d since sold it and this colt was with a paying nom.”
River Junction sold six yearlings yesterday for a total of $487,000 and Heather was always confident the son of Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom was a stand out.
“We always knew he was a great type and, more importantly, he moved really well,” he said.
“We thought that March was probably the right sale on the calendar for him to physically develop.
“So, we targeted towards March based on where it fits on the calendar and we like to have a standout horse for our draft at this sale.
“We did that last year with a Pride Of Dubai filly who we got $170,000 for. It has worked out well for us.”
Buyer Morrisey, whose son Scott now trains at the Gold Coast, said: “He’s a really lovely colt. He’s a good mover and I’m very happy to get him.
“He’s a great type and he’s got a good pedigree as well and I had to go hard to beat Tony Gollan to get him.”
Two lots earlier, Morrisey went to $170,000 for a Kenmore Lodge-consigned filly by the stallion.
Chroma has a Capitalist (Written Tycoon) colt at foot and is in foal to Widden Stud’s Written By (Written Tycoon).
Heather pointed out the strength of yesterday’s market, although significantly Queensland buyers, was helped by the attendance of a number of significant interstate owners and agents.
He said: “The March sale is getting better and better and we have a far bigger interstate buying bench now coming to this sale and that gives you a bit of confidence to bring these (high-end) colts to a sale like this knowing that they are going to get in front of the right people even though it is a Queensland sale, so to speak.”
Although they narrowly missed out on the session’s highest-priced lot, the powerful combination of Gollan and his trusted agent John Foote had earlier made their intentions clear with the $220,000 purchase of a filly by the leading Brisbane trainer’s former stable star.
A half-sister to recent Aspiration Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m) and Millie Fox Stakes (Gr 2, 1300m) placegetter She’s Ideel (Dundeel) and the New Zealand Group 1-placed Elusive Treasure (Northern Meteor), she is the seventh living foal out of Ana’s Mail (Anabaa), a Melbourne two-year-old winner who is a sister to Group 3 winner Shanzero (Danzero) and Listed winner What’s The Mail (Flying Spur). Consigned by Eureka Stud, she was catalogued as Lot 18.
Hong Kong agent George Moore was also active yesterday, going to $140,000 for a colt by Spirit Of Boom from Eureka Stud.
Catalogued as Lot 34, he is the seventh living foal out of Baroque Pearl (Piccolo), making him a half-brother to recent two-year-old Ipswich winner She’s Heavenly (Nicconi) and two other winners.
Later, Moore also went to $110,000 for an Oaklands Stud-consigned Hallowed Crown (Street Sense) colt who is the first foal out of Emotional (Commands), herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner Thermosphere (Exosphere).
Second chance Sebring filly makes $240,000
Meanwhile, Queensland trainers Toby and Trent Edmonds bought the second highest-priced lot on day one, a $240,000 Sebring (More Than Ready) filly, who had to be withdrawn from January’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Re-offered at the March sale by Daandine Stud, the filly is the fourth foal out of Go Again (Husson), a half-sister t o the Group-placed pair Feels Like Home (More Than Ready) and Street Dancer (Pride Of Dubai). She was catalogued as Lot 153.
“We fell in love with her leading into the January sale and we’ve had to wait a bit longer but we’re delighted to get her,” Kestrel Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Slade said.
“She’s got great natural strength and is a really sweet mover. She will get up and go early and train on as a three-year-old.”
Edmonds and Slade also combined with Archer Park to buy a Capitalist colt from Alexia Fraser Bloodstock earlier in the session for $160,000. Offered as Lot 29, he is the first foal out of Athenry (Kaphero), a placed half-sister to Listed winner and Group 1-placed sprinter Barawin (Barathea) and the Group 1-placed mare Saddler’s Silk (Barathea).
Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Edmonds Racing also bought a colt by Flying Artie (Artie Schiller) for $80,000 and fillies by Jukebox (Snitzel) and Husson (Hussonet) for $40,000 and $20,000 respectively.
Aquis Farm’s Justin Fung bought an Invader (Snitzel) colt for $180,000 from Lucas Bloodstock, while Melbourne trainer Lloyd Kennewell and his agent Mathew Becker of Group 1 Bloodstock went to $170,000 for a son of Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) from the draft of Grandview.
Market continues rise
While last year’s March sale was the first Australian yearling auction dramatically impacted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the figures are still up significantly on the 2019 sale, while the average of $47,156 is also higher than 2018 when the Spirit Of Boom phenomenon occurred, which saw the top 14 lots sold by the sire to a high of $430,000.
Gollan and Foote bought four yearlings yesterday at an average of $107,500, as did Mishani Enterprises’ Mike Crooks. Trainer Stuart Kendrick also bought four lots, as did the Foley partnership.
“It’s been a fantastic year for selling yearlings here in Australia and it continued on here today,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said last night.
“Obviously, it’s great to see the Queensland buyers get in behind their local product and support it, which in the main they did today, and there’s great reason for that given the prize-money and the bonuses that these horses can race for.
“There’s great increases in the market, but it’s justified.”
Day two of the March sale starts at 10am local time today.
“We had 21 horses make $100,000 and over, which is extraordinary,” Bowditch said.
“The key numbers are fantastic and we’d be hopeful we can hold it with our clearance rate and continue to have a strong average.”