Trapeze Artist colt kept under wraps but Harvey has big opinion of two-year-old
Timely reminder as Baystone Farm Ready2Race sales-topper breaks through
Last year Dean Harvey and his breeze-up partner, Group 1-winning trainer Troy Corstens, went to the Inglis Ready2Race Sale with a jump-out-winning colt who would go on to top the 2022 two-year-old auction at $750,000.
That sale-topping now gelding by Dundeel (High Chaparral) named Nondisclosure won his maiden at Kembla Grange on Saturday at just his second start for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and loftier goals now look on the horizon for the three-year-old.
Twelve months later, Baystone Farm’s Harvey and Corstens have four juveniles set to go under the hammer at Riverside Stables complex tomorrow, but, in a slight change from last year, the quartet haven’t been seen at the jump-outs.
However, that’s not to say Harvey doesn’t hold his draft in any less high regard than 12 months ago. The consignment is made up of two geldings by Pariah (Redoute’s Choice), Shamus Award (Snitzel), and a pair of colts by Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) and Deep Field (Northern Meteor) respectively.
The son of Newgate Farm’s now pensioned Deep Field, whose stud career came to a premature end due to fertility issues, is one of just three by the Hong Kong champion stallion due to be offered at the Inglis sale.
“They’re becoming a rare occurrence and there’s not many of them left. This horse is probably not a typical breeze up horse,” Harvey said of Lot 160, a half-brother to J J Atkins Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Political Debate (So You Think) who breezed up in 10.45 seconds at Seymour.
“He’s out of a Zabeel mare and I would think he’s a later style of horse who could go on with things.
“He’s there, but he’s going to take a little while. He’ll be a better three-year-old than two-year-old but on the flip side of that we’ve got a Trapeze Artist that’s ready to rock and roll.”
From the second crop of Widden Stud’s champion sprinter Trapeze Artist, who has dual stakes-winning colt Griff set to contest Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), the colt is catalogued as Lot 121 and he breezed up at Seymour in 10.32 seconds, convincing Harvey and Corstens he could provide a quick return for investors.
“He was going to trial at Flemington [last] Friday, but the track was too wet, so we didn’t, but he could go to the trials next week and win one. He’s a pretty exciting horse,” Harvey said.
“It is a risky thing trialling the horses, but I suppose if you’ve got the systems in place and trust your trainer and if they’re there ready to do it … it gives a point of difference in the market, which showed last year.
“Unfortunately, the Trapeze was ready to trial but the track wasn’t suitable for us.”
Sydney-based agent Andrew Williams is on the other side of the fence, spending yesterday inspecting the two-year-olds, predominantly with a view to them racing in Hong Kong.
The other Asian markets of Macau and Singapore will, however, be less reliable in providing depth to a buying bench with the former jurisdiction under a cloud and the latter already given a closing date.
“It could lean towards the buyers. It’ll be just interesting to see the market, particularly Singapore and Macau, and what direction that heads without their participation in their respective price brackets,” Williams said.
“I think it’ll be very strong at the top, it’s pretty cliche at every sale these days, and those horses will stand out at this sale but it’ll come down to budgets and who’s got what to spend.”
Harvey is also mindful of the probable decreased participation from those two key markets, but he remains optimistic about a solid sale taking place.
“Singapore and Macau are going to take a little bit out of that middle market but there’s a few local trainers here. Mick Price is here, Robbie Griffiths is here. Robbie’s had a great result with one he bought last year, the Justify [called Verdad from Nolen Racing] who is on a Guineas and Derby prep, so it solidifies that sale that you can buy a really nice horse here,” Harvey said.
“The local market’s here, there’s plenty of Hong Kong buyers here, so we’re hopeful of a nice sale.”
Williams was one of numerous agents doing the rounds at Riverside yesterday and, often in their case, they have already laid eyes on the majority of the horses as yearlings.
“You have got to be careful because some you might have knocked as a yearling and they’ve turned inside out in some way, shape or form,” the agent said.
“You can’t be too harsh, you’ve got to have a good look at a cross-section of the horses. You can’t knock a horse that you didn’t like as a yearling just in case.”
Inspections for the Ready2Race Sale will continue today ahead of tomorrow’s 11am (AEDST) sale.