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The yearling sessions of the mammoth nine days of selling at the Magic Millions National Sales last Tuesday and Wednesday continued the tremendous sequence of record performances on the Gold Coast.
A bumper average of $48,045 from the 254 yearlings upstaged last year's average of $26,151 for the 428 thoroughbreds which changed hands.
Thanks to a great representation of overseas buyers, the two days of selling had 35 six-figure yearlings sell compared to 15 in 2015. Six yearlings sold for $200,000 and more. New Zealand buyers took 26 lots across the Tasman for $1,888,500, while 33 were bought by Asian-based countries with Singapore (13), Hong Kong (10), China (8) and Macau (2) making up the total. South African buyers signed for 17 yearlings.
The sales-topper went to the New Zealand-based Wexford Stables operated by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, who made the successful $240,000 bid for a striking colt by deceased stallion Street Cry. The 2002 Dubai World Cup winner has the 2015-16 Australian Champion Sires premiership parcelled up with earnings of $12.5 million.
David Vandyke, who is in the process of setting up his new stable operation on the Sunshine Coast, was the recipient of two high-priced yearlings. Scott Darby's syndication group paid $220,000 for a Written Tycoon colt with black type credentials, hoping to get another two-year-old capable of emulating their star filly Yankee Rose.
Earlier, Vandyke paid $200,000 for the lone O'Reilly lot, with the filly boasting the NZ 2015 Broodmare Of The Year Parfore high up on her pedigree page. Parfore is the dam of Terravista, Tiger Tees, Ball Of Muscle and Super Easy and her broodmare potential is unlimited.
A filly by Snitzel topped the opening day when Raheen Stud's Basil Nolan paid $220,000 after she had initially been passed in for $210,000.
Melbourne trainer John McArdle paid $210,000 for a much sought-after Not A Single Doubt from the Milburn Creek draft, while local trainer Helen Page paid $200,000 for an All Too Hard colt. Darren Weir's name appeared on three occasions in the buyers' lists in conjunction with John Foote for a total of $310,000. They were sired by Teofilo, So You Think and Redoute's Choice.
The highly successful New Zealand syndication group Go Racing came home with four new horses, with their highest outlay being $120,000 for an I Am Invincible colt as well as yearlings by Foxwedge, So You Think and All Too Hard for a total of $325,000.
The sale also had a touch of sentiment with the very last yearling sired by Encosta De Lago going under the hammer. The colt, from the Zabeel mare Iron Rose, was sold to the New Zealand-based Regal Farm for $175,000.
Coolmore retired Encosta De Lago 18 months ago due to fertility problems after a marvellous career for the stud, siring more than 1100 winners including stars Racing To Win, Alinghi, Princess Coup, Chautauqua, Sacred Kingdom, Princess Coup, Mnemosyne and Delago Deluxe.
Broodmares in foal in demand
Listen Here's record $3.4 million purchase at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale last Friday is not as excessive as it first appears when taking into account the performances on and off the racetrack by her first two sons, Deep Field and Shooting To Win.
Statistics reveal breeders went to huge extremes during the three-day sale to buy mares in foal to both Deep Field and Shooting To Win. There were 28 mares sold with positive tests to Deep Field for $6,171,500, an average of $220,411 – a tremendous result considering his service fee is only $22,000.
Shooting To Win had 16 mares in foal sell for $2,972,500, an average of $185,78,1 which also represented a solid return from his $38,500 covering fee.
Twelve-year-old Listen Here (Elusive Quality x Announce) was sold in foal to one of the world's most sought after sires – Medaglia d'Oro – and should the mare produce another colt when she foals in late August then he would be a natural for a future stallion career.
The mare lost a Hinchinbrook colt in 2012 but the following year she had a filly by the Yarraman Park stallion named Look And Listen, which was retained by Edinglassie, which owned Listen Here.
She followed that foaling with another filly, this time by Zoustar, which makes her a three-quarter relation to Deep Field and Shooting To Win.
Both Deep Field and Shooting To Win were by the deceased sire Northern Meteor, as was Zoustar, and they began their stud careers last spring. To say their presence on the lucrative Australian breeding industry would be sensational is a gross understatement, with Deep Field covering the greatest number of mares in 2015 (257), netting a return of $5.6 million in service fees to Newgate Farm.
Shooting To Win was also popular, serving 154 mares and Darley would have recouped almost $6 million in service fees.
The China Horse Club's racing manager Michael Wallace came to an agreement to share in the ownership of Listen Here with Cressfield and no doubt both parties will be eagerly awaiting the birth of her Medaglia d'Oro sibling in the next 10 weeks.
China club tops broodmare buyers
The China Horse Club was the biggest buyer of broodmares at the National Sales with Michael Wallace signing for 13 highly credentialled lots for $5,945,000 – an average of $457,308 – taking its total to about 65. The CHC has bought strongly into the syndications of champion two-year-olds Vancouver and Pride of Dubai, both of whom begin their stud careers at Coolmore in September.
Wallace signed for six lots at the Inglis Australian Broodmare sale for $1,475,000 ($245,000 average) plus a half-share with Coolmore in Haiku, the dam of group 1 winner Japonisme, who cost $580,000.
The Magic Millions Sales was used as the selling venue for three other freshman stallions this year: Mongolian Khan, who will stand at Windsor Park in New Zealand; Criterion, a Newgate Farm addition and Nostradamus, who begins a new chapter of his career at Rosemount Stud in Victoria.
The Mongolian Khan syndicate went all out to ensure the dual group 1-winning stallion gets his career off to a flying start with the purchase of 14 lots for $1.94 million (average $138,571).
Paul Moroney was employed by Criterion's owner, Sir Owen Glenn, and bought six mares for $940,000, the same number bought by the Nostradamus syndicate at a cost of $433,000.
Filly fairs well on debut
Frankel's stallion career received another boost at Haydock on Tuesday when two-year-old filly Fair Eva carried the famous silks of the champion's breeder to victory on her debut. Fair Eva was Frankel's fourth starter and three of his progeny have been successful in a phenomenal performance by the unbeaten son of Galileo.
In other European news, Joseph O'Brien, the champion jockey son of Coolmore's private trainer Aidan, prepared four winners last weekend at his first day as a licensed trainer.
O'Brien jnr won a double at the Irish tracks Listowel and Gowran on a day he'll never forget, and his early education under his father will see him become a powerful force on the European racing scene for many years to come.
He was unable to attend either track, instead attending the Goffs Horse Sales where he purchased a colt by Coolmore sire Yeats for €100,000.
johnhollysenior@yahoo.com.au