A new sale record was set at the first session of the Conrad Jupiters Magic
Millions Yearling
Sale on Australia’s Gold Coast Thursday. The fledgling racing and breeding
operation Wadham
Park was the surprise purchaser of
the record breaker, a colt by Sadler’s Wells from dual Group 1 winner Ha Ha (Danehill)
who brought A$1.3 million. Trainer Gai Waterhouse opened the
bidding at A$1 million, but Wadham’s
Dale Sutton answered her A$1.2-million salvo with the final bid.
“He is
by Sadler’s Wells out of a Group
1-winning mare and he is well put
together — hopefully he can go to
stud later on,” Sutton said of the
colt, who will be syndicated. “He
will eventually go to Wadham in
Victoria, but we won’t be
rushing him. We liked him, had our
vet check him thoroughly and
decided to go for him.”
Selling as Lot No.
177, he is the first foal from
Golden Slipper S. (Aus-G1) winner Ha Ha, who
went on to win the Flight S. (Aus-G1)
at three. The yearling was consigned by
Strawberry Hill Stud.
“He was a lovely colt and he
deserved his price, in my opinion,” Strawberry Hill’s John Singleton said.
Ten-time Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) winning trainer Bart Cummings struck early when he
secured a colt by
Redoute’s Choice for A$900,000, outstaying underbidders who included Darley. Selling as
Lot 41, the bay is out of the Luskin Star mare Click, a half-sister
to Epsom H. (Aus-G1) winner
Nick’s Joy. He was consigned by Newhaven Park Stud.
“We valued him between
A$800,000
and A$1,000,000 so we were quite happy,” Cummings said. “We liked his pedigree and
conformation, and his X-rays were perfect, so we gave it a shot and all the boys — Wilf
Mula, Michael
O’Keefe and Len Smith — will join a syndicate.”
Long-time owner and Malaysian
businessman Dato
Tan Chin Nam, will also have a share in the colt.
Newhaven Park Stud’s John
Kelly pointed out that
the colt was bred on the same cross as 2005 Golden Slipper winner Stratum.
“We were
hoping he would sell well, and from the day he was born, he has always been a very
nice colt,” Kelly
commented. “We were pleasantly surprised. I said to Bart, ‘He looks like the sort of horse you
will
be back here with next year (for the two-year-old race).'”
Paul Perry was prominent among a particularly noticeable trainer-driven buying
bench, going to
A$400,000 to secure Lot 107, a Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) colt from the *Sir Tristram mare Emulate offered by Coolmore Stud. The colt is a half-brother to New Zealand Oaks
(NZ-G1) winner Tapildo (Rhythm).
“We think Paul Perry is the best judge in the country, and for him to buy the
colt enhances what we think of the stallion and his progeny,” Coolmore’s Peter O’Brien
said. “Rock of
Gibraltar is a seven-time Group 1-winning son of Danehill, and being by Danehill, he raced like an
Australian horse. He
backed up every couple of weeks, he was tough, he had legs of iron and he
retired sound. He is a
great cross with Australian mares, and they are lovely quality animals,
particularly good movers,
like
Danehill himself.”
Perry said he was very impressed with the first crop of Rock
of Gibraltar.
“I
really like them, he seems a freakish racehorse himself and his yearlings have a
lot of presence,”
Perry said. “I really reckon he will make it as a stallion.”
Graeme Rogerson, who was the leading buyer in Australia in 2005 when he spent
A$15.7 million
on 105 yearlings, outdid an active international bench to top
the standings at the Magic Millions
opener. Rogerson spent A$1,362,500 on nine lots, going to A$320,000 to secure
Lot 97, a colt
from the first Australian crop by Elusive Quality.
“We are thrilled,” Olly Tait,
Darley Australia manager, said. “Elusive Quality has had three go through and make over
$200,000 and in
anyone’s terms, that is a lot of money. With the quality of his stock here, we
knew they would sell
well. They are well-balanced, athletic, strong individuals, but obviously it is
nice when it happens. It
seems like a very strong sale. It is competitive at all levels of the market and
that
is very healthy
for everyone.”
Trainer Gai Waterhouse gave
A$1,100,000 for five
horses, including Lot 55, a Dehere filly from the immediate family of Golden
Slipper winner and
producer Bint Marscay (Aus) (Marscay) that brought A$320,000.
“The local bench is the most important part of this sale. It is important that
we get international
people here, which we do, to introduce them to our industry, but the local buyer
is the most
important because they are the basis of our industry,” Kelly observed.
The international buyers
were led by Adrian
Nicoll of BBA Ireland, whose previous MM purchases include Australian Oaks
(Aus-G1) winner Serenade
Rose (Stravinsky). He went away with yet another Stravinsky filly for
A$475,000. “Hopefully, we have bought another Serenade Rose,” he said of Lot
84.
“We are very happy, our horses have sold very well, and there’s a great lot of
buyers here, a
diverse range of buyers and a very strong local market backed up by
international buyers. It is great
to see the local industry going so well, and Magic Millions should be
congratulated on the way they
have promoted the sale and the innovation of the sale series,” said Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson.