McDonald admits he’s Victoria’s luckiest breeder

Above: Lot 461 from Melbourne Inglis Premier Yearling Sale Toronado x Don Perion

Andrew McDonald admits he has been lucky when it comes to breeding horses, something he and his wife Bec have only been doing for the past seven years.

At last week’s Melbourne Inglis Premier Yearling Sale the McDonalds again got “lucky” when a colt by Toronado, out of their great producing mare, Dom Perion, sold for $460,000.

It was a record price for a yearling by the Swettenham Stud stallion.

But it wasn’t the first time one of the broodmare’s progeny created a record for a stallion. At last year’s Melbourne Premier, a full brother to Group 1 Victorian Derby winning Extra Brut sold for $320,000 to Melbourne Cup winning trainer Danny O’Brien for owner John Wheeler.

It doubled the price previously paid for a Domesday yearling at auction.

And McDonald sells his horses through Ryan Arnel’s Stonehouse Thoroughbreds at Eddington and says it’s a winning partnership and formula.

McDonald bought Dom Perion in foal to Domesday for just $6000 at the Great Southern Sale in 2015. He sold the Domesday colt – Extra Brut – at the same sale in 2016 as a weanling for $52,000 and the horse was then sold at the Classic Yearling Sale by Grange Thoroughbreds’ Gary Mudway to syndicator, Spicer Thoroughbreds for $100,000.

After his Victoria Derby victory, the then three-year-old Extra Brut was sold to Hong Kong but unfortunately died following an accident on a walking machine.

McDonald said it was a great reflection on the mare to get big prices for her last two yearlings that had been offered for sale.

And there is to come for McDonald as Dom Perion (Redoute’s Choice x Champagnecharlotte) has a filly by Justify (USA) and is in foal to Lonhro.

“I know it’s easy to say, but she throws perfect types,” McDonald said.

“I know it’s easy to say that, but she does. We have never had do any work on them or anything and they are just correct and really good.

“It makes it easy and you can breed with confidence knowing that you are going to get a type pretty much regardless of where you go, I suppose.”

While she can, as McDonald says throw the perfect type, it hasn’t always been easy to get the mare in foal.

After she produced Extra Brut, McDonald sent the mare to Puissance De Lune in 2015 and Night of Thunder in 2016, but she slipped both times.

“She had Extra Brut and went straight into foal and always did first time every year,” McDonald said.

“She passed her 45 days and thought this is good but then we got to 60 or 70 days we just thought something funny was going on and for whatever reason she slipped both years.

“After going straight in to foal both times we thought it was happy days. I just think she just keeps the good ones.”

McDonald said while it was easy to say, he always believed the Toronado colt was special because of the way he moved around the paddock on his farm at Congupna on the outskirts of Shepparton.

“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win a really good race,” he said.

“Not that I’m an expert but when you compare them to other foals and you see the way they get around and move and just the smashing type he obviously is.

“Extra Brut made $100,000 on his looks and nothing had happened in the family until then and that’s why I want back to Domesday but he obviously hadn’t raced then but he was such a ripping type.

“When he was born I rang Darley about going back to Domesday and they were in the process of shifting him on then and they didn’t really say either way.”

McDonald said he was tempted to keep one of Dom Perion’s foals to race but he has bought back into the Toronado colt which was knocked down to Flemington trainer Michael Moroney.

Both McDonald, who is qualified builder and now specialises in bathroom renovations, and his wife Bec, have full time jobs and work the farm in their spare time.

“We’ve been on the farm here coming up 11 years,” he said.

“I lived on my grandparents’ farm when I was a young teenager and had horses there, but no racehorses. Obviously I moved on and did other things and horses were always an interest and we went down to Melbourne from here and we had a share in a horse with Peter Moody actually.

“And he went really well and won his first start and beat the eventual Blue Diamond winner that year and it was really exciting. The horse (Confidence Reef) is actually living here with us and has been retired well and truly. He still holds the 1300m record at Sandown.

“I always had an interest in breeding and wanted to do it and we ended moving back and I said to Bec that it’s either now or never.”

McDonald said they pinhooked a couple of horses initially but soon worked out they weren’t any good at that and then about seven years ago they bought two broodmares at the Great Southern Sale.

Their first broodmare produced one foal in five years and McDonald admits they went for cheaper stallions back then.

“We bought a Flying Spur mare (Raring) for $400 one day and she was empty and had a crook foot and we took her home and went to Moshe with her on the recommendation of a good friend of ours who knows more about it than we do,” he said.

“Raring had a filly and we got $60,000 for her (Avalanche Warning) because it was the first season of Moshe and it was through Ryan Arnel and it was his first Melbourne Premier draft actually.

“He had ours and two for Qatar and he had three for his draft at Melbourne.”

McDonald said Raring, which was passed in for $100,000 at a broodmare sale four years before they bought her for $400, is also enjoying retirement on their farm.

At the moment, they are breeding from three broodmares – Dom Perion, Bee Ali (Al Maher x Bee And Bee) and Mulu Miss (Flying Spur x Bold Demand).

And just how McDonald obtained Dom Perion only reinforces his on tag as a lucky breeder.

“It was at the Great Southern Sale and we’d sold a Skilled filly and we got $16,000 for her and for us it was a really good result from where we were coming from,” he said.

“We wanted another mare and I knew she was there but I thought I would never be able to afford her, a city winning Redoute’s mare. I wasn’t worried about the Domesday thing, he was still $13,000 (service fee) at the time and I just thought we’d never be able to afford her.

“It was at the end of the sale, there was hardly anyone there and they knocked her down. It was a good price. And she was in foal with Extra Brut.”

And McDonald recalls Dom Perion’s first foal to race Fill The Flute, which became a multiple city winning mare and winner of $258,845 in prizemoney, was sold for $7000 at the same sale as a weanling to trainer Jamie Edwards.

“Luck plays a huge part and everyone needs that little bit of luck,” McDonald said.

“We have been very, very lucky.”

He said Ryan Arnel was a good bloke, easy to work with and they didn’t want to change the formula.

“If you don’t expect too much you won’t get disappointed but I knew the Toronado yearling would sell well,” he said.

“Ryan said we’ll just put him on the market like last year with Extra Brut’s full brother and when he said he has a $200,000 (reserve), I thought fair dinkum because we’d booked service fees and all this stuff I said sell him for $200,000 but he knew he would get more.

“We are probably the luckiest breeders in Victoria.

“We would be – we’d have to be.”

No one disagrees with that.

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Longwood Thoroughbred farm excited ahead of Adelaide

Lot 215 a filly out of Jessiej

Longwood Thoroughbred Farm will present a wonderful draft of yearlings at the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

Michael and Siobhan Christian, owners of Longwood Thoroughbred Farm have a draft that features yearlings by proven stallions, Sebring and Dundeel and exciting first season sire prospect Pariah.

Michael Christian highlights the following yearlings as ones to look out for ahead of the Sale.

“We are thrilled to present Lot 215, a lovely filly by Pariah out of winning Sepoy mare, Jessej, herself a $350k yearling. The yearling filly is beautifully balanced and a strong and powerful 2yo running type. She is one of the best moving yearlings we have bred with a lovely action and we’re looking forward to presenting her on the first day of the sale.”

“We also have Lot 279, a Sebring filly out of Group 2 winning mare, Oasis Bloom who has already produced two winners. She is a typical Sebring with lovely balance and strength. She has been well received and we are very pleased to offer her for Sale”

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Chatswood on a run ahead of Adelaide

Lot 108 of Chatswood's draft

On the back of two winners in the last 72 hours at Morphettville, Chatswood will present a draft of six yearlings for the Magic Millions Adelaide yearling sale.

Champagne Dreams, a 2YO filly who is a graduate of the 2020 Magic Millions Adelaide yearling sale, won the opener and broke her maiden on Saturday with Kayla Crowther on board. The filly is sired by Chatswood sire Reward For Effort and was a $15,000 purchase by Finniss Lodge.

Then today, on Adelaide Cup Day, Chatswood had Echoes in Eternity salute in the Furphy Handicap. The daughter of Reward For Effort had the 2021 Lady of Racing, Jamie Kah, on board to win on International Women’s Day.

The filly trained by Michael Hickmott and purchased from the 2019 VOBIS Gold sale was a $2000 graduate from the Chatswood draft.

However, for this sale, Chatswood has two Reward For Effort’s, three Inferences, and one Dissident yearling at the sale.

Nic Willis of Chatswood Stud commented on the draft, “We have three colts and three fillies, and I am most excited about the two Reward For Efforts in our draft especially considering the success he has had at Morphettville recently.”

“Lot 108, the filly by Reward For Effort out of the Galileo mare in Ashwaq, I would expect to sell very well. She has been popular, and there is a good bit of black type on her page as well,” Nic said.

“Lot 396 would make a good trade horse and is out of another Galileo mare in Manasari and is by Reward For Effort,” Nic said.

Nic is also happy with how the market has received Inference’s progeny.

“The Inference yearlings have been well received by the market and happy with how buyers have received them. They look to be stayers, but they have been better received than I would have expected, and I am excited to see his yearling’s head through the ring here in Adelaide,” Nic said.

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A first for the Lurati’s Ealing Park

Lot 16 of Ealing Park's draft

Euroa’s Ealing Park, which is now owned and operated by Bec and Simon Lurati, will present their first draft at Adelaide Magic Millions when they offer three yearlings for sale.

The Lurati’s purchased the Euroa based property in 2018 and have been focussing on specialising in reproductive work, and the season has been kind to the team with Bec advising they have had a ‘99% success rate with getting mares in foal so far.’

“We were attracted to the history of the farm with the strong ties to Kingston Rule, and it has the history of being a family-run farm, which is what we are,” Bec Lurati commented.

“It is a beautiful property, and we are now putting our stamp on it, and we are working on improving some of the infrastructure to meet our needs,” Bec commented.

They will present lot 16, a filly by Toronado out of a Choisir mare in Shoosh and two yearlings for clients, in lot 5 a colt by Sepoy out of Savalook and lot 362, a colt by Crackerjack King out of Antarctic Fire.

Lot 16 was purchased when the filly’s dam was in foal to Toronado, and the Lurati’s wanted a Choisir mare and a Toronado foal, so they got the best of both worlds.

“We are thrilled with how she has developed and grown, she is a big strong filly, and we are excited to see her go through the ring. She has had good interest from buyers and has a half racing in Queensland called Divine Melody, who is a placegetter,” Bec Lurati said.

“She has a great work ethic, and she has a great temperament as well,” Bec said.

“The other two in my draft finished off their prep with me, and I got them a few weeks out from the sale,” Bec commented.

Lot 5, which is out of a Savabeel mare, is the dam of four foals to race, with three of those being winners, including the stakes-placed Looks Like Elvis, who has had eight wins to add to his resume.

Lot 362, a grey colt out of the Congrats mare in Antarctic Fire, is from the same family as ANTARCTIC MISS, BALLYMORE LASS and the 2019 Adelaide Cup winner, SURPRISE BABY.

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Cracking colts by Ilovethiscity

Lot 189 of Noor Elaine's draft.

Noor Elaine received an encouraging response to its 2020 Adelaide consignment and studmaster Mark Calwell is back with 8 colts by resident sire Ilovethiscity and once each by Rubick and Overshare.

Last year’s graduates included a $70,000 Toronado colt (HK), a $60,000 Oamaru Force filly (Richard & Chantelle Jolly) and a $50,000 Holler filly (Lloyd Kennewell).

Ilovethiscity covered 121 mares last year and that should build his tally to over 250 foals from three books at Noor Elaine.  “Our colt from Grand Rhapsody (Lot 189) is a cracker and he’s sure to turn heads,” Calwell said.  “So is the colt out of Laynlow (Lot 238).  His half-sister Sofie’s Gold Class was stakes-placed in the Sunshine Coast Cup in January.”

There are several first-crop yearlings by Overshare (I Am Invincible) entered for the Adelaide Magic Millions including the Noor Elaine colt from Three Little Pigs (Lot 351).  He’s a big, strong colt according to Calwell and can kick-start the stud career of his stakes-winning sire who won a G3 Zeditave Stakes for Team Hawkes.

“Lloyd Kennewell bought his older half-sister by Holler last year,” Calwell added.  “We kept a share and she has been named Nursery Chime.”

The flashy colt by Rubick (Lot 262) is built to go early and is aptly described as “a good looking rooster” by the team at Noor Elaine.  He’s the second foal from Mariposa Lily (Oamaru Force) who won a Benalla maiden on debut for trainer Wayne Nichols.

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Leneva Park leads with Rich Enuff

Lot 406 of Leneva Park's draft

Leneva Park sold Rich Enuff yearlings to Byron Cozamanis and Hong Kong’s Upper Bloodstock at the 2020 Adelaide Magic Millions and they’re back with a filly by the Woodside Park sire this year.

Rich Enuff’s unbeaten filly Dosh is among Victoria’s leading juveniles this season winning the G3 Ottawa Stakes and G3 Blue Diamond Preview for Grahame Begg.  Leneva Park’s filly (Lot 406) is also bred to be precocious – her dam Puppet Show is a Rory’s Jester three-quarter sister to stakes winners North Boy and Northern Song.

“She’s a beauty and a typically athletic Rich Enuff,” Leneva Park bloodstock advisor Mick Sharkie said.  “She’s not the finished product yet but is coming on in leaps and bounds.”

Flying Artie is airborne with last-start G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Artorius and his colt from Kev’s Babe (Lot 227) is the first to parade from Leneva Park.  His second dam Superior Star (Nothin’ Leica Dane) won a G2 WA Oaks.

“He looks a project horse,” Sharkie predicted.  “He has a lovely frame and will keep growing into it with a trainer prepared to take time.”

The Sir Prancealot filly (Lot 366) has also progressed during her sales prep at Leneva Park in Longwood and Sharkie reckons their Ilovethiscity colt (Lot 403) will punch above his weight in Adelaide.

He’s an athletic, easy-going colt and might be a trade horse for pin-hookers looking ahead to the Ready To Run Sales later this year.

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Sebring standout from Willaroon

Lot 201 of Willaroon's draft

Sally Watkins returns to Adelaide with 8 yearlings – all by commercial sires – from her base in Ned Kelly country at Lurg.

The Willaroon last-crop Sebring colt from I’ll Decide (Lot 201) is a standout according to Watkins.  “He’s a special colt.  His dam is an I Am Invincible mare who won two sprints at Morphettville for the McEvoys and he’s one of my picks of the yearlings in Adelaide.”

The So You Think yearlings sold to $450,000 in Melbourne and Watkins was happy to receive $120,000 for her So You Think – Casino Card colt from Mornington trainers David and Coral Feek.

Her So You Think in Adelaide (Lot 115) from Betelgeuse (Darci Brahma) who is a sister to G1 Australian Oaks winner Gust Of Wind.  “She’s a first foal and is showing all the signs of a stayer.  Nice and scopey filly with the right attitude.”

The Thronum colt (Lot 251) and Bel Esprit filly (Lot 282) will be the last two through the sale-ring.  “They’re a nice bunch and the Thronum is a good sort,” Watkins said.  “His dam (Long Face Grace) won from 1400m to 2000m in Melbourne and he should sell well.

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Tycoon time at Springmount

Springmount's Written Tycoon - Sistine Princess colt

TBV vendors are coming off an amazing Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and they’re confident the Adelaide Magic Millions will continue the run of success at the majors this year.

Against all predictions, the Australian thoroughbred industry has once again shown its resilience with record-breaking results at the Gold Coast Magic Millions, Inglis Sydney Classic, NZB Karaka and at Oaklands last week.

Romsey-based Springmount studmaster Michael Flannery sold a Written Tycoon – La Haraka colt to Ciaron Maher for $480,000 at Melbourne Premier and he has another Written Tycoon colt catalogued for Day 1 in Adelaide this Tuesday.

Both colts were conceived at Woodside Park in Tylden as was the $1.10 million Written Tycoon colt that topped Melbourne Premier last week.  “We arrived in Adelaide first thing this morning and I must say the activity is much busier than usual,” Flannery reported on Friday afternoon.  “We’ve been very happy with the number of inspections and hopefully the results will follow on from the other sales this year.”

Springmount’s Written Tycoon – Sistine Princess colt (Lot 20) is from a half-sister to Jukebox (G3 Vain Stakes) and the dam of the 2020 Melbourne Premier sale-topping colt Bruckner (Snitzel) who finished third on debut in the Black Opal Preview (1000m) in Canberra on February 19.

“The timing is right with Written Tycoon and this colt is a big individual with a fabulous temperament,” Flannery explained.  “He parades well and has plenty of substance.  The x-rays are clean so who knows where the bidding will lead.”

Springmount also has a Merchant Navy colt out of Pindara (Lot 297).  There were 8 first-crop yearlings by Merchant Navy that made six-figures at Oaklands and his Adelaide colt is heading in the same direction.

Pindara (Star Witness) is a half-sister to Liesele (LR Alinghi Stakes) and Loved Up (RL Scone Guineas) and for a first foal, her colt is solidly-built with plenty of bone.  “He has a lovely attitude,” Flannery added.  “And he looks a lot like his grand-father (Fastnet Rock).”

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Millford flyer by Foxwedge

Millford's Adelaide Group 1 graduate Precious Gem

Foxwedge is flying with two Group 1 winners already this year and they’ve arrived right in time for vendors like Millford Thoroughbreds.

Nagambie-based Richard Kerry and Jarrod Byers have entered a Foxwedge – Princess Carnegie colt (Lot 304) for Adelaide.  He’s a half-brother to King’s Pact (Lucky Owners) who was stakes-placed at Randwick before transferring to Hong Kong where his wins included the Lusitano Challenge Cup.

Foxwedge sired Run Fox Run to win the G1 Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth in January and Lunar Fox landed a longshot victory in the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington in February.

Millford Thoroughbreds has already had success in South Africa with Arcetri Pink (Rock of Gibraltar) in the G2 South African Guineas and its list of Australian Group 1 winners includes Pinker Pinker, Precious Gem, Scales Of Justice and Perfect Reflection.

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Fighting Sun favourites in Adelaide

The late Sun Stud stallion Fighting Sun (Breeding and Racing)

Sun Stud farewelled an exciting stallion prospect when Fighting Sun died just prior to last year’s breeding season.

The Stud’s Sales & Nominations Manager Phil Marshall reflected on his loss ahead of his penultimate crop going through the Adelaide Magic Millions.  “It was a sad day when he passed away.  We called him the gentle giant.  He was a lovely horse to work with and his progeny inherited that same straightforward attitude.”

There are four Fighting Suns from home base and another four from outside clients by Victoria’s Champion first-season sire in 2017-18.  His early crops included stakes performers the calibre of Chess Star, Roccabascerana and Salton Sea who were exported to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Marshall mentioned the Fighting Sun – Ladys Angel colt (Lot 235) as a likely type for local trainers.  Ladys Angel (Arena) won a LR Hall Mark Stakes in Sydney and was Group 1 placed in The Galaxy.

“I really like him.  He’s tough and looks a runner.  He’s correct and light on his feet for such a good sized colt.”

Fighting Sun’s fillies from Fine Bubbles (Lot 171) and Madam Gangster (Lot 256) are both lovely types with top pedigrees to boot.  They should appeal to trainers and to owner-breeders and studs for their residual value.

The Adelaide connection will also be drawn to Sun Stud’s Thronum – Always Discreet filly (Lot 99).  “Everyone knows the Discreet family.  That’s the reason why we’re here.  This filly is a similar type to all the other good members of the family – fast and precocious with the same attitude and temperament.”

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Melbourne Premier smashes more records

Above: Lot 584 Toronado x Dom Perion sold for $460,000 at Melbourne Premier

A filly bred by Gilgai Farm’s Rick Jamieson and sold for $400,000 on the final day of the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale has been confidently placed in the same bracket as champion mares Black Caviar and Jameka.

Gilgai Farm’s stud manager Kelly Skillecorn rated the filly by Choisir, out of Group 1 New Zealand Thousand Guineas winner Costa Viva, in the top three of any filly they’ve offered at the sales.

“We’ve bought some good fillies here and I would rate her top three and I mean we’ve sold Black Caviar and Jameka here, so hopefully she lives up to them,” Skillecorn said.

After some spirited bidding by Rosemont Stud’s Anthony Mithen, the filly was finally knocked down to powerful Sydney-based trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

And Skillecorn said the Choisir filly was as good as the Gilgai Farm had offered at Melbourne Premier.

“The last good horse I bought here that I was bragging about was Masked Crusader (Toronado x She’s Got Gears). I was certain he was going to be a good horse. And I am certain she is going to be a good horse.”

Skillecorn said the filly had always been a queen.

“She has been the leader of the mob,” he said.

“She has never had a sick day, she has just thrived the whole time. Gai quizzed me about her, and I half suspected she was on her after asking all those questions.”

Skillecorn said there was no better judge than Waterhouse.

“I am just glad she has gone to a good home, that’s all I worry about,” Skillecorn said.

“She was a popular filly, and two very good judges were on her. Rosemont were having a good crack and Gai is obviously one of the best.

“The cross is 25 per cent stakes winners to runners and I wouldn’t imagine he (Choisir) hasn’t bred too many Group 1 winning mares by Encosta so it’s the first foal Rick has bred out of the mare.

“We bought her in foal carrying a Pride of Dubai and was bought to go to Choisir. He was a proper mating in Rick’s mind, and we’ve got a colt foal at foot out of her to follow by Choisir as well.

“She is not in foal this year and is going to Ole Kirk next season. He rested her. He breeds four foals in a row. If he gets four foals in a row, then he gives them a year off. She is going to Ole Kirk this year.

“She is a gorgeous filly.

Bott and Waterhouse’s sales and bloodstock manager Claudia Miller said they rated the daughter of Choisir as the standout filly of the sale.

She described Jamieson as an incredible breeder and said the Choisir and Encosta de Lago cross was exceptional.

“She was a no brainer for us,” Miller said.

“She was on our radar from day one.

“As I said the cross was exceptional and we were prepared to go strong for her.”

Miller said with the dam being a Thousand Guineas winner, the filly would probably take a bit of time.

And it wasn’t only the big breeders who had success at the sale.

Blue Gum Farm, which provided the sale topper with $1.1 million for a Written Tycoon colt out of Gybe, had the highest aggregate with $5.205 million at an average of $208,200. They sold 25 of their 29 yearlings.

Yulong continued its growth in the breeding industry by finishing the premier session with an aggregate of $3.360 million at an average of $210,000. They sold 16 of the 20 yearlings they offered.

With a top lot of $700,000, one of $520,000 and two of $300,000 – it’s also been a successful sale for Yulong.

“It was a great lead up and we are really pleased with the way the sale has gone,” Yulong’s chief operating officer Sam Fairgray said.

“We had a great result with the Shalaa colt ($700,000). Coming into the sale we knew he was a nice colt and as momentum built through the sale there were a lot of good judges on him.

“It’s great that he has gone to a good young trainer in Matt Laurie and then it was nice to follow it up with the Siyouni colt ($520,000) and once again he was very popular.

“Now with the way the global thoroughbred industry is, people recognise these champion stallions that are in the northern hemisphere as well and come down here.

“And this colt will get every chance.’’

And Fairgray said it was pleasing to see a colt by Lord Kanaloa, sold by Kulani Park at Goulburn Weir for Arrowfield Stud, go for $900,000 to Ciaron Maher and Coolmore Stud.

Kulani Park at Goulburn Weir sold all of their nine yearlings at an average of $208,333 and provided the second day sale topper with a Lord Kanaloa colt sold to Ciaron Maher and Coolmore Stud for $900,000.

Glentree Thoroughbreds at Modewarre sold all of their six yearlings and was the leading vendor on average at $330,000.

The Toronado colt that topped the final day of the sale is a half-brother to Group 1 Victoria Derby winner Extra Brut (Domesday x Dom Perion) whose full brother sold for $380,000 at last year’s sale and is in training with Danny O’Brien. Flemington trainer Mike Moroney paid $460,000 for the colt and it was the highest price paid for a yearling by the shuttle stallion. Offered by Ryan Arnel’s Stonehouse Thoroughbreds at Eddington, for breeder Andrew McDonald, the colt had plenty of admirers in the lead-up to the auction.

“When we bring horses down here, we are a Victorian farm and we bring our best to Melbourne Premier and the biggest market we want to try and support is the Victorian trainers. So we are always trying to present horses for Victorian trainers.

“For the horse to go to Ballymore to Mike Moroney and Paul Moroney Bloodstock is the perfect result for us. We couldn’t think of anywhere better for that horse to be.

“The result for the client and the farm couldn’t be better. We always knew it would be strong, you never know with those horses at what level.”

Arnel said the colt, which had a modest $200,000 reserve, was a beautiful type but slightly different to his two his brothers in that he had a lot of Toronado about him and was probably more of a Guineas horse.

“Whereas Extra Brut, was obviously a Derby horse, and his full brother is looking that way too,” he said.

“This horse looks more like a Guineas style of horse and more a miler and I’ve never had a horse on our farm that could walk like that. He is just a machine with his action and is temperament was A-plus and that’s a massive thing for us, horses with temperament.

“Eight days here and over 160 individual parades and he has just handled them like an absolute gentleman.”

The colt was born on his owner Andrew McDonald’s small farm at Congupna, near Shepparton, and prepped at Stonehouse.

“It’s a great result for him and he bought the mare in foal to Domesday originally a few years ago now, I think it was six grand, off the top of my head, for that.

“He foals him down and he comes over to us every year and we start his handling process and then we go through the preparation with him and doing the growing up process with him.”

Arnel said the demand had been high over the three days of the sale and it was just a case of letting the market dictate the prices.

Moroney, who trains a few Toronados, including the promising Shelby Cobra, said he just loved colt.

“A great walker and a real athletic sort of horse,” he said.

“Obviously a very good family.”

Moroney believes the colt might develop into a late two-year-old and said Toronado was also good at two and trained on at three.

“And that’s the sort of horse I think he is,” Moroney said.

Racing Victoria’s trainer wellbeing liaison officer Kirra Fitzgerald, a psychologist, and firefighter Amanda Miller bought a broodmare for $2700 on an online sale two years ago and sent her to Woodside Park stallion Rich Enuff.

They went into the sale with hopes of at least reaching their $30,000 reserve for a filly out of Jeopardy (Lonhro x Emergency) but walked away with significantly more when the chestnut was knocked down for $85,000.

Fitzgerald said they bought the mare from Queensland and were impressed with her breeding record of having four foals to races and all are winners.

“She had been to average stallions and had produced winners,” she said.

“We thought we’d bring her down and put her to something else and she’d be a chance and just see what we’d get.

“I was stoked to get her at that price and we were really happy to get her. Two of her horses had won over $100,000 each and one had been placed in a listed race and I knew she had a Rich Enuff colt on the ground. She came from Glenlogan Stud and they sent down a photo of her Rich Enuff colt weanling and he was a cracker.”

Fitzgerald has a background in horses, while Miller is quickly becoming a fan. The pair have a property near Rosemont Stud where the filly spent the last couple of weeks of her prep.

And Miller said it was exciting when the filly got past her reserve and then multiple bids came to shoot her past $50,000 before quickly climbing to her selling price.

“We just can’t thank Anthony Mithen and Rosemont enough, they’ve been super supportive and encouraging,” Miller said.

Jeopardy is in foal to Rosemont stallion Nostradamus.

Sun Stud was more than happy with the sale of the first yearling by resident stallion Thronum (Snitzel x Thorsborne).

The first season sire’s colt was sold for $200,000.

Sun Stud’s sales and nominations manager Philip Marshall said the three yearlings they sent through the ring on the second day of the sale all sold.

“We got a great result for the Thronum colt,” he said.

“We knew he was popular, but it exceeded our expectations for him to reach $200,000.

“It was huge for the stallion as you know he hasn’t got many numbers out there. But it goes to show that he throws a great type.

“The colt looks like an early two-year-old type.”

The colt will be trained at Mornington by Jerome Hunter.

Hong Kong buyers Justin Bahen and the William Street Syndicate paid $220,000 for a So You Think colt, out of Cybercyn, which was offered by Bittern breeders, Bombora Downs. They also sold a Toronado x Jolie Madeleine colt for $120,000.

There wasn’t a shortage of buyers as records continued to be smashed.

At the end of premier’s session, Inglis managing director Mark Webster said the gross had been a staggering $63 million and surpassed the previous record of $54 million set in 2017.

“Last year it was $48 million, so compared to last year it is up 30 per cent and it is up 20 per cent on the previous record in 2017 which is quite remarkable,” Webster said.

Webster said with a similar number of horses offered in both of the previous record years, there was quite clearly more demand and was at the top of the market.

“We’re selling double the number of horses over $300,000 compared to last year,” he said.

In a breakdown of horses sold to overseas markets, Webster said 16 went to Hong Kong, four to Singapore and eight to New Zealand – a dramatic drop that meant the domestic market had carried the sale.

Webster said traditionally the sale normally relied on 25 to 30 per cent of the yearlings being sold to overseas buyers, but this had dropped to about five per cent in the current sale.

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When Should Foals Be Weaned? by KER

Despite the widespread custom of weaning foals within six months of birth, best practices for weaning have yet to be established, according to some behavioural experts.*

Under natural conditions, weaning occurs over the course of several months beginning when the foal is 9 to 11 months old. Together, the mare and foal initiate weaning, and their bond remains close for some time afterward, sometimes until the mare’s next foal is born. While the origin of early weaning remains unclear, most private and commercial breeders separate mare-foal pairs 4 to 7 months after birth.

Advocates of early weaning suggest this benefits mares and foals because:

  • Maternal milk production decreases dramatically by the third month of lactation, and the nutritional needs of the foal cannot be met by maternal milk supply alone. Thus, early weaning facilitates management of the foal’s nutritional intake without maternal interference;
  • Early marketing of foals can only be possible with early weaning;
  • A foal’s attention will be transferred from mare to human; and
  • Mare reproductive efficiency can be optimized by limiting the potential negative effect of prolonged nursing.

On the flip side, early weaning can be problematic. Examples of some detriments associated with early weaning include:

  • Altered behavior such as increased long-distance whinny calls and increased elimination, altered feeding and sleeping patterns, though usually temporary;
  • Increased locomotion and therefore increased risk of injuries, also transient;
  • Foal aggression, suspension of play activities, redirected suckling;
  • A potential cause of stereotypical behaviors; and
  • Negatively affecting the development of a healthy intestinal microbiome.

“Weaning is widely recognized as a major source of stress that can lead to long-lasting effects on welfare and immunity,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research.

“Regardless of how weaning is achieved, it is a stressful event. Supplementing mares with omega-3 fatty acids during gestation and nursing, then both mare and foal after weaning will help to support healthy immune systems.”

*Henry, S., H. Sigurjónsdóttir, A. Klapper, et al. 2020. Domestic foal weaning: Need for re-thinking breeding practices? Animals (Basel) 10(2). pii: E361.

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Yulong to stand Lucky Vega in Australia

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Above: Lucky Vega (Lope de Vega) to stand at Yulong (Image: Racing Post)

Yulong Investments will look to stand their Irish Group 1-winning two-year-old Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega) on the roster at their  Nagambie farm in Victoria this year. Trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland,

Lucky Vega was an impressive winner of the stallion-making Phoenix Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at the Curragh in 2020, winning by a three-and- a-half-length margin from Group 2 winner Aloha Star (Starspangledbanner) and Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old, The Lir Jet (Prince Of Lir).

The son of Lope De Vega (Shamardal) ended his two-year-old campaign by running second in the Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Newmarket, while he also finished an unlucky fifth when penned on the fence in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Gr 1, 7f ).

He will join current stallions Grunt (O’Reilly) and Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) at Yulong, while Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) and Cantala Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Yulong Prince (Gimmethegreenlight) will also be added to their roster this year.

Speaking to ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday Sam Fairgray, chief operating officer for Yulong, said it was an exciting time for the operation, with Lucky Vega being the first son of Lope De Vega to stand in Australia since the Ballylinch Stud stallion ceased shuttle duties after the 2014 season.

“It’s not definite as yet, but it’s likely that he’ll come for this coming breeding season,” said Fairgray. “He’ll have a couple of runs and then it will depend on how he’s going as to whether he comes this season or not, but I’d say it’s highly likely that he’ll come this season.

“We have Tagaloa racing in the Australian Guineas tomorrow and he’ll most likely retire this year and we have another horse, Yulong Prince, who won his Group 1 on Derby day over a mile here, he’s a South African-bred horse and will also retire to Yulong this year.”

Being a son of Lope de Vega, he’s had a couple of very, very good sprinter here the last couple of years in Santa Ana Lane and Gytrash so with all the Danhill sire-line mares here in Australia, he’ll be very popular- Sam Fairgray

 

Fairgray said it was unlikely Lucky Vega, a €175,000 (approx. AU$275,000) yearling purchase out of the Goffs Orby Sale, would race in Australia, despite Yulong holding one of the 12 Everest (1200m) slots to be filled for the spring spectacle, worth a staggering $15 million, while adding the operation has been in conversations with several farms on the prospect of Lucky Vega shuttling to the northern hemisphere following his on-track retirement.

“I would say he’d be a reverse shuttler and do dual hemispheres,” said Fairgray. “We haven’t locked into any farms. There’s been interest from a couple of farms to stand him.

“We’ll just sort of wait and see what happens in his couple of runs (this year) and then when he retires.

“It’s not on the agenda at this stage (to bring him to Australia). Mr Zhang has an Everest slot, but that goes on into the middle of the breeding season. So, timing wise, if he did race on for another year then, yes, it’s a possibility. But he’s a Group 1-winning two-year-old and the Australian industry loves that sort of horse.”

Lucky Vega’s sire, Lope De Vega, covered four books of mares, the first two years at $27,500 before having his fee reduced to $22,000, when shuttling to Patinack Farm in Australia between 2011 and 2014, resulting in a plethora of high- class performers on track, including five-time Group 1 winner Santa Ana Lane, dual Group 1 winner Vega Magic and Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) winner Gytrash.

“To not have (Lope De Vega) back, with the success of those horses, it’s been disappointing that he hasn’t come back. But it’s great that we’re able to bring one of his better sons down here,” said Fairgray.

“There’s Belardo in New Zealand with his first two-year-olds, and they’re going well, but definitely, there’s an opportunity here for us to fill the gap of Lope De Vega in Australia. It’s exciting.

“I think Australian breeders will definitely recognise his racetrack performance but, also, being a son of Lope De Vega, he’s had a couple of very, very good sprinters here the last couple of years in Santa Ana Lane and Gytrash so, with all the Danehill sire-line mares here in Australia, he’ll be very popular.

“He’s a good looking horse as well which will go down well with the breeders.”

Yulong have been long-term supporters of Lope De Vega and, in addition to sending a group of mares to the stallion to be covered on southern hemisphere time last year, purchased Group 1 winner Viddora (I Am Invincible) in foal to the stallion for $2.25 million at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

“We’ve got three weanlings here by him, and we’ve also just brought a couple of mares back to Australia who are in foal to him, so we saw the opportunity – the proven, successful stallion that he is – to offer some of his offspring in the market place and it’s a good model for us to try.

“Viddora was a very good sprinting mare in Australia and it’s great that we were able to purchase her and add her to our broodmare band.”

It’s a band Yulong have expanded over the last few years, and that is reflected in their offering for the upcoming Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, which features 22 lots to be sold at Oaklands from Sunday.

“It’s our biggest draft at Premier. As our broodmare numbers have grown year-on-year, so has our yearling offerings,” said Fairgray. “We have about 230 mares on the farm now.

“Taking a group of yearlings into a sale like this – we’ve got a Fastnet Rock, Written Tycoon, Zoustar of the proven mould and then there’s some from the young guns coming through like Shalaa and Capitalist – it’s really nice bunch of horses that have all been really well received.”

Zoustar of the proven mould and then there’s some from the young guns coming through like Shalaa and Capitalist – it’s really nice bunch of horses that have all been really well received.”

Fairgray was at pains to mention a son of Siyouni (Pivotal) from the family of Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) runner-up Carlton House (Street Cry), which features among the high-quality consignment of yearlings for the Premier sale, an auction Fairgray says Yulong have targeted with some of their better yearling offerings.

“He’s a really big, strong sort of colt,” Fairgray said of the Siyouni colt out of the stakes-placed Bouquet de Flores (Street Cry), catalogued as Lot 524. “He’s been very popular and is really interesting to take into the sales.

“Siyouni has done really well with his couple of runners in Australia, he’s had a couple of runners in the Golden Slipper, so he’s a colt that I’m sure will attract plenty of attention.

“Because it’s our home base we want to support it with some really nice horses. It was definitely the idea that we’re taking nice horses to the Melbourne sale and the feedback that we’ve got on our draft has been really positive.

“You get the flow-on effects from bringing these nice horses into the Victorian sale.”

Article courtesy of ANZ

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Valuable colt Ole Kirk retires

Above: Ole Kirk as a yearling

Dual Group 1 winner Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) has been retired from racing and will begin his stud career at Vinery in the Hunter Valley later this year.

Trained by Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes, the valuable colt won three of his 11 starts including impressive back-to-back victories in the G1 Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas in the spring. He also won the Listed Talindert S., and placed in another five races including the G1 Champagne S., G2 Run to the Rose, G2 VRC Sires’ Produce S. and Listed Rosebud.

In late October, Vinery joined the existing ownership group and secured the high-class 3-year-old’s stallion future.

Team Hawkes brought Ole Kirk back to the racetrack for three final appearances this month, finishing third in the Inglis 3YO Sprint, eighth in the G1 Futurity S. and 10th in Saturday’s G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.

“I think that’s going to be his last run, and he’ll be at Vinery on Monday to enjoy the rest of his life,” part-owner Neil Werrett said on Saturday.

By elite sire Written Tycoon, Ole Kirk is out of Naturale (Bel Esprit), who is an unraced full sister to the legendary sprinter Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and half-sister to the four-time Group 1 winner and sire All Too Hard, who also stands at Vinery.

Ole Kirk was bred by Rick Jamieson’s Gilgai Farm, who offered him at the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. He was bought for $675,000 by Mark Player’s International Thoroughbred Solutions on Werrett’s behalf. Jamieson also retained an interest among a large ownership syndicate.

“Ole Kirk has the genetic potential and the elite racetrack performance to play a major role in the ongoing development of the Australian thoroughbred industry,” Jamieson told TDN AusNZ earlier this season.

“He is from one of the most successful pedigrees in the Australian Studbook, descending back to the blue hen mares Scandinavia and Helsinge. His sire-line traces back through to Last Tycoon and Try My Best, making him a great genetic match for mares carrying Danehill in their pedigree.

“With the support of all current owners, as well as that of Vinery and their loyal clients, he will be supported with a great line-up of mares when he begins his stud career. Personally, I believe we have been fortunate and put our foot on a future great speed stallion and can’t wait for him to begin the next phase of his exciting career.”

Article courtesy of TDN

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Toronado’s Still A Star Makes Triumphant Return in Vamos Stakes

Above: Still A Star – $13,000 well spent at the 2018 Tasmanian Magic Millions

All roads lead to Moonee Valley for the $5million All-Star Mile for Still A Star after the four-year-old daughter of Tornoado (IRE) came off a 363 day break to win Wedneday’s $150,000 Group III Armidale Stud Vamos Stakes (1400m) at Launceston.

Brendon Mc Coull gave the Bill Ryan-trained mare a sweet ride following the leader Deroche (Needs Further) until well into the straight before pouncing at the 200 metres to win by three-quarters of a length.

Runaway Girl (Sebring) was a length back in third.

Ryan said it was a relief to get Still a Star back to the track.

“It’s been a bloody long year. She’s back, her star is still shining and it has been worth the wait, Ryan said.

“She was going to Melbourne last spring and she got a lung infection and I had to turn her out. Then we got her ready for the Bow mistress (Stakes) and she got another respiratory infection, then we had to beat that.

“I was very confident. She had to do a bit of buffering, but once she got out it was all over.”

Still A Star was making her return to the track for the first time since reeling off wins in the Listed Tasmanian Guineas, Launceston Guineas, Strutt Stakes and Listed Tasmanian Oaks.

A $13,000 purchase by Monica Ryan out of the Alva Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale, Still A Star advances her record to eight wins and five seconds from 13 starts with earnings of $501,190.

The daughter of Toronado (IRE) is out of the Brisbane winning Casino Prince mare Lita, who is a daughter of the top-class Stravinsky mare Royal Asscher the winner of the Group III MVRC Red Anchor Stakes, Listed VRC Ottawa Stakes and Listed MRC William Crockett Stakes and was third in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic.

Purchased by Alva Stud for $20,000 at the 2015 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale, Lita missed to Alpine Eagle in 2018 and foaled a colt by Spendthrift Farm’s Bolt D’Oro (USA) last spring.

Article courtesy of Breednet

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Capriccio destined for bigger things following Dash success

Above: Damian Lane returns to the mounting yard on Capriccio after winning the Inglis Dash at Flemington Racecourse (Brett Holburt/Racing Photos)

A journey that started 11 years ago resulted today with victory in the $500,000 Inglis Dash at Flemington for untapped 3YO filly Capriccio.

It all began at Inglis’ Australian Weanling Sale at the old Newmarket site in 2010 when Darren Dance’s Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock teamed up with the Gereaux family’s Bungan Street Thoroughbreds to buy a Lonhro filly for $80,000.

They raced the filly as Lonhspresso – she won four of her 15 starts including two at Stakes level – before deciding to breed with her.

Today her daughter Capriccio, trained by Daniel Bowman, won the Inglis Dash at just her fourth career start.

Capriccio (I Am Invincible) realised $300,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale through Dance’s Esker Lodge, purchased by Bowman and Dance’s ATB, who wanted to stay in the filly.

“Daniel bought her and asked if the breeders wanted to stay in so we took a share each and Daniel sold the rest down through his client base,’’ Dance said.

“It’s good for our brand to be able to breed a good horse and sell it through Inglis. We’ve given all our yearlings this year to Inglis to sell at Premier so the timing couldn’t be any better either.

“We’ve been flat strap all week at Oaklands for inspections, it’s been off the charts, so fingers crossed everyone gets some good results the next three days in the sale ring.’’

Esker Lodge will offer 12 yearlings at Premier, which begins at 10am tomorrow.

To view the catalogue, CLICK HERE.

Shannon Gereaux couldn’t believe it as he watched today’s race unfold.

“I could hardly speak afterwards. I was shaking, I think everyone was,’’ a thrilled Gereaux said.

“It’s a big thrill to have bred a filly to win a race like the Inglis Dash. Thanks to Inglis, the race series is great to be involved in, it’s such a good advertisement for the company and the industry.’’

Winning trainer Bowman added: “We picked this race out a long way to kick off in and we’ll get her to Adelaide now.

“She’d improved a lot during her spell, trialling up really well at home so I knew she’d run a really big race. I thought she could run a nice fourth or fifth and I would have been really happy with that, but apparently not!

“Thanks to Inglis, this prizemoney is unbelievable.’’

The Inglis Dash has a proud tradition of producing G1 winners – Capriccio will be out to emulate former recent winners such as Nature Strip and Hellbent to progress on to win at the highest level.

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Fourth Australian Winner for Frosted

Above: Frosted standing at Darley Northwood Park

Darley shuttler Frosted (USA) was making news at Inglis Premier this week when his filly from Miss Steele sold for $420,000 and he was back in the news again on Tuesday when siring his fourth Australian winner at Bendigo.

A hot favourite for the 1100m maiden, the Peter and Paul Snowden trained colt Frostin’ was fourth on debut in the Group III MRC Chairman’s Stakes behind Enthaar and was then second to subsequent stakes-winner Tycoon Humma at Bendigo.

He ran right up to that good form when cruising home to win by two lengths.

A $60,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Snowden Racing from the Riverina Downs draft, Frostin’ is a half-brother to Group II winner Viridine and stakes-placed St Edwards Crown being the fifth winner from five to race from Anabaa (USA) mare Patina.

Patina was originally a Godolphin mare, but was on-sold in 2016 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $15,000 to Mario & Jenni Cesnik, who bred Frostin’.

He is the fourth Australian winner from just nine runners for Frosted joining stakes-winner Ingratiating and stakes-placed Frost Flowers and Cloudy.

By champion US sire Tapit, Frosted has a profile that would suggest his progeny will only improve with maturity and should also handle a trip.

Article courtesy of Breednet

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Bargain buy Lunar Fox wins G1 Australian Guineas

Above: Lunar Fox ridden by Michael Dee wins the Kennedy Australian Guineas at Flemington Racecourse (Reg Ryan/Racing Photos)

Small-time breeder Travis Kelly was in “a bloody big state of shock’’ after he and his wife Rebecca’s homebred Lunar Fox (Foxwedge) won today’s stallion-making $1m G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.

“What do I feel? I’m numb. I don’t know what I feel to be totally honest,’’ Kelly said as the reality started to sink in that he was now a G1-winning breeder.

“I’m just a small-time breeder and we’ve bred a Group 1 winner. It’s the ultimate.’’

Lunar Fox beat many of the best and most valuable 3YOs in the land today and as a colt, he’s now one very valuable proposition himself.

Not only is he a G1 winner at three, he also won the G2 Sires Produce Stakes at two.

Travis and Rebecca Kelly sold Lunar Fox for $40,000 at the Inglis Gold Yearling Sale, to Terry and Karina O’Sullivan, under their Kelly Thoroughbreds banner.

He was also offered at the Premier Yearling Sale two months prior.

“We bought him to Premier but things didn’t quite work out as planned and in the time between that sale and Gold, he really furnished again,’’ Travis Kelly said.

“We’ve been breeding for eight or nine years, Rebecca trains a small team at Sale and we realised years ago that we couldn’t afford to buy top level yearlings so we thought we’d try breeding a few ourselves.

“We keep some, we sell some, that’s how it goes, but to have bred a Group 1 winner now, it’s unbelievable, it really is.’’

Lunar Fox (pictured) becomes the 56th Inglis graduate to win a G1 since 2018, 29 of which could have been purchased for $100,000 or less.

The Kelly’s are offering a select draft of three yearlings at this year’s Premier Yearling Sale, which begins at Oaklands at 10am tomorrow.

To view the Premier catalogue, CLICK HERE.

At Randwick today, for a second consecutive Saturday, a Chris Waller-trained and Coolmore part-owned Easter colt surged into Golden Slipper calculations, this time with O’President (Fastnet Rock) winning the G2 Skyline Stakes at Randwick.

Last week it was Home Affairs in the Silver Slipper but today O’President was the star, securing a second career win at just his third start and announcing himself one of the leading Golden Slipper prospects.

James Bester paid $520,000 for O’President at last year’s Virtual Easter Yearling Sale, where he was offered by his breeder Kia Ora Stud.

“It’s very exciting, it was a really good win, he’s a very well bred horse and a very good looking horse who has confirmed himself a home at stud somewhere down the line after today,’’ Bester said.

“It would be nice to win a Group 1 now to just frank that completely so all eyes head to the Golden Slipper.

“He and Acrobat (Inglis Nursery winner) stood out to us at Easter as the two Fastnet Rocks that had the qualities to be speedy 2YOs and then later progress on from there at three. Unfortunately Acrobat has met with a setback but O’President has taken up the baton and we’re very excited by that.’’

Kia Ora will also offer O’President’s I Am Invincible half sister (ex O’Marilyn) as lot 458 at April’s Easter Sale at Riverside.

To view the Easter catalogue, CLICK HERE.

Earlier on today’s Flemington program untapped Capitalist filly Tycoon Humma made it two wins from two starts with a strong victory in the Listed 2YO Plate.

Trainer John McArdle bought the youngster for $240,000 at last year’s Premier Sale, where she was offered by Flinders Park Stud.

As a Stakes-winning 2YO by arguably the hottest young sire going around, Tycoon Humma is also now a very valuable proposition.

Flinders Park is also offering Tycoon Humma’s Zoustar half sister (ex Humma Mumma) as lot 87 on Day 1 of the Premier Sale tomorrow.

“She’s a strong, correct, athletic filly, beautiful mover, she knows she’s good and I don’t think I’ve ever had a more popular filly on inspections she’s been very busy,’’ Flinders Park’s Mick Cumming said of the Zoustar filly.

“We’re thrilled to see Tycoon Humma win obviously and how the stars are all aligning with the timing of that win and the half sister selling tomorrow.’’

Tycoon Humma, bred by Bridsan Bloodstock’s Brian Coyle, becomes Capitalist’s second Stakes winner from his first crop to race – the other is Inglis Millennium winner and Golden Slipper favourite Profiteer, a Classic Sale graduate.

There are 16 progeny of Capitalist at the upcoming Premier Sale.

And Easter Yearling Sale 7YO Morvada (Mossman) made a last-minute bid for an All Star Mile berth with an all-the-way win in the G3 Shaftsbury Avenue at Flemington.

It was a third Stakes win and eighth overall success for Morvada and took his earnings to almost $650,000 – his trainer Peter Jolly bought him for $200,000 at Easter in 2015 from Vinery Stud.

The $5m All Star Mile will be run at The Valley on March 13.

The five All Star Mile Wildcard entrants will be announced next week.

Article courtesy of Inglis

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Big bids come late on day 2

Above: : Lot 321 Sebring filly purchased by Victorian Alliance

After more than 220 parades in front of potential buyers, a bay colt by champion Japanese stallion Lord Kanaloa was worth the wait for Ciaron Maher late into the second day of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

The colt, offered by Victoria’s Kulani Park at Goulburn Weir, was the second day sale topper when Maher, inconjunction with Coolmore Stud, paid $900,000.

Smith said that after selling their Hunter Valley property, they bought their Goulburn Weir farm about 12 months ago ‘to get back into it’ and was delighted with their farm in Victoria.

The Victorian Alliance, headed by Rosemont Stud, was formed by a group of breeders and studs in an attempt to buy colts in the hope that they will develop into a valuable stallion.

And the group had to wait late into the second day to pay $520,000 for a colt by French stallion Siyouni, out of Bouquet de Flores (Street Cry x Floristry).

The colt, a first foal, was offered by Yulong.

They could be described as friendly rivals in the breeding industry, but it didn’t stop Rosemont Stud’s Anthony Mithen from paying $450,000 for a filly from Phil Campbell’s Blue Gum Farm draft.

Mithen said the team at Rosemont had rated the Sebring yearling as the best filly in the sale.

“They are not making any more of the Sebrings and she was, for us, the filly of the sale,” Mithen said.

“We just loved her. She is out of a Shamardal mare and she is a Sebring and an outcross filly and a great family and off a farm that do a magnificent job.

“They continue to produce great results at Blue Gum and we were more than happy to be pretty strong on her.”

Mithen agreed the flashy chestnut filly is not unlike in looks to Rosemont’s top sprinting mare Brooklyn Hustle.

“We had to be a little bit stronger on her than I wanted to be, anyway you come here to buy the ones you want, rather than the ones that are left as the auctioneers often tell you.’’

Mithen said hopefully the filly would be “flashing around” in a few stakes races.

“That’s the plan as we had a bit of luck here last year with Sneaky Five for $305,000 and I’m glad I didn’t have to go five more as I really didn’t have it,’’ he said.

Mithen said he threw in an extra, sneaky five thousand to secure the Fastnet Rock x Small Minds filly at last year’s yearling sale. Appropriately named Sneaky Five, the filly has had two starts for two wins and won $883,000 in prize money.

“Hopefully she is that two-year-old type that we can have a bit of fun with in 12 months.’’

Mithen said as Rosemont was also a breeding farm, they had to keep replenishing the stocks with similar fillies to the Sebring.

“And we like to think we breed a nice filly, but we don’t shut our eyes to what other people are producing,” he said.

“There’s plenty of people doing a good job breeding some nice horses and we’re happy to share the love and buy nice horses as well as breed them.”

Blue Gum, which combined with Robert Crabtree’s Dorrington Farm, to produce the opening day’s sale topper (Written Tycoon x Iglesia) of $1.1 million, had more success on the second day when they sold a Shalaa colt, out of Sistonic, to International Thoroughbred Solutions for $300,000. The colt is a close relationship to Black Caviar and the recently retired Ole Kirk.

Blue Gum Farm sold all 12/12 horses which Rob Crabtree’s Dorrington Farm had entered into the sale.

After an absence of three years of selling horses under their own name, Glentree Thoroughbreds returned to Melbourne Premier and had instant success on the second day of the sale.

Sydney trainer John O’Shea won a spirited bidding duel to pay $550,000 for Glentree’s Dundeel colt, out of Flying Spur mare Ruby Falls.

Glentree’s Bruce Wilson had sold his past three drafts at Melbourne Premier through Bhima Thoroughbreds but decided to return to the sale as vendors in their own right.

The result was a bit more than what was expected, according to Glentree’s stud manager Luke Simpson.

He said they had a full sister to the colt, but Ruby Falls was not in foal.

“We are excited to have a full sister to the colt that just sold,” he said.

Simpson said he heard some good things said during the sale about the yearlings offered by Glentree and described it as a testament to Wilson and his family and the commitment they’ve made to the farm and the investment in the thoroughbred industry.

“We made a bit of a plan and put a band of some nice horses together to target Melbourne Premier in our own backyard and so far it’s been paying off really well for us.”

O’Shea said the Dundeel colt would be raced with a syndicate, including Arrowfield Stud and Melbourne bloodstock agent Suman Hedge.

“It’s probably the best colt I’ve seen by him,” O’Shea said.

“And he had a big pedigree to match it. Bruce Wilson has put together a great quality of broodmares and this is a reflection of the horses they are producing at Glentree.

“So, we were really enthused by the horse with a syndicate headed by Arrowfield.

“They understand the stallion more than anyone and so consequently they were kind enough to join us in the syndicate.”

O’Shea said the colt made a bit more than what they thought but he was told to keep on bidding to buy it.

He said Hedge, who he described as a great young judge of bloodstock, would also be part of the colt.

Darren Dance’s Esker Lodge struck early on the second day with $160,000 for a black colt by Pierro, out of Fastnet Rock mare, Rockolicious.

Bigger money came for Esker Lodge’s Camelot (GB) filly out of Yours Ever (GB).

The filly was knocked down for $300,000.

The success for Victorian breeders continued when Noorilim Park at Arcadia sold an Exceed and Excel filly, out of Special Lover (Pins x Special Diamond), for $300,000 to Gelagotis Racing.

Balius Farm at Darnum promised that its third year at Melbourne Premier would be its best with an improved quality of yearling.

And they weren’t wrong.

A black filly, by Lonhro out of Singled Out, sold for $240,000. They then sold a Vancouver x Socialize filly to Moloney Racing for $160,000.

The second top price on the second day of the sale was an I Am Invincible colt, out of Risque, which sold to Cranbourne trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young for $700,000.

Sun Stud stallion Thronum (Snitzel) had his first yearlings go through the sale.

His first lot offered, out of four-time winning Hinchinbrook mare Thorsborne sold for $200,000.

Hollylodge Thoroughbreds at Avenel had their best result of the sale when they got $400,000 for a Deep Field colt out of Charge Forward mare, Western Gem.

The filly was bought by McEvoy Racing.

Yulong achieved a $300,000 sale – the equal best price of its yearlings on the second day – for a Snitzel filly out of Zaina Rizeena (GB), a winner as a two-year-old over 1500m in Great Britain.

Flemington trainer Michael Moroney was the successful bidder for another Yulong yearling, a Written Tycoon colt out of Zabeel mare Zibello (NZ). Moroney paid $300,000 for the colt.

And he quickly followed up by paying $300,000 for a Redoute’s Choice colt out of Starcraft mare Ain’tnofallenstar which was offered by Glentree Thoroughbreds. Redoute’s Choice died in 2019.

Swettenham Stud stallion Toronado continued to achieve solid results with a bay colt out of three-time Choisir winning mare Anatomica. Gilgai Farm at Nagambie sold the colt for $220,000.

Merricks Station followed up a good opening day of the sale with a $150,000 (Pierro x Whistle Baby colt) and a $210,000 (Dundeel x Alamonteel colt) sale on the second day.

Pakenham trainer Peter Moody paid $210,000 for a Dundeel filly out of seven-time winning mare Avenue. The filly was offered by Three Bridges Thoroughbreds at Eddington.

On day 2 of the sale, the clearance was 86%, which is up from 79% from the 2020 sale, the average was $143,195, which was up 11% from $129,162 from the 2020 sale and the median remained the same at $110,000.

 

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Artie on a roll

Above: Artie Schiller on a roll

STOCKWELL THOROUGHBREDS consistent sire ARTIE SCHILLER has been again been proving his talents with a string of winners from limited runners in recent times.

His four-year-old son Art Cadeau has become his latest flag bearer by taking out the $150,000 Country Champions Qualifier over 1400m metres at Goulburn on 16th February and putting himself in line for the $500,000 final to be run in April. It was Art Cadeau’s fourth win from 10 starts after finishing second at each of his other runs.

His win came two days after Kody Nestor produced a highly promising three year old filly Artie’s Aura to win by better than five lengths at Dubbo for owner-breeder Stuart Ramsey’s Turrunga Pastoral on debut.

Her stylish win followed on from Living The Dream returning to his best form to win over 1600 metres at Ascot on 13th February in a bold front running display.

Another Sheila winning at Coffs Harbour and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s promising Major Artie making it three wins on end when stepping up to 1550 metres at Canterbury on 12th February.

Artie Schiller has been a constant source of winners since he started his stud career in Australia in 2007. He began his career in fine form with a promising batch of two-year-olds which led him to being crowned Australia’s leading second season sire the following year, again with limited numbers.

His largest foal crop came in 2012 with 110 live foals but he has continued to bat above the average with smaller books of mares, returning stunning stakes performance results and winner percentages.

Another feather in his cap is the success his Group One winning son Flying Artie is having with his first crop two year old’s this season. He should follow in his sire’s footsteps and find outstanding results with his three year olds next season.

Artie Schiller ceased shuttling to the US two years ago and is a permanent resident at STOCKWELL THOROUGHBRES, Diggers Rest, Victoria.

 

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