Trade Strong At Magic Millions Opener

Magic Millions kicked off its six-day Gold Coast Yearling Sale Wednesday in encouraging style, with figures jumping across the board. A total of 158 yearlings sold for A$29,119,500, compared to 140 sold during the corresponding session last year for A$23,335,000. The buyback rate was up slightly at 24.8%. The average was up 10.5% to A$184,301, and the median climbed 15.4% to A$150,000. Eight youngsters sold for a half-million or more, headed by an A$800,000 Exceed and Excel (Aus) colt purchased by Hong Kong-based agent George Moore. That transaction was one of many by international buyers, with representatives from Asia, New Zealand, the U.S., Britain, Ireland and South Africa locking horns with local Australian bidders Wednesday.

“The highlight has to be the big jump in average price,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said. “That's just fantastic. As we know when sales go on they can get stronger, so let's hope it is the case with this sale.”

'Excel-lent' Buy For Moore…

Hong Kong-based bloodstock agent George Moore and his father, renowned trainer John Moore, were admittedly out shopping for precocious-looking yearlings yesterday, and therefore it was no surprise that lot 123 would be high on their list. The younger Moore had to see off plenty of competition to secure the Exceed and Excel (Aus) colt for A$800,000.

“I think he's going to be a very nice 1200 meter, very quick and forward 2-year-old, which is exactly what we need,” George Moore said after signing the ticket.

The September-foaled bay is a full-brother to Exceedingly Good (Aus), the winner of the G3 Maribyrnong Plate as a juvenile, as well as multiple Singapore stakes winner Better Be The One (Aus) (More Than Ready). Ampulla Lodge swung for the fences when shelling out A$300,000 for the colt at last year's Inglis Great Southern Sale, and was rewarded when re-offering the colt Wednesday.

John Moore explained that the colt would be broken in in Australia, with a decision to come later as to whether he will start his career Down Under or be expatriated to Hong Kong.

“We'll educate him down in Sydney and just wait to see where we go from there; we have no fixed plan at the moment,” Moore said.

John Moore added that Exceed and Excel is a sire that his team always seeks the progeny of, and he noted he has a promising son of that Darley resident currently in his stable called People's Knight (Aus). An A$1 million Inglis Easter purchase, the 3-year-old has won three of five starts, including the 1400 meter Griffin Trophy Dec. 27. Moore noted an owner hadn't yet been decided for his new colt, but he would pitch the colt to People's Knight's owner James Tien.

“This fellow might just go that way,” Moore said. “I'm going to make a telephone call and say, 'we've got a very nice Exceed and Excel.' This fellow's a bit smaller than People's Knight but he still has a lot presence about him.”

Another Fast Filly For Gillard…

It wouldn't be a typical Australian yearling sale without champion sire Fastnet Rock (Aus) getting his name among the top lots, and his daughter of GII Comely S. winner Dream Play (Hennessy) (lot 168) made waves late in the afternoon Wednesday when selling to owner Steve Gillard for A$750,000. Gillard has spent plenty at Magic Millions in recent years snapping up well-bred fillies, including group winners Oakleigh Girl (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) and Longport (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}), and he noted his new acquisition would later join those in his broodmare band. First, though, she will be trained by Paul Perry, who conditioned Fastnet Rock.

“I thought she was a lovely filly, one of the better ones here,” Perry said.

“I'm very excited about that purchase,” Gillard added. “The type and the page–we do a bit of breeding and Paul's probably the best judge in the world. He thought she was a great type and we're very excited to be able to get her.”

Gillard also owns in partnership another potentially smart filly in Conchita (Aus) (Uncle Mo), who goes to post in Saturday's Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Conchita is one of two first-crop winners from three starters for her sire, having won on debut at Randwick Oct. 10.

Dream Play was a A$460,000 purchase by agent James Bester on behalf of Kia-Ora Stud at Fasig-Tipton November in 2009. Three of Dream Play's four foals are by Fastnet Rock and that mating has thus far worked well, having produced the A$1.5 million colt and eventual Group 2 winner Zululand (Aus), as well as the winning Strindberg (Aus), a A$500,000 yearling. Dream Play, herself a half-sister to GI Hollywood Starlet S. winner Diplomat Lady (Forestry), produced an Exceed and Excel filly during the recently concluded Australian breeding season.

Other six-figure prices for Fastnet Rocks Wednesday included lot 179, a filly purchased by Hong Kong's Thomas Li for A$550,000; and lot 176, a colt bought by trainer Chris Waller for A$420,000.

New Adventures Ahead For China Horse Club…

In its four years of existence, the China Horse Club has become one of busiest forces in the global bloodstock market, and that isn't about to change any time soon, according to the Club's Teo Ah Khing. In fact, the Club's presence could even grow, with the addition of a new branch, a separate club for Chinese youths.

“We have launched a new membership, with smaller fees, for youths,” Teo explained at Magic Millions Wednesday. “The numbers will be big, we'll look to get 10,000 to 20,000 members, but that's not difficult to do in China.”

The China Horse Club's core membership has been closed at about 300 members.

“I think the Club has matured and the members have confidence,” Teo reflected. “We're moving into the next wave now and the Chinese are interested in the international markets.”

The China Horse Club made its first big purchase of the Gold Coast sale midway through the session Wednesday when securing a Street Cry (Ire) colt (lot 139) in partnership with WinStar Farm for A$725,000. Agent Michael Wallace signed the ticket while seated alongside Teo as well as trainer Michael Freedman, who returns to Sydney this year after an eight-year stint in Singapore. Freedman is the trainer of China Horse Club and WinStar's G2 Golden Horseshoe S. winner Super One (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), and the Club and WinStar also own in partnership the 2-year-old Taj Mahal (Aus) (More Than Ready), who was placed on debut Nov. 28 for trainers Peter and Paul Snowden. The China Horse Club is also a partner in WinStar stallion Daredevil (More Than Ready), who is preparing to stand his first season at stud in Kentucky.

Lot 139, consigned by South Australia's Mill Park, is the third foal out of Dances On Waves (Aus) (Anabaa), a half-sister to the dam of G1 Victoria Derby winner Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).

“He's a lovely horse and regally bred and would have the potential to go to the Northern Hemisphere,” said Teo, who noted the Club likely had a busy week of buying ahead. “We have partners, WinStar, and he was very carefully selected. We had to stretch the budget a bit but we got him.”

WinStar's Elliott Walden noted WinStar and the China Horse Club also bought a handful of yearlings together in the U.S. last year.

“He's a nice colt and we've done some things with China Horse Club in the States, so it made a lot of sense,” Walden said.

The China Horse Club and WinStar also partnered on the final colt through the ring of the day, lot 216, a strapping bay colt from Widden Stud by Sebring (Aus), a son of WinStar's highly successful shuttler More Than Ready. He cost the team A$460,000.

The Street Cry colt was the most expensive of the session for his late sire, who has 19 last-crop yearlings catalogued this week. Street Cry ended the session as leading sire by average, with four sold from seven offered for an average of A$413,750.

Spendthrift Spends Big…

B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm, which made its first big wave in Australia at this sale last year when buying the sale-topping Sepoy (Aus) colt for A$1.2 million, didn't take long to jump into the action during Wednesday's opening session, securing a pair of colts for A$625,000 and A$500,000 within the first half hour of trade under the Spendthrift Australia banner. The first through the ring was lot 7, a colt by leading sire Snitzel (Aus) from Eureka Stud. The September-foaled chestnut is a half-brother to G2 Queensland Guineas winner Express Air (Aus) (Piccolo {GB}).

Just minutes later Spendthrift Australia went to A$625,000 for lot 15, a colt from the final Southern Hemisphere crop of Street Cry (Ire) from Gerry Harvey's Baramul Stud. The dark bay is the second foal from the G1 Coolmore Classic winner Aloha (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}); her first, a More Than Ready colt, was a A$250,000 buy at this sale last year.

Spendthrift's Ned Toffey, who signed the ticket while seated alongside Hughes, said the Street Cry colt had the right credentials to fit into the farm's business plan, which went global last year with the purchase of Spendthrift Australia in Victoria.

“He has a stallion's pedigree,” Toffey said. “He's a super individual and very athletic–he's the kind we're looking for. Being by Street Cry we feel that he'll have appeal in both hemispheres.”

Spendthrift announced its purchase of the former Yallambee Stud, which it renamed Spendthrift Australia, last April, and the farm recently concluded its first breeding season with four sires: Can The Man (Into Mischief), Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor) and Warrior's Reward (Medaglia d'Oro) shuttled from America to join Spendthrift's Australian purchase Hampton Court (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), who is now preparing to stand his first-season in Kentucky.

“Hampton Court has been very well received by [Kentucky] breeders, so we're excited to continue to try and do more of the same,” Toffey noted. Click here for a TDN feature on Spendthrift Australia.

Snitzel Demand Strong…

Snitzel has emerged as the heir apparent to his three-time champion sire and Arrowfield barn mate Redoute's Choice, and the progeny of the 13-year-old, who stood last season for A$88,000, were in demand during the opening session on the Gold Coast Wednesday.

Agent James Harron knows a good Snitzel when he sees one, having purchased that sire's G1 Australian Guineas winner Wandjina (Aus) for A$1 million from Arrowfield, and Harron went to A$525,000 Wednesday to secure lot 115, a Snitzel colt who is the first foal out of listed winner City Of Song (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), on behalf of a group of existing clients. The colt will be trained by Peter and Paul Snowden.

“He's a lovely type, very like Snitzel with lovely balance, and he's beautifully bred,” Harron said. “Snitzel has really elevated himself to one of the top stallions in the country now, and we've had a lot of luck with him before, and that's what you have to pay for those good, well-bred colts.”

Harron also pointed to the fact that the colt is inbred to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Snippets (Aus), who went through the same ring 30 years ago.

“It's a beautiful mating and it's a nice running family,” the agent remarked.

China Horse Club spent A$420,000 on a Snitzel filly (lot 189) late in the session. Snitzel was one of the busiest sires on the day, with 12 sold from 18 offered for an average of A$321,250.

A Snitzel For Speedway…

Peter Fluor and KC Weiner of Speedway Stable, which enjoyed Grade I success in its first year of Thoroughbred ownership with last year's GI Diana S. and GI Gamely S. winner Hard Not To Like (Hard Spun), will now get a chance to race a well-bred filly Down Under after agent Marette Farrell went to A$320,000 to secure lot 134, a Snitzel filly, at Magic Millions yesterday. The half-sister to stakes winner Corsaire (Aus) (Anabaa) from Milburn Creek will be trained by Gai Waterhouse.

“John Adger and I advise Speedway Stable, and I bought her for Peter Fluor and KC Weiner of Speedway Stable,” said Farrell, who added that she was visiting Magic Millions as a result of urgings from Waterhouse.

“I worked for Gai years ago as her racing manager and she's always after me to come down,” Farrell explained. “I came down and looked at some horses and I kept coming back to this filly. She's bred by a very good breeder here who bred Starspangledbanner and Makybe Diva. She has a beautiful pedigree; she's out of a Singspiel mare, and he's a very good broodmare sire.”

“She really knocked my socks off when she came out of the stall,” Farrell added. “She's a great walker and very athletic; a real Gai Waterhouse-type.”

Farrell said that while the filly will race Down Under, she could eventually go to the Northern Hemisphere as a breeding prospect. She said Fluor and Weiner will dabble in Australia without firm plans to set up an operation there.

“It's really just a fun thing for them to do right now,” Farrell said. “They're not planning to have a satellite operation or anything down here. They'll learn a little about the racing, they'll love Gai, and it's an opportunity for them to come down and see what it's all about.”

Fluor and Weiner spent $2.5 million to buy the fillies Hard Not To Like and Leigh Court (Grand Slam) in November of 2014. They re-sold Hard Not To Like to Dattt Stable for $2.2 million at Keeneland November last year. They will be represented in Saturday's GIII Sham S. by the Bob Baffert-trained Collected (City Zip).

“They have a voracious appetite for the business,” Farrell said. “It'll be fun for them to get involved in Australian racing. We don't know where this will take us, but they're great people and they love the game.”

'Animal' Filly To New Zealand…

Two of the eight yearlings catalogued for the week by Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz})–both consigned by Arrowfield Stud–went under the hammer yesterday. The first through the ring failed to find a new home at A$75,000, but the second, lot 81, is bound for New Zealand after selling to Roger Blunt for A$310,000. The flashy chestnut filly out of GII San Gorgonio H. winner Cat by the Tale (Tale of the Cat) is a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Raphael's Cat (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}).

“She's going back to New Zealand, to Windsor Park Stud, and we'll make plans from there,” Blunt explained. “Our intention is to hold on to her for long-term breeding. We'll just hope she'll be as good as the pedigree says she's going to be.”

Hard To Beat…

Vinery Stud's All Too Hard (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}) emerged as the standout among first-season sires on the sale's opening day. The four-time Group 1-winning half-brother to Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}) was the most represented first-season sire Wednesday with 19 going under the hammer, and 14 of those sold for an average of A$250,000, tops of all first-season sires with three or more sold. He stands for A$55,000. His top price was the A$510,000 paid by James Harron for lot 208.

Newhaven Park Stud's A$11,000 stallion Delago Deluxe (Aus) emerged as a somewhat surprise contender on the first-season sire table, with three sold for an average of A$150,000. Coolmore's 2-year-old Triple Crown champ Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) was the only other first-season sire with a six-figure average Wednesday; he had 12 sell from 18 offered for an average of A$136,250.

The second session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale begins at 10 a.m. local time Thursday.