Redoute's Colt Tops Easter Day Three

The Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale came to a close Thursday, with two more millionaires bringing the total to nine for the week. The top lot of the session was a Redoute's Choice (Aus) colt out of the South African Horse of the Year National Colour (SAf) (National Assembly) bought by Shadwell Australasia for A$1.75 million. He is the third seven-figure lot for his sire at the sale.

The first 59 lots through the ring Thursday morning concluded Session I of the sale, which returned figures that were slightly down but largely in line with last year's sale. With 10 fewer horses sold in 2016, the aggregate dipped 5.1% to A$98,007,500 for 345 sold. The average was down 2.4% to A$284,080, while the median was unchanged at A$200,000. The buyback rate was up to 16.9% from 16.1 in 2015.

Session II of the Easter sale followed Thursday afternoon, and saw 87 of the 114 offered sold for a total of A$7,890,000 (down 14.2%) at a buyback rate of 23.7% (up from 18.2% last year). The average was down 2.3% to A$90,690, and the median for Session II equaled the 2015 mark of A$75,000.

This year's Easter sale returned nine seven-figure lots, compared to 10 last year. A total of 49 were hammered down for a A$500,000-plus, while 58 hit that mark last year.

Shadwell's National Treasure…

Angus Gold admitted early in the Easter sale that he was after sire prospects for Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stud. Gold was quick out of the gates on day one to secure a A$1.5-million Redoute's Choice (Aus) colt out of Top Cuban (Aus) (Anabaa), and he added a second millionaire by that three-time champion sire Thursday when securing lot 433, the fourth foal out of South African Horse of the Year National Colour (SAf) (National Assembly), for A$1.75 million. The bay is the third-straight produce of the mare purchased by Shadwell from this sale; it spent A$800,000 on a Redoute's Choice colt in 2014 and A$675,000 on a Redoute's Choice filly last year. National Colour produced a Snitzel (Aus) filly last year.

“We tried to identify early in the week the best colts, and I thought he was right up there,” said Gold. “I'm interested that he made more than the Top Cuban; I didn't think he'd make as much but that's the way, someone else wanted him too. We have the first two out of the mare, and both of them have above average ability, according to Mike de Kock. He was just a beautiful, quality horse. He behaved himself impeccably.”

Like his elder siblings and the Frankel filly out of Chocolicious (SAf) (Kahal {GB}) bought by Gold for A$610,000 Wednesday, the Redoute's Choice colt will be trained by Mike de Kock in South Africa.

Gold signed for a total of 19 yearlings for A$10.215 million during Easter's session one.

Waller Gets 'Big Ticket' Colt…

The last of five Frankels to go through the ring at Inglis Easter proved the dearest, with lot 423, the colt out of More Strawberries (Aus) (More Than Ready), hammered down to trainer Chris Waller for A$1.6 million Thursday. The Oct. 13 foal is the first produce of the G2 Tea Rose S. winner More Strawberries (Aus) (More Than Ready), a half-sister to G1 Emirates S. winner All American (Aus) (Red Ransom) from the family of dual Grade I winner Rock Hard Ten (Kris S). More Strawberries was one of two mares sent by Strawberry Hill owner John Singleton to visit Frankel in Newmarket during the unbeaten champion's first Southern Hemisphere-time season; the other was Singleton's eight-time Group 1 winner More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready), who produced a filly.

“We just really loved the colt,” said agent Guy Mulcaster, who signed the ticket on Waller's behalf. “We saw him on Thursday and really thought he looked like Frankel. He moved so well, had a lovely girth and was just a nice, balanced horse.”

Mulcaster and Waller combined purchased four yearlings during session one, and Mulcaster said the Frankel colt was their pick of the grounds.

“We really liked the horse and we got the one we wanted today,” he said. “We got a lovely filly yesterday and have bought some other nice ones, but he was our big ticket item.”

The other Frankel to go through the ring Thursday, the British-bred half-sister to Kiyoshi (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 417), was led out unsold at A$280,000.

Pierro Colt Meets Astute Criteria…

Louis Le Metayer of Astute Bloodstock may have had to wait until the final day of the Inglis Easter sale to see his favourite colt take his turn in the ring, but the agent made the wait well worth it when staying strong to buy Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus})'s half-brother by Pierro (lot 399) for A$750,000 on behalf of an international partnership.

“He took my eye when I saw him at the farm in the Hunter Valley a couple months ago,” Le Metayer explained. “He's a horse with a great attitude. He's a late foal; I think he's going to grow into a good horse. He's got a lot of strength, a lot of quality about him. He's by Pierro, who is a champion. We bought a Pierro at Magic Millions who is showing quite a bit already so that gave us a bit of extra confidence. We're very happy with this one.”

Consigned by Willow Park Stud for breeder Sir Owen Glenn, the mid-November foal is the ninth produce of Group 3 winner Mica's Pride (Aus) (Bite The Bullet). Mica's Pride's seven foals to race are all winners, headed by the four-time Group 1 winner and A$7.2-million earner Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}), who will attempt a title defense in Saturday's A$4 million G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at The Championship Saturday. Mica's Pride is also responsible for the G2 QTC Cup winner Varenna Miss (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and the stakes winner and producer Silently (Aus) (Anabaa). Mica's Pride is a full-sister to Rose Of Cimmaron (Aus) (Bite The Bullet), whose Fastnet Rock (Aus) colt sold for A$1.2 million at Easter Tuesday. Click here for a TDN feature on the Pierro colt and Glenn Burrows's Willow Park Stud.

“We were prepared to go to a million if we had to for that sort of horse,” Le Metayer noted. “He has an exceptional pedigree and I think he's a horse that's going to improve because not only does he have his sire's strength and scope already, but he has a really top attitude. I think in six months' time he's going to be an amazing type.”

Le Metayer said the colt would be trained in Sydney, but said a trainer had not been decided.

Good Results For Proven Sires…

Fastnet Rock, who was responsible for two of the nine seven-figures lots during the week, enjoyed another strong session Thursday, with a filly bringing A$580,000 and another filly and a colt each bringing a half-million. Fastnet Rock's former trainer Paul Perry was to A$580,000 for lot 424, the second foal out of Kia Ora's GII Breeders' Cup Juveniles Fillies Turf winner More Than Real (More Than Ready). The filly's full-sister had made A$430,000 at this sale last year.

Earlier in the morning, Fastnet Rock had enjoyed a pair of A$500,000 lots in succession: lot 396 from Newhaven Park is out of the dual group winner Media (Aus) (Gilded Time) and a half-sister to three winners and was bought by Inglis as agent. Lot 397, offered by Coolmore Stud, is a half-sister to Group 3 winners Osaila (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Obama Rule (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Also hitting the half-million mark yesterday was the first lot through the ring (lot 391), a Lonhro (Aus) full-brother to Group 3 winner Mecir (Aus) bought by Katsumi Yoshida; and lot 413, a More Than Ready colt from Newhaven Park whose half-sister Peeping (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) is a Group 1 winner since the catalogue. He was bought by Vinery Stud.

The top lot for session two was lot 481, the last progeny of Street Cry (Ire) to be offered at Easter. Willie Leung's Magus Equine paid A$300,000 for the half-brother to triple Group 1 winner Luckygray (Aus) (Bradbury's Luck {Aus}), and Leung said, “He is a beautiful mover and an athletic horse. I am glad I was able to secure him, he will stay in Australia before we decide on a plan for him.”