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Syndicate go to $150,000 for foal by Coolmore Stud stallion.
Better known for their buying power on the yearling circuit, Darby Racing has expanded their business into the pinhooking game and they kicked off their new venture when purchasing two colts at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale on Wednesday, headed by a son of Coolmore Stud sire So You Think (High Chaparral) who they paid Twin Hills Stud $150,000 for.
Scott Darby said the team are looking to use their considerable knowledge of the yearling market to unearth good pinhooking prospects that they will then re-offer as yearlings the following year.
"2020 for Darby Racing is about expansion," said Darby. "We're expanding the business from syndication to also include pinhooking – yearlings into two-year-olds and weanlings into yearlings. We're looking for quality horses that we think will sell well at the major sales next year.
"We're looking to use our knowledge and success we've had with yearlings that have turned into early-running two-year-olds and using that same formula for the pinhooking side of things. This is the first time we're fair dinkum really into it. We hope to pick a few up at this sale and then get them into the right sales next year as yearlings."
With the coronavirus playing havoc with the way the sales have been conducted this year, Darby was taking full advantage of Inglis' online bidding facility and he rated the youngster the best looking weanling in the sale.
"He was one of the best looking, if not the best looking horse at Riverside, and we saw most of the weanlings there," said Darby.
"He's well built, well made and we just thought he was the top pick of the whole sale for us."
Offered as Lot 204, the colt is the second foal out of winning Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Feirin, who is herself out of multiple American Grade 2 scorer Randaroo (Gold Case).
The colt's third dam - Listed winner Validated (Valid Appeal) - is the grandam of fellow Listed scorer Roman Candles (Lite The Fuse).
Twin Hill Stud's Olly Tait said the colt had been popular throughout the inspections and he had expected him to sell well in the ring.
"Very pleased, $150,000 is a lot of money," said Tait. "He was a lovely horse, he did everything right, he's by a really good sire, he's got a nice pedigree, his attitude and athleticism, he sold himself really. We didn't have to do much.
"He had a lot of inspections from the moment we started so we were confident he'd sell well.
"All in all this is a very good result and I'd say a resilient market, given the current circumstances."
The colt was one of 31 lots bought online, or 24 per cent of the overall sales and Tait was quick to praise Inglis' online site and said it had certainly helped the industry overcome some of the challenges it faced in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.
"The challenges of a large portion of the buying bench not being able to be physically here at the sale, that was a concern, but we're four months into this scenario and everybody is getting used to buying horses online, inspecting horses online, the standard of information the vendors are giving prospective buyers is far superior to what it was 12 months ago because and this is a very good example – a bidder online paying $150,000 for a horse, that shows the market has adapted and the industry has adapted to the circumstances we are facing," said Tait.
Darby Racing also took home a colt by Kitchwin Hills-based sire Sooboog (Snitzel), who they paid Tyreel Stud $26,000 for.
Catalogued as Lot 116, the colt is the first foal out of unraced mare Anadyomene (Northern Meteor) and from the family of Cantala Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Desert Eagle (Hurricane Sky).
Another foal by So You Think proved popular on the first day of the auction, selling to Gall Bloodstock for $130,000.
Catalogued as Lot 120 and offered as part of the Middlebrook Valley Lodge, the colt is out of Group 3-placed Aquamosa (Alamosa).