3 minute read
New South Wales operation sell a pair of yearlings for $2,875,000.
Widden Stud enjoyed one of the most memorable five minutes in a sales ring at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale on Tuesday, as Antony Thompson's nursery offered a pair of yearlings two lots apart, which they sold for an aggregate of $2,875,000.
The lucrative few minutes was kicked off by a filly by Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) who was purchased by Busuttin Racing for $975,000.
Catalogued as Lot 113, the filly is from one of the best families in the Australian stud book, out of 2014 Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Bonaria (Redoute's Choice), who is herself a half-sister to Group 3 winner Legally Bay (Snippets) - the dam of dual Group 1 winner Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) and Group 2 scorer Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock).
Meanwhile, Bonaria's other half-sister produced Group 3-winning duo Tessera (Medaglia d'Oro) and Montsegur (New Approach). Being by I Am Invincible out of a Redoute's Choice (Danehill) mare, the filly is bred on the same cross as Group 3-winning pair Houtzen and Overshare.
Speaking to Racing & Sports Bloodstock, Thompson described the filly as a 'queen' and was confident she would find a good home.
"The filly was a queen, just the most stunning physical," said Thompson. "She was very much in mould of Loving Gaby - big, strong and powerful.
"This filly is from one of the best families in Australia. There was plenty of interest in here and Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young formed a syndicate with people who love the idea of racing the blue-chip stock and they have secured a stunning filly with great residual value."
Young told Racing & Sports that the filly stood out during the inspections on the farm and she was over the moon to be able to secure her for a syndicate they have put together.
"We don't normally dabble in that sort of price range, but we were up at the Hunter Valley for a week and she was just the best horse to come out and I just had to have her," said Young.
"I would rather sit there and wait and buy the ones that you love, than buy the ones that you half love who are a bit cheaper.
"She has a fantastic pedigree, out of a Group 1-winning mare and has an unbelievable page. I think she is a horse who can definitely get back here in a year's time for the two-year-old Magic Millions. She looks like she will be able to cop the pressure of two-year-old racing, no worries and you can't go wrong with a Redoute's mare.
'She is all class and those ones at that price there isn't much skill in it as they stick out like golf balls, sometimes you've got to buy the ones you love and we loved her."
Young said the last time she fell for a yearling at a sale was when she purchased Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) for $300,000 at the 2019 edition of the Magic Millions Sale and he went on to land the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) the following year and she said she was happy to put the money on the table for this filly, as she did with the son of Lord Kanaloa (King Kamehameha) a few year before.
"The last time I fell for one at a sale like I did for her we won a Blue Diamond with Tagaloa, so you have to put your arse on the line," said Young.
"She is for a syndicate who are going to race her and there are some new people in. We still have a couple of legs to sell in her, but I hoping that won't take too long."
On paper the colt by Arrowfield Stud-based sire Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) out of Listed winner Bonny O'Reilly (O'Reilly) was one of the headline acts on the first day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and he did not disappoint when selling to Coolmore Stud, Guy Mulcaster and Chris Waller Racing for an eye-watering $1.9 million on Tuesday.
After a furious bidding battle which lasted the best part of five minutes, Coolmore and Mulcaster, who were standing on the right hand side, came out on top to take the colt home.
It was no surprise to see the colt garner a host of admirers given O'Reilly's (Last Tycoon) success as a broodmare sire, with 90 of his daughters producing stakes winners, headed by 15 Group 1 winners.
Bonny O'Reilly herself is a half-sister to fellow stakes winner Pretty To Sea (Ocean Park). Meanwhile, dual Group 1 winners Vision And Power (Carnegie) and Glamour Puss (Tale Of The Cat) feature under the colt's third dam.
This is also the same family as Listed scorer Escadaire (O'Reilly) and Group 2 scorer Rare Insight (O'Reilly) - the dam of Group 1 winner Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer).
Coolmore's Tom Magnier was delighted to come out on top of the bidding battle and said the colt would now head to Chris Waller's Sydney stable.
"He was a really nice horse and all the top people were on him," Magnier told Racing.com.
"There's plenty of people here this week that have got good money to pay for colts, so if you want to get the good ones, you have to pay for them.
"All the team were very positive on him and he comes from a good farm as well so, a bit of luck now, and we'll enjoy it."
Offered by Widden Stud, who purchased the mare with David Redvers for $1.2 million at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when carrying this colt in utero, the yearling was offered as Lot 115.
Thompson said the colt had been a standout from day one and that the result was all due to a lot of hard work from the team at Widden.
"He was magnificent, he was just a smashing horse," said Thompson. "We were underbidder on her at $825,000 off the track and I think at the time we had a fair bit of remorse, but then thankfully she went through the ring six months later in foal to Snitzel and we were able to secure her next time round, which was a bit of luck.
"From there the colt has been a star from day one. He was really admired here throughout the sale and quite a lot of syndicates here looking to secure these future stallion prospects. He is a really good colt and we were hoping he would sell well, but you're never really sure, particularly in this climate.
"We knew we had a special horse and throughout the week the way the sale was shaping up, people kept telling us we had one of the best colts in the sale and there was just a really good vibe and the horse never turned a hair throughout the whole process and it was really great to see it come together.
"These moments of success are pretty fleeting, but they are the outcome of hours of work. We know how long these types of moments take to make, but it was a great moment. The team has worked so hard and they have presented the stock beautifully and it was great to see the smiles on their faces when we got those sorts of results."
Thompson was quick to pay tribute to the resilience of the industry: "We are very lucky here in so many ways and the fundamentals of our industry are so strong with the prize-money as the cornerstone of our industry and it means it has enormous resilience. People in the thoroughbred industry are eternal optimists and we find a way to get things done and that is a really great thing to happen. There is a great feeling of camaraderie down here to get business done as best we can."
Widden sold four lots on Tuesday for an aggregate of $3,395,000 and average of $848,750 to sit at the head of the vendors table by both gross and average.