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Harron secures son of Aquis Stud-based sire for $360,000 from draft of Bell River Thoroughbreds
A colt from the first crop of Aquis Farm-based sire Invader (Snitzel) handed Bevan Smith a result he will never forget during the second session of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale on Monday, after James Harron forked out $360,000 for Lot 514 who the young bloodstock agent pinhooked for $130,000 as a weanling.
Smith purchased the colt on behalf of Ben Kwok from the Aquis Farm draft at the 2020 edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale and he told Racing & Sports Bloodstock it was very satisfying to see his early judgement well rewarded.
“I bought him for Ben Kwok, who has been a really big supporter of mine from day one and he is a great man, so it is a brilliant result for him,” said Smith.
Smith said that when he saw the colt as weanling on the Gold Coast he rated him as one of the best foals on the complex and said he has gone from strength to strength ever since.
“I know it sounds really cliche, but as a weanling I thought he was one of the standouts at the sale,” said Smith.
“He had so much quality and presence to him. He is such an athletic horse and when I looked at him, even then, I thought he was a racehorse. He moved so well, was well proportioned, correct and had such a good attitude to go with it. He is such a cool horse and he kept his cool the whole way through, so we just had to buy him because we really thought he was the best horse in the sale and I’m very glad we did.”
Smith was also quick to heap praise on the Ferguson family who prepared the colt for the sale at the Dungog property.
“A lot of credit has to go to the Ferguson family, they have done an unbelievable job with this horse getting him to where he is today,” he said.
“I have known them for a while now and they are great mates and they are also great preparers of horses and had a great Classic sale last year, so when we had to make a decision of who would prep the horse it was sort of a no-brainer to send it to Bell River.
“They obviously do something right, because they not only have great results at the sales, but their racetrack results are unbelievable for such a small farm. He has a great upbringing and hopefully coming off that farm he can carry on the tradition of the Bell River brand.”
Harron was clearly adamant he would leave the sale with at least one of the Invader colts from the Ferguson family’s draft, having been out battled for the colt the farm sold to George Moore for $375,000 during the sale’s opening session.
“Being bought by James Harron is absolutely amazing, especially for me being a young guy in the industry and James is one of the best judges in the whole game and for him to back my judgement of the horse is of course extremely satisfying,” said Smith.
“He will get every chance as well and James manages the horses incredibly professionally and they do what is best for the horses - I hope he is very successful for him.”
A Group 1 winner as a juvenile, Invader’s first crop of yearlings have been well-received by buyers, with the seven of the stallion’s progeny making $1,800,000 at last month’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, headed by a colt who sold to Ciaron Maher and David Eustace for $550,000.
Meanwhile, over the past two days of trade at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale nine yearlings by the sire have sold for a gross of $1,255,000 at an average of $139,444 and Smith believes the son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) is set for a big future.
“Invaders have been well received by the buying bench,” said Smith. “They are well put together, well-balanced, athletic horses, who all seem to have great attitudes.
“I think he is a stallion with a big future and he seems to stamp his stock as well. I was very happy to get this guy as a foal and I am already really looking forward to seeing what he can do as a racehorse.”
Out of the Listed-winning Sequalo (Rustic Amber) mare Cariad Lot 514 is a three-quarter brother to stakes-placed gelding Cardiff (Snitzel). Cariad herself is a half-sister to South African Grade 3 winner Polished Steel (King Of Danes), while this is also the same family as Listed winner Eyes Of Steel (At Talaq).
The colt was one of two yearlings by stallion offered by Andrew and Georgie Ferguson’s Bell River Thoroughbreds, following up the success of the colt they sold to George Moore for $375,000 on Sunday at the Sydney auction and James Ferguson of Bell River Thoroughbreds told Racing & Sports Bloodstock that, while the colts were by the same stallion, they were very different.
“I spoke to James (Harron) after he purchased him and he said that after he missed out yesterday, he had to have this one,” said Ferguson. “Both the Invaders we sold were very different, but they were both quality specimens and I think that reflects the results we have got over the past two days. James being underbidder on one and then buying the other gives us great satisfaction and is a good result in terms of the business and brand we are trying to create.
“This colt has got a lot of improvement in him, whereas the other one was slightly more furnished. This colt has a lot of scope and will be a two-year-old, but will certainly go on from there.”
Ferguson said he had been very pleased with the types the stallion had been producing and as a result the farm planned to throw their support behind the stallion in the future.
“Invader was a quality two-year-old and the Group 1 he won as a juvenile he beat some quality horses and he has an unbelievable dam line,” said Ferguson.
“Overall he was a top-class two-year-olds and from the stock he is throwing it looks like they could go on to be top-class two-year-olds and off the back of what we are seeing we are keen on the horse going forward and we will be supporting the stallion as a result.”
At the close of trade on the second day at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Bell River Thoroughbreds were sitting behind Woodside Park in the leading vendors table by average (with three or more lots sold), having parted with seven yearlings for an aggregate of $1,445,000, while their average was $206,429.