Newhaven Park Holds Court At Easter

Sydney, AUSTRALIA–Newhaven Park will this week offer siblings to three of its Group 1 winners among its draft of 18 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, and the Kelly family's nursery got off to a good start on day one of the sale on Tuesday when selling a Redoute's Choice (Aus) half-sister to G1 All Aged S. winner English (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) (lot 87) to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum for a session-topping A$1.8-million.

With a trimmed-down catalogue for 2017, the sale's first session returned figures well up on last year's corresponding day. A catalogue of 160 for day one was scratched down to 137 offerings, of which 110 (80%) were sold, compared to 78% sold on opening day last year. The average of A$347,045 was up 18.9% on day one last year, while the median climbed 50% to A$300,000.

It has been a productive week in Sydney for daughters of Newhaven Park's triple group-winning mare Court (Aus) (Anabaa). On Saturday, the 11-year-old mare's 4-year-old filly English (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) looked a sure thing to secure her second Group 1 win in the G1 TJ Smith S. at The Championships before the great sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) swooped from the back of the pack to nip her on the line. Three days later, Court's Redoute's Choice (Aus) yearling filly topped the opening session of the Inglis Easter sale when bought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum for A$1.8-million. The bay will be trained by Tony McEvoy.

Newhaven's John Kelly, the fourth generation of his family to run the farm, said the decision to part with the filly was helped by the fact that he has retained her winning half-sister Puzzle (Aus) (Shamardal), who last year foaled a filly by Exceed and Excel (Aus), as well as a Snitzel filly foal out of Court.

“We breed horses to sell, and it's good for us to bring good horses here,” said Kelly. “English was Chautauqua'd on Saturday, as I like to call it, but this is a beautiful filly, she was well-admired and is a great mover.”

“She exceeded our expectations,” Kelly added. “We thought she'd sell well, but you never expect yearlings to be making A$1.8-million.”

Newhaven's full-brother to South African Classic winner Wylie Hall (Aus) and half-brother to Hong Kong's champion sprinter Absolute Champion (Aus) (Marauding {NZ}) (lot 50) was passed in at A$300,000 on Tuesday, while a Sebring (Aus) half-brother to Peeping (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) (lot 232) is still to come on Wednesday.

Harron Restocks Colts' Syndicate…

James Harron has purchased Group 1 winners and subsequent sires Foxwedge (Aus), Capitalist (Aus), Wandjina (Aus) and Vancouver (Aus) as yearlings, and the agent was busy stocking his stable early in the opening session of the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, purchasing a pair of seven-figure colts.

The dearest of those was lot 71, a son of hot young sire I Am Invincible (Aus) from Segenhoe Stud bought for A$1.6-million. The bay is the first foal out of the unraced Captivating Claire (Aus) (O'Reilly {NZ}), who hails from the prolific Eight Carat (GB) family of Octagonal (NZ), Danewin (Aus) and Commands (Aus).

Segenhoe sold last year's A$2.3-million Easter sale-topping half-brother to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) for breeder John Camilleri, but Tuesday's colt marked the most expensive sales yearling bred by Segenhoe owner Kevin Maloney.

Segenhoe Stud Manager Peter O'Brien said, “I know it sounds like hyperbole but he's as good a horse as I've ever seen. Coming into the sale, I've never had a horse with that number of X-ray hits, scopes; every good judge in the country was on him. We never thought he'd make that amount, but to have James Harron buy him, who is not only a good friend but the best judge in the business, we're just delighted. We have a full-sister who is just as good as him, and the mare is back in foal to I Am Invincible, so we're well covered.”

Underbidders on the I Am Invincible colt included Shadwell's Angus Gold and Apollo Ng.

For Harron, the purchase of lot 71 came shortly after he went to A$1-million for lot 65, a colt by Written Tycoon from Turangga Farm. The bay is by the same sire as Harron's 'TDN Rising Star' and G1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist, and will go into training with that colt's former trainers Peter and Paul Snowden for the same colts' syndicate targeting stallion prospects. He is bred to be as precocious as his paternal half-brother. His dam, Brilliant Bisc (Aus) (Elvstroem {Aus}), won the Listed Gimcrack S. at two, and she is herself a daughter of the G1 Australia S. winner Stella Cadente (Aus) (Centaine {Aus}), an influential stakes producer.

“He's a smashing colt, really forward and a real 2-year-old type, which you'd expect from that family,” Harron said. “He has a fast family underneath him and he's a first foal, and a very exciting horse. He's speed on speed and a lot of precocity, which is what we're trying to achieve.”

Harron observed early in the session, “The sale has started well, it's a nice buoyant market with lots of nice horses. He was the one we wanted today and we had to be strong on him, but hopefully he justifies that on the track.”

The buying spree continued a successful week in Sydney for Harron. On Thursday evening he sold his A$850,000 yearling purchase and subsequent G2 Todman S. winner Gunnison (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) for A$1.4-million to top the Chairman's Sale – Elite Racing Prospects, and two days later his colts' partnership enjoyed a win in Royal Randwick's G3 Carbine Club S. with Acatour (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}).

Fastnet Filly Blossoms For Newgate…

Tuesday's session ended with the proven sires atop the table, and champion sire Fastnet Rock (Aus) got his name among the seven-figure sales late in the day when trainer Brent Stanley's Cloud 9 Thoroughbreds picked up lot 141 for A$1.15-million. Consigned by Newgate Farm, the filly is out of the G1 Manawatu Sires' Produce S.-second Fleur De'here (NZ) (Dehere), a half-sister to the G1 Australian Oaks winner Tully Thunder (Aus) (Thunder Gulch) who has already produced the stakes-winning and G1 Blue Diamond third Zamzam (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}).

Lot 141 was born at Newgate and bred by SF Bloodstock, and Newgate's Henry Field said, “She's a gorgeous filly. The really high-class Fastnet Rock fillies are always in great demand. Brent Stanley bought a gorgeous filly off me last year by Fastnet Rock [for A$1-million at Magic Millions] who he has a very high opinion of. She is out of Ten Carat Rock, whose yearling goes through as lot 390. She hasn't run yet, but Brent thinks she's really good, so he was very confident to come back and buy another Fastnet Rock filly this year. We're delighted that Brent and his great team have bought her.”

Fleur De'here produced a Snitzel foal last year and is likely to be bred to Newgate first-season sire Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller) this year.

Stanley said at the end of the first day's trade, “It's been solid, very strong. I've been underbidder on several horses and I bought a nice Snitzel filly for A$500,000 and I bought this filly as well. I've got a few more to try on tomorrow and again Thursday so we'll see where we end up.”

Fastnet Rock had a filly (lot 94) from Bhima Thoroughbreds sell to Dean Hawthorne for A$850,000 earlier in the session. She is out of a half-sister to Musidora (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), whose daughter Tulip (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}) won the G3 Magic Night S. and placed third in the G1 Golden Slipper since the catalogue was published.

Tuesday's session was also a strong one for another champion sire in Exceed and Excel (Aus). He had a filly out of Dream Play (Hennessy) from Kia Ora Stud sell to James Harron Bloodstock for A$800,000. Apollo Ng also picked up a pair of colts by the sire for A$700,000 (lot 147) and A$625,000 (lot 70).

Strong Start For Aga Khan Yearlings…

The Aga Khan Studs/Arrowfield partnership that offers five yearlings at Easter this week saw two of those go through the ring on Tuesday: lot 47, a Redoute's Choice (Aus) colt bought by Hermitage Thoroughbreds and trainer Chris Waller for A$700,000; and lot 1, a son of Animal Kingdom secured by Dean Hawthorne for A$240,000.

The Redoute's Choice colt is the second foal of the unraced Azmiyna (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a half-sister to four Aga Khan-bred stakes winners including multiple champion Azamour (Ire) (Night Shift), winner of the four Group 1s including the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. The G1 Prix Ganay victor Astarabad (Fr) (Alleged) appears under the third dam.

“We had an order from a stable client, Hermitage Farms, and we picked that colt out for them and they're really happy to secure him,” said agent Guy Mulcaster after outbidding Angus Gold. “Azamour was a champion and he's out of a half-sister to him. He stood over a lot of ground. We really liked him and we're happy to secure him for that kind of money.”

As is customary for Mulcaster buys, the bay will go into training with Chris Waller.

“We'll take him along quietly and I'm sure he'll make a lovely horse,” Mulcaster added.

Nicoll's Preferred Filly…

A filly by a champion sire and a sibling to a champion is always destined to draw attention from the best judges, and that's what happened with Coolmore Stud's daughter of New Zealand's four-time champion sire O'Reilly (NZ), a half-sister to champion stayer and four-time Group 1 winner Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) (lot 57), who was scooped up by BBA Ireland's Adrian Nicoll for A$700,000 early on Tuesday. The dark bay is the sixth foal out of Better Alternative (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}) who, in addition to Preferment, has produced the Group 3 winner Rezoned (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). The filly's second dam is a full-sister to G1 Salinger S. winner Ancient Song (Aus) (Canny Lad {Aus}).

Longtime Easter sale patron Adrian Nicoll said, “You don't get many pedigrees like that. She's been bought for an Australian breeder who doesn't want to be named. It was a no-brainer in a lot of ways. She's a lovely looking filly, she has the page. Let's hope she can run.”

Nicoll said the dark bay had the temperament to match her looks and page. “I've seen her five or six times and these horses are pulled out an awful lot. Her temperament is very good so we're very pleased to have got her. It was definitely our last bid.”

Pierro's Purple Patch…

Coolmore Stud's Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) is by far this season's leading first-season sire by prizemoney largely on the merit of his G3 Magic Night S. winner and G1 Golden Slipper third Tulip (Aus), and the former 2-year-old Triple Crown winner has had two winners and two placed horses from his 13 runners. Pierro enjoyed a strong period early in the session on Tuesday when he had consecutive colts hammered down for A$400,000. Lot 52 is the first foal out of winning Belle Couture (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), who was herself a A$2.6-million Easter yearling on account of being a half-sister to the peerless champion sprinter Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}) and the four-time Group 1 winner All Too Hard (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}).

Next through the ring was lot 53, another son of Pierro who is the second foal of the winning Exceed and Excel (Aus) mare Bellevue Girl (Aus). He was picked up by Coolmore's Tom Magnier for A$400,000.

Tuesday's session saw the first of two Frankels in the sale go through the ring. Lot 102, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Fenway (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}), was bought by Dermot Farrington for A$500,000. Two of the three Tapits catalogued were also sold on Tuesday, both for A$300,000.

The second session of the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale begins at 12 p.m. local time on Wednesday.