Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm was prominent at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale two years ago when buying subsequent Group 1 winner Miracles Of Life (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) for A$900,000, and the U.S.-based operation made another big splash on the opening day of that sale on Wednesday when spending A$1.9 million on the session-topping Bounding (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) (lot 611). The 5-year-old Bounding–who was consigned by Glenn Burrows's Willow Park Stud, where she was born and raised–won the G1 Railway S. in New Zealand as a 3-year-old and was also second in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas. Bounding won last year's G3 Theshark.com.au S. for trainers Peter and Paul Snowden, who trained Miracles Of Life to win last year's G1 William Hill Classic in the Stonestreet colours.
With the exact same number of horses–212–offered Wednesday as last year's opening day, figures were well-up. A total of A$28,147,000 was realized for the 172 sold yesterday, compared to A$22,633,500 for 178 sold on day one last year. The buyback rate was up slightly to 18.9%, while the average soared 28.7% to A$163,645.
The session-topping Bounding has a pedigree to warrant her position at the top of the leaderboard. She is out of the G3 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude winner Believe'N'Succeed (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), herself a full-sister to G3 Blue Diamond Colts Prelude winner and young Darley sire Kuroshio (Aus). Bounding's third dam is the GI Test S. and GI Alabama S. winner November Snow (Storm Cat).
Stonestreet agent John Moynihan, who noted Bounding would likely be retired and bred this year, said he had been keen to buy Believe'N'Succeed from the same Magic Millions sale from which he bought Miracles Of Life two years ago, but lost his chance when the mare was withdrawn due to illness.
“When I was here a few years ago at the Teeley Dispersal I saw her mother and we really wanted to buy her, as I thought she was beautiful,” Moynihan explained. “At the time I guess Bounding was still running and her mother got sick and was in the clinic. So we didn't get her, but this one is a carbon copy of her, she's gorgeous.”
“It's an amazing family,” he added. “She's the kind of mare, if we're lucky with her, she can provide a lot of very valuable yearlings to sell and she's got the kind of pedigree that if she produces the right colts they can be stallions.”
Wednesday's sale was not the first time Willow Park Stud had sold Bounding. The boutique New South Wales nursery had also handled her sale for A$425,000 at Inglis Easter in 2012, when she was bought by Gary Harding.
American connections were also responsible for the purchase of the dual group-winning juvenile Fontiton (Aus) (Turffontein {Aus}) (lot 643), who was bought by SF Bloodstock for A$1.1 million. Consigned by Royston and Catriona Murphy's Sledmere Stud, the now 3-year-old Fontiton won her first three starts last year for trainer Robert Smerdon, including the G3 Blue Diamond Fillies Preview and G2 Blue Diamond Fillies Prelude before finishing fifth behind Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Blue Diamond S. Henry Field, who signed the ticket on behalf of SF, said, “She's beautiful. She was exceptional. She was one of those mares that had unbelievable ability and has a beautiful physique to back her up. I've got no doubts she was a very special filly.”
Familiar Tune…
The 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale was all about the disperal of Teeley Assets, which had cultivated some of the most prized jewels of the Australia stud book including the dynasty of Shantha's Choice (Aus) (Canny Lad {Aus}), herself a descendant of the immortal Best In Show. Shantha's Choice's stakes-producing daughter Monsoon Wedding (Aus) (Danehill) was a A$2.3 million purchase by Coolmore from the Teeley dispersal, and on Wednesday Teeley offered that mare's winning daughter Crystal Flute (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) (lot 1348), who was hammered down to the China Horse Club's Michael Wallace for A$1.4 million.
“World-class pedigrees are hard to acquire,” Wallace said. “She's a young mare and we can start her breeding career how we like. With a pedigree like this she's a foundation mare that you have for the next 10 or 15 years, and build families and foundations from.”
Crystal Flute, a winner at Warwick Farm and Hawkesbury this autumn for trainer Gerald Ryan in the Teeley silks, is a full-sister to stakes winners Precious Lorraine (Aus) and Lucky Raquie (Aus). Monsoon Wedding is herself a full-sister to Australia's three-time champion sire Redoute's Choice (Aus) and Group 1 winner Platinum Scissors (Aus). She is a half-sister to G1 Sires' Produce S. winner and sire Manhattan Rain (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Sliding Cube (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), the dam of the speedy dual group winner and young Coolmore sire Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}).
China Horse Club had earlier in the session secured another big-ticket item when signing for lot 528, the 6-year-old mare Precious Gem (Aus) (Econsul {NZ}), for A$825,000. Precious Gem, a stakes winner at the time of cataloguing, having won a listed handicap at Caulfield in April, gave herself the ultimate update just three weeks ago when springing an upset in Morphettville's G1 UBET Classic.
China Horse Club signed for two more lots above the half-million mark Wednesday: the Group 3 winner Estonian Princess (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) (lot 635) for A$520,000; and G1 Champagne S. winner Pasadena Girl (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) (lot 1330) for A$500,000.
Teeley enjoyed another good result when its Golden Cropper (Aus) (More Than Ready) (lot 1350) was picked up by the Kentucky-based Mt Brilliant Farm and agent Marette Farrell for A$650,000. The 3-year-old Golden Cropper is out of Redoute's Choice's sister Sliding Cube and therefore a half-sister to Rubick.
Bringing The Big Money…
Another standout juvenile to make a premium yesterday was Bring Me The Maid (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) (lot 612), the 2014 G1 Golden Slipper third. She was picked up by New Zealand-based agent Dean Hawthorne for A$900,000 from Bhima Thoroughbreds, which was selling her on behalf of Wylie Dalziel and Roy Higgins Racing.
The 4-year-old Bring Me The Maid has high-class juvenile form stamped all over her catalogue page. Her dam, the winning 2-year-old Maid For Me (Aus) (Belong To Me), is a half-sister to the 2003 G1 Golden Slipper winner Polar Success (Aus) (Success Express {Aus}). Bring Me The Maid won the G2 Magic Night S., besting subsequent G1 Champagne S. winner Peggy Jean (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) a week before finishing third behind Mossfun (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) in the Golden Slipper. Bring Me The Maid also won the G2 Silver Shadow S. at three.
“She was a great racemare,” Hawthorne said. “She ran third in a Golden Slipper and she'd won a lot of prize money. She was a consistent performer from an early 2-year-old to her 3-year-old career. She's got a race record behind her and she's a big physical type of mare.”
Hawthorne also pointed out that Bring Me The Maid has Danehill only in her fourth generation.
“Also the fact that the Danehill factor was further back, which gives us options [for stallions],” he said. “We'd been battling away all day–it's very hard to get these good mares.”
Also selling to New Zealand connections Wednesday was Real Surreal (Aus) (Real Saga {Aus}) (lot 539), who was picked up by Bruce Perry Bloodstock for A$800,000. The 5-year-old mare, offered as a breeding prospect, won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Benny's Buttons (Aus) (Refuse To Bend {Aus}).
Other high-profile sales Wednesday included the 2014 Schweppes Oaks victress May's Dream (Aus) (New Approach {Ire}) (lot 505), who sold for A$720,000 to Willcox Bloodstock. Consigned by Edinglassie Stud as a breeding prospect, May's Dream is a daughter of the G1 South Australian Oaks winner She's Archie (Aus) (Archway {Aus}).
Agent Tim Stakemire, who often works with Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, picked up the only mare catalogued in foal to Tapit, Morning Fix (First Samurai) (lot 721), for A$620,000. The 5-year-old, a three-time winner and third in the GIII Senorita S., was covered by the reigning American champion sire on Southern Hemisphere-time. Her dam, Coffee (El Corredor), is a half-sister to the dam of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Summerly (Summer Squall).
Upon the conclusion of trade Wednesday, when 14 lots fetched in excess of A$500,000, Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said, “It's just been spectacular. From so many levels it was a pleasure to be a part of. The numbers are way, way up as you'd expect with so many high-priced horses. The average itself is up A$36,000 and the gross is up A$5.5 million on last year.”
“There was a lot of international money and people still with their powder dry with a couple more days to come,” he added. “We have some great broodmare prospects still to come and there will be some great opportunities across all levels of the market.”
The second session of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale begins at 10 a.m. Thursday.
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