Proven sires dominated the top of the weanling market during the second and final session of the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale on Friday. Fastnet Rock once again provided the session topper-a filly (lot 334) bought by Michael Wallace's Waterford Bloodstock for A$750,000, a sale record-while I Am Invincible (Aus) was the sire of the top-priced colt, Aquis's supplementary lot 549, who was bought by Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock and Paul Moroney for A$400,000. Leading first-season sire Zoustar (Aus) also acquitted himself well on Friday, with five of the top 10 lots to his credit.
The two-day sale also returned records for gross and average. The gross for 383 sold was A$24,173,500, up 23% on last year, while the average was up 21.2% from last year's record at A$63,116. The median climbed 53.8% to A$40,000, and the clearance rate was an excellent 85%.
“It was a sensational day,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “Following on from yesterday, it got stronger and deeper. The clearance rate of 85% set a tone for what hopefully is in store next week. We've been very well rewarded by our vendors and the buyers have confidence in what we're doing here and long may it continue.”
Mike Rennie of Waterford Bloodstock admitted that the price tag for the record-priced filly was well above what he had hoped to pay, but nonetheless described her as “a great buy.”
“Ideally we would have loved to have gotten her for A$300,000 or A$400,000, but she was the best horse here,” he said. “You just can't get a pedigree like that and by a champion sire. We knew we would have to pay a lot of money–I was thinking we might have needed A$600,000, but still at A$750,000 she is a great buy.”
“She's a medium-sized filly with a good girth–well balanced with a big hip. She's just what I like to see–not too big and she's really well in proportion. She moved beautifully and Coolmore do a great job.”
The filly is the fourth foal out of the More Than Ready mare More Valour (Aus), already the dam of the listed winner Tashbeen (Aus) (Commands {Aus}). More Valour, a sister to three stakes winners is set to sell at next week's National Broodmare Sale.
Coolmore also sold the second-highest priced filly of the day by its resident champion sire Fastnet Rock: lot 316, a full-sister to G1 Australian Guineas winner Rock Classic (Aus) and a granddaughter of the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Midnight Fever (Aus) (Luskin Star {Aus}). That one was bought by the Chinese entity Full Horse for A$300,000.
Aquis Farm's I Am Invincible colt was a late addition to the sale as a supplementary entry, but he made his presence felt when selling for A$400,000, the highest price on the day for a colt, to Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock and agent Paul Moroney. The bay is out of the winning General Nediym (Aus) mare Marechal (Aus), a half-sister to G1 Makybe Diva S. and G1 Australian Cup winner Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}). The colt could get a big update as soon as Saturday, with his 2-year-old brother Cyber Attack (Aus) (Shamexpress {Aus}) entered for a listed race in New Zealand.
Australia's leading first-season sire Zoustar was responsible for five of the top 10 lots on the day, and Hannah Wall and David Redvers of Redwall Bloodstock, who are plenty familiar with the sire as managers of Qatar Racing, which owns a piece of Zoustar, signed for both his top-priced colt and filly through their pinhooking entity. The colt, lot 437, is the third foal out of the New York stakes winner Shakeira (Freud), who was bought by Magic Millions as agent from Keeneland November in 2013 for $150,000 before Matthew Sandblom's Kingstar Farm bought her from the Widden Stud draft at this sale last year, carrying this colt, for A$90,000. She has already paid Sandblom back decently, then, the colt having made A$310,000 on Friday.
“He's obviously by the most exciting young sire over here at the moment,” Redvers said. “We have a vested interest I must say, but he's just a cracker. He's the most athletic colt with a huge amount of style and presence. He'll be brought back to be resold and we hope he will be one of his top lots.”
Zoustar's top-priced filly was Rosemont Stud's lot 463, who is out of an unraced half-sister to the dam of the champion filly Faint Perfume (Aus) (Shamardal). She was bought by Redwall for A$230,000.
Young Coolmore sires Pierro (Aus) and Vancouver (Aus) both continued to be popular on Friday. Pierro has enjoyed a very fruitful season on the track; his oldest crop, now three, can boast two Classic winners, and he is by far the country's leading second-crop sire. Ireland's Glenvale Stud was the name on the ticket for Pierro's lot 515, a colt consigned by Rothwell Park out of the Exceed and Excel (Aus) mare Valoura (Aus), and the price tag was A$320,000.
G1 Golden Slipper winner Vancouver (Aus) was the sale's leading first-crop sire by average, his 14 sold averaging A$140,000, and on Friday his haul included Coolmore's lot 436, a filly bought by Justin Casse for A$210,000.
The Magic Millions National Sale series continues on Tuesday with the four-day National Broodmare sale.
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