'Snitzel Day' On The Gold Coast

Trainer Gerald Ryan said he was given a one-word instruction by owner Damion Flower when he asked when to stop bidding on lot 430 during the second session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale yesterday.

“Don't,” said Flower.

Ryan struck true to the bosses orders and came away with the new sale topper Thursday evening after spending A$1.6 million for Strawberry Hill Stud's Snitzel (Aus) colt out of stakes winner and producer Mirror Mirror (Aus) (Dehere).

The colt was the icing on the cake of a strong session at the Bundall sales complex Thursday. The voracious trade saw the clearance rate rise to 89% for the first two sessions combined. It was 80% after the opening session and 82% at this point last year. The cumulative average is up 11.3% from this stage last year at A$191,031, while the median has climbed 7.1% to A%150,000. A total of 344 yearlings have sold for A$65,714,500 over the first two days, compared to 295 sold for A$50,645,000 up to this point 12 months ago.

Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox paid tribute to sale graduate Snitzel, the dominant sire on the day.

“He's sitting there with the two top-priced horses at A$1.6 million and A$1.1 million–it was Snitzel Day,” Cox said. “It was just sensational. The top-priced horse at A$1.6 million–we knew he would sell well but even [vendor] John Singleton, who is ever the optimist, had no expectation that he would make anything near that.”

“The figures are special,” Cox added. “The turnover is sitting on A$65 million, which is 30% up on last year; a clearance rate of 89% and an average of A$191,031–they are good numbers.”

Team Snitzel Strikes For Magic Colt…

Gerald Ryan and Damion Flower know a good Snitzel when they see one, having campaigned the now 13-year-old stallion and many of his talented progeny, so it was hardly a surprise to see them stay strong for the colt Ryan described as “the best colt I've seen in three years.”

“He's a cracking colt,” said the trainer who bought Snitzel for A$260,000 from this sale in 2004 and also conditioned Snitzel's Group 1-winning daughter Snitzerland. “Damion saw him on video about five weeks ago and said, 'this is a horse we have to have.' I came out and saw him first thing Sunday morning, and I reckon he's the best colt I've seen in three years. We did a bit of homework on him and I couldn't find a nicer horse on the grounds–and there's a lot of nice horses here. As far as Snitzels go and as far as pedigrees go and his attitude, he really fit the bill.”

“I said to Damion about 20 minutes ago, 'where do I stop?' He said, 'don't,'” Ryan added. “Those are words he has never said to me.”

“I have supported [Snitzel] all the way through; I have bred to him myself,” Ryan continued. “I have a criteria with Snitzels that I will stick to and I will not tell anyone because I reckon it works.”

Flower, who operates as Jadeskye Racing, said he was intrigued by the colt after seeing the video of him on the Magic Millions website.

“I said to Gerald, 'this is the best Snitzel we've seen,'” Flower said. “I got here, Gerald was in Sydney, and I had a look myself and I texted him and said, 'we can't go home without him.' The horse is expensive but he's out of a running family and he's probably the best Snitzel I've seen.”

Lot 430 is the third living foal out of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Mirror Mirror (Dehere). Her first foal is the stakes-winning No Looking Back (Aus), by Snitzel's sire Redoute's Choice (Aus), and it is the further family of G1 Coolmore Classic winner Aloha (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Snitzerland herself. No Looking Back was a A$500,000 purchase by Gai Waterhouse at this sale in 2011, and an Exceed and Excel (Aus) colt out of the mare was bought by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for A$350,000 here in 2012. Mirror Mirror did not produce a foal last year after coming up barren to Redoute's Choice.

Snitzel had eight lots sell for over A$300,000 yesterday. His average after the first two days is A$367,857 for 28 sold.

A Sweet Treat For Hawthorne…

The Gold Coast's second session proved to be all about Snitzel at the top end, with Arrowfield's full-brother to Sweet Idea (Aus) bringing A$1.1 million to become the only other seven-figure price thus far at the sale. Lot 233 certainly had the looks and the pedigree to be a standout, and he returned the price to match early in the session when selling to New Zealand-based agent Dean Hawthorne.

Shadwell racing manager Angus Gold opened the bidding on the strapping chestnut at A$500,000, with Australian trainer David Hayes also involved in the bidding before it eventually fell to Hawthorne. Hawthorne signed the ticket standing alongside trainer John Hawkes, who will train the colt along with his sons and co-trainers Wayne and Michael for a syndicate.

“He's a lovely colt, and we've got a big syndicate behind him,” Hawthorne said. “Team Hawkes are going to train him, so we'll get him into John's system and hope for the best.”

Hawthorne admitted the colt was one he kept coming back to.

“He's a good type; he moves well,” he said. “I saw him at the farm and two or three times here, and one day I just went over and watched from the shadows and his temperament was fantastic.”

Lot 233 is a full-brother to Sweet Idea, a graduate of this sale who went on to win the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas and the G1 Galaxy H. She sold for A$1.6 million to agent Nick Vass at last year's Magic Millions National Sale. He is also a half to Singapore stakes winner Rush (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}). His dam, Flidais (Aus) (Timber Country), is a Group 3-placed daughter of dual Group 1 winner Electronic (Aus) (First Norman). Flidais has been mated exclusively to Snitzel since 2012. She has an as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly by that sire who sold at Inglis Easter last year for A$250,000, she produced another colt by Snitzel last year and is back in foal to him.

Arrowfield's Paul Messara explained that Flidais is owned by Shadai group, and the colt was bred in a joint venture between Shadai and Arrowfield. He noted the unflappable temperament the colt displayed in the ring was the same he has had since birth.

“He had pretty much a flawless preparation,” Messara said. “He's always been like that since the day he was born. I think he's certainly the nicest since Sweet Idea out of the mare; he's a very similar package to what Sweet Idea was. I thought he was pretty much the colt of the sale and the buying bench seemed to think the same.”

Bell Catches A Star…

Thursday proved a good day at the office for Team Hawkes, with the trio also set to train lot 301, a Star Witness (Aus) colt from Widden Stud knocked down to owner Alan Bell for A$750,000. John Hawkes conducted the bidding standing alongside Bell out back of the pavilion and while he had to see off some strong competition for the late August foal he was always resolute, knocking back each counter bid almost as quickly as it came in.

Bell has about a half-dozen horses in training with Team Hawkes, Peter and Paul Snowden and Kris Lees. His most recent success story is Group 2 winner and young Newgate sire Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), and his silks have also been carried by the likes of Schillaci (Aus) and Grand Armee (Aus). Bell also owns the 2-year-old Star Witness colt, Star Turn (Aus), out of Lot 301's second dam, Group 3 winner Golden Delicious (Aus) (Made Of Gold {Aus}), and that one won at second asking for Team Hawkes at Randwick Oct. 24.

“We don't usually go chasing family members but the colt is a running type of horse, just like his brother was last year,” he explained. “I really liked the colt last year and this guy is very similar to him and closely related. It all made sense to me. He looks like a good 2-year-old so that probably helped a bit.”

The first crop of Widden sire Star Witness are midway through their 3-year-old year, and Bell had high praise for the young stallion.

“I think Star Witness was very much overlooked last year; he was in that sort of lull phase young stallions get into and this year I think he's gotten a lot more respect,” he said. “If you've got a nice type by him they're selling very well.”

Fast Start For Spendthrift…

Spendthrift Australia got the sale off to a fast start Wednesday, spending A$1.125 million on a pair of colts within the first 15 lots, and B. Wayne Hughes's operation added its third purchase of the sale late in the morning Thursday when going to A$800,000 for a Fastnet Rock (Aus) half-brother to world champion sprinter Starspangledbanner (Aus) (lot 264). The 11th foal out of the stakes-placed Gold Anthem (Aus) (Made Of Gold {Aus}), the bay is also a half to the dam of G1 Thousand Guineas winner Amicus (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). His second dam is National Song (Aus) (Vain {Aus}), a half-sister to Circles Of Gold (Aus) (Marscay {Aus}), the dam of Group 1 winners Elvstroem (Aus) (Danehill) and Haradasun (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus). He was sold by John Muir's Milburn Creek for Makybe, who bred Starspangledbanner.

Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said that once the dust settles on the sale, the team would decide on trainers for all its purchases. Nine of Spendthrift's 10 horses in training in Australia–three 3-year-olds and seven 2-year-olds–are with Team Hawkes, and one with Gai Waterhouse.

“Once we get everything bought we'll sit down and sort out where everything is going,” Toffey said. He noted that Spendthrift's two Fastnet Rock fillies currently in training encouraged them to go back to the sire.

“We have a couple Fastnet Rock fillies and like them quite a bit,” he said. “One of the very first yearlings we bought in Australia was a Fastnet Rock filly and John's really high on her. She's two-for-two so far and he thinks she'll be a stakes filly for us. We have another that's a very solid filly as well, so we have a bit of experience with him.”

“Fastnet Rock is an international sire that can work everywhere, and obviously with that female family its sort of a no-brainer,” he added.

Toffey also provided an update on the Sepoy (Aus) colt Spendthrift bought for A$1.2 million to top this sale last year. Now named Ready Fire Aim (Aus) and in training with Team Hawkes, the chestnut finished eighth of nine in his lone trial in September.

“He's trialled and was a little immature about things so needed some time; he's not going to be as early a horse as we hoped but he's certainly shown some ability and we think he can be a solid horse,” Toffey said. “He's going to get a little time. That's one of the great things about John Hawkes and his team. They recognize if a horse needs time and they're more than willing to give it to him, and so are we.”

Toffey said the Spendthrift team aims to buy colts they could later shuttle between Australia and the U.S.

“If we're buying them here first and foremost we want to be able to stand them here, but we'd really like to be able to shuttle them to America,” he said. “Some of them will require a little more educating of American breeders than others. Fastnet Rock is an internationally known stallion; he stacks up with anything in the world. I think the world's getting to be a smaller place and we as an organization like the idea of trying to help some of these horses work in different markets.”

Spendthrift recently concluded its first season standing stallions Down Under. Its roster included American shuttlers Can The Man (Into Mischief), Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor) and Warrior's Reward (Medaglia d'Oro) in addition to local Group 1 winner Hampton Court (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). Toffey admitted the American shuttlers were somewhat of a tough sell, but remained optimistic.

“They weren't as well received as I would have liked, but it was our first year in the market,” he said. “People don't know us– they're just getting familiar with us–and I think it's going to take us some time to earn people's trust and respect. But we're in it for the long haul and we're going to keep bringing them out. We're going through some growing pains with it but I think we'll get to where we want to be in a year or two.”

Alboran Brother A Star For Rosemont…

Rosemont Stud's resident stallion Starspangledbanner (Aus) has put the Victorian operation firmly on the global map over the last two years, and on Thursday the 9-year-old sire added another notch to the stud's belt by providing its best-ever yearling sale result. That transaction came when lot 370 sold to trainer Gai Waterhouse and Julian Blaxland for A$540,000. The chestnut colt is a half-brother to Alboran Sea (Aus) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), a champion and Group 1 winner in South Africa last year, and his dam, Lady's Light (Toolighttoquit) is a half-sister to a pair of American stakes winners.

Rosemont's Anthony Mitten noted the colt has always had a winning personality, something common among Starspanglebanner's progeny.

“He's been an unbelievable horse in terms of his attitude,” Mithen said. “Starspangledbanner is thankfully throwing temperament into all of his stock. What stock we've been lucky enough to have at the farm have all been true professionals and he's just done an amazing job through the first 12 months of his life. He's never had a sick day.”

Starspangledbanner won Australia's G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 Oakleigh Plate before being purchased by Coolmore interests and expatriated to Europe, where he won the G1 Golden Jubilee and G1 July Cup before retiring to stud. Starspangledbanner started his stud career with Coolmore, and Rosemont was given a chance to work with the horse when his fertility issues became apparent.

The success of Starspangledbanner's small first European crop–which included Group 1 winner The Wow Signal (Ire) and G2 Queen Mary S. winner Anthem Alexander (Ire)–promoted a plane ticket to Ireland for the 2015 Northern Hemisphere season, but that trip was aborted after the horse developed colic shortly before his intended travel. As a compromise, Rosemont covered 30 mares Northern Hemisphere-time, 15 of which got in foal. A handful of those sold at Arqana's December Breeding Stock sale, and Mithen noted that Starspangledbanner has arrived at Coolmore's Castlehyde Stud in Ireland for the 2016 breeding season without a hitch.

“He's terrific,” Mithen said. “He's gone up to Ireland now–he left in mid-December to resume his stallion career in the Northern Hemisphere. He had a great [Southern Hemisphere breeding] season last year, his best season yet. He got 46 mares in foal out of about 80, so he's ticked up over 50% for the first time in his career. There's been a steady improvement and really close management seems to have done the trick. The team have done an amazing job to get him to that level and hopefully we'll reap the rewards like half-million dollar colts for years to come.”

Mithen, who has been at the helm of Rosemont since the death of his father-in-law 13 years ago, has helped the operation expand on a more global scale in the last few years. He noted Rosemont has a few horses in training in France, as well as some mares there to send to Starspangledbanner.

“We've built some good relationships just by getting up there and buying some European pedigrees and we've been buying at that Arqana sale for five or six years now,” Mithen explained. “We recognize that the gene pool can be pretty condensed and small if you don't look outside your own fish bowl. We've been to America to buy mares and France and England collecting a really nice portfolio.”

Value Deluxe…

The Gold Coast sale offers buyers annually the first glance at the progeny of first-season sires in a sales ring, and one can always count on some sure things as well as some pleasant surprises. Emerging as something of a wildcard through the first two days of selling was Delago Deluxe (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), who stands at the Kelly family's Newhaven Park for A$11,000. Delago Deluxe's average after the first two days is A$162,857 for seven sold from eight offered. He has a total of 17 catalogued over the week.

Delago Deluxe was himself a A$550,000 purchase from the Gold Coast yearling sale in 2010 by South African trainer Charles Laird on behalf of owner Markus Jooste. He was crowned South Africa's champion 2-year-old after an undefeated juvenile campaign that was capped in the G1 Gold Medallion S.–South Africa's version of the Golden Slipper–and he went on to win the G1 Casino Sprint as a 3-year-old.

Newhaven Park's John Kelly explained Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox planted the seed for Newhaven to stand Delago Deluxe.

“It occurred through Vin Cox,” he said. “Markus [Jooste] was looking for somewhere to stand him, and he ended up at Newhaven Park. I met Marcus on one of his trips to Sydney and we did a deal and now he's here.”

Delago Deluxe has marked a return to the stallion business for Newhaven, which has been owned by the Kelly family since the 1920s. Newhaven stood leading sires like Luskin Star, Marauding and Zeditave in the 70s and 80s, but later exited that side of the industry to focus on its broodmare band.

“We stood two or three champion Australian stallions, but then 15 years ago we made a conscious decision to get out of standing stallions and keep a broodmare band, but we thought [Delago Deluxe] was a special opportunity,” Kelly explained. “We thought he had a few things that gave him a great opportunity to make a great stallion.”

Kelly said Newhaven has supported its lone stallion heavily with its own mares, and noted Delago Deluxe has covered more than 100 mares each year.

“There's hardly been a person who has used him once who hasn't used him again,” he noted. “They have been so far, but let's hope by the end of the sale all the breeders get well rewarded.”

Shadwell racing manager Angus Gold signed for lot 324, a colt by Delago Deluxe from Newhaven Park, for A$250,000 yesterday, and he admitted the sire was going better than he expected.

“He's surprised me. I thought people would say, 'we don't know much about him,' and I thought I'd get this horse for a maximum A$200,000,” Gold said, noting the colt would go into training with David Hayes in Australia. “It's great for the Kelly family and Newhaven Park; good for them for taking a punt on the horse. To be fair I've seen four or five and he seems to be really stamping them.”

Gold spent A$500,000 at Inglis Easter last year on a Snitzel colt out of Lot 324's second dam, Appear (Aus) (Danzero {Aus}), and he said the ability displayed by that colt also encouraged him to keep bidding on the Delago Deluxe.

“We have what I hope is a good 2-year-old out of the granddam that we bought last year who goes very nicely at home, so it's a running family and he just looked a hard-knocking little runner, the sort of horse I think does well here,” Gold said.

Good Results For Young Guns…

The Delago Deluxe colt was one of four purchases of the sale so far for Shadwell. That haul also includes a A$300,000 colt by All Too Hard (lot 136) on day one, and Gold said the Vinery resident has also made a good impression with his first crop.

“I spent a long time debating about All Too Hard as a yearling himself and in the end I went for no and was proven well wrong,” he said. “It's nice to see them. The colt yesterday I thought was really classy, and I've seen three or four others I like quite a lot.”

All Too Hard averages A$225,238 through the first two sessions, with 21 sold from 25 offered.

Other young sires to post notable results yesterday were Coolmore freshman Pierro (Aus), whose four six-figure lots were headed by a A$480,000 filly (lot 331) knocked down to New Zealand's David Ellis; and his barnmate Zoffany (Ire), the European champion first-season sire. Zoffany has his first 2-year-olds running Down Under this year, and his colt out of Green Mirage (Aus) (Green Desert) (lot 275) was picked up by Jadeskye Racing and trainer Gerald Ryan for A$300,000.

Animal Kingdom, whose high for the week thus far was a A$310,000 filly Wednesday, had a pair sell Thursday for A$200,000 and A$240,000.

Bullet Train (GB) (Sadler's Wells), the half-brother to Frankel who is based at Crestwood Farm in Kentucky, had two of his three first-crop yearlings catalogued go under the hammer yesterday. They were headed by lot 355, a filly bought by Kent Fleming Racing for A$150,000.

In racetrack news, Newgate resident Foxwedge (Aus) enjoyed a well-timed first winner at Warwick Farm in Sydney Thursday when his Kentucky Miss (Aus) capitalized on a recent barrier trial win to score by three lengths. Foxwedge is the sixth freshman sire in Australia to notch a winner. The others include Uncle Mo, Dream Ahead and Poet's Voice (GB).

Hancock To Race Denman Filly…

Arthur Hancock's Stone Farm became the latest American name to join the Magic Millions results sheet Wednesday when it partnered on a Denman (Aus) filly bought by Craig Rounsefell's Boomer Bloodstock and trainer Matt Cumani for A$110,000. Stone Farm now owns a quarter of the half-sister to Group 3 winner Generalife (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}).

Rounsefell, an Australian-based agent who is perhaps best known on American shores for his purchase of Grade I winner Obviously (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), said he came to know Hancock when living in Kentucky in 2008.

“Mr. Hancock has been a bit of a mentor to me; he's a legend throughout the world,” he explained.

Rounsefell added the idea of Hancock racing a horse in Australia is an idea that has grown over a few years. Hancock's daughter, Lynn, is currently working for Magic Millions at the Gold Coast sale.

“We'd spoken at times over the last few years, and he liked the idea of putting his toe in the water down here and racing a filly and seeing if he enjoys it,” he said. “American investment is coming to Australia now and to get Mr. Hancock investing in Australia is a huge thing.”

Spendthrift Farm, WinStar Farm and Speedway Stable have also been active at the sale this week, and Rounsefell predicted more Americans could be in attendance at Australia's breeding stock sales later in the year.

“I think there's quite a few that are talking about the broodmare sales coming up later in the year,” he said. “I think the likes of Spendthrift, Stonestreet, and SF [Bloodstock] already investing in Australia is going to pave the way for more Americans to come down. In years gone by they went overseas to restock their fillies, so I think Australia's an interesting place for them to do that too and with the advantage with the dollar.”

The Denman filly will be among the first trainees for Matt Cumani.

“Matt Cumani is setting up his stable as of next week,” Rounsefell said. “His father, Luca, and his mother, Sara, have been working the sales as well and they loved this filly. Matt's really excited to kick it off and get some quality stock that will hopefully run early to get him going early.”