MMWA Annual Magazine

CONTENTS 2023

DAVID HOUSTON – WA MANAGER 0408 609 994 davidh@magicmillions.com.au

CHARLOTTE GEOGHEGAN – ADMINISTRATION 0417 846 981 charlotte@magicmillions.com.au

2/56 Dale Road, Middle Swan WA 6056 (PO Box 448 Belmont WA 6984) 08 9477 2455 perth@magicmillions.com.au www.magicmillions.com.au

Photographs: Western Racepix

There’s a good reason we use the tagline – West is Best – it’s because horses sold in the Swan Valley continue to get better and better. Graduates of recent Perth Yearling Sales are constantly proving themselves Australia-wide on the track.

The Mt Hallowell bred and sold Sheeza Belter has proven herself as a real star on the track. After winning the 2022 Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic at Pinjarra she progressed to Brisbane to win the Group Two Qld Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group One JJ Atkins. Recently she scored a dominant win in the Group Two Hot Danish Stakes in Sydney. The success of Sheeza Belter came hot on the heels of Portland Sky who won at Group One level in Melbourne last year.

Snowdome, Bustler, Saintorio, My Bella Mae and Admiration Express, all 2021 graduates, are among a swag of recent stakes winners to come through our sale ring.

Despite Covid restrictions curtailing Eastern State attendance to the 2022 auction, our gross rose 25% from $14 million in 2021 to $18.5 million in 2022a massive increase for a small sale. This was due largely to the quality yearlings being presented by our breeders and long may it continue!

RWWA’S increased prizemoney allocation and the available Westspeed bonuses now being collected by owners have made buying and racing so very viable and we are now attracting a larger group of interested investors into the industry. It’s great to see the industry coming together to make this happen.

Nominations for the 2023 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale were very strong and this has resulted in a quality catalogue. Good luck to vendors and buyers alike and I look forward to seeing you all in the Swan Valley.

David Houston Manager, Magic Millions Western Australia

They just continue to get better and better. Graduates of recent Perth yearling sales are constantly proving themselves Australia-wide on the track.

EVENTS calendar

PERTH YEARLING SALE STUD TOURS*

Each year Magic Millions host a variety of stud tours throughout the greater Perth region to provide buyers with a preview of the lots on offer in the upcoming Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale. These stud tours are very popular and you’ll need to reserve a seat quickly so you don’t miss out. The tours are free, and are available to anyone interested in purchasing a yearling. The coach leaves the Members carpark on Grandstand Road at Ascot Racecourse at 8am sharp each morning, with water and sandwiches provided throughout the day.

TUESDAY 31 JANUARY: TOUR ONE –BULLSBROOK AREA

THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY: TOUR TWO –CAPEL AREA

TUESDAY 7 FEBRUARY: TOUR THREE –SERPENTINE AREA

Time: From 8:00am*

Bookings: Charlotte Geoghegan on 0417 846 981 or email charlotte@magicmillions.com.au

SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY

MAGIC MILLIONS BARRIER DRAW

Join Western Australia’s racing identities for the 2023 WA Magic Millions Barrier Draw in association with RWWA. Meet some horses, and get your questions answered by top WA trainers and breeders. The Barrier Draw will follow for the 2023 $250,000 Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic and the $200,000 3YO Trophy.

Come along for an enjoyable afternoon and the opportunity to explore the world of racing.

Where: Mandoon Estate, Swan Valley

Time: From 2:00pm

Bookings: Free event, open to the public

SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY

MAGIC MILLIONS WA RACEDAY

Head trackside at Pinjarra for Ladies Day featuring the $250,000 Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic and the $200,000 Magic Millions WA Trophy exclusively for Magic Millions Sale graduates.

The day includes popular Fashions on the Field and a range of free children’s entertainment throughout the day and after the last.

Where: Pinjarra Park Racecourse, Pinjarra Time: Gates open 10.30am

Tickets: Free entry for Ladies, Adults $25, Concession $15 and Children under 16 free.

For raceday information, tickets, gazebo and restaurant bookings please visit: www. pinjarrapark.com.au

SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY

RACING CONNECTIONS MASTERCLASS

If you know nothing about racehorse ownership, come join us on Sunday afternoon at our Swan Valley complex to equip you with everything there is to know. You’ll also enjoy an exclusive yearling inspection on site by racing experts on how to identify the ideal racehorse.

Where: Magic Millions Sales Complex, Swan Valley

Time: 1:30pm

Bookings: Free event, open to the public

TBWA YEARLING SHOWCASE

View some of the stud farms top lots in this annual event.

Where: Magic Millions Sales Complex, Swan Valley Time: 4:00pm

Bookings: Free event, open to the public

MONDAY 20 – WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY

PRE-SALE YEARLING INSPECTIONS

We welcome you to our Sales Complex to inspect the catalogued lots available in the 2023 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. The Complex is open to the public and this is a great opportunity to get a firsthand look into the world of thoroughbred sales.

Where: Magic Millions Sales Complex, Swan Valley

Time: From 8:00am daily

Bookings: Free event, open to the public

WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY

MAGIC MILLIONS COCKTAIL PARTY (BY INVITATION ONLY)

Magic Millions Opening Night Cocktail Party brings together the who’s who of racing as they gather to celebrate the commencement of the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.

Strictly invite only.

THURSDAY 23 – FRIDAY

24 FEBRUARY

MAGIC MILLIONS YEARLING SALE

Magic Millions Perth has a reputation for its consistent supply of stakes winners including recent Group One winners Sheeza Belter and Portland Sky. The 2023 edition will again feature the cream of the crop of WA’s yearlings, all eligible to be nominated for the rich $14 million plus Magic Millions Race Series.

THURSDAY 23 – BOOK 1 (LOTS 1-177)

Time: From 12:00pm

FRIDAY 24 – BOOK 2 (LOTS 178-327)

Time: From 10:00am

Where: Magic Millions Sales Complex, Swan Valley

Bookings: Free event, open to the public Enquiries to: perth@magicmillions.com.au | 08 9477 4255

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SAMPLE IN 2023

the Offering

MAGIC MILLIONS PERTH YEARLING SALE 23-24 FEBRUARY

Lot 2 – Yes Yes Yes-Sazavee filly

From the first crop of The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes comes this filly, the first foal of a winning Fastnet Rock mare. Dam is a daughter of stakes placed Zabeel mare Rahveel.

Lot 4 – Capitalist-Seannie colt

First foal of the Supremacy Stakes winner and multiple group performer Seannie (Sebring). By Golden Slipper winner and promising young sire Capitalist – sire of Captivant.

Lot 8 – Brutal-Sentimental Star filly

Half sister to stakes performer Sentimental Friend. From a winning More Than Ready half sister to Star Encounter as well as the dam of Galaxy Star. By a Doncaster winning son of O’Reilly.

Lot 11 – Awesome Rock-Sigaro colt

Half brother to stakes performers Prete a Partir and Black Cuban. From a half sister to G1 winning juvenile Carry on Cutie. Family of The Mission. Colt is by G1 winning son of Fastnet Rock.

Lot 12 – Blue Point-Single Spice filly

Half sister to Karrakatta Plate winner and now four time Hong Kong winner Ima Single Man. From a Supremacy Stakes winning daughter of Not a Single Doubt. Filly is by former Champion Sprinter of Europe.

Lot 13 – Ducimus-Sister Madrid filly

Half sister to stakes performers Fastnet Dragon and Nina Peak and three other winners. From a winning half sister to

group winning sprinter Shy Hero. By young son of Snitzel.

Lot 14 – Written By-Skating on Ice filly

Half sister to Melbourne stakes performer Hunnam. From a stakes performed, eight time winner and $377,000 earner. Dam has produced four winners from four to race. By exciting freshman sire.

Lot 15 – Long Leaf-Snitz ‘n’ Giggles colt

From a twice winning Snitzel daughter of triple stakes winner and $620,000 earner For Your Eyes Only. Member of the first crop of third stakes winning son of Fastnet Rock.

Lot 16 – Playing God-Snowchino colt

First foal of the Starstruck Classic winner Snowchino (6 wins, $382,320).

By Kay Cee and Alaskan God’s sire Playing God. Family of

Blue Diamond Stakes

winner Road to

Success.

Lot 23 – Long Leaf-Tarp colt

Half brother to crack Hong Kong sprinter Sight Success – second in December’s Hong Kong International Sprint. From a Melbourne winning Bletchley Park mare who has produced four winners.

Lot 26 – Hellbent-Timepegi filly

Half sister to Buster’s Force and Bella Scelta. From an unraced half sister to stakes winner Rose of Choice. Third dam was a stakes winner. By William Reid Stakes winning son of I Am Invincible.

Lot 28 – Magna Grecia-Tipsy Moment colt

Half brother to Princes of Wales Stakes winner Miss Conteki and Gunsynd Classic winner Dreams Aplenty. From an unraced Redoute’s Choice mare who’s produced six winners.

Lot 30 – Long Leaf-TribuLot filly

Half sister to Group Two Karrakatta Plate winner and $551,000 earner Hobart Jones and five other winners. From a five time winning Tribu mare from the family of Jungle Comedy.

Lot 34 – I’m All the TalkVacillare colt

Half brother to Group Three Gimcrack Stakes winner Kiss Bang Love and the dam of group performer All the King’s Men. By the same sire as Watch Me Dance and All Banter.

Lot 39 – Sessions-Xaar Boom colt

Half brother to recent stakes winner Buzzoom. From a group performed daughter of Xaar. Dam is a three quarter sister to Xaarvano and half sister to Mendicity.

Lot 43 – Pride of Dubai-Zonte colt

Third foal of a city winning and stakes performed daughter of Snitzel. Dam is a half sister to Pinjarra Cup winner Zarantz. Family of No Questions. Colt is by Blue Diamond Stakes winner.

Lot 45 – I’m All the TalkAcclaimed filly

Half sister to Western Australian Guineas runner-up Stay Safe and city winner Sophie’s Song. From a winning Hussonet mare. Family of Burrito, Posadas, Collate, Caipirinha etc.

Lot 46 – Shalaa-Addie Lane colt

From a winning Street Cry sister to group winner Sabatini and half sister to stakes winner Vivi Veloce and stakes placed Just Been Lucky. Dam is a daughter of Royal Sash.

Lot 56 – Brutal-Azarose filly

Second foal of a three time winning Azamour half sister to group winner Artistry and the dam of Cyril Flower winner Flower of War. She is from the first crop of O’Reilly’s Doncaster winner.

Lot 61 – Playing God-Boutique filly

Full sister to smart city galloper Fashion Stakes. From a winning Discorsi half sister to star gallopers Quilista and Red Can Man. By the same sire as Kay Cee and Alaskan God.

Lot 62 – Gingerbread ManBrocky’s Ace colt

Full brother to group winner and million dollar plus earner Red Can Man. Half brother to Group Two winner Quilista. From a stakes performed mare. By former Singapore champion.

Lot 63 – Street Boss-Burgoyne filly

Second foal of a city juvenile winning War Chant half sister to Jerezana (dam of Osborne Bulls, Zapateo and Badajoz) and the dam of Viridine. Filly is by Anamoe’s sire Street Boss.

Lot 65 – Shooting to WinCaipirinha colt

Second foal of the triple stakes winner and $430,000 earner by Nicconi. Family of Collate, Posadas, Direct Charge and Petrol Power. Colt is by Caulfield Guines winner and Group One sire.

Lot 66 – Toronado-Chantski filly

Half sister to Final Authority. From a Group Three Gimcrack Stakes winner by War Chant. Family of Happy Giggle, Living Spirit, Seaside etc. Filly is by same sire as star mare Still a Star.

Lot 67 – Playing God-Classic Smile colt

Half brother to triple group winner and million dollar plus earner Dainty Tess and four other winners. Dam, a city winner by Bletchley Park, is a half sister to stakes galloper Claise Brook.

Lot 69 – Safeguard-Coast to the Post filly

Full sister to group performer and multiple city winner Miss West Coast. Half sister to the dam of Sydney G2 winner Paris Dior. From a stakes performed Anabaa mare.

Lot 71 – Patronize-Comme Ci colt

Full brother to stakes performed Fred

Dag. Half brother to recent Champion Fillies Stakes winner Admiration Express and stakes placed Janaura. Dam was a city winner by Verglas.

Lot 74 – Maschino-Cosmah Domination filly

Half sister to recent Fairetha Stakes winner Bustler and promising youngster A Lot of Good Men. Dam, a daughter of Oratorio, was a three time winner. Family of Mythical Play.

Lot 76 – Universal Ruler-Dance on Air colt

Half brother to the brilliant Pinjarra Classic winner and $524,000 earner Clairvoyance. From a city winning half sister to Caprizzi Strip. Colt is by leading sire Universal Ruler.

Lot 84 – Univeral Ruler-Elegant Blast colt

Second foal of a four time city winning and four time stakes placed Blackfriars mare. Dam is a three quarter sister to the dam of Red Ora and half sister to Red Blast. Family of Scenic Blast.

Lot 85 – Playing God-Even Astat filly

Half sister to 11 time winner and black type performer Express Time. From a Belgravia Stakes and Burgess Queen Stakes winning mare. Dam is a sister to Kens Double.

Lot 86 – Sessions-Female Agent gelding

Half brother to Gimcrack Stakes winner Agent Pippa and 12 time winner and $539,000 earner Double Digit. From a winning Commands daughter of Develan. By Massimo’s sire.

Lot 96 – Blue PointFontainebleau colt

Second foal of a Belmont Oaks and Starstruck Classic winning mare – and sister to stakes galloper Uncle Dick. First four dams all black type. Colt is by a Champion Sprinter of Europe.

Lot 97 – So You Think-Foxiest filly

Second foal of an unraced Foxwedge half sister to triple stakes winner Silvera (10 wins, $596,345). Dam is from a half sister to former Champion 3YO Shoot Out. By star interstate sire.

Lot 100 – Brazen Beau-Further to Fly filly

By the same sire as On the Bubbles. From a winning Pierro half sister to Group One winner Covertly as well as Crack the Code, So Secret and Secret Link. Dam is a daughter of Most Secret.

the Offering SAMPLE IN 2023

Lot 106 – Awesome RockHidden Wonder colt

Half brother to three city winners. From a Belle of the Turf Stakes winning daughter of Danzero. Dam is a half sister to stakes horses Strong Choice and Substation.

Lot 110 – So You Think-I’m Feeling Lucky colt

Half brother to recent winner Lucky Landing. From a Group Three La Trice Classic winning daughter of Bletchley Park. Dam is a half sister to stakes winners Baronova and Utgard Loki.

Lot 113 – Bull Point-Indian Flower filly

Half sister to Cyril Flower Handicap winner Flower of War (9 wins, $478,205). Dam is a half sister to triple group winner Artistry. Family of Champion 3YO Filly Samantha Miss.

Lot 114 – Russian RevolutionJehannedarc colt

Half brother to Charles Seven. From a Deauville winning and group performed daughter of Montjeu. Dam is a half sister to Dhahab, the dam of Solomon. Family of Giant’s Causeway.

Lot 118 – Magnus-Kim Classic filly

Half sister to It’s Classified. From a Raconteur Stakes winning daughter of Encosta de Lago. Dam is a half sister to Kim China and daughter of G1 winner Kim Angel.

Lot 121 – Trapeze Artist-Lady Cosmology colt

First foal of a triple stakes winning and four time group placed daughter of Universal Ruler. Dam is a half sister to stakes horse Outspoken Lad. Family of Entisaar.

Lot 124 – Rommel-Leitfaden colt

Half brother to recent carnival stakes winner Saintorio. From a multiple city winner by Choisir. Family of Special Harmony, Fangirl, King Canute, Marooned Lady and Redwoldt.

Lot 133 – Playing God-Mazij colt

Half brother to five winners (from five to race) including stakes winner Amanaat. From a city performed General Nediym mare. Family of international stars Rocket Man and Our Giant.

Lot 135 – Epaulette-Merriest colt

Third foal of a Melbourne stakes winning daughter of Denman. Colt is by Daumier’s sire Epaulette and from the family of stakes winners Scollata, Scomeld, Ranch Heiress etc.

Lot 143 – War Chant-Mizlecki colt

First foal of a Raconteur Stakes, Sheila Gwynne Classic, Belmont Oaks and Old Comrade Stakes winning daughter of Lope de Vega. From the family of Entisaar and Lady Cosmology.

Lot 145 – Yes Yes Yes-Mosstiara filly

By a winner of The Everest. The filly is from a half sister to group winner Kencella and Bontiara and the dam of triple stakes winner Misty Metal. Family of Regal Power, Arcadia Queen etc.

Lot 149 – Pierata-My Maggie colt

Member of the first crop of All Aged Stakes winner. From a twice two-yearold winning I Am Invincible sister to group winner Vinnie Eagle. Family of Nashville, Hawajiss etc.

Lot 152 – I’m All the TalkNishikawa colt

Half brother to stakes winners Rokanori and Takanori – the latter being the dam of stakes winner Tahitian Dancer. Also half brother to stakes galloper Tee Emar. By same sire as Watch Me Dance.

Lot 157 – Written TycoonPasadena Girl filly

By champion Australian sire. From Group One Champagne Stakes winner Pasadena Girl (3 wins at 2, $585,350). Family of Maidaan, Bright Hope, Stagecraft etc.

Lot 160 – Playing God-Poverty Point filly

First foal of a Testa Rossa half sister to Railway Stakes winner Elite Belle as well as Mississippi Delta and Battle Emblem. Family of Mogul and Clueless Angel. By sire of Kay Cee.

Lot 162 – Power-Press Leak colt

Half brother to Group Three Tibbie Stakes winner Spirit Bird and stakes placed First Law. From a winning Rock of Gibraltar daughter of Oaks winner Sneaky Quiet. By Irish 2OOO Guineas winner.

Lot 165 – Harry Angel-Princess Hallowell colt

Half brother to Gimcrack Stakes placegetter and city winner Costume Party. From a city winner by Oratorio. Family of Rouslan. Colt is by July Cup winner Harry Angel.

Lot 167 – Shooting to WinPurfect Size colt

Half brother to Group Two Perth Cup winner Mystic Prince and multiple stakes winner Real Charm. The colt is from a winning half sister to Derby winner Generous Tycoon.

Lot 170 – Long Leaf-Real Hi filly

Half sister to Perth Stakes winner Wacked Out and two other winners. From an unraced half sister to crack sprinter Barakey as well as Hi On Love and Ifestio (dam of Magnifisio).

Lot 174 – Magnus-Rosmartini colt

Second live foal from a Belmont Oaks and Belmont Classic winning daughter of Proart. Dam is a half sister to One Thousand Guineas winner Lonsdale Lady. Family of Novrak.

Lot 177 – Playing God-Runs to Paradise colt

Third foal of a lightly raced Sepoy half sister to $1.1 million earner Grand Nirvana (10 wins, inc. four at group level). Dam is from group winner Paradise Park.

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2022 SALE SOCIALS

2022 SALE SOCIALS

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MOREMagic

AT THE SALE

He’s a BELTER

WORDS: JESSICA OWERS

Justin Warwick, at 53 years old, doesn’t bother heaven with his troubles. It’s the kind of thing you say about a man that keeps on and keeps to himself, which Warwick has done the last year or so since handing in his trainer’s ticket.

“I’m glad I did it,” he says. “I’m glad I stopped. I didn’t realise how much more there is to life than babysitting racehorses. I don’t miss all the things that can go wrong with them, and I don’t miss the commitment.”

In April 2021, Warwick announced his retirement from training thoroughbreds. The news was sudden, almost overnight, and he was done by the close of the financial year. It brought to a halt a long life working alongside horses, both the trotting and galloping kind, but he didn’t look back.

“I didn’t plan on doing it,” he says. “I just woke up one morning and made a decision. I’d gone through a marriage split, I had a cattle business and a horse business, and the horse business was taking up 85 percent of my energy but making 15 per cent of the profit. Maybe those figures are a bit dramatic, but I woke up at 2am one morning and I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

It was the end of one of western racing’s most popular stables, a yard that had nursed along the careers of the Perth Cup winners Material Man and Black Tycoon, and the six-time stakes winner Wink And A Nod. There were plenty of others

that tallied Justin Warwick’s 321 total winners over a decade, including 30 individual black-type successes.

“I had some good horses and I do miss the one-on-one a bit,” he says. “Maybe one day I’ll get back to it a little, but it won’t be me having my name there. It might be my daughter or my son-in-law because I’ve done my dues.”

After a long life of early mornings, Warwick gets a lot done by 9am these days. He doesn’t need to, but it’s hard to change the body clock after so long in the game. His everyday bread and butter now is cattle, which is a lot less intensive and by darn a lot more profitable, and, while he lives in Bunbury, his farm is less than an hour away near the township of Harvey.

Harvey is known for its oranges, its dairy and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. For Warwick, it’s from where he trades his cattle and he was doing this alongside training horses for many years.

“I feel very safe trading cattle,” he says. “I find a lot of comfort in it and I enjoy the animals. It’s similar to training horses in that it’s animal husbandry, at the end of the day. It’s raising young stock to be healthy animals.”

In 2021, it was impossible for Warwick to walk away from horses altogether, so he didn’t. He remains in racing as an owner, and he follows the sport still, albeit without the intensity of his training career. His ownership portfolio is

As one of Western Australia’s most likeable and successful racing identities, former trainer Justin Warwick is on top again with his filly, Sheeza Belter. If it feels like déjà vu, it’s because he’s sort of been here before.

usually around 10 horses at a time, with a half-share his standard investment, and he’s a regular on the yearling sale circuit, as he’s always been.

“I love going to the yearling sales and buying young horses,” he says. “I love that hope of them turning into something really good. It’s great when they make a profit, but even just paying for themselves, that’s a win in itself.”

Warwick is more qualified than most to preach in this respect. In 2015, at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, he plucked a filly out of the draft of Korilya Stud, a dark-coated youngster by Scandal Keeper whose immediate pedigree wasn’t anything obvious. Warwick paid $10,000 for her and she was promptly named Quilista.

If the rest is history, it’s history worth repeating. Quilista won four races in Warwick’s care, including the Listed Raconteur Stakes, proving she was too good to stay in Western Australia. She went through a succession of eastern trainers, including Darren Weir, the Snowdens and the Maher-Eustace yard, and she won two Group races before her retirement in June 2019. A month before her final race, however, Quilista was sent to the Magic Millions National Sale, selling to Tony Fung for $950,000. It was a windfall for Warwick, a 95-fold return on his original investment. Quilista had delivered $750,000 on the racetrack and, two years later, she was back at Magic Millions, this time topping the second day of the National Sale at an even million dollars.

Results like these happen once in a lifetime for people like

Justin Warwick, a small-time player from the west. Except that every so often, the exception overtakes the rule, and that was where Warwick found himself when he bought Sheeza Belter in 2021. The chestnut filly, a daughter of Gold Standard, won two of her first three starts in the west and, like Quilista, was too good to stay home. Warwick and his co-owners sent her east to the Snowdens, and she is now a Group 1 and dual Group 2 winner.

Sheeza Belter first crossed paths with Warwick at the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. When he clapped eyes on her, she had all the razzamatazz that he looks for in a yearling filly.

“She reminded me of a couple of horses,” he says. “One was Quilista, a horse I bought and had a lot of success with, and the other was a horse called Red Can Man, who I hadn’t been brave enough to keeping bidding on.”

Sheeza Belter was Lot 60 two years ago, consigned by Mt Hallowell Stud and one of just three by Gold Standard in the sale. As Warwick sat ringside that day, he misread the bid board and presumed that his filly, Lot 60, was in the ring. He bid to $40,000 and, when the gavel fell, it was job well done. He organised all the particulars and his ‘filly’ left the complex.

In fact, Warwick had bought Lot 59, a War Chant colt. He had no idea until his pre-trainer contacted him some weeks later, telling him his racy filly was, in fact, a colt. A hasty phone call to David Houston at Magic Millions told him exactly what he needed to hear… Lot 60 had passed in with a

“Getting a horse to be able to compete on the east coast is better than winning the lottery. It’s way more exciting and way more fun…”

reserve of $50,000, and that was what Warwick would have to find if he still wanted her.

Sheeza Belter has banked $1.76 million to date. Scraping together her $50,000 price tag, which Warwick had to do at the time he was getting out of training, is a little less salty these days. He retained 45 percent of the filly and, right at the beginning, he and the owners agreed that Sheeza Belter will eventually head to the Magic Millions National Sale, chasing the standard set by Quilista.

Sheeza Belter has been a second coming for Warwick, a dazzling one, but what has he taken out of it second time around?

“All she has done is give me the confidence that what I do is okay,” he said. “I’m going to get it right some of the time, and I’m going to get it wrong some of the time. But the business model I have is okay right now, and it is possible to live the dream. We’ve done it twice now, and that’s not mentioning the other successes that we’ve had along the way. Getting a horse to be able to compete on the east coast is better than winning the lottery. It’s way more exciting and way more fun, and it’s what I want to keep trying to do.”

Warwick will admit that the highs have been as frequent as the lows. When he bought Sheeza Belter two years ago, he didn’t have enough money to keep her, yet he gifted five percent to a friend who had helped him out financially. Throughout his life, the former trainer has made quick decisions that have made him money and equally quick decisions that have cost

him money, but he’s comfortable now. Life is good, he says. “I’m pretty much a man in the moment,” he admits. “If I make a decision, that’s it. It’s done. And I feel like I’m pretty lucky in life. I don’t procrastinate much but I know I’m lucky, that things just turn out for the better more often than not. I don’t try to swim against the tide.”

Warwick was married for 30 years to his former wife Carol. They’d been through a lot together, sharing a family, careers and a business. Their breakup has been part of the difficult white noise in his life for the last few years, but “I think we’ll be better people for it in the long run”.

For a very long time before taking to full-time training in 2011, Warwick was a pacing legend on the west Australian circuit. So was his father, his uncles and younger brother. He and Carol were a powerhouse outfit in the sport, switching codes after what Warwick called a “good perspective on life”. A staph infection put him in a wheelchair for months and, as would happen once again over a decade later, he made a decision and didn’t look back.

“Pacers were all I knew growing up,” Warwick says. “Monkey see, monkey do. I remember as a kid, my dad and his brothers were all in the top 10 on the trainers’ and drivers’ premierships in Perth. My grandfather wasn’t far away at the time, either. So I was lucky, I got to grow up and see everything from the inside.”

Harness racing, at times, delivered Warwick a fanciful life. Somewhere in the middle of it, when things were bad, he went into partnership trading horses to America. It was wildly successful and, within 18 months, he made money in a great big hurry, enough of a hurry to buy a farm within 18 months. They were good times, he recalls. The dollar was low and the blood was up, and there was a constant stream of new horses coming through on prizemoney earned. Warwick was in America only three months, all told, but, like most events in his life, he had a crack.

“If there’s an opportunity to do it, I do it,” he says.

Warwick has handed over his headlines to daughter Lucy these days. At 25 years old, Lucy Warwick is a former champion apprentice in Western Australia and a seasoned horsewoman. She outrode her claim in 2015, then only 17 years of age, and much of her formative riding was courtesy of her father’s good horses, such as Wink And A Nod and Lucciola, and, later on, Material Man and the Western Australian Cup winner Dubai Escapade.

For her father, it hasn’t always been easy being dad, boss, mentor and friend, but “blood is thicker than water, isn’t it?” Lucy was aboard Warwick’s final runner, Queenship, at Pinjarra in July 2021. They were third and that, as they say, was that.

Which brings us back to 2023. Sheeza Belter isn’t done yet for Justin Warwick, and neither is life. He’s squeezed a lot of it into his 53 years, and its fabric still feels good against his skin.

“Do I deserve good luck?” he says. “No one deserves anything. You just need to put parameters in place to give yourself as good a chance of lucking falling your way as possible. I’ve been lucky. If my dad had been a plumber, I would have been a plumber. If he’d been a farmer, I would have been a farmer. But he was a horse trainer, so here I am.”

2022 BARRIER DRAW

2022 BARRIER DRAW

Lane MAYFAIR

PUB & DINING ROOM

Tucked away in the beautiful tree-lined streets of West Perth, Mayfair Lane is a distinguished renegade built on the traditions of the Great British gastro pub & dining room. Embodying the very best of generosity, quality and ceremony without a hint of pomposity or stuffiness, Mayfair Lane favours timeless food faves over faddish trends, and delivers a mood that is both relaxed and up-market.

Lane

Mayfair Lane was awarded ‘Best Pub Restaurant List’ in Gourmet Traveller’s Wine List of the Year Awards in 2019. Topping off the year by taking out the ‘Jury Prize’ at the World of Fine Wine Awards in London. This was a big win considering 94 venues were picked around the world, with only 18 from Australia, and one from Perth – Mayfair Lane.

Mayfair Lane has an award-winning wine list with a delicious dining menu to match, serving up generous classic fare such as bangers ‘n’ mash & Amelia Park lamb rump to mouthwatering aged steaks supplied by local farmers, Stirling Ranges Beef by Butterfield.

Managing Director, Chris Pollitt, was born in Empangeni, Zululand and raised in country Western Australia before getting his education in Perth. Six years at the Windsor Hotel gave him a taste for Hospitality which he took to the rest of the planet. Running venues in the US, Africa and Europe, London was to be his home. Managing some of the best and the biggest venues in Shoreditch and the city, he found that running the three feet of Mahogany was his calling. Now coming home to roost and bringing all he has to the Perth hospo scene.

Never short of a chat, he prides himself on happy customers and the relationships that builds.

Sommelier Foni Pollitt DipWSET has spent her adult life travelling the world; drinking, tasting, teaching and loving wine. After leaving University she bought a one-way ticket to Italy and never looked back. Her career in hospitality began in the early 90’s and she’s worked extensively in London and Montreal delivering a finessed service from gastro pub to fine dining. In Montreal she was awarded the Wine Spectators ‘Award of Excellence’ with her wine list made up entirely of Greek Wines.

2018 has also witnessed a very successful year in Foni’s career, having recently been crowned Sommelier of the Year at the WA Good Food Guide Awards. As a WSET Educator, Foni loves to share her passion for wine and travel tales with students in Perth.

Mayfair Lane Pub & Dining Room

Monday-Friday 11.30am-late Saturday 4.00pm-late Sunday & Public Holidays closed 72 Outram Street, West Perth 08 9425 522 | hello@mayfairlane.com.au

Since their beginning in 2016, Mayfair Lane has successfully taken the title for WA’s Wine List of the Year 2018 besides being one of the Top 50 restaurants for the WA Good Food Guide over the past three years.

The the

PRACTITIONER GARDENER

BY KRISTEN MANNING

Ever hear the joke about the nuclear medicine practitioner and the landscape gardener?

Well no, because there isn’t one. But there is a story about how two men with these rather differing backgrounds came together in an endeavour that is helping the modern thoroughbred to stay sounder, healthier and happier.

Chris Cowcher and Pete Tually, whose wives had been friends for years, are co-founders of TeleMedVET, an Ascot based group that provides diagnostic services whilst also undertaking a number of very interesting and very exciting research projects.

Repurposing hospital standard nuclear medicine scanners, Tually came up with a way of extending their purpose... by getting them into vet clinics.

Over a bottle of wine during a night out, Tually mentioned this idea to Cowcher who started to ask around, discovering that trainers were well aware of scintigraphy being put to good use in the eastern states - but not so much in the west. With no huge ambitions (“it was a bit of fun really, we thought we’d just scan a few horses and see how that worked out”), Cowcher and Tually set about putting this idea into place and in September 2018 an ungraded scanner - one which had helped thousands of rural patients across Western Australia in the preceding years - was installed, leading to the establishment of TeleMedVET.

As is the case with xrays and CT scans, the fundamental technology underlying nuclear medicine has not, Cowcher said, changed drastically over the past couple of decades. Rather it is the ability to process the information and to detect issues that has - and will continue - to improve. Especially with the advent of artificial intelligence - a specialist area of research for the scientific team at TeleMedVET.

Which is why these scanning machines - which have been refurbished and integrated with state-of-the-art processing capabilities - have been able to be put to a good second use. Helping horses, such as eventers and thoroughbred racehorses. And it is a lifelong interest in the latter that saw Chris Cowcher willing to give up his more lucrative landscape gardening career to embark on this passion project.

“I took a punt and it has become my life!”

“My uncles on both sides were trainers and there were horses on the farm as I was growing up,” he said. “I’ve had shares in horses, a few slow ones, a few decent ones and I absolutely love it.”

And what he loves most of all is ensuring that horses have the best racing career they can possibly have and central to thatand to what TeleMedVET is about - is “the early detection of lameness.”

Especially when said lameness cannot be detected by traditional methods. Such as was the case with the talented galloper Last Of The Line - the 2021 Listed Detonator Stakes winner whose trainer Stephen Miller and whose vets were at a loss trying to figure out why he was sore after an unplaced run at Ascot in the spring of 2021.

TeleMedVET’s scintigraphy machine was put to good use, a stress fracture in the pelvis detected - enabling just the right sort of rehabilitation to take place. And when the horse was

back in winning form at Belmont last July there were cheers not only from the stable and the happy owners - but from everyone at TeleMedVET.

“We cheered him like we owned him!” Cowcher enthused, “we could not have been happier.”

Working in partnership with Amelia Park’s Peter Walsh, the Perth Equine Hospital and different universities, researchers and vets around Australia and beyond, TeleMedVET has gone from strength to strength in a short time.

Cowcher and Tually have been keen to keep costs down, making diagnostics affordable whilst putting any profits back into the business - into upgrading their facilities whilst also embarking on research projects.

Some of the upgrading includes the world’s first and still only only three-dimensional equine nuclear scanner, one which is enabling the TeleMedVET team to conduct a study of biomarkers.

“Biomarkers indicate the presence or extent of a biological process, which is directly linked to the clinical manifestations and outcome of a particular disease. Identifying biomarkers or biomarker profiles will be an important step towards disease characterization and management of disease in animals.”

Moore RE, Kirwan J, Doherty MK, Whitfield PD. Biomarker discovery in animal health and disease: the application of post-genomic technologies. Biomark Insights. 2007 Jul 10;2:185-96. PMID: 19662203; PMCID: PMC2717813.

Noting that researchers have narrowed down six relevant biomarkers, TeleMedVET staff take blood samples of a horse on the morning of the nuclear scan - enabling an analysis of what is happening on that very day.

“The holy grail,” Tually said, “is to develop a blood test which can detect bone fatigue.”

A pilot study has shown early promise - only a small group of horses but there were definite links between what was showing up in the test and what was happening with those horse’s soundness.

Which attracted the interest of the Hong Kong Jockey Club who are now sending blood samples to TeleMedVET. And more can happen should funding increase, Cowcher and Tually hopeful that the racing industry can step in. Especially now that the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging has published the findings in a prestigious journal that Cowcher describes as being “a Group One publication.”

POD (palmar/plantar osteochondral disease) lesions are one example of injury that it would be of great help to predict. Graded from one to three, they are career ending at their most severe whilst early detection (and thus intervention) is vital. Studying the development of bone density is another area of interest - CT scanning able to detect changes over periods of time.

Also an issue at TeleMedVET is keeping radiation as riskfree as possible; hence their machinery utilizing cone beam technology as opposed to fan beam... cone beam “using a fraction of the radiation, meaning that you can conduct more tests on each horse.”

Which helps not only the individual horse but the sport of racing as a whole.

“It is,” Cowcher said, “better for us to be proactive in regard to horse soundness than reactive.”

Which keeps horses racing for longer, making racing more viable for owners and everyone involved. All things that can only be good for all of us!

Will Baxter, Dr Bec Caslick, Jack Meadows & Chris Cowcher

LUCKY CHAN Who is

Lucky Chan is an enigma wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a dumpling then deep-fried.

A self-described ‘international man of mystery’, LC is the polyester suit-wearing mover and shaker of William Street laundries. No one really knows where he came from – or where he’s going.

Enter a world of Asian fusion dining, where cocktails flow and mouth-watering aromas of Asian street food meet contemporary dining in a relaxed setting.

Nestled in the heart and soul of William Street Northbridge, Lucky Chan’s pride themselves on fresh, local ingredients that are transformed into delightful dishes that have even the most diehard Asian food lovers coming back for more.

Think fluffy baos, slippery, spicy and aromatic noodles, handmade dumplings, and lots more. A large range of vegan and vegetarian options are available including bespoke pulled jackfruit dumplings, and vegan carbonara, as well as plenty of gluten free options that won’t disappoint.

Lucky Chan’s Asian fusion combines elements of various cuisines, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian, an Filipino - to name a few. The drinks list is a carefully considered local and international affair, with a themed rooftop bar that features classic and modern cocktails to match great tunes and a fun vibe.

Grab yourself one of LC’s famous bubble tea cocktails, a wine or a beer and immerse yourself with their wonderful team who will ensure you receive great service and a truly memorable dining experience.

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Sheeza Belter

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Margins: 0.87 length x 1.07 lengths

Time: 1 minute 11.45 seconds

Cost: $50,000 at 2021 Perth Yearling Sale

Vendor: Mt Hallowell Stud | Buyer: Justin Warwick

Trainer: Luke Fernie | Jockey: Clint Johnston-Porter

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Rommel-Snow Pixie

2nd: Gorgeous Gossip, 3rd: Black Fantasy

Margins: 0.49 length x 1.24 lengths

Time: 1 minute 11.3 seconds

Cost: $20,000 at 2020 Perth Yearling Sale

Vendor: Mogumber Park

Buyer: John Chalmers Bloodstock

Trainer: David Harrison | Jockey: Patrick Carbery

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Cost: $25,000 at 2021 Perth Yearling Sale

Vendor: Western Breeders Alliance

Buyer: Hayden Ballantyne | Trainer: Hayden Ballantyne

Jockey: Steven Parnham

2nd: Cosmopolitan Girl (position past the post: 6th)

$10,000 Bonus + $4,410 prizemoney

3rd: Rock ‘n’ Tales (position past the post: 9th)

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Colin Webster and Troy Turner following Trix Of The Trade’s G1 Railway Stks victory

Horses keep the Heart YOUNG

BY KRISTEN MANNING

Aside from the business of finding his next stable star, Webster has always enjoyed the social aspects of the Magic Millions sales and more than ever there will be a host of people wanting to shake his hand.

There were plenty of congratulations to be had on the day that the Webster trained Trix Of The Trade stormed home to secure his oh so memorable win in the Group 1 Railway Stakes - and plenty since.

But there are still people Webster has not caught up with since the last Magic Millions and there is no doubt that Trix Of The Trade will be the focus of many a happy conversation!

“I love the sales,” Webster enthused.

“The atmosphere, meeting the breeders, seeing people you have not seen in a year and getting to look at all those lovely horses... it is all great.”

Webster is the veteran of quite a few yearling sales, preferring to buy rather than breed (“I tried that once, that was enough for me!” he joked) with his keen eye on the lookout for a horse who appeals both on type and temperament.

“I look for a horse with good presence and I love a good walker - a horse who walks over and through.”

The Magic Millions has been a happy hunting ground for Webster who has secured, for not too much money (“if a horse looks like fetching a few hundred thousand I let other people have them!”) such talented gallopers as Field Commander (a $16,000 purchase whose 12 wins and three stakes placing earned him in excess of $350,000) and Settlers Creek (a stakes placed 11 times winner of over $600,000).

He has also enjoyed plenty of success with owner/breeder

horses, most notably with a tough gelding who made his debut in a Bunbury maiden in January 1997. The bay had shown a fair bit but was a slow maturer, first seeing the track as a four-year-old.

He didn’t win that day but was a solid fourth and he went on to win his next four, quietly working his way through the grades. By his next campaign he was a city horse and the following March he was able to win the Group 3 Bunbury Cup.

And then in January 2019 he was only just beaten in the Group 2 Perth Cup, his stellar effort over the two miles planting a seed in his trainer’s mind... this could be a Melbourne Cup horse.

Webster had previously travelled east - the triple Group winner Beau Heed, despite suffering from travel sickness, running some very nice races during the Melbourne spring of 1996.

Webster learned from that experience, sure that a good horse would do better with a more permanent base close to the Melbourne Cup action. And so he recommended to owner Wendy Green that her horse - and we are of course talking about Rogan Josh - be moved to Bart Cummings.

“A selfless recommendation,” the legendary Cups King said at the time.

One that saw Rogan Josh write his name into the record books on that famous First Tuesday in November in 1999 - three days after his Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes win he and John Marshall able to outgun Frankie Dettori aboard Godolphin’s Central Park to the roar of the Flemington crowd.

It seems likely that Colin Webster will be stopping for a few chats as he makes his way around the Swan Valley sales complex come late February.

Watching the Melbourne Cup from the stands that day was Colin Webster, alongside his wife Lynette and a very very happy Wendy Green.

“It was absolutely fabulous,” Webster recalled - thinking that it would be difficult to top such an experience.

But come November 19 last year he did just that, Trix Of The Trade winning one of Perth’s biggest and most prestigious races, the Railway Stakes - one of the city’s three million dollar contests.

A story which began when Bill and Patricia Robinson, introduced by a mutual friend, asked Webster if he’d be interested in training their horses... “I’d love to” was the response.

The Robinsons and the Websters have a bit in common - a love of horse racing that spans decades. Bill Robinson was an apprentice jockey quite a few moons ago but riding as a long term career was not meant to be. Establishing a successful business in the security industry, he maintained his interest in racing and in retirement enjoys the challenge that is thoroughbred breeding.

Trix Of The Trade’s Group 1 win put the Robinsons in the spotlight - it is not, after all every day that a big race is won by owners in their 90’s with a trainer in his 80’s. And best of all, they were there to witness their horse’s success. There were plenty of smiles to be had and a few tissues being dabbed at eyes across the course!

“It was unbelievable, he is a magnificent horse - I am so proud of him,” Webster said, noting that - like Rogan Josh - Trix Of The Trade is a horse who just needed that bit of time.

The winner of nine of his 15 starts, Trix Of The Trade is, along with exciting stablemate Baby Paris (a four times winner and twice runner-up from her first six starts) - being set for a crack at the new sprinting contest The Quokka in mid-April. Having two runners in the race would be quite the achievement for Webster, a man who has already achieved so much.

Whilst raised amongst horses at Collie around 160km south of Perth - “we had ponies, went on the show horse circuit” - Webster did not have a great deal of exposure to the thoroughbred until his brother Graeme began to serve his

apprenticeship as a jockey.

And when Graeme moved to Perth, Colin soon followed and after some early success with sharing a farm with another trainer, he decided to make the move to the city and by 1961aged just 21 - he was training at Ascot. Where he has happily been ever since.

“I have always loved it,” he said as he heads into his 63rd year as a trainer... “horses keep you young!”

Helped by his son and foreman Colin Jnr and grandson Brandon, Webster loves the hands-on aspects of training, deriving great joy from getting to know each horse.

“Nearly all horses have great temperaments,” he said. “They are very kind animals who absolutely love humans back. They are all different, they have their quirks that you have to be aware of - you have to study each of them a bit.”

The sort of study that makes Webster the very good trainer he is, that and his philosophy of the horse being the centre of everything - “no matter what, you have to put them first.”

Trix Of The Trade, he says, has been a pretty easy horse to deal with - “he is a beautiful horse. He goes to the races and goes to sleep in the stall, he knows how to conserve every bit of energy for his racing.”

“And he knows where the winning post is, a good horse strives to get to the line - and he really strives!”

“I have always loved it, horses keep you young!”

Trix Of The Trade joins a long list of Webster success stories with the likes of Queen Inca (his first Group 1 winner with her success in the 1980 Western Australian Oaks), Pop Culture (winner of that same Classic 32 years later - along with five Listed contests), Terwilliger (Group 3 AJ Scahill Stakes and dual Listed winner), All Legal (a dual stakes winning sprinter) and Hasten Lass (a triple stakes winning successful broodmare) all doing their trainer proud.

Such is his love for his horses that it is hard for Webster to pinpoint a favourite but he has a definite soft spot for one of his early good ones - Wolf City, the 13 times winner who he took over to Queensland during the winter of 1997, winning the Listed Tattersall’s Cup.

“He was a magnificent horse, just wonderful!”

Webster has room in his racing heart for other people’s horses as well. He loves attending major race meetings and, along with Lynette, has attended some forty Melbourne Cups.

With Makybe Diva’s three amongst his favourite racing moments.

“I don’t think anything in race could exceed that, I had a tear in my eye - it was a very emotional day.”

Witnessing the career of Western Australian star Northerly was another highlight - “wasn’t he an absolutely wonderful horse!?,” he enthused - “he was the fighting tiger alright!”

Webster is widely respected not only as a trainer of horses but as a mentor of jockeys, many a successful rider serving their apprenticeships under his tutelage.

“We have had 35 apprentices,” Webster said - rightfully proud of this achievement, one which includes two sets of fathers and sons; Rodney & Craig Staples and Troy & Jordan Turner. The apprentices become part of the Webster family and so the excitement of winning the Railway was heightened by the fact that Troy Turner was aboard.

Lynette Webster is a bit part of the success, looking after the apprentices in the days when boarding with the trainer was part of the process. Her grandfather was a trainer and she and Colin met at the races.

Many of the stable’s horses are owned by people who have been with Webster for years and whilst many have passed on, their families keep up the involvement.

Every win is still cherished by the stable - “we still get a big thrill out of the wins,” Webster said - and retirement is a dirty word... “I will keep on going for a long as I can.”

It is not the easiest of lives, the early starts, the hard work, the disappointments... “it is a very different lifestyle,” Webster said.

Different but in a good way and Webster wouldn’t swap it for anything!

MOREMagic

AT THE RACEDAY

VALERon Sayers

Story courtesy TDN Australia & NZ

WRITTEN BY JESSICA OWERS

VALERon Sayers

Sayers was as popular a racing identity as Western Australia has ever produced, and tributes came thick and fast in the wake of his sad death. The President of Thoroughbred Breeders WA (TBWA), Fiona Lacey, said the Yarradale studmaster was a genuine loss to the West.

“Ron has been such a passionate supporter of racing and breeding in WA for so many years, building his stud up to be one of the leading farms and racing hundreds of horses,” she said. “He was not only a great character of racing, but a genuinely good person who helped many, many people along the way.”

Sayers bought Yarradale Stud in 1997. Currently, the farm is home to three stallions, including War Chant (USA), Gingerbread Man, and Heritage.

The property was previously in the hands of Don McCully and Dallas Dempster, but Sayers went in heavily during his tenure, propelling Yarradale among the leading breeders in Western Australia.

By all accounts, it was typical of how he operated.

Sayers was successful, effective and driven. He became a brilliant breeder and owner across the last 30 years in Western Australia, which also mimicked his professional brilliance in mining enterprise.

“It’s really sad that the Western Australian racing and breeding industry has lost such a passionate supporter,” said Greg Carpenter, Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper. Carpenter, speaking to TDN AusNZ this week, was a longtime friend of Sayers’.

“People will know well Ron’s story as a self-made success in the mining industry, creating and developing Ausdrill into the

company that it was,” Carpenter said. “But the traits that he showed there flowed through to his racing interests, with his biggest legacy being the way he treated his staff and, when it came to racing, it was very much the same.”

Sayers was a silver-haired, larger-than-all-outdoors mining tycoon.

As a young man, born and bred in Kalgoorlie, he worked as a knockabout mechanic on the Great Boulder gold mine before selling drilling equipment locally. Eventually, he got to thinking that there was more money to be made in using his wares than selling them, so he bought a second-hand mining drill and grew his company from there.

In 1987 he owned a single drill rig and, by 2018, Ausdrill had blossomed into a billion-dollar business, one of the biggest drilling outfits in the world. It became an ASX200 company with more than 8000 employees, which today are spread between 12 countries as part of the Perenti Group.

Sayers was particularly proud of the staff legacy at Ausdrill. It was something he prided himself on when he retired from the company in 2018. Without doubt, he was a people’s person, which served him well in the sport of racing.

“One of the great things that Ron enjoyed about being involved in racing was sharing the experience with family and friends,” Carpenter said. “He was a great one for being a part-owner of a horse rather than a sole owner, because he enjoyed the social relationships that came from racing.”

According to Carpenter, they make them tough in Kalgoorlie. Much of the mining town has followed racing for a long time, and it was no different for Sayers.

“Probably, though, what set Ron down the path that he eventually took into racing and breeding was the wins he had in 1995 in the Kalgoorlie and Boulder Cups,” Carpenter said.

The passing of Yarradale Stud principal Ron Sayers last year has left a considerable hole in Western Australian racing.

His friend Greg Carpenter, the chief handicapper for Racing Victoria, chatted to TDN about the man that was larger than life.

“He won those races that year with a horse called Forehand. For anyone from Kalgoorlie to win that double is a huge thing, and that was one of the great highlights for Ron in his life.”

Forehand was by the Mr Prospector (USA) stallion Bellotto (USA), from the Shining Finish (GB) mare Winning Hit. All round, it was a well-named pedigree for Sayers.

The horse won nine races for a further nine places in a highachieving, 24-race career that ended on the Gold Coast in 1996.

“So there was Forehand in 1995, and then a few years later he and a group of his close friends bought into the ownership of Northerly,” Carpenter said. “All of them were part of the great success that Northerly had in Group 1 races in Australia, and that was just a joyous experience, not only for Ron and his friends, but for all of Western Australia, really.”

Northerly (Serheed {USA}) was the ultimate ride for Sayers.

From the year 2000 to the horse’s retirement in 2004, he won 19 races – 18 at stakes level, 16 at Group level of which nine were Group 1s. They included the Cox Plate twice and the Caulfield Cup, along with the Australian Cup, also twice.

“Northerly cost me a lot of money in the 20 years since, trying to find one to replace him,” Sayers later joked.

In the end, he never had another Northerly, but Sayers wasn’t short of success at Yarradale Farm.

He won four G2 Karrakatta Plates over the years, the first of which was with Born Priceless (Pricelessly {USA}) in 2001, and the latest of which were Valour Road (Frost Giant {USA}) in 2018 and Ima Single Man (Gingerbread Man) in 2020.

In fact, Born Priceless probably provided the best of those wins, the filly being from a mare that Sayers bred and by a stallion he stood at Yarradale Stud.

“Racing was something that he was passionate about,” Carpenter said. “Ron was very hands-on in the breeding processes. He was deeply immersed in stallion statistics and breeding statistics, and that was one of the reasons why he eventually bought into the Southern Hemisphere breeding rights of his stallion, War Chant.”

War Chant, by Danzig (USA), wasn’t a young sire when Sayers snapped him up. The horse relocated permanently to Yarradale Stud following the 2014 Northern Hemisphere breeding season, and he’s stood his last five seasons for

$11,000 (inc GST).

“War Chant has become a great sire of broodmares for Ron,” Carpenter said. “But one of the great elements of this story is that his most recent winner was Lady Chant, who won the WA Oaks last season, and she’s a filly that Ron bred and obviously retained for 50 per cent. That would have given him great satisfaction.”

Lady Chant sits alongside Valour Road and Ima Single Man, as the most recent of Sayers’ track interests.

The Racing Victoria handicapper knew Sayers well from their mutual roots in Western Australia. However, it wasn’t until Carpenter was working as a handicapper in Singapore that he properly grew to know Sayers.

“When I was head of handicapping in Singapore from 1995 to 2000, I spent some time with Ron and wife Lyn when they came to Singapore to enjoy the races,” Carpenter recalled.

“That would have been around the late 1990s, and that was when I realised what a larger-than-life character Ron really was, and what a great storyteller he was.”

Carpenter says that Sayers was great fun to be around, not least because of the good yarns he spun about Forehand and Northerly later on, and all the horses he had cheered along the way.

The Sayers friendship group was wide and illustrious, having in excess of 400 partners in his racehorses at one point.

“I was very close to the Northerly journey,” Carpenter said. “So, I got to know Ron better through all of that. He was so passionate about Perth racing, and he had a genuine love for it. He had a great desire for WA racing to blossom and flourish and be as successful as it could possibly be.”

“Ron was a self-made man,” Carpenter said. “He created his own success and wealth, and he loved the company of others and the enjoyment of being at the races, winning or losing.

“He thought outside the square all along. He didn’t let things get in his way, and if he thought WA racing was better off for something, he would try to make it happen. Ronnie did everything because he had a genuine love of Western Australia, and a genuine love for family and friends. He is a really sad loss.”

The 70-year-old died in May 2022 and is survived by his wife Lyn, five children and numerous grandchildren (his pride and joy).

He was so passionate about Perth racing, and he had a genuine love for it. He had a great desire for WA racing to blossom and flourish and be as successful as it could possibly be.

WELCOME TO OWN THE DREAM 2023

If owning a racehorse has always been your dream but you didn’t know where to start, then you’re in luck!

Racing and Wagering WA (RWWA) in conjunction with Magic Millions and the Thoroughbred Breeders WA (TBWA) is hosting the sixth edition of the award-winning ‘Own The Dream’ event series in 2023.

Starting on February 5 and culminating with the Grand Finale on February 25, three lucky teams will each win a share in a racehorse with the first placed team receiving a $30,000 prize package to use towards a horse purchased at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale!

The competition consists of four FREE events that showcase the WA racing industry, including a launch party, stud tour, masterclass and race day experience.

Each team member in attendance will receive ONE (1) entry per event for their team. The more team members you have and the more events you all attend, the more chance of winning!

However you will have to share the spoils – the share of the racehorse will be split equally among all team members.

HOSTS: ROBBIE VON KLITZING & ALANA MCLEAN

THE PRIZES

$30,000 BUNDLE can be split between voucher + training fees

Either:

a) $25,000 voucher + $5,000 training fees

b) $30,000 share

CONSOLATION PRIZES

$15,000 BUNDLE can be split between voucher + training fees

Either:

a) $10,000 voucher + $5,000 training fees

b) $15,000 share

$10,000 BUNDLE can be split between voucher + training fees

Either:

a) $8,000 voucher + $2,000 training fees

b) $10,000 share

Unsuccessful in winning one of the three major prizes? Eligible teams can redeem a $1,500 voucher towards a share in a Westspeed Platinum Breeder Nominated Yearling at the sale. The winning teams will be drawn at the Grand Finale and be able to choose their horse up to the value of their prize from registered trainers and syndicators. T&C’s apply.

OUR COMPETITION EVENTS

Sun 5 February Event 1 | Stable Tour & Launch Party Karnup, WA

Sun 12 February Event 2 | The Racehorse 101 Yarradale Stud, Gidgegannup

Sun 19 February Event 3 | Racing Connections Masterclass Magic Millions Sale Complex, Swan Valley

Sat 25 February Event 4 | Grand Finale at Ascot Leger Lawn Marquee, Ascot Racecourse

AMBASSSADOR: BRITTANY TAYLOR

2022 PHOTO GALLERY

AFTER WHISTLE the

BY JIM TUCKER

HAYDEN BALLANTYNE

Former Fremantle Docker turned trainer

Playing 171 AFL games for the Fremantle Dockers taught rising trainer Hayden Ballantyne plenty of lessons that relate to getting the best from his horses.

You can absorb every pointer on bloodlines from a Magic Millions catalogue but never underestimate what you see and feel with your own eyes at a parade of yearlings.

Western Australia’s up-and-coming trainer uses the analogy of playing for a decade beside two-time Brownlow Medal-winner Nat Fyfe. “Nat is an absolute superstar player but his brother can’t kick a footy. Just because they’ve got good pedigree doesn’t mean you get a superstar horse,” Ballantyne said.

“The breeding side is a good starting point but you need to see a horse in the flesh. The eye that an experienced trainer has from being in the game for 100 years is invaluable.”

Ballantyne, 35, is grateful that veteran trainer David Harrison is so unselfish in sharing astute insights from decades around Perth tracks and sales. “David is a bit of an uncle to me. He’s helping me learn the trade when it comes to picking horses and I’m developing an eye for the horses I like. We love getting around to all the studs before a Magic Millions sale to pick out some good horses I’ll bid hard for,” Ballantyne said.

“I’ve learnt from him and others to build my own training process.”

The high-energy forward was in his final season of AFL when he trained his first winner, Mankind, in 2019. The transition

to the racing industry full-time with Hayden Ballantyne Racing has kept his busy equilibrium and avoided the postfooty void experienced by so many.

“You can get consumed by the day-to-day life of being a footy player. For me, getting to the stables was my outlet, a real gift. My little mate, Mankind, got me through the last few years of my footy career,” Ballantyne said.

“Having stepped out of playing senior footy for 15 years, I needed something to step into or I would have gone crazy.”

He’s a hands-on trainer as you’d expect and happy to ride the harder to handle thoroughbreds for the first week or two at his Karnup base, south of Perth. He has around 25 horses on the books, including multiple race-winner Vogue’s Choice, a mare sired by Patronize that was his first MM purchase. It’s named for his five-year-old daughter, Vogue.

Good nutrition and recovery translate directly from his elite footy know-how as does his focus on preparation and keeping his horses happy. “I get my satisfaction even before a horse jumps when I know I’ve ticked every box in getting them as fit and ready to race as I can. I really like the process. When they do win, it’s a huge reward,” Ballantyne explained.

He bought seven horses at the 2022 Magic Millions sales in Perth, three for individual owners and four to syndicate. He’s hoping to repeat the formula that put so many smiles on faces after She’s Greysful ran second in the Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic at Pinjarra in February.

“We were the first all-ladies horse home for the Magic Millions WA Racing Women’s bonus. There were more than

After the whistle, some of our sports stars enjoy a zealous connection with the thoroughbred industry and the Magic Millions. Jim Tucker traces one fascinating tale…

50 ladies who had a share in the horse as individuals or through syndicates. You could have heard them on the east coast when She’s Greysful was coming down the straight,” Ballantyne said with a smile.

“It was a great day and a really good way to be involved. You can own one per cent of the horse but share 100 per cent of the fun.”

Ballantyne’s own love of horses started early. Father Graeme, a long-time trainer himself, had his son in the saddle as a 12-year-old and provided the sort of racing fairytale we all love. The Ballantyne-trained Talent Show was first emergency for the 2013 Perth Cup, earned a late start and the daughter of Melbourne Cup-winner Jeune raced home as a roughie at $31. “My old Dockers teammate Nick Saban and I owned a quarter-share in Talent Show and we got on at $68,” Ballantyne said.

“For me, getting to the stables was my outlet, a real gift. My little mate, Mankind, got me through the last few years of my footy career,”

VALE DickVincent Legendary 1924-2022

MOGUMBER PARK

BY KRISTEN MANNING

“It is a chance to catch up with people you don’t see the rest of the year - from around the state and around the country,” Brown said, adding that whilst the sales week is a busy one, there are relaxing moments which provide the opportunity to sit down “and chew the fat” with trainers, breeders and owners.

A lovely chance to mix business and pleasure and there is certainly plenty of business happening with Brown excited about the 18-strong draft being presented in 2023.

“We have ten different stallions represented - five from Western Australia and five from the east coast and we are really happy with the way they have grown out.”

Mogumber take their time with yearling sale preparation - their youngsters handled at different times during the year with some early education during the winter to that come summer time they are easily handled.

“They learn a bit each time without any stress being placed on them,” Brown said.

And a few days off over the Christmas/New Year period - the staff also enjoying a break - has them fresh heading into the final weeks of the preparation.

Tipped out each night, the youngsters enjoy their work with Brown noting that “each morning they are at the gates waiting for us. We find this works really well, the horses don’t go stir crazy and further down the track they are easy to break in and train.”

When asked for the draft’s highlights Brown was happy to pause, noting that “it is hard to pick the stand-outs which I think is a good sign!”

Happy with each of the 18, Brown did pick out a few he thinks will be of particular interest to buyers - such as lot 160, the first foal for the Testa Rossa mare Poverty Point, a half-sister to the Group 1 Railway Stakes winner Elite Belle, the Group 2 Perth Cup winner Mississippi Delta and the dual Listed winner Battle Emblem.

“She will be close to being our sale-topper,” Brown said, delighted with the progress the daughter of Playing God has made.

“She is a first foal and when she arrived we thought she was pretty ordinary,” he laughed.

Mogumber Park’s Colin Brown and Fiona Lacey look forward to yearling sale time - it is, they say, “a very nice time of year.”

“But the breed can be like that - they just take a little time but they really improve.”

“Another filly with great residual filly is lot 69,” he said - a daughter of Mogumber’s own Safeguard and the stakes placed Coast To The Post whose four foals to race are all winners including the stakes placed Miss West Coast (also by Safeguard) and the dam of the 2022 G2 Percy Sykes Stakes winner Paris Dior.

“She will be well looked at as her family is really growing and developing - and her half-sister was pretty unlucky not to win the Karrakatta Plate.”

Magnus is a stallion who is well respected in Western Australia and Mogumber’s filly (lot 108) out of a half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Casino Dancer from the family of the Railway Stakes winner Great Shot is one sure to draw attention.

“Her half-brother won his first two starts in Hong Kong earlier in the year whilst her full sister Magnalee won only recently.” Brown is also excited about a filly out of the Fastnet Rock mare Sazavee, one of only two progeny of Yes Yes Yes in the sale.

“She is lot 2 so we will know early!” Brown said. He will have to wait a bit longer for another youngster he has plenty of time for - lot 306, a Bondi filly out of the stakes placed Notjustaprettyface whose son Green Shadows is showing plenty of potential for the Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou stable.

Those looking for an early comer are well advised to check out lot 37, a Rommel full brother to Ultimate Command and Diamond Command - both two-year-old city winners.

“He is a big, strong colt who stands over a lot of ground, he is a very good looking horse.”

As is lot 197, a Headwater colt whose full sister Honey Dew (part raced by WA football legend Brad Hardie) has already won twice in town with more to come.

“I think she will attract a fair bit of attention,” Brown said.

“Star Turn and Shamus Award are stallions really doing well and we are looking forward to selling yearlings by them... a colt (lot 298) out of a half-sister to the Group 3 Tesio Stakes winner Ocean Challenger and a filly (lot 139) out of a halfsister to the Group 3 Tasmanian Derby winner Mega Boss.”

Colin Brown & Fiona Lacey

Brown was happy to hand over the reins to Lacey when we asked a few non-racing questions...

What holiday do you think has the best food? Italy.

What food are you a master at cooking? Risotto.

What songs are on your playlist right now? Pink and Ed Sheeran.

What drives you nuts about social media?

The ads and the fact I never see stuff from friends.

Favourite junk food?

Chocolate.

What event in your life had a huge impact?

The birth of my first child.

What place have you visited that filled you with awe? Rome.

What phobia do you have?

Spiders (she is not alone there!).

What makes you nervous?

Pre-sale scoping.

Who is the most argumentative in your family?

My oldest son Connor.

What was the best decision that you have ever made? To become a vet.

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $5 million? Buy a boat.

What’s one thing your dogs could say that would completely ruin your image if they could talk?

That I am a big softie!

What would you like on your epitaph? I am still hoping for immortality at this stage.

What songs take you back to your teen years? Anything from the 80’s.

Mogumber Park – stud tour

LIGHTSABER

Joins Darling View

Thoroughbreds stallion roster in 2023 alongside GOD

Group 2 winning 2yo who won 3 of his first 4 starts

Group 3 winning 3yo at 1600m – Caulfield Guineas Prelude

Defeated Group 1 winners Paulele, Captivant, Hitotsu & Profondo

Group 1 placed behind superstar and 7 x G1 winner Anamoe

Group 1 runner-up behind Hitotsu in the Australian Guineas

From the family of Champion Stallion Fastnet Rock

Brent Atwell 0408648100

RIDGEPORT Holdings

BY KRISTEN MANNING

Such as will be the case in 2023 when Guagliardo’s Ridgeport Holdings presents a draft of ten yearlings, eight of whom are sons and daughters of Rommel.

A graduate of the 2013 Gold Coast Magic Millions by Danehill’s terrific son Commands out of the imported stakes winner I’mtoogoodtobetrue, Rommel was spied by trainer Neville Parnham and secured for Guagliardo who derived great enjoyment from the horse’s racing career.

One of the best Perth two-year-olds of his year, Rommel recorded an easy win at his Ascot debut before a fast finishing second in the Perth Magic Millions.

Again winning at Ascot at two, he progressed nicely at three - winning the Group 2 Western Australian Guineas before venturing to Melbourne where he outclassed his rivals in the Group 3 Zeditave Stakes.

The Group 1 Australian Guineas was on the radar but a mishap saw Rommel retired to stud with Guagliardo keen to stand him - the idea of selling his beloved horse never considered!

“He is such a lovely, kind horse,” Guagliardo enthused - “a gentleman.”

Enjoying cheering on his own winners by Rommel, Guagliardo also loves following those with other owners, finding the entire process a very special one.

With his first crop just four, Rommel has been doing an excellent job off small books of mares - already represented by 27 individual winners including the Group 3 Sires Produce Stakes winner Snowdome, the Perth 3Y0 Magic Millions winner Pixie Chix, two stakes placegetters and another 11 metropolitan winners.

Guagliardo is excited about the Rommel yearlings being taken to the sales, a group of youngsters who have benefitted from a good season with great weather and abundant pasture. “The horses are all really well grown and looking good.”

Before taking a look at the horses we shot Guagliardo a few questions...

What food are you a master at cooking?

Pasta - I’m Italian so it has to be pasta! My parents were from Sicily though I was born here - I grew up in Geraldton.

What event in your life had a huge impact?

Building up my transport business from scratch. I started with

Rommel is Santo Guagliardo’s “pride and joy” so it is not surprising that he looks forward to showing off the young stallion’s striking progeny at the yearling sales.

one truck and now McMahon Burnett Transport runs around 60 - 70. My business booming has allowed me to do what I wanted to do with racing - up until then I was just hoping to own a racehorse!

What makes you nervous?

Starting young horses off, especially if they are showing ability. When you pay a lot for them there is a lot of expectation and those first trials and the first starts; they make me extremely nervous.

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $5 million?

I’d buy broodmares, upgrade my stock. I’d probably end up putting $6 million back into racing!

What do you typically do when you’re bored?

Punt! Though I never get bored, I enjoy watching racing from all around the world, there is always something happening.

Ridgeport Holdings’ draft...

Lot 18 blk/br.f Rommel - Sound Of Thunder

A half-sister to the exciting two-year-old Soaring Solo who impressed winning the Crystal Slipper at her Ascot debut in November. Her dam is a daughter of I Am Invincible and the

city winning Redoute’s Choice mare Drivel whose dam is the Group 1 Australasian Oaks winner Tully Thunder. Plenty of black-type on this page with this filly able to boast amongst her relations the Group 1 ATC Derby winner Levendi and the stakes winners Wu Gok, Marcel From Madrid and Duplicity.

Lot 77 blk.c Rommel - Delectable Dolly

The first live foal for a winning 3/4 sister to the Macau based stakes winner Good Master from the family of the Group 1 Western Australian Derby winner Dance The Day Away.

Lot 111 b.f Rommel - In A Whisper

Her dam has been doing a great job at stud with four of her first five to race being winners including the Group 3 placed multiple city winner Silent Whisper and the four times winner Stand Your Ground. Her grandam Endless Wonder, a daughter of the mighty Danehill, was also an excellent winner producer with her seven winners including the Listed Wenona Girl Handicap winner Wonderer. One of Gai Waterhouse’s classiest and toughest multiple Group 1 winners - Desert War - hails from this family.

Rommel

Lot 124 b.c Rommel - Letifaden

Half-brother to one of the current Perth stars, the exciting three-year-old Saintorio who was so tough winning the Listed Lee-Steere Classic in late November - his fifth success from just 13 starts. This fellow’s city winning dam by the late, great Choisir hails from an outstanding family - one which has produced the multiple Group 1 winner Special Harmony, the 2022 Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Fangirl and the Group 2 Perth Cup winner King Canute.

Lot 126 b.c Spirit Of Boom - Lomachenko

He is the first living foal for a 1000m winning half-sister to the stakes placed metropolitan winners Almindoro and No Doubt from a high class international family represented by big race winners in America, Canada and South Africa.

Lot 213 b.f Rommel - What Choux Want

She is a daughter of a Group 2 placed daughter of the Group 2 placed Volksraad mare Bankside Belle who produced the Group 2 winner Belle du Nord.

Lot 254 br.f Rommel - Faerie Whisper

Her talented and consistent dam, a daughter of the in-form broodmare sire Snitzel, is a dual city winning half-sister to the

handy Melbourne mare Miss Albania, a stakes placed triple city winner. This filly’s grandam Little Artist is a metropolitan winning daughter of More Than Ready and the two times stakes winner Regal Touch. Rommel is doing a great job with Snitzel mares - five runners, four winners including the Snowdome and Pixie Chix.

Lot 294 b.f Rommel - Mekong Delta

She is a daughter of a winning sister to the dual stakes winner Mekong Miss and the stakes placed city winner Redhage.

Lot 323 b.c Rommel - Radiant Girl

Her dam is a city placed two times winning daughter of the metropolitan winning Mossman mare Lady Longueville whose Group 3 Magic Night winning grandam Food For Love produced the dual Group 1 winning sprinter Lady Jakeodam of the stakes winners Red Arrow and Able Choice and grandam of the Group 1 winners Mrs Onassis and Peggy Jean.

Lot 326 ch.f Universal Ruler - River Hussy

She is the second foal (her first by Rommel sold for $60,000 to Simon Miller in 2022) for a winning daughter of the Group 3 placed dual city winner Mossriver.

Santo Guaglirado and the Ridgeport Holdings Team

B l a c k w a t c h S t u d

Reduce your risk Maximise your return with a Blackwatch yearling

E l e v e n y e a r l i n g s s o l d t h r o u g h M M Y e a r l i n g S a l e 9 h a v e r a c e d A L L h a v e w o n ( o n e d i e d , o n e u n n a m e d t w o y e a r o l d ) ·

Your Winning Ways Could Start with :

Lot 186 Universal Ruler (Aus) / So Imposing (NZ) (Blackwatch as agent)

Lot 242 Ducimus (Aus) / Corvetto (Aus)

Lot 268 Super One (Aus) / Glenross (Aus) (Blackwatch as agent)

RUBY Racing & Breeding

BY KRISTEN MANNING

And part of that future is the support of a horse very close to their hearts, Newgate Farm’s popular first season stallion Tiger Of Malay who they bred and cheered onto three wins including the Group 2 BRC Sires Produce Stakes and the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes.

Supporting him with five mares, Jaime O’Bree was thrilled to have them all get in foal, excited by Tiger Of Malay’s “outstanding fertility.”

And now she looks forward to the arrival of the foals, noting that “the progress of any horse is nerve-wracking but with a horse who we bred, sold, kept a bit of and are now breeding with - well it is a different level!”

“It is all rather weird and we are definitely not taking it for granted.”

In regards to the more immediate future, O’Bree is very much looking forward to the yearling sales - “I am pretty stoked with this group of horses,” she enthused.

“We are really happy with them as types and I think when people inspect our draft they are going to think ‘wow this is a great set of horses.’”

Lot 8 br.f Brutal - Sentimental Star: from the first crop of a Group 1 Doncaster Handicap winner, she is out of a city placed winner who has been well represented by four winners - the stakes placed Sentimental Friend and the city winners Sentimental Queen, Sentimental Gift and Sentimental Hero. What a lovely local family this is, its members including Galaxy Star, Enticing Star, Perfect Jewel, Royal Star, Star Exhibit and Star Encounter.

“A quality filly by an exciting first season sire Brutal from one the the most successful broodmare families of leviathan breeder Bob Peters.”

Lot 19 ch.c I’m All The Talk - Southern Princess

From the penultimate crop of his much missed sire, he is a half-brother to two multiple winners out of a fast mare who won in town at two - and whose dam is the durable mare Cool Business, Listed winner of 13 races and dam also of the dual Group 3 winner Shining Knight... as well as grandam of the two times Listed winner Black Fantasy.

“He is one of our stand-outs, a lovely type who moves like a panther. He is a quick learner and I am very excited about him.”

Lot 25 b.f Awesome Rock - Thunderplump.

The second foal for a city placed three times winning halfsister to the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Kusi, she is, O’Bree says “a really strong set filly with good bone - and she is a great walker.”

Lot 60 b.f Calyx - Bombay

From the first local crop of her fast and talented sire, she hails from an in-form family - her promising half-sister Thesecondatportsea twice city placed for the Danny O’Brien stable since her win at two whilst her city winning half-sister Chandana is the dam of Chandon Burj who was impressive saluting at Sandown on Boxing Day. Her city winning dam Bombay is doing such a great job - seven runners, all winners. And this is a great family, one which produced the star stallion Fastnet Rock.

The sister and brother team of Jaime and Daniel O’Bree who make up Ruby Racing And Breeding have made a strong impact on racing - both at home and interstate - in a short period of time and going by the strength of their 2023 draft the future looks bright for them.

“This is the first time her dam - who was a two-year-old runner - has been to a speed stallion and the result is a classy filly, I am looking forward to seeing what she can do.”

Lot 104 b.c Tassort - Hazlebrook

Hailing from the debut crop of his well credentialled sire, this fellow is bred for speed - boasting crosses of Rory’s Jester out of a mare line-bred to Snippets, he is a half-brother to the promising Snowden trained three-year-old Wollombi out of a half-sister to the Listed winner Everage.

“He is a straightforward horse who likes his work, he does everything right - he just works and eats and he is ready to go.”

Lot 130 b.c Astern - Maia Nebula

His Golden Rose winning sire has been enjoying a terrific season and his dam showed good ability with a placing behind Colette on her record. Her Group 3 placed city winning dam Pleiades is out of the Group 3 mare Steflara - grandam of the Group 1 1000 Guineas hero Flit and daughter of the dual Group 3 winner Blue Storm.

“Looks a Derby type, he is a good boned, big framed colt who moves beautifully and does everything easily.”

Lot 182 ch.f I’m All The Talk - Set In Motion

Another chance to secure an I’m All The Talk, she is the first foal for a winning daughter of the city winner Primal Motion who did such a good job at stud with her five winners from as many foals to race. A filly with dual purpose appeal, she hails from the same family as Zabeel, Baryshnikov, Crowned Glory and Hallowed Crown - all elite level winners.

“She has really been growing nicely, she has good scope and is a quick mover who really knows where to put her feet.”

Lot 194 b.f Impending - Star Affinity

She is a half-sister to the recent winner Mystery Man out of a daughter of the classy mare Avenida Madero - a Metal Storm triple Group winner whose nine foals to race are all winners including the Group 1 mare Graceful Girl, the Group 2 WA Derby winner Respondent and the Group 3 galloper State Solicitor.

“A stylish filly by a promising young sire whose progeny are really starting to fire.”

Lot 202 b.f My Admiration - Thornly Beauty

A half-sister out of a city placed Thorn Park mare to the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate placegetter Dark Assault and the metropolitan winner Acefire from the Group 1 family of Lady Jakeo, Mrs Onassis and Peggy Jean.

“She has just continued to improve during her preparation and is one of the best walkers of our draft. She has got a great attitude and I can see her in a Karrakatta Plate like her relatives.”

Lot 246 gr.c Leonardo da Hinchi - Blackfriars

From the first crop of his talented and well related sire, he is out of a dual city winning Blackfriars mare whose dam is out of a 3/4 sister to the Group 1 Railway Stakes winner Jungle Dawn, the dual Group 2 winner Jungle Mist and the triple Group 3 winner Jungle Hero.

“There is nothing to fault with this fellow, he is a beautiful big horse with good bone, a great hip and lovely balance.”

Lot 89, Ellie Giles, Daniel & Jaime O’Bree and the Ruby Racing Team

Lot 262 b.f War Chant - French Champagne

Daughter of a city winning Blackfriars half-sister to the WA Derby placegetter Chill The Champers from one of Western Australia’s best families; that of the classy gallopers Rogan Josh, Marasco, Hot Shot Brother, Siesta Bay, Paradise Park, La Sirenuse, Hartleys Dream, Paradise Park, Black Fantasy, Corporate James, Shining Knight and Cool Business.

“She has been the most improved of all of our draft through the preparation, she has actually shocked me! She was unsure of herself when she came here but now she is in her element, she is really enjoying her work.”

Lot 303 b.c Oratorio - New York Philly

The second living foal for a three times winning half-sister to the durable ten times winner Southern Icon from the immediate family of the dual Group 1 winner Greene Street and the Group 3 Craven Plate winner Cateclipse.

“Such a well rounded horse, he had a great head on him and is just a lovely colt - he will be a good buy for someone.”

Lot 322 b.f Long Leaf - Radiant Diva

A half-sister to the recent winner Wozzeck out of a half-sister to the Group 3 winning juvenile Our Joan Of Arc from the family of the classy sprinter Inspire.

“A big, strong filly by a first season sire.”

Lot 324 b.f Starspangledbanner - Rhyming Verses

The only yearling by the in-form Starspangledbanner (State Of Rest, Aristia, California Spangle and Rhea Moon all in Group 1 form in 2022) in the sale, she is the second foal for a

winning half-sister to the stakes winner My Country from a classy American family.

“She is a big girl and well proportioned with it - she is well balanced, has great bone and we are excited about how well her sire is going.”

Jaime took the time to answer a few of our non-horsey questions...

What food are you a master at cooking?

Bolognaise... I’m starting to make the sauce from scratch with a lot of herbs, garlic and red wine but I haven’t attempted the pasta yet.

What makes you nervous?

Anytime something is happening with the horses I look after. It can be from foaling to making sure the yearlings arrive safe at the sales. I can overthink sometimes but I attempt to prevent as many issues as possible.

Who is the most argumentative in your family? Probably me, I can be stubborn but I like to think of it like ‘I know what I want’!

What place have you visited that filled you with awe? Madagascar. From the culture, landscape and the animals in the rainforest or the desert - a remarkable place.

Favourite junk food?

A Bunnings sausage.

Ruby Racing’s Lot 89 2022 Perth Yearling Sale, $180,000

BY KRISTEN MANNING

SCENIC Lodge

Scenic Lodge’s General Manager Jeremy Smith takes a breath after a busy breeding season and embarks on sale season - the new year always a busy time!

Especially when preparing and presenting such a big draft - Scenic Lodge proudly taking 33 well related yearlings through the ring in 2023. Which means that Smith is going to be well and truly kept on his toes during sales time, joking that “I might not have much time to leave the ring!”

Whilst Smith looks forward to the sales each year, he is at his happiest the day afterwards when the sales have been a success and he can catch a breath and be thankful that everything has gone to plan.

“The sales are a nerve-wracking time,” he said. “It is great getting the chance to show your horses off but so much goes into it and your whole year revolves around it. A good sale keeps things going for the next twelve months so the pressure is on!”

We were grateful that Smith did find a bit of spare time to have a chat with us as we shot a few left of centre questions at him...

What food are you a master at cooking?

Nachos, actually I was going to say toast - both are easy, that’s about all I can cook!

What place have you visited that filled you with awe?

I don’t remember much about the Contiki tour I did in my twenties but Las Vegas certainly stands out in my mind, all the bright lights and casino after casino.

What reality tv show do you secretly enjoy?

I watch Married At First Sight with my wife - how embarrassing! But racing is 24/7 so it is good to switch off and watch something that does not require any thought.

What do you typically do when you’re bored?

I look at sales catalogues, I feel like I spend a lot of time flicking through them!

Jeremy Smith and team, 2022 MM Sale with Lots 118 ($160,000) and 135 ($230,000)

Very happy with the strength of the Scenic Lodge draft, Smith highlighted a Shooting To Win colt (lot 167) out of the terrific broodmare Purfect Size whose first five foals are all winners including the G2 WA Derby winner Mystic Prince and the dual Listed winner Real Charm.

This is the wonderful Summoned family that has produced the big race winners Zeditave, Melito, Generous Tycoon, Greys Inn, Smart Call and Norzita.

“He is from one of those great Bob Peters families and he is a strong, athletic type - I really like him.”

He is also enthusiastic regarding the potential of lot 76, a Universal Ruler half-brother to the very talented Clairvoyance who has done such a good job winning seven of his 11 starts including the Listed Pinjarra Classic.

The son of the multiple city winning Perugino mare Dance On Air is described by Smith as being “just magnificent.”

“He is big, strong, impressive and flashy - he reminds me a lot of Scenic Blast (son of Universal Ruler’s sire Scenic) and he is sure to sell well.”

Lot 137, a Magnus half-brother to the promising two times Ascot winner Rare Encounter out of a winning daughter of the dual Group 1 winning Marscay mare Miss Margaret is another eye-catching member of the Scenic Lodge draft.

“He is a nice type by a stallion who everyone knows does a great job, and this is another in-form Peters family.”

One which has produced the G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Confront and the Listed mare Celebrity Miss, dam of the G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Celebrity Queen.

Bred on a 2 X 4 cross of Snippets, lot 36 by Snippetson out of the Snitzel mare Via Regina is another one to have caught Smith’s eye.

“He is a nice quality colt who looks like an early runner. He is compact and strong and his dam is a half-sister to Testamezzo who was a terrific horse.”

Sadly Scenic Lodge lost Snippetson to a paddock accident in early January so it is a bit poignant selling his yearlings now. Much missed at the farm and by local breeders, Snippetson has several other nice contenders including a colt from the family of Scenic Blast (lot 3), a half-brother to the stakes placed Henchard from the Group 1 family of Magnifisio and Barakey (lot 27), a filly out of the three times winning Smart Missile mare Kleva Kezza from the family of the very fast Group 1 winners Gold Ace and Final Card (lot 286) and a colt out of the dual city winner Princess Jasman from the family of the G2 Perth Cup hero Black Tom (lot 315).

The draft of Scenic Lodge’s Universal Ruler’s draft is also a strong one, inclusive of a filly out of a half-sister to the Gold Coast Magic Millions winner Karuta Queen (lot 78), a colt out of the four times stakes placed multiple city winner Red Blast from Scenic Blast’s family (lot 84), a daughter of the multiple city winner Secret Nova (lot 181), a full sister to the metropolitan winner Let Me Impress and the recent impressive maiden winner Uninook (lot 209), a filly out of a sister to the durable stakes winner Lotion who did such a great job winning 13 (with 27 placings) of his 103 starts (lot 220), a filly out of a city winning half-sister to the G1 Telegraph Handicap winner Vonusti (lot 310), a half-brother to the Listed WA 1000 Guineas winner Like A Butterfly and the talented four-yearold Featherweight (lot 313) and a filly out of a daughter of the triple stakes winner Lady Belvedere (lot 327).

Supporters of the local industry, Scenic Lodge also have nice types by Long Leaf (lot 261 out of the multiple city winner Foxalicious who has made a good start to her stud career producing the dual city winner Snipillicious and the city placed winner Foxy Son), Maschino (lot 270 out of the dual city winner Gracie May whose first two foals are both talented) and Sessions (lot 309, a half-sister to the consistent multiple city winner Safety Bay from an in-form family whose members include the recent Hong Kong winner King Eccellente and the promising two-year-old Summer Loving who at just her second start was a close up third in the Wyong Magic Millions).

Several successful eastern state stallions are also represented in the Scenic Lodge draft - Magnus by a daughter of the Listed winner Kim Classic (lot 118), Shooting To Win by a halfbrother to the spring city winner Ruby Noir (lot 265), Smart Missile by a half-brother to three city winners out of a halfsister to Miss Finland (lot 98), Santos by a half-sister to the city winning juvenile Galaxy Affair (lot 38), Nicconi by the first foal for the Listed Natasha Stakes winner Jedaffair (lot 281), Xtravagant a half-sister to four winners out of a two times winning daughter of the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes winner Starry Way (lot 125), Rothesay by a colt out of a half-sister to the high class sprinter Snippets Land (lot 232), Lean Mean Machine by a half-brother to the Hong Kong winner Superb Daddy out of the stakes winning Royal Academy mare Mygoodgrace whose dam is the Group 1 mare Good Faith (lot 299) and All Too Hard by a colt out of the speedy city winner Princess Is Ready (lot 314).

Street Parade Paddy's lad

Sire / Dam

Playing God / Sense of Power

Ducimus / Shihabi

Playing God / Snowchino

Toronado / Special Jewel

War Chant / Together We Dream

Sessions / Universal Appeal

Winning Rupert / Very Angry Gal

Exosphere / Anglissa

Toronado / Austere

Rubick / Cafe Scientific

Playing God / Eladdair

Rubick / Fiftyshadesofgrey

Lucky Street / Happy

Playing God / Jester Derriere

Capitalist / Madam Stryker

Pride of Dubai / On a High

Sire / Dam

Pierata / Our Time Will Come

Maschino / Peggie's Louise

I'm All the Talk / Rio Flyer

I'm All the Talk / Run Away Ruby

Gingerbread Man / Sonata

Playing God / Southern Snip

Rubick / Across the Moon

Playing God / Chavinca

I'm All the Talk / Demon Queen

I'm All the Talk / Ellibuba

Gingerbread Man / Graceful Tune

My Admiration / Is a Bombshell

Playing God / Karratha Crossing

Long Leaf /Let's Frolic

Playing God / Nickel Queen

My Admiration/ Qingdao

Winning Rupert / Queen Bey

Stakes placed - earnings $330,000 plus $132,000 in Westspeed bonuses

Two wins from two starts - earnings $170,000 plus $81,000 in Westspeed bonuses

(lucky Street) (playing god)

WESTERN BREEDERS Alliance

BY KRISTEN MANNING

“We were having a chat about ways we could help each other out,” Darling View Thoroughbreds’ Brent Atwell recalled, very glad of the step they all took by joining forces to market and sell their yearlings.

The Western Breeders Alliance - Darling View Thoroughbreds, Westbury Park and Einoncliff Park. An alliance which allows each stud to maintain their independence whilst enjoying the benefits of larger drafts come sale time.

“We wanted bigger, more potent drafts and we have not looked back,” Atwell said, happy in the knowledge that “we now have the horses who everyone wants to see.”

So successful has the concept been that other farms have made approaches about joining in but the trio are happy with how things have been going, Atwell noting that “we have a pretty good brand name and we are producing the winners so people are happy to keep returning.”

Sharing staffing, marketing and hospitality costs has enabled the group to run things more efficiently than they had been able to as separate entities and they are looking forward to presenting another impressive draft - 33 horses - in 2023.

Brent Atwell, whose grandfather won the 1925 Perth Cup with Great Applause, has breeding in his bloodlines - his father Clive kicking off with one mare... and now Darling View is home to 55 with another half dozen residing at Attunga Stud in the Hunter Valley.

We had a chat with Brent before taking a look at the Western Breeders Alliance draft...

What holiday do you think has the best food?

No doubt having travelled through Europe that it is Italy. We were there to see family in Sondrio and the home cooking was second to none - as it was along the Amalfi Coast; outstanding! I really enjoy Japanese when eating out so I look forward to holidaying in Japan at some point in time.

What event in your life had a huge impact?

I was playing WAFL football back in 2005/06 when I suffered a pretty severe knee injury which took took me from working as a heavy diesel mechanic to a management role in the company. Only a few years later I moved back to the family farm and at this time Dad and I decided to start breeding commercially so working in management helped with different facets of our business. If I didn’t suffer the injury I’d probably still be working on some mine site in the middle of WA!

What makes you nervous?

Watching our racehorses, I’m definitely a nervous watcher.

What was the best decision that you have ever made? Putting that quaddie on at Eagle Farm with a few mates David Houston, Brian Nutt and co... I hope my wife isn’t reading this (tongue in cheek!).

What would you do if you sold a yearling for $5 million?

I would love to build a new farm from a blank canvas.

It was nine years ago, after a busy day inspecting mares at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Sale, that a trio of Western Australian breeders got together for a pleasant night out - a nice meal, a bit of a catch-up.

What have been the best sales and racing moments for Darling View?

Selling a Not A Single Doubt filly for $600,000 at the Gold Coast in 2018 - that was amazing. We didn’t expect it but in this game you learn to expect the unexpected! And in 2021 we topped the sale with a $325,000 Russian Revolution colt. Though it is not just the big priced results that have given us satisfaction - in 2018 we sold a Patronize filly for $2000 at the Magic Millions Winter Thoroughbred Sale and she (Mia Dolce) went on to win over $300,000! She was just a small, immature first foal but she could run.

We get as much enjoyment as watching horses we bred and sold win as we do with the horses we race ourselves. You remember everything you have gone through with themfrom planning the matings, getting the mares in foal, foaling down - getting up in the middle of the night! So it is always a big thrill to see them win... and humbling.

The River was a horse we took a lot of pleasure out ofTrevor Andrews purchased him for $115,000 in 2015 and he won five races including the Pinjarra Magic Millions 2Y0 Classic and the Listed Perth Stakes.

We have also enjoyed watching the Perth sale really take off - ten years ago we had averages of around $35 - $40,000 but last year in book one it was hovering around $90,000. It has been a huge progression and it gives a lot of people confidence to breed and buy in Western Australia.

The sale is always a great time, there is so much hype about it and it is Perth’s one big sale so everyone is focused on it. It’s

our grand final, where we see the outcomes of two years of planning and everyone’s hard work. And when you have a good result it shows that everything you’ve been doing is lining up.

What are your thoughts on the draft?

It is a great mixture of horses by eastern and western based stallions including a few nice horses by our own stallion Playing God who has been doing an excellent job for us. We also have a few from the second last crop of I’m All The Talk.

The draft

PLAYING GOD: seven yearlings including the first foals for the multiple city winner Sense Of Power (lot 7) and the Listed Starstruck Classic winner Snowchino (lot 16), a half-sister to the metropolitan winner Elafella out of a daughter of the dual stakes winner Kentiara (lot 83), a colt out of a half-sister to The River (lot 115), a filly out of a half-sister to the Group 1 placed Hong Kong stakes winner Lock The Vault (lot 238) and a colt out of the city winner Karratha Crossing (lot 282).

I’M ALL THE TALK: four yearlings... daughters of the metropolitan winner Rio Flyer (lot 172) and the stakes placed Demon Queen (lot 245), a half-sister to the city winner Allmamoney (lot 176) and a filly whose dam is a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Ellicazoom out of the Group 1 mare Ellicorsam.

GINGERBREAD MAN: two yearlings... a son of the four times winner Sonata, half-sister to the Group 3 mare Purde (lot 189) and a half-brother to the city winners Warbler and War Anthem out of a sister to the multiple stakes winners Keyton Grace and Shock Value (lot 269).

Wayne Beynon, Phil Ibbotson and Brent Atwell

MY ADMIRATION: two yearlings... the first foal for the metropolitan winner Is A Bombshell, daughter of the Group 3 mare Is Amazing (lot 278) and the second foal for the four times winner Qingdao from the family of the dual Group 1 winner Albert The Fat and the recent stakes winner Johnny Rocker (lot 317).

OTHERS BY WA STALLIONS include a Long Leaf colt out of the handy juvenile Let’s Frolic (lot 290), a Ducimus halfbrother to the smart Hong Kong galloper President’s Choice (lot 10), the first foal by War Chant for the three times winner Together We Dream (lot 29), a Sessions colt out of the city winner Universal Appeal, a Lucky Street colt whose grandam is the Group 3 mare Hi On Love (lot 103) and a Maschino half-sister to the multiple city winner River Beau out of a halfsister to Miss Andretti (lot 158).

RUBICK: three yearlings... an intriguingly bred colt from Rubick’s own prolific family (lot 64), a son of the multiple city winning Written Tycoon mare Fiftyshadesofgrey (lot 87) and

a half-sister to the spring carnival’s Group 3 Sydney Stakes winner Rocketing By (lot 219).

TORONADO: two yearlings... a half-sister to the city winner Sparkling Blue out of the city winner Special Jewel (lot 20) and a colt out of the Commands mare Austere whose dam is the stakes winner Belcentra (lot 55).

WINNING RUPERT: two yearlings...the second foal for a twoyear-old city winning half-sister to the stakes winner Profit Street (lot 35) and a filly out of the multiple city winner Queen Bey (lot 319).

OTHERS BY EASTERN STATE BASED SIRES include an Exosphere colt out of a daughter of the Group 1 mare Danglissa (lot 52), a Capitalist filly out of a four times winning half-sister to the Group 3 sprinter Free Of Debt (lot 127), a Pride Of Dubai colt out of the three times winning High Chaparral mare On A High (lot 153) and a member of the debut crop of Pierata out of the dual city winning juvenile Our Time Will Come (lot 254).

The River, MM Perth 2YO Classic 2016

YARRADALE Stud

BY KRISTEN MANNING

A larger than life character whose passing left a huge hole in the hearts of those closest to him, Ron loved yearling sale time and whilst he didn’t spend much time ringside, he loved to hold court at the stables keeping everyone fed, watered and entertained!

A man who was so proud of his farm, and especially of his Yarradale Stud team, Ron just loved the industry - thriving on seeing his horses succeed; winning always providing him with a mighty thrill.

We all know the saying - ‘behind every good man is a better woman’ - and that perfectly sums up Ron’s widow Lyn Sayers. Lyn, who is already well known in racing and breeding circles, is now proudly aiming to continue the wonderful legacy that is Yarradale Stud.

This crop of yearlings are the result of the matings planned by Ron in 2020 and it is fitting that the staff on the farm feel that this group may well be Yarradale’s best yet.

Which is really saying something considering the quality of past drafts; ones which have produced such classy gallopers as the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate winners Ima Single Man (a winner in Hong Kong on New Year’s Day) and Valour Road

who won another four Group and two Listed races.

“Yarradale strives to breed the best and offer these horses to the market,” Grant Burns said - “producing great pedigrees, using industry best practice and employing highly experienced staff... Yarradale leaves nothing to chance.”

“Lyn and her team will be looking forward to seeing the next star of the WA turf arise from this draft... long may Ron’s legacy continue.”

Grant took us through these exciting youngsters kicking off with the very first lot, a son of Territories... “the buyer shouldn’t have to wait long with this colt - the mating is speed on speed and he looks to be one that will go early.”

Next up as lot 12 is a Blue Point 3/4 sister to Ima Red Man“a big, strong type who is bred to be a star!”

A Nicconi colt (lot 22) is next up - “a wonderful opportunity to secure a really nice horse. He is a cracking first foal for a mare who won in town at two. He hails from a great family whilst his sire has produced one of the best sprinters in the worldthis is the complete package.”

“A well-made daughter of Street Boss” is lot 63 - “by the same

The 2023 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale will be the first Yarradale Stud draft under the sole stewardship of Lyn Sayers - following on from the sad passing of her husband Ron last May.

Lyn MMPTH20 23

sire as Anamoe, she hails from a beautiful family and will be a great breeding prospect later on.”

The progeny of Toronado tend to sell well and lot 66 is one Yarradale is proud of - “we are looking forward to offering this nice style of filly who has developed really well.”

Lot 67 is the first of the Yarradale yearlings by Playing God - “the state’s best sire.” A half-brother to the triple Group winner Dainty Tess, “he continues to develop into a classy type with plenty of scope.”

Also by Playing God is lot 85 - “with her half-sister Express Time being stakes placed recently she has plenty of upside... she is a nice filly with residual value.” The same can be said for lot 120 whose dam Lady Ciego by Written Tycoon could not race due to losing an eye as a foal - but she is doing the job for Yarradale, Burns “thrilled with how this filly is progressing... we have high hopes for this family.”

The last of the Yarradale Playing Gods is lot 187 out of the stakes winner Soldier’s Lass - “a lovely natured colt out of a mare who has already produced two city class winners.”

War Chant is also well represented with lot 79 “simply a stand-out on type; a bit neater than his city winning brother

& Ron Sayers

War Gem - all-in-all a lovely animal.” And lot 82 also catches the eye - “you would be hard pressed to find a better looking horse at the sale, he will stand out like a beacon on a foggy day!”

Meanwhile lot 251 “was always a lovely foal and he is an impressive yearling, an athletic sort out of a mare (the nine times winner Em Gee Brown) who just throws winner after winner.” Which can also be said about fellow multiple city winner Girl On A Storm (dam of lot 267) whose five winners are all metropolitan winners.

Burns is confident that daughters of War Chant will be in demand as broodmares (he is already dam sire of 33 stakes winners) and lot 91 is indicative of the great type of filly he throws - “there is plenty of fun to be had racing a filly like her and she will sought after as a broodmare later on.” Same goes for lot 173, daughter of the multiple city winner Rosewood Hill. And lot 321 - “a lovely first foal with a great nature, she really looks the part.”

“Yarradale’s most exciting young broodmares,” Burns is excited about her son - lot 143... “a nicely shaped colt with presence.” And lot 147 is another War Chant eye-catcher“an impressive looker who you’d be very happy to own.” Fellow Yarradale stallion Gingerbread Man is also well represented, Burns describing lot 99 as “a racy type who is well developed for quite a late foal... he is just what you want to see in a Gingerbread Man.”

As is lot 102, “a nice neat filly with plenty to like - her twoyear-old full brother was a stunner and sold accordingly ($140,000) whilst her three-year-old full brother Berbere was impressive winning at his recent debut... this is an emerging family!”

“A nice, honest, well-made horse” is lot 179 out of a half-sister to the Group 1 sprinter Clearly Innocent whilst lot 249 out of the city winning Blackfriars mare Ebony Buzz is “a nice, neat filly with that great attitude that Gingerbread Man puts into his stock.”

Lot 320 is one who will catch the eye - “a lovely deep brown filly who has a lot of the look of her dam sire Commandsand the strike rate of sons of Shamardal out of Commands

mares is running at over 81%.”

Always a favourite with Perth buyers is Magnus, sire of two Yarradale yearlings... lot 72 who Burns describes as “an early sort... an attractive, great mover out of mare whose first four foals are all winners” - and lot 305, “a colt with good scope who is proving easy to work with thanks to his great attitudeand you have to love that Magnus/Bel Esprit cross!”

There is also always a lot of love for Lonhro whose daughterlot 156 - is out of a winning daughter of the classy broodmare Dancing Pago... “a lovely filly who will be highly sought after given her breeding and the way she looks.”

And then there is the Written Tycoon filly, lot 157 who Burns says is “arguably the best bred filly in the sale; by a great stallion out of the Group 1 winner Pasadena Girl - race her then breed with her, she is all upside!”

“A strong, solid type with great scope and substance is lot 241 by Long Leaf whilst lot 287 by Patronize is “a lovely, neat filly out of a fast mare.” And lot 308 is a “nice filly by Nostradamus - the same sire as the brilliant WA mare Clairvoyance.”

Yarradale’s top lot in 2022, So You Think-Nordic Gem filly, $200,000.

2023 Online Sale Dates

30 January – 2 February

Entries close 25 January

27 February – 2 March

Entries close 22 February 26 – 30 March

Entries close 22 March 1 – 4 May

Entries close 26 April 12 – 15 June

Entries close 7 June 3 – 6 July

Entries close 28 June

31 July – 3 August

Entries close 26 July 4 – 7 September

Entries close 30 August 2 – 5 October

Entries close 27 September

30 October – 2 November

Entries close 25 October 4 - 7 December

Entries close 29 November

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Statement Plants in Decorative Pots

Heart Shaped Arches with Silk Flowers

Metal Frame Horses with Silk Flowers

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Major Sale Dates