Yarradale STUD
It is with much excitement and anticipation the team at Yarradale Stud head to the 2024 Perth Magic Millions Sale with arguably their finest draft of yearlings they have assembled.
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hat sets this particular group of yearlings apart from previous ones is both the great variety of the stallions represented and the reduction of the farms broodmare band over the past two years has seen greater quality control over this particular group of yearlings to be presented at the sale.
Alspehina and prolific winner Starry Heights), Astern (sire of Gr.1 winner Golden Mile) and Flying Artie (sire of star sprinter Artorius) along with a Toronado filly who is not only a half sister to Karrakatta Plate winner Ima Single Man, but also to the 2023 Perth Sale topping filly by Blue Point that is receiving rave reviews from her trainers Grant and Alana Williams.
A decision by the late Ron Sayers in 2020 to purchase a sizeable stake in the stallion Playing God is one that is certainly paying dividends for the farm and not only has this given Yarradale access to the states leading stallion, but will ultimately continue to develop and improve the pedigrees of the current broodmare band. Fine tuning matings to a new stallion doesn’t happen overnight but with the benefit of experience, Yarradale will present the second crop of Playing God yearlings in their draft since Yarradale purchased that interest in the stallion.
All in all a terrific line up of stallions on offer in the draft and this coupled with the fact the female pedigrees of the Yarradale yearlings are amongst the best on offer at this year’s sale, this draft is certainly not to be missed by any perspective purchaser.
With a draft of 24 yearlings set to go under the hammer at Magic Millions in Perth this year, it’s not just the Playing God sired yearlings (of which their are 7) that have the Yarradale team up and about. No less that 14 different stallions are represented in the Yarradale draft this year and along with WA’s best stallions being represented in the draft - War Chant, Maschino, Gingerbread Man, Rommel and Bradbury’s Luck, the Yarradale draft has a variety of Eastern States sired yearlings to compliment it. A quality colt by champion Pierro out of one of WA’s favourite race mares Dainty Tess (14 wins and over $1 million in earnings) is sure to spark plenty of interest. An impeccably bred Brazen Beau colt that is a three quarter brother to Zapateo is another that will command plenty of interest along with a So You Think colt that is the second foal of the outstanding 4 time Listed winner and daughter of Lope de Vega, Mizlecki. A pair of well related yearlings (a colt and a filly) by fast first season Darley stallion Earthlight - Champion 2YO of France winning 5 races as a 2 years are also sure to be popular and buyers shouldn’t have to wait long to get a return on them. Rounding out the East Coast based sires are fillies by Star Turn (sire of Group 1 performer
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\ YARRADALE STUD
Of course thoroughbred farms are judged by racetrack success and this too is an area where Yarradale stand proud. Since the 2019 Perth Magic Millions Sale, the Yarradale consigned yearling Ima Single Man has gone on and become the highest earning graduate of the Magic Millions in that 5 year period. Interestingly, at least 9 of the 20 odd $1million dollar earners ever sold by Magic Millions in the West have been sired by Yarradale owned stallions, further endorsing the product bred by Yarradale. The warrior Valour Road defies his age and continues to show what an amazing Yarradale graduate he is. Now racing as an 8YO he was good enough to step out and win the Lee Steere Stakes at Group 2 level over the Ascot Summer carnival here in the West, and was an agonisingly unlucky sixth coming from last in traffic to be beaten 2.5 lengths in the $1.5m Gold Rush in December. Remember, this is a horse who won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on debut followed by winning the Karrakatta Plate at his second start and having won a host of features since then, he continues to give his much younger opposition plenty to chase. The likes of Stormchaser is also showing plenty of promise for Luke Fernie and the unbeaten Colin Webster trained filly Wubin Gold looks to have an extremely bright future, but rarely a week goes by without a Yarradale graduate winning so the honour roll keeps growing and the winners keep coming.
