HIGHGROVE STUD 2019 vendor
A magic draft from families on fire
Ron Gilbert’s Highgrove Stud, located on Queensland’s fertile Darling Downs is taking a remarkable draft of seven yearlings to the 2019 MMGC sale in January. The mineral rich soils of the Darling Downs have sent forth a long line of Australian turf greats such as Bernborough, Tails, Eye Liner, Naturalism, Show A Heart and Boban to mention just a handful. Highgrove from its boutique broodmare band has over the last decade or so augmented this honour roll with Wanted, Jet Spur, Legally Bay (dam of Merchant Navy) and current stakes performers Noire, Thronum, Summer Passage, Excitable Boy, Beauty and Global Dream who were all offered by Highgrove or from families established at Highgrove. It is this last group, the current and very recent stakes winners and placegetters that is writ large in the pedigrees of the 2019 Magic Millions offering. Three of the seven are from the Highgrove family that has produced 2YO Gr.1 winner and ATC Sires Produce runnerup Summer Passage, the recent Spring Carnival SW Beauty, Flemington SW Excitable Boy and several other stakes winners from the branch of the family tracing to the exceptional Lure mare Sequin who has distinguished herself for the farm, she being a half-sister to crack performers Shania Dane and Scintillation (10 wins $4.2m). From this family Highgrove presents firstly Lot 114 a chestnut colt by multiple Magic Millions and Golden Slipper producing sire More Than Ready from the Lion Hunter mare Sequential who is a daughter of Sequin and is herself the dam of four winners including SW Excitable Boy. This colt is bred on the proven More Than Ready/Danehill cross to complete the package.
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by Andrew Reichard
