Issue 7, April 2009
THE RIGHT STUFF: Auctioneer Simon Vivian, aided by Jonathan D’Arcy, does his thing at the Inglis Autumn Sale.
Finding the right sale The excellent results of last weekend’s Inglis Autumn Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction in Melbourne – which bucked the national trend with a 14 per cent rise in average (from $8750 to $9965) – emphasises that the lower end of the yearling sale market is alive and well. While the win of Autumn Sale graduate Pom p e ii R ule r (Ch g 2002, Genuine (JPN)-West With Night (NZ), by Pompeii Court (USA)) – passed in for $9000 in 2004 – in the Group 1 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (WFA 2000m) on Saturday was a boost for the sale, it is doubtful the win sent prospective buyers scampering to find their orange-coloured catalogues. From experience, looking at an Autumn Sale catalogue is a bit like looking down a black hole for gold – you need to get down and get dirty at the sale to find the
nice horses because the better the page, the more likely the horse is an ordinary individual or has a physical problem. Not only was the quality of the 2009 Autumn Sale yearlings excellent for a sale of this stature, but also the competition for the better individuals was fierce. The Autumn Sale has its place – don’t expect to see Gai, Lee or Darley perusing the barns – and it’s timing is right for late maturing yearlings, especially those that are SuperVOBIS qualified, to find a suitable home. Importantly, there are buyers still in the market for an nice, well-priced yearling. The same will be for Inglis’ Scone Yearling Sale, to be held at the Scone Showgrounds on May 14, now a major part of the impressively marketed Scone Horse Week. This sale has grown in momentum to
become an important part of the yearling sales’ agenda. Both these sales prove the point that a “nice horse will sell anywhere” and sometimes it is much better to be a big fish in a little sea than to swim against the tide of superior pedigrees and individuals at a sale with more prestige. Selling at the bottom end at any sale is a nightmare for vendors – there are just as many “grumblers”, especially those trying to sell less-fancied colts, at Easter as there will be at Scone. The t o p sellers at the Autumn Sale were: $56,000 for a colt by Bianconi from From The Palace (sold to Tony Seymour); $54,000 for a colt by Statue Of Liberty from Saloon Bar Girl (Mark Young) and $46,000 for a filly by firstseason sire Keep The Faith from Court Swinging (W. Gribble). DANNY POWER
One of the more interesting winners over the last week was the 2YO filly Fo malit e at Bendigo on Sunday. Fomalite is the first winner by the Victorian first-season sire Fo malhaut, an exquisitely bred son of Spinning World (by Nureyev (USA)). The filly is trained at Bendigo by Shane Fliedner. Fomalite is the sixth foal, and the fifth winner, from the River Rough (by Brigand (USA)) mare White Water Bay, a metroplaced mare who won four from 25. White Water Bay is yet another good producing mare with a double cross of the great Star K in g d o m through Brigand (by Noholme) and her dam Bayakoa (by Zephyr Bay’s Newmarket Handicap winner Elounda Bay), and it is of no surprise the mare nicks well with Fomalhaut, who is not only a Northern Dancer-line stallion, but also his granddam Raise The Standard (by Hoist The Flag (USA)) is a half-sister to Northern Dancer. Fomalhaut is a three-parts brother to champion sire Machiavellian (by Mr. Prospector (USA)), and of course, he is closely related to the great Danehill (by Danzig (USA)). To add further to the inbreeding mix, Fomalhaut’s damsire is Halo (by Hail To Reason (USA)), whose dam Cosmah (by Cosmic Bomb (US)) is a half-sister to Natalma. Fomalhaut stands at Robert Thompson’s historic Mornmoot Stud, near Whittlesea, which was once the home of the champion Victorian sire Century (by Better Boy (IRE)).
WORDS BY DANNY POWER
Danzero is the value stallion When Danze r o first went to stud to stand at Chatswood Stud, Seymour, in 1995 (now at Arrowfield Stud in the Hunter Valley) – two years after he won the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill – he covered only 76 mares. It was a time when we knew nothing of the enormous potential of his sire Danehill (Danzero is from Danehill’s first crop) as both a stallion and a sire of sires. Danzero (br h 1991, Danehill (USA)-Confidentially, by Kaoru Star) continues to prove himself as a worthy promoter of his sire-line. Last Saturday, the rising 18-year-old stallion sired his 33rd Stakes winner (8 per cent Stakes winners to winners world-wide) when the impressive 2YO colt Ext ra Z e r o (b c 2006, ex Extra Bubbly, by Bellotto (USA)) won the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington – beating another son of Danzero in Stoneblack (ex Shiny, by Forest Glow (USA)). The win of Extra Zero was timely, as 24 hours later, Danzero’s outstanding son Niconero (b g 2001, ex Nicola Lass, by Scenic (IRE)), a three-times Group 1 winner this season, broke down in the Group 1 QE 11 Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong. Both horses are trained by David Hayes and raced by Peter Devitt and Les Gordon, ardent fans of Danzero. This season, Arrowfield Stud has dropped Danzero’s fee from $27,500 (inc GST) to $22,000 (plus GST). He surely is the best value “proven” stallion in Australia, and a terrific stallion to kick off the breeding career of a young mare.
SHADOW BOXING: Exciting new sire Dane Shadow enjoying life at Kitchwin Hills. (Pic Lachlan Cunningham)
The Shadow looms While Danzero is from Danehill’s first crop, on the other end of Danehill’s amazing stud career comes Dane S had ow, from his second last Aussie crop in 2001. On Tuesday, Dane Shadow sired his fourth winner from his impressive first crop when the previously four-times metroplaced Shellscrape (b c 2006, ex Kisma, by Snippets) won first-up at Canterbury. Dane Shadow (br h 2001, Danehill (USA) – Slight Chance (NZ), by Centaine) stands at Kitchwin Hills, off the Gundy Road at the back of Scone. His 2008 service fee was only $7700 (inc. GST) but you can expect a rise on that. Dane Shadow’s yearling in 2009 have sold at an average of eight times his service fee and the win of Shellscrape (his third metropolitan winner along with the impressive Shad ow Miss and Shadow Assassin) will keep him in the spotlight, and Hewentwoosh is favourite to win the Inglis Challenge at Scone. Kitchwin stud manager Mick Malone expects Dane Shadow’s first crop to be even better at three, which is why the stud is agonising over the 2009 fee.
All Time Champ While we are on the Danehill theme, I was reminded of his last “southern hemisphere” crop when I saw that All Tim e Champion was plodding around at Tamworth (sixth over 2100m) last Sunday. All Time Champion (b g 2003, Danehill (USA)-Accomplished (GB), by Sadler’s Wells (IRE)) is one of 35 foals from mares covered by Danehill in Ireland in 2002 to southern hemisphere time, after it was decided that Danehill would no longer shuttle to Australia because of the astronomical cost of travel insurance – around 15 per cent of his value, which would have been around $300 million at the time. Coolmore mated 41 mares to Danehill and imported them to Australia. When Danehill died in May 2003, New Zealand Bloodstock supremo Peter Vela bought 20 of the mares to sell the resultant progeny at Karaka in 2005. Most of the other mares were secured by John Singleton, and they sold at the 2005 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale – one of those was the colt from Accomplished who was withdrawn from the sale to be sold at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in June where he bought $130,000.
The not so aptly named All Time Champion raced without distinction for Paul Perry (Newcastle), winning a Gosford 2100m maiden on November 30, 2006, from seven starts. He was eventually sold privately and transferred to Evan Holland at Wyong, for whom he has been placed once in five starts. The best of that final Danehill crop was Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m, Moonee Valley) winner Churchill Downs (ex Silken Whisper (USA), by Diesis (GB)) who also finished third behind Miss Finland in the 2006 Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill. Churchill D owns stands at Blue Gum Farm, Euroa.
Coolmore fees Coolmore Stud has announced its 2009 service fees . Not too many surprises, and as expected they have followed the lead of the others studs with most of the fees of their large contingent of 18 stallions heading south. Headline act Encosta D e Lag o (by Fairy King (USA) has dropped 27 per cent to $220,000 (inc GST) which makes him the highest priced stallion in the country, and “valued” at $20,000 more than Redoute’s Choice. Two Coolmore stallions have had a fee rise, and deservedly so – Tale O f T h e Cat (by Storm Cat (USA)) is at $38,500 (2008 $33,000) and Choisir (by Danehill Dancer (IRE)), after a wonderful 2008-09, his is fee has been set at $35,750 (2008 $33,000). New boys on t h e bloc k f o r 2009 are the very fast He n r y t h e navigato r (by Kingmambo (USA) and Du k e O f Mar malade (by Danehill (USA)) have their fees set at $33,000. As is the Coolmore way, if you fancy any of their stallion line-up, the advertised fee is open to a discount. DANNY POWER