A to Z

TARA MADGWICK

American Pharoah (USA) took the racing world by storm when marching to a memorable Triple Crown victory in 2015 and was subsequently retired to Coolmore Stud amid much fanfare. Champion racehorses don’t always make champion sires, but with over 20 first crop winners, many of them on turf, including four stakes-winners, this racetrack legend is well on his way to stud success with his first Australian yearlings set to be an international drawcard at the Gold Coast this year.

Baramul Stud is usually one of the biggest vendors at the Magic Millions, showcasing horses bred by Magic Millions owner Gerry Harvey. While he has kept the likes of star filly Libertini and sold VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound through his Westbury Stud draft in New Zealand, his Baramul draft at the Gold Coast regularly produces stars including last season’s Group I winning juvenile Prince Fawaz, snapped up by Anthony Cummings for $220,000.

Capitalist was the game changing horse for Irish born Sydney bloodstock agent James Harron, who bought the son of Written Tycoon for $165,000 at the Gold Coast in 2015. Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Capitalist won the Breeders Plate, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and then the Golden Slipper to be crowned Champion 2YO.

Every bloodstock agent wants to buy a Capitalist and in 2020 there will be abundant baby Capitalists to choose from with his first crop of yearlings set to light up the ring.

Darby Racing have a knack for finding a top class filly and have enjoyed Group I success in recent years with She Will Reign and Yankee Rose with their latest pin-up girl sourced from the Magic Millions in 2019. The Mark Newnham trained Every Rose won the Group III Gimcrack Stakes on debut for her big group of all lady owners making her $160,000 purchase price look like money very well spent.

Exhilarates by name and by nature. Former Magic Millions boss Vin Cox took over as Managing Director of Darley in 2018 and the first thing he did was go shopping at Magic Millions with Godolphin signing for eight yearlings including a $600,000 filly by Snitzel from Samaready. Prepared by James Cummings, Exhilarates returned to the Gold Coast for the 2019 Magic Millions 2YO Classic and duly saluted as favourite, now that’s a magic moment!

Fired up is what you need to be when you arrive at the Gold Coast to keep up with yearling inspections, social gatherings, a dazzling race day and of course the auction itself, this is not a place for the faint hearted. A good constitution and a good attitude go a long way, much like the horses who excel.

Gelding is something you never want to do to a Snitzel colt, but hasn’t it worked wonders for Redzel! A $120,000 Gold Coast purchase for Triple Crown Syndications, Redzel captured the first two runnings of the world’s richest turf race, The Everest, and he has banked over $16million for his owners, that’s more than double the prizemoney won by Black Caviar!

Happy is Highgrove Stud’s Ron Gilbert, who sold a cracking More Than Ready (USA) colt in 2019 that made $340,000 when knocked down to Aquis Farm. Ron decided to retain an interest in Global Quest, who scored a brilliant debut win in the Group III Breeders Plate for champion trainer Chris Waller.

Invincibella bucks the trend. When you buy an I Am Invincible you are entitled to be thinking two year-old winner right? Wrong, at least not with the Star Thoroughbreds MM purchase Invincibella. She failed to win at two, before improving at three to win two city races, but at four and five hit her straps to win multiple Group races including the G1 Tatts Tiara as well as winning the $1million Magic Millions Fillies and Mares, not once, but twice. With $2.4million in earnings, Invincibella is the gift that keeps on giving.

Juggling act is what the big bloodstock agents and trainers need to do to keep all of their clients feeling a little bit special.

Kitchwin Hills, that’s a brand – KWH – that you want to keep your eye on, as it’s stamped on the side of Melbourne Cup winner Vow and Declare, Everest winner Yes Yes Yes and $5.6 million earner Pierata.

Losing is what you need to do a lot of in order to appreciate winning.

Money is what you will need to buy a horse here, but if it’s the right one you will be getting back a lot more than just money. You will get new friends, stories to tell and memories to make. Even if it’s the wrong one, you will still get new friends, stories to tell and memories to make!

Newgate Farm will launch four first season sires at the Gold Coast in Capitalist, Extreme Choice, Flying Artie and Winning Rupert… there will be plenty of speculation on which will ultimately be the best sire, so if you have to pick just one, who would you take?

Owners are the most important and often the most ignored people involved in racing. You will read plenty about trainers and jockeys, but comparatively little about owners and yet they are the ones paying the bills and taking all the financial risk of purchasing expensive young thoroughbreds that may or may not run. If you see an owner, ask them about their horses, this sport is an addictive passion that can all too easily become a lifestyle.

Pierata has changed the life of his co-owner and trainer Greg Hickman, who bought the son of Pierro for $160,000 in 2016. A promising two year-old, then a high class three year-old and finally a Group I winning four year-old, Pierata has raced on this season to further success and won $5.6 million, attracting a stud deal with Aquis adding further cash to the kitty. No more mortgage for Mr Hickman!

Question, how many sires are represented at the Gold Coast in 2020? There are yearlings by 97 different stallions catalogued, with a record 29 first season sires among them.

Redoute’s Choice lays claim to being the greatest Australian bred sire in history and his passing earlier this year at Arrowfield Stud means there are very few opportunities left to secure his stock. His current yearling crop numbers just 40 and nine of them are to be offered at the Gold Coast.

Sunlight, all I can say is I’m glad she’s not a colt! She’s fast, she’s brave and she’s won 11 of 21 starts with seven minor placings earning $6.5 million. Winx might be the Magic Millions flagbearer, but gee Sunlight’s got something. Drawn wide in the inaugural $7.5million Golden Eagle (1500m), Sunlight led for home in her first attempt at a race longer than 1200m only to be beaten a long neck on the line by Kolding.

A colt with her record would have been serving mares this spring, but we have had the pleasure of seeing more of Sunlight on the track and hopefully this triple Group I winner has a few more racing seasons left in her before the broodmare paddock beckons.

Timing is everything and vendors love to be selling horses by sires in hot form, but from a buyer’s perspective value is often found in the good type by a stallion that has hit a flat spot. All the more reason to come to this sale with an open mind and a willingness to see the horse and not just the pedigree.

Update… a pedigree update is what every vendor likes to see before a yearling sale and Widden Stud got a big one when quality stayer Vow and Declare scored a tenacious victory for the Aussies in the Melbourne Cup. They will offer Lot 329 at the 2020 sale, a half-sister by Star Witness to the 2019 cup hero from terrific producer Geblitzt.

Vancouver caught the eye of Gai Waterhouse and James Harron back in 2014 and after securing the Medaglia d’Oro (USA) colt for $185,000, he quickly vindicated their judgement by winning the Golden Slipper. Retired to Coolmore, his oldest progeny are two year-olds this season and vendors selling them at the Gold Coast in January will be cheering their progress.

Winx won 37 of 43 starts earning over $26million in prizemoney and was bought out of this sale ring for $230,000. Winx was not the first champion bought at the Gold Coast and she won’t be the last. The trick is to find the next Winx this January.

X- factor is what the sale topper will have, a unique mix of good looks, pedigree and sex appeal.

Yes Yes Yes is the first three year-old to win The Everest and in beating the best older sprinters in the country clocked 1:07.32 seconds setting a new track record at Randwick for 1200m. Bought for $200,000 at the Gold Coast, he’s now won over $7million and his best looks likely to be still ahead of him. A fine advertisement for his young Coolmore based sire Rubick! Kitchwin Hills will offer his half-brother by Sebring as Lot 775.

Zoustar is now one of the hottest sires in the country and has his origins at the Magic Millions. Bought for $140,000 in 2012, he went on to become the Champion 3YO Sprinter of his generation and his first crop of foals born at Widden Stud included glamour filly Sunlight, who came out and won the 2018 Magic Millions 2YO Classic giving him an instant passport to be Champion First Season Sire. Now shuttling to Tweenhills Stud in the UK, Zoustar is looking to achieve dual hemisphere stud success in the vein of champion Aussie sires such as Exceed and Excel, Fastnet Rock and Choisir.