A hot market at the weanling sales last year meant quality youngsters were expensive, so heading into the Magic Millions Yearling Sale there would have been more than a few anxious pinhook investors, however with buoyant trade keeping yearling prices pretty much on a par with last year there were some great results.
The decision by astute breeder Ian Smith of Edinburgh Park to disperse his stock last year at the Magic Millions National Sale led to a golden opportunity for investors and two of the top three pinhooks came out of that sale.
Jim Carey of Newgate Farm bought a Snitzel filly from Serena Bay out of that dispersal for $480,000 and she sold for $1.25 million to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock.
A half-sister to stakes-placed Summer Loving and smart metro winner West of Africa, she is the fourth foal of Group II placed Serena Bay, whose third foal, a two year-old filly by Exceed and Excel called Alinea was an impressive winner at the Canterbury barrier trials last week following a debut fifth in the Group III ATC Gimcrack stakes last spring.
Mills saw the filly as a weanling at Magic Millions last year and was not convinced, but time has worked wonders turning what he suspected was an ugly duckling into a swan.
“I went back and looked at my notes and I loved everything about her, but I said that she had a bad head,” he reflected.
“Either I got it wrong in the first place, or she grew into the (beautiful) swan as the old nursery rhyme goes.”
Serena Bay was also sold in the Edinburgh Park Dispersal, purchased by Kia Ora Stud for $360,000 empty and is now in foal to Exceed and Excel.
Redbank North got a sensational result with a Too Darn Hot (GB) colt from Duvessa they bought from the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $100,000 from Segenhoe Stud, who sold an impressive seven yearlings for $1million or more at this sale.
He is the second foal of winning Street Cry (IRE) mare Duvessa, a daughter of Group II winner Sister Madly from the family of world champion sprinter Silent Witness. Also on the page is stakes-winner Fiera Vista, who is at Segenhoe for Fairway Thoroughbreds and produced a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt that sold for $1.6million at this sale.
Jamie Middleton of Redbank North and his partners the Lang Brothers were delighted when the colt they snaffled from Segenhoe came out and sold for $625,000 to the bid of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/David Redvers Bloodstock.
Kulani Park achieved a big result at the very start of the sale when their striking grey Deep Field filly from Our Crown Mistress sold for $650,000 to Curran Blooodstock.
Savvy pinhooker Rhys Smith was quick to snap up the grey filly by Deep Field from Our Crown Mistress for $200,000 from the Edinburgh Park dispersal.
She is the third foal of stakes-winning Star Witness mare Our Crown Mistress and had a good pedigree update in the spring when her half-brother by Snitzel, Moravia, came out and was twice Group placed in the ATC Run to the Rose and San Domenico Stakes.
Our Crown Mistress was also sold at MM National to the tune of $425,000 to Newgate Bloodstock and produced a colt last spring by their Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and is now in foal to Moravia’s sire Snitzel.
The top priced Proisir yearling at this sale was an interesting pinhook winner presented in the Twin Hills Stud draft. The first foal of Jazamour, a winning half-sister to stakes-winner Humbucker she sold for $450,000 to Brad Widdup Racing.
The filly was sourced in New Zealand at their National Weanling Sale where she made $140,000 to the bid of Kaha Nui Farm. She was the highest priced filly sold at that sale and bringing her to the Gold Coast was obviously a good move as she was the only filly by her champion sire Proisir at Magic Millions and sold accordingly.
