A few years back, Mike and Debbie O’Donnell of Fairhill Farm took the strategic decision to sell their entire foal crop as weanlings and in doing so have provided investors with an outstanding opportunity to purchase not only quality pinhook stock, but also even more importantly stakes-winners of the future.
“We take a lot pleasure and satisfaction in seeing other people make money from the horses we produce and sell as weanlings,” said Mike O’Donnell.
“Whether that be on the racetrack or in the sale ring, our horses get every opportunity to set them on the right path in life.”
Fairhill Farm sold weanlings captured two Group races last weekend with talented two year-old filly Hayasugi winning the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield , while in New Zealand unbeaten gelding Master Fay captured the Group III Concorde Stakes at Ellerslie at just his third start.
A six year-old by Deep Field, Master Fay was sold by Fairhill Farm at the 2018 Inglis Weanling Sale for $72,000 to Bleakley Bloodstock, but his path to the winner’s circle has been anything but smooth.
Trained by Chad Ormsby, Master Fay was a $100,000 purchase out of the Highden Park Book 1 Sale draft at Karaka in 2019 by Ormsby as a pinhooking prospect, but didn’t make it back to the sales ring and was sold to Hong Kong interests following some impressive trial wins.
He performed well in Hong Kong, winning his only start at Sha Tin in 2021 for trainer Caspar Fownes before soundness issues struck and he was eventually retired back to New Zealand by his owner who gave permission to Ormsby to try again with him if he stood up to a racing preparation.
Ormsby was patient with the well proportioned gelding giving him three trials in preparation for his New Zealand raceday debut over 1200m at Tauranga earlier this month which he won in fine style.
Stepped up to stakes company on Saturday, rider Vinnie Colgan bounced him away nicely from an inside gate to trail pacemaker Imwonderfultonight before dashing clear early in the run home to register a comfortable victory suggesting more wins are in store.
Ormsby was understandably thrilled with the result.
“He is a horse who we managed to secure at Karaka and after we sold him we followed his career up in Hong Kong,” Ormsby said.
“He could have been anything but unfortunately he didn’t get to his best and we managed to get him back through the late Stuey Hale.
“To get him to a race like this has been a lot of hard work from a lot of people. and I was emotional before the race, let alone now.
“There are so many people to thank, but it’s just great to see what the horse can do as there is a lot ahead of him if we can hold him together.
“This was a good field but he got in on a light weight so we thought it was here for the taking.
“He is a day by day prospect as he is not the soundest so we will look after him as you have seen today what he can do.”
Master Fay is now unbeaten in three starts with prizemoney topping $262,000.
Bred by Fairhill Farm’s Mike O’Donnell, he is the best of three winners from Keeping Score, a metro winning half-sister by Keeper to Group III winner Zacielo and to the dam of Group I winning sprinter Mercurial. Keeping Score is now in foal to Acrobat.
Fairhill Farm sold a weanling full brother to Master Fay last year for $180,000 at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale and he is to be re-offered by Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership at Inglis Premier as Lot 328.
Master Fay was the second Group winner in 24 hours bred and sold by the farm joining two year-old filly Hayasugi, who became the first winner and first stakes-winner for her sire Royal Meeting (IRE) when taking out the Group III MRC Blue Diamond Preview at her third start.
Bred by O’Donnell in partnership, Hayasugi was purchased by James Bester Bloodstock/ C Mok for $47,500 at the Inglis Weanling Sale and has already banked nearly $230,000 for her lucky owners, who also include Shane McGrath.
At Karaka Book 1 this week, Fairhill Farm weanlings were also making a name for themselves as pinhook winners!
“There have been some particularly good results at Karaka this week following on from Magic Millions,” said Mike O’Donnell.
“At the Gold Coast there was a Too Darn Hot filly from Scarlett Moretta we sold for $125,000 that made $200,000 and a Prague colt from Flying Strike we sold for $85,000 that was purchased for $150,000.”
The trend continued at Karaka where a quality filly from the first crop of King’s Legacy out of well related mare Fatal Rendezvous caught the eye of renowned judge David Ellis, who bought her for his Te Akau Racing out of the Riversley Park draft for $260,000.
She was the highest priced yearling for King’s Legacy sold at this sale and provided a sensational return for Riversley Park, who bought the stylish filly from Fairhill Farm at the Inglis Weanling Sale for just $40,000.
King’s Legacy was also the sire of a cracking chestnut colt from My Chicharita that was bought by Kilgravin Lodge as a weanling for $85,000 and then re-offered at Karaka with Bevan Smith Bloodstock securing the colt for $150,000.
Not to be left out was the Sweynesse colt from Bella Court that was bought by Brookby Stables for $170,000.
“He’s one we bred in New Zealand. He was purchased by Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham as a weanling and was re-offered in their Book 1 draft,” O’Donnell explained.
“We have some mares over with him, but we do the same thing there and sell all their progeny as weanlings. Gordon called me before he put him through their National sale last year and told me that he may buy him himself which he did.
“I thought that he paid good money for him and he’s been rewarded this week.”
Fairhill Farm will again present their entire weanling draft at Australasian sales in 2024.
