US breeding sales attracts Australian interest

Images courtesy of Keeneland

Fasig-Tipton’s one-day auction will open proceedings on Wednesday evening (Australian time) followed by the Keeneland sale, which runs through to Sunday week.

Domestic buyers have enjoyed ongoing success delving into the North American market and Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch, who also serves as Keeneland’s Australian representative, said it will be no different this year.

“The sale has stood the test of time from an Australian perspective, whether it be Forest Native that Vin Cox bought for the late Paul Whelan or whether it be Boomer buying the mare that provided a huge Group 1 update for Wilf Mula.”

Boomer Bloodstock’s Craig Rounsefell purchased I’m Pretty Strong (USA) (Street Cry {USA}) for Mula at Keeneland last year for US$220,000 (AU$319,724) and her half-sister Sharing (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) won last weekend’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf S.

“You look at other mares Ballet D’Amour, the dam of Russian Revolution, who was bought for Brian Backshall and the mares that Ron Gilbert purchased in recent years. John Muir purchased the dam of the Group 1 winner Hampton Court,” Bowditch said.

“These mares have all been bought here at Keeneland and I don’t think those associations are going to stop any time soon.

“As the Australian representative for Keeneland, I basically keep them in the loop with what’s happening in Australia and ensure that anyone who is interested in coming to a sale at Keeneland gets all the right information.

“This is a strong reciprocal relationship with Magic Millions, which not only provides us with excellent contacts but also helps both companies build relationships with some of the best breeders in the world."

A substantial catalogue will feature an array of pedigrees already familiar to Australians, including notables in the draft of Hill ‘N’ Dale.

Lot 42 is Notting Hill (Pierro), is a two-time winner from the family of Redoute’s Choice and a $950,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Broodmare Sale purchase, who will be offered in foal to War Front (USA), while Lot 227 is Drifting Cube (Encosta de Lago), a $1.1 million Gold Coast purchase and she is a sister to Rubick. Her weanling filly by War Front (USA) is Lot 228.

They are being offered by Hill ‘N’ Dale and the Bernick family to wind down their Elevage partnership.

“I think the business is global now and people are accustomed to seeing international pedigrees. Structurally, I think the Australian thoroughbred goes well in America,” Craig Bernick said. “I would expect them to cross well with American stallions, but obviously they’ll be appealing back home as well and in Europe too.”

Bowditch echoed those comments and said both countries had a desire for fast pedigrees.

“The American mares complement Australia very well, obviously speed is what we’re about back home and speed is what works here.

“There are a lot of fast 2-year-old speed-running mares up here with stakes performance and those sorts of mares are buyable. You can see by the results back in Australia that they work.”

Bowditch said while Australians obviously related to grass track-performed horses, dirt form can’t be ignored.

“Obviously, there’s more of an onus put on turf, but I don’t think you can shut the door on dirt. Plenty of them have worked as well, it’s not all turf mares.

“There are sirelines here that seem to work on the turf and the dirt whether it be the Scat Daddy mares, they’ve got a huge potency for us now, or Kitten’s Joy, who was a strong turf horse himself.

“Then there’s Into Mischief and they’re some of lines that I look for, but beauty is all in the eye of the beholder and there’s so many opportunities here.

“There’s 2500 mares and it’s a very young catalogue this year. A lot are on their first or second covering or off the track, which is what attracts Australians to buy these sorts of mares.”

The variety is also another major attraction to the breeders to increase the depth and strength of the broodmare gene pool.

“The obvious factor is outcross, the different breeds they have here. There’s a lot of strong, powerful bloodlines that we don’t get a lot of down our way,” Bowditch said.

American insight

Sydney-based bloodstock agent Andy Williams has an inside knowledge of the American breeding industry and he will be wearing two hats as a buyer and as Fasig’s Australian representative.

“It’s great for me to associated with a company like Fasig, it’s a very successful international brand and it’s fantastic coming up to America a couple of times a year,” he said.

“It’s great to be exposed to the American market, firstly in Saratoga in August in upstate New York. There’s a very high end select yearling sale and then here for the November Sale, which is a night of stars.

“It’s amazing how many questions you get from the Ausssie breeders in regard to the stock on the grounds and the bloodlines, which is a great thing because they’re obviously interested in the market.

“Having lived up here for three or four years it’s given me a good insight into the breed and there some very high profile fillies and mares coming off the track here and great bloodlines for Australia to tap into.”

Newgate success

One Australian identity who has already enjoyed success at the Fasig sale is Newgate’s Henry Field, who 12 months ago purchased Con Te Partiro (USA) (Scat Daddy {USA}) for US$575,000 (AU$835,370).

On her relocation to Australia, she was placed with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and earlier this year she won the G3 Dark Jewel Classic at Scone.

“She’s a fantastic advertisement for this sale and someone like Henry who had the foresight to see that and bring her back to Australia,” Williams said.

“A farm like Kia Ora has also played particularly well at the Fasig sale and bought some very nice stock, stakes winners and the like. Their sales have reflected that back in Australia and sold very well from high profile mares.

“There are definitely options for everyone, a lot of stakes-winning 2-year-olds here and Graded placed 2-year-olds. There’s a huge amount of opportunity.

“I’ll be looking for a number of clients so hopefully we get a few Australians on the board. There’s a few here – I bumped into Boomer and James Mitchell, Henry Field is here and Milburn Creek's John Muir. They’re the first people I walked into.

“There’s a lot big players here in town, whether it be their bloodstock agents, their farm managers or the principals themselves looking at the stock and, hopefully, active in the market. "

Like Bowditch, Williams said American mares were an ideal mix for Australian stallions.

“There’s a lot of out cross blood, whether it be Scat Daddy or others, that can be worked so well internationally and cross well with our bloodlines and in particular Danehill and Sadler’s Wells down in Australia that we need.”