Cover image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
When the Group 2 winning Gaudeamus (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}) was offered through the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Element Hill's Josh Hutchins was suitably smitten to be prepared to go up to a quarter of a million for the imported mare.
In the end, he picked up Gaudeamus, in foal to Medaglia d'Oro (USA), for a relative bargain of $160,000, and as a result, Queensland-based Element Hill is now the breeder of one of the leading chances for the G1 Hong Kong Derby in Golden Sixty, who was the resultant foal.
"She was a stakes winning mare, who was probably underperforming as a broodmare at that stage. She had a few foals that hadn't really done a great deal," Hutchins told TDN AusNZ.
"The fact that she was a Group 2 winning Distorted Humor mare, in foal to Medaglia d'Oro, who was standing for $100,000, and was a hot commodity, buying her for $160,000 was cheap in my book." - Josh Hutchins
"The fact that she was a Group 2 winning Distorted Humor mare, in foal to Medaglia d'Oro, who was standing for $100,000, and was a hot commodity, buying her for $160,000 was cheap in my book. I would have spent a lot more on her."
Golden Sixty as a yearling
The Medaglia d'Oro colt was sold through the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $120,000 to New Zealand-based Riversley Park/Enigma Farm, who then pinhooked him through the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale to Hong Kong trainer Francis Lui for NZ$300,000.
Golden Sixty has built an imposing winning record since his debut in March last year, winning eight of his first nine starts, and having won the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup on New Year's Day, backed that up with an impressive victory in the first leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, the Hong Kong Classic Mile, on Monday.
He now looks one of the top chances for the Hong Kong Derby in March and will now contest the Hong Kong Classic Cup on February 17.
Watch: Golden Sixty breeze-up (rail, navy/spot cap)
"He was always a good looking horse, a bit light. She was a fantastic racemare with a good, deep pedigree and he has now gone out and his record speaks for itself," Hutchins said.
"If he continues to go on and looking towards the Derby, I'd imagine he'd be close to favourite for that, if he could win all three of the 4-year-old series, that'd be great."
Double play a boost for Hutchins
But Gaudeamus is not just playing with one card when it comes to the prosperity of her breeding future.
On Monday at Warwick Farm, her Bjorn Baker-trained 3-year-old Fastnet Rock colt Quiet Riot debuted with an impressive and tough maiden win, which with Element Hill as a part owner, arguably means even more for the Hutchins family.
Watch: Quiet Riot break his maiden
"We sold him through Magics as well and we kept a leg in him. Bjorn has always had a big impression of him, we have just had some setbacks along the way, otherwise he would have started as a 2-year-old," he said.
"He was always a magnificent looking colt at Magic Millions and he's just sort of grown and furnished into that lovely big Fastnet Rock horse that he is today."
Quiet Riot fetched $200,000 as a yearling, a price which Hutchins feels was impacted by the fact that at that stage he was a rig, which scared off interest from any colts' syndicates.
Quiet Riot as a yearling
"He has since dropped the second testicle, which rarely happens, but in his case he has and that may be a reason why he undersold," he said.
"He has always had ability and that was proven by the fact that Bjorn never wanted to geld him, because he thought he was a really serious horse. We’ve kept him a bull and hopefully now he can go on and get the job done."
"He has always had ability and that was proven by the fact that Bjorn never wanted to geld him, because he thought he was a really serious horse." - Josh Hutchins
The aim is to try and secure some black type with Quiet Riot, but he will be stepped through his classes first and will next contest a benchmark race at Canterbury. From that point, a decision will be made whether he spells or goes on and contests some of the autumn 3-year-old features.
A filly worth keeping
The next colt from Gaudeamus, by Choisir, was sold for $150,000 to Matt Dunn and Neil Jenkinson at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale and is yet to be named, while the imported mare missed to Astern the following year, meaning she doesn't have a yearling.
She does, however, have a Capitalist foal filly who has quickly become the apple of Hutchins' eye.
Capitalist | Standing at Newgate Farm
"She's probably one of the best types on our farm. He keeps producing them and we sold a couple of Capitalists at the Gold Coast for $600,000, so we know what a good looking one looks like, she is up there with one of the best looking foals we have had," he said.
"We just don't know if we are going to get another filly out of this mare, so she won't see a sales ring. We will retain her to keep and race and hopefully breed from in future years."
Having missed to Trapeze Artist last year, the options are wide open for Gaudeamus as to where she heads to in 2020.
"If she is suddenly a dam of a Hong Kong Derby winner then she could go anywhere." - Josh Hutchins
"If she is suddenly a dam of a Hong Kong Derby winner then she could go anywhere, I Am Invincible and any of those horses. There are a lot of options for her being a Distorted Humor mare," he said.
Hutchins feels she has delivered, and more, on her $160,000 purchase price and the ongoing success of her progeny is particularly satisfying .
"It gives you a lot of confidence when you are breeding winners from the mare. Not just any winners, we are talking about Sydney city winners and winning Group 3 and Listed races in Hong Kong," he said.
"It gives the farm credibility that we are selling winners. We are only a small farm and we only sell 15-16 every year. To get those horses up on people's radars, it’s a huge achievement."
