Segenhoe’s 2019 Magic Millions draft keeps giving

Written by Jessica Owers

In 2019, Segenhoe Stud sent a draft of 21 yearlings to the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Of these, no less than six have graduated as Group-performing horses, the latest being Poland (So You Think {NZ}), the exciting winner of last weekend’s G2 Autumn S. at Caulfield.

Peter O’Brien spent the early part of this week at Warwick Farm, watching the money roll in for what he says were “the right ones” at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The General Manager of Segenhoe Stud had only two yearlings go through the Sale (Lots 156 and 539), both of which he says sold well, and it capped off a week of strong results for the farm, highlighted by Poland winning the G2 Autumn S. at Caulfield last Saturday.

Poland became the fourth Group winner from Segenhoe’s 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. He joined King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice), Holyfield (I Am Invincible) and Barbaric (I Am Invincible), while the draft also included Group 1-placed Vangelic (Vancouver) and Group 3-placed Ellsberg (Spill The Beans). That’s a tally of six Group performers from a draft of 21 yearlings.

“I couldn’t say exactly, but I can’t recall any draft from any farm having that amount of success,” O’Brien says. “They were a lovely bunch of horses. Four of the six Group performers were by proven sires, with only Vangelic and Ellsberg unknown. And there’s been more winners. Shaik, Silent Tryst and Into The Fire have all won in the last few weeks.”

O’Brien says there were no holes in that year’s draft, that he had a set of yearlings in which pedigree matched appearance perfectly. “But still,” he says, “you’d never, ever think that when you sell 19 horses (two were withdrawn), six are going to be Group performers. It’s unheard of.”

Poland’s strong win in the Autumn S., fending off fancied Amish Boy (Star Witness) and It'sourtime (Time For War) was particularly pleasing for O’Brien, who stayed in the ownership. The colt is a half-brother to Hong Kong Group 3-winner Supreme Profit (Encosta De Lago) and, as such, is the sixth winner from his dam Sun Song (Desert Sun {GB}). She was a consistent galloper across her 21-race career with a maiden win for trainer Mick Price, and later a win and a placing in the Listed Epona S. for Anthony Cummings. Poland was her last foal.

“He was a big yearling,” O’Brien recalls. “He was 16.2hh when we sent him to Magic Millions, and we were worried that he’d be too big if we sent him to sell any later. But he had magnificent action for a horse of his size, and he’s from a speed family, so even though he was big, he looked like a fast So You Think.”

First-season sires fire early

Poland’s performance topped a dazzling weekend for progeny of Coolmore’s So You Think (NZ), coming in addition to Peltzer’s victory in the G3 Eskimo Prince S. and Rocketing By in the $1 million R. Listed Inglis Sprint. However, there was plenty of chatter about the new kids, too.

“I’ve never seen so many first-season sires hit the board so early,” O’Brien says. “I think there’s already six or seven of them that have had winners. The two standing out for me are Shalaa and Capitalist. The Shalaa horses seem to have so much scope, while Capitalist keeps performing every weekend.”

The results from the Inglis Classic Sale are evidence of this. By the close of Book 1 at Warwick Farm on Tuesday, Capitalist had netted the top-two lots of the Sale, both record prices of $625,000 and $600,000 respectively. In fact, the Newgate stallion featured in three of the top-five lots.

But O’Brien adds that the smaller presence at this year’s Inglis Classic Sale has been enjoyable. “We’ve seen some of the smaller breeders share the spoils this week, and that’s been fantastic,” he says. “You really have to tip your hat to the sales companies. They’ve pushed on during extraordinary times to get the buying bench there, and the results speak for themselves. The horse industry never ceases to amaze me.”