Cover image courtesy of Inglis
A major part of Hawthorne’s business is in his role as Bloodstock Manager for Jonathan Munz’s extensive GSA Bloodstock operation and has seen him away from his Cambridge base for all of the current year.
Another fortnight would have been added to his absence from home had New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern not announced travel without quarantine on return from Australia from April 19.
“I’ve been here since December 29 and currently in my 18th hotel going from Adelaide to Brisbane and back and Scone. I’ve been everywhere and done a lot of miles to be at every sale,” Hawthorne said.
“I’ve had business at every sale so it’s been worthwhile. I’m glad the bubble is open and I’m looking forward to getting home. It’s been a long haul and I’ll be on the first plane out.”
Dean Hawthorne (right)
Group 1 hopes
Hawthorne ended his tour of auction duty at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale with another half a-dozen purchases and is hoping the Sydney leg of his venture can end with success at Randwick on Saturday.
Gifted filly Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel), bred by GSA and raced under Munz’s Pinecliff Racing banner, will step out in the G1 Inglis Sires' off the back of her effort for fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper S. The step-up to 1400 metres is expected to be in the John Sargent-trained representative’s favour.
Four Moves Ahead | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“You would think so looking at her pedigree and she should be getting a mile as a 3-year-old,” Hawthorne said. “She’s well and still quite an immature filly to be fair.
“To do what she is doing now is quite exciting for her 3-year-old year. She’s grown a lot in 12 months and certainly has that X-factor.”
Four Moves Ahead was a debut winner in January and then won the G2 Sweet Embrace S. before she was the first filly home in the Golden Slipper.
Hawthorne was happy with his Easter Sale haul this weekend in the face of fierce competition at Riverside Stables.
“We got a few, but I haven’t bid at that seven-figure range for so many times and not even run second. It was just a phenomenal Sale at that high end and a continuation of what the market has been like all year,” he said.
“We got a few, but I haven’t bid at that seven-figure range for so many times and not even run second.” – Dean Hawthorne
“It’s been approximately 30 per cent up across the board and the mind boggles really and you wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with the world.”
Hawthorne’s highest-priced youngster was Lot 69, a half-sister by Snitzel to the dual Group 3 winner and sire Pariah purchased for $1,050,000 out of Arrowfield Stud’s draft.
“The Pariah yearlings have sold through the roof and been a very consistent line of horses. It’s a good, solid family with Melito the second dam and she’s a really smart filly,” he said.
“I didn’t think I would have to go that high, but as I say it was just a phenomenal Sale.”
Making an impact
Hawthorne also went to $900,000 for a Deep Impact (Jpn) filly, Lot 178, out of G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Abbey Marie (Redoute's Choice) from Arrowfield and matched that figure for a sister to G2 Breeders' S. winner Minhaaj (Exceed And Excel), Lot 122, offered by Yarraman Park Stud.
A son of Dundeel (NZ), Lot 59, successfully secured for $850,000 from Arrowfield was a colt particularly close to Hawthorne’s heart.
He is a brother to the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth, bought by Hawthorne for $280,000 at the 2018 Sale, and now resident at Waikato Stud.
“Obviously, we had an attachment to Super Seth’s brother, but in saying that he was a very good type and he was virtually syndicated before he walked into the ring, there was that much interest in him,” he said.
“It’s a big syndicate with Brae Sokolski, Rupert Legh and Jonathan and also just about all of the original Super Seth syndicate.”
