Along the Pacific Highway in the Lower Hunter district of Heatherbrae, Evergreen Stud Farm is a boutique breeding, agistment and pre-training facility in the hands of Tony Bott. The farm has six mares catalogued at this week’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, with an eye on buying a few more.
However, after robust trade on Day 1, the seasoned, mild-mannered Bott found things too rich even for his blood.
“I don’t know where the money is coming from,” he said. “It’s like everyone has discovered an oil well in the backyard.”
Bott has been in the game a long time. At this Sale in 2009, he paid $3 million for the exceptional race mare Princess Coup. She has spent her entire breeding life at Evergreen, the dam of 10 foals with another on the way by Dundeel (NZ).
Bott also paid $2.1 million at this Sale in 2018 for Courgette (Charge Forward), the dam of G1 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain).
Courgette when sold at Magic Millions | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
But he has rarely seen trade as robust as it is right now.
“It’s been very, very strong, and that’s good and bad for the industry,” he said. “Someone is getting a return obviously, but you worry that when it’s so strong there’s too much heat in the kitchen, and a correction’s got to come.”
Bott said he’d rather see a steady rise in horse prices, rather than the 20 to 50 per cent explosions he’s witnessed this year, and this week in particular.
“I guess it’s a bit like the property market at the moment,” he said. “People are finding it hard to put a value to things, so things are getting way above what is perceived as the value or reserve. We had our mind on a couple of horses (on Day 1), but we didn’t get involved because if we had a million, they were going for $1.5 million or $2 million. It was too strong for us.”
"I guess it’s a bit like the property market at the moment. People are finding it hard to put a value to things, so things are getting way above what is perceived as the value or reserve." - Tony Bott
Bott can remember other periods in bloodstock history when prices went through the ceiling.
There were the years before the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, but also the era when trainers Tommy Smith and Bart Cummings went to war in the sales ring.
“That was a time when Smith and Cummings were forming new partnerships and buying everything,” Bott recalled. “What was a $100,000 yearling in those days is a million dollars today, and it was massive money.”
Tony Bott and Julian Blaxland when purchasing Courgette in 2018 | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Mixed bag on Day 2
Evergreen’s draft for the National Broodmare Sale was highlighted equally by Lot 859, Light Exceed (Exceed And Excel), and Lot 918, Mistress Oz (Snitzel).
The latter is a 5-year-old daughter of Princess Coup, and was unraced and in foal to Pierro when she went through the ring on Wednesday. She was sold for $220,000 to Paul Willetts Bloodstock, shortly after passing in at $210,000.
Light Exceed fared similarly, a two-time city winner for Bott who features Piccadilly Circus (Royal Academy {USA}), the dam of Fastnet Rock, on the third line. Light Exceed was passed in on Wednesday at $200,000, and also in foal to Pierro.
“Both were very hard to split in terms of popularity during inspections,” Bott said. “Some people preferred Mistress Oz because she had a big page, but they both had their good points.”
Evergreen also sold Lot 931 on Wednesday, Musical Mamba (Fastnet Rock) from the mare Black Mamba (NZ) (Danon Legend {USA}), who was a Group 1 and two-time Group 2 winner in the United States. She went to Colm Santry on behalf of Manson Place for $22,000.
The results were a mixed bag for Bott, who has an additional two mares to sell on Thursday.
It was probably also a Sale that came a few days too early for Mistress Oz, because her spicy half-sister Argentia, by super-sire Frankel (GB), will likely debut in the 2YO Mdn Plate at Ballarat on Sunday.
Flip of the coin
Argentia was the result of Princess Coup heading to Frankel on Southern Hemisphere time in 2017. It was the first time the mare had travelled for an overseas cover and, as the dam of the brilliant Hong Kong juvenile Thewizardofoz (Redoute’s Choice), she was worthy of it.
On race record alone, Princess Coup was the outstanding mare of her generation.
Her four Group 1 wins included the New Zealand Oaks, Stoney Bridge S. and Kelt Capital S. She also won five further stakes races, and was runner-up in the G1 Australian Cup, G1 Ranvet S. and G1 The BMW in quick succession.
Her purchase price in 2009 of $3 million was a bit salty for Tony Bott at the time.
“It seems like a long time ago,” he said. “It was quite nerve-wracking to pay that sort of money. I wouldn’t say it’s been a windfall, but it certainly hasn’t been a disaster. She’s been reasonably successful.”
Princess Coup when racing
Argentia was Princess Coup’s eighth foal, and the decision to use Frankel was the result of a few years of mulling.
“It was something we had thought about for a long time,” Bott said. “I probably made the mistake in that I should have left her there and gone to him twice. Princess Coup was the blue-hen in our band at the time, so she was the logical choice to send.”
Bott said it wasn’t an easy decision, even if it was logical. Things go wrong and travelling can prove an experience exercise, but in this case all was well. Princess Coup got in-foal early and was home within four months.
And the result, Argentia, wasn’t a colt, but she was a very decent filly.
“There’s been a bit of a boom on that filly for a while now,” Bott said. “We’ve been waiting for her to be brought out in public, so I hope she runs up to the hype that’s been surrounding her.”
“There’s been a bit of a boom on that filly (Argentia) for a while now. We’ve been waiting for her to be brought out in public, so I hope she runs up to the hype that’s been surrounding her.” - Tony Bott
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman at Mornington, and raced in the colours of John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, Argentia will debut on Sunday in the same race as Polyphonic (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the equally well-bred daughter of a half-sister to no less than Pierro.
Argentia was sold by Bott at the COVID-affected 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where she went to James Harron for $670,000.
“It was a flip of the coin-type of thing to sell her,” Bott said. “We had so much of the family already, so we just thought we had to sell something to keep the wheels turning. We were worried about how strong that Sale would be with COVID, but we weren’t going to give her away. If it had been a bad result, like $200,000 or $300,000, we would have passed her in and sold a couple of mares instead.”
Argentia as a yearling
Converge on the Sires’ Produce
Bott won’t be heading home after the National Broodmare Sale. He has eight yearlings catalogued next week, and on Saturday he has the homebred juvenile Converge, another by Frankel, in the G2 Sires’ Produce S. at Eagle Farm.
The 2-year-old gelding is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Bott’s son, Adrian, and has won over $180,000 in prizemoney to date, including the Listed Fernhill H. during The Championships.
He was also third in the G1 Champagne S. to Captivant (Capitalist), and runner-up to Saif (Pride Of Dubai) in the G3 TL Baillieu H. (The Schweppervescence) in the same month.
Converge (red silks) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
In his debut outing in December, he defeated Jessica Rabbit (Sooboog), who was sold on Day 1 of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $420,000 to Bruce Perry Bloodstock.
Converge is the first foal from the Darley-bred mare Conversely (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}), who was imported from Ireland in January 2018, and who cost as little as €6000 (AU$9439) at Goffs the year before. She had eight starts for trainer Henry de Bromhead, and was placed three times.
Her second foal, a colt by Churchill (Ire), was sold at the Inglis Weanling Sale last year for $28,000, and the mare is currently in foal to Divine Prophet.
