Cover image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
Michael Kent Jnr has spearheaded an international expansion of the stable's bloodstock acquisitions as part of his training partnership with Mick Price and having been busy through 2020 at the North American sales was active again on Tuesday.
Mick Price Racing secured Hip 36, a full brother to three stakes horses, including the Listed winner Alkaraama (USA) and a half-brother to the Listed winner and Group 1 placegetter Mark Of Approval (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}).
Kent Jnr took quite a shine to the progeny of Declaration Of War (USA) last year, buying four of his colts across the OBS and Keeneland sales, and it was a colt by that stallion's sire War Front which caught the eye this time around.
"We have a guy on the ground over there, Jay Kilgore, who does a lot of work for us. We bought six last year from over there and were extremely impressed by them. He told us that he liked this colt and when we checked him out, we loved him," Kent Jnr said.
"He (Jay Kilgore) told us that he liked this colt (Hip 36) and when we checked him out, we loved him." - Michael Kent Jnr
"War Front needs no introduction. He has had 14 per cent stakes winners to runners and he has had 24 Group 1 winners. So many of his sons have done well out here at stud. You've got Declaration Of War, who did an amazing job with two crops, Air Force Blue stood out here, U S Navy Flag and now Omaha Beach. He's such a good stallion and they go so well on turf."
War Front (USA) | Standing at Claiborne Farm
The colt, consigned by Eaton Sales, is out of Agreeable Miss (USA) (Speightstown {USA}), whose dam, Sweet And Ready (USA) (El Prado {Ire}) won a G2 Princess S.
"He is from a mare that has produced four Group horses, including three full brothers who have black type. He looks a beautiful colt and we thought we bought him for good value," Kent Jnr said.
Like the six horses purchased last year, several of which are nearing their racetrack debuts for the stable, the War Front colt will make a relatively quick progression to his new home in Australia.
"We will take a similar approach to what we did last year. He will head to Kentucky right away, have a good break and be broken in. We will then fly him out here in October. He looks a forward colt and is in an early sale, so he may even get to the races in springtime next year. Who knows what his value might be if we can win a nice race?" Kent Jnr said.
Watch: Hip 36 parade
An international approach
Kent Jnr has considerable grounding in the international bloodstock scene, having worked closely with agent Dermot Farrington during his travels and he has been keen to apply what he has learned to his work as a co-trainer with Price.
"I have been fortunate enough to travel the world and experience different markets and I guess that is something I have been able to bring to the table at Mick Price Racing," he said.
"We have done well buying horses out of New Zealand, the likes of Ayrton, I'm Thunderstruck, Annavisto and Kurabui, and now we have this wave of imports that we bought in the Northern Hemisphere."
Michael Kent Jnr
The manner in which the horses purchased last year have thrived since their arrival has emboldened Price and Kent Jnr's desire to continue to search far and wide for the best yearlings to purchase.
"We are always trying to explore new options and I'm convinced that a good horse is a good horse anywhere," he said.
"We are always trying to explore new options and I'm convinced that a good horse is a good horse anywhere." - Michael Kent Jnr
"We have seen Australians tapping into that European market, but we found it expensive last year. We ended up buying two from Tattersalls but were outbid on several others. The American market, for us, seems to have that value.
"We are about to start racing a few ones we got last year and we have been most impressed with the horses we have bought. The American thoroughbred is such a lovely specimen, they seem to have so much scope and strength, and good bone. I think they will suit our conditions."
Finding the right horses
Kent Jnr is adamant that a selective approach is the best way for an Australian buyer to approach the American market.
"It's important to find the right pedigrees. A lot of them don't really make sense for Australia, but we were able to buy Declaration Of War colts last year and it made so much sense. He's a stallion that in two crops produced a Melbourne Cup winner, a VRC Derby winner and a Queensland Oaks winner and now you can't get them anymore because he is in Japan," he said.
The plan to buy at Saratoga came together quite quickly after Kilgore's recommendation, and Kent Jnr is expecting to keep a close eye on the remainder of the American sales season.
"We didn't necessarily plan to buy this time, but given we know how to do it and did it last year, we were confident with the process. We weren't thinking we’d buy at Saratoga as it can be expensive as it is a prestigious sale, but Keeneland may present more opportunities," he said.
One of the Declaration Of War yearling colts purchased last year has been named, Green Belt (USA), while the other two remain unnamed. A now 4-year-old Declaration Of War colt purchased through the 2020 OBS July Two-Year-Old Sale has been named French War (USA) and trialled for Price and Kent Jnr in May.
