Cover image courtesy of Inglis
Playing the pinhook game is a case of testing your judgement, taking some risk and, no matter how confident your ability to turn out a good yearling, there is always going to be an element of holding onto some hope that it all turns out okay in the end.
Risk versus reward is most often in-sync with the original outlay. The pinhook profit-list topper, for example, was the Bell River Thoroughbreds-offered Extreme Choice colt which was runner-up in the Sale’s highest-price list, selling for $775,000.
Lot 100 - Extreme Choice x Murtle Turtle (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
The Ferguson family made a cool return of $555,000 with the sale of the colt they bought last May in the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $220,000 from the Kenmore Lodge draft, selling on Sunday to James Harron Bloodstock.
That sale is still being celebrated by those at Bell River as a defining moment for their ever expanding farm. But the success stories, those life-changing moments for smaller operators and professional pinhookers, are found at the grassroots level and with bargain weanling buys.
Lots of upside
At the end of Day 2 of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale there were 13 $100,000-plus pinhook 'profits' that had gone through the ring.
The highlight came at Lot 489 for KBL Thoroughbreds’ Kermadec (NZ) filly out of a Lonhro mare Dawaa. Bringing $170,000 when sold to a Western Australia buyer, Mike Pike, the filly bought for just $10,000, also brought a tear to KBL’s Kandice Pritchard’s eye.
Lot 489 - Kermadec (NZ) x Dawaa (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“I’m absolutely thrilled,’’ Pritchard said of the astounding $160,000 (profit) result. “We were amazed. We had $50,000 (reserve) on her… we were happy if we got $50,000.
“She was a lovely filly and you can really sell a type here at Classics. A good walking horse and she was really ready for this Sale.’’
The filly was bought in the Inglis Digital June Sale, with Will Stott highlighting the weanling to Pritchard.
“She (Lot 489) was a lovely filly and you can really sell a type here at Classics. A good walking horse and she was really ready for this Sale.’’ - Kandice Pritchard
“Will from Inglis keeps an eye out for us and said he thought this was something we could do up and turn around. We looked at her and sort of took the punt,’’ said Pritchard.
“We ran the gauntlet. We bought her without x-rays and we were thinking if there was something not right. We x-rayed her and it was spot on.’’
The filly was a Shadwell dispersal after the weanling sale.
Winning buy with capital to come
There was another win late Tuesday for KBL Thoroughbreds on the pinhook front when a Winning Rupert colt sold for $90,000 to trainer Paul Perry. KBL bought the mare in foal for $10,000 and he had a bit of interest with nine x-ray hits.
Kandice Pritchard | Image courtesy of Inglis
“That mare, she’s got a Capitalist foal on her this year that’s beautiful. She’s a lovely filly so we’re looking forward to bringing her back to Classics next year,’’ said Pritchard.
Holiday pay for Jazcom
Jazcom Thoroughbreds owner and pinhooker Colin Branthwaite won’t be back next year at Inglis Classic as he takes time out and relocates to the Sunshine Coast, but he has had a pleasing Sale to go into recess on the back of, a $115,000 upside on a pinhook colt by Rubick from Bernardini (USA) mare Buon Auspicio selling to Mick Price Racing for $150,000.
Branthwaite had just seven yearlings ready for Sale this year and brought six of those to Inglis Classic. The Rubick colt was purchased for $35,000 at the Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale from the draft of Noogee Park. That mare now has a Yes Yes Yes filly at foot.
Lot 440 - Rubick x Buon Auspico (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Jazcom also sold a Headwater filly for $50,000 more than the buy-in price at $15,000 when bought at Magic Millions National Weanling Sale from Kenmore Lodge. Kerry Parker Racing purchased the filly out of Snippetson mare Lizards Lover.
Branthwaite also made $17,500 on a Nicconi filly from Bo Rossa (Testa Rossa) sold in the Highway Session, had just one passed in, dropped $26,000 on a Vancouver filly, was down $15,000 on a Pierro filly and was even money on a Flying Artie filly. It equates to a profit over $140,000. But that is a raw number which doesn't reflect the expenses of the yearling preparation and keeping the horses.
“We own the horses ourselves, we have no investors or clients,’’ Branthwaite said. “We’re very relaxed about it. We think if you’ve got the product that they’re found no matter where they’re sold.’’
“We own the horses ourselves, we have no investors or clients. We’re very relaxed about it. We think if you’ve got the product that they’re found no matter where they’re sold.’’ - Colin Branthwaite
“I did 28 last year but only seven this year because I couldn’t buy a horse. I probably bid on 50 but kept pulling out because my figures couldn’t add up.
“The Rubick is a balanced, athletic, running type of horse with a good head,’’ said Branthwaite. “He had a few little issues that I had to back myself on him with and I had advice from vets and I did exactly what they told me and when we x-rayed him he was clean.’’
Branthwaite said he and wife, Megan, played in a particular price bracket and he felt he had good foresight when pinhooked weanlings.
Colin Branthwaite | Image courtesy of Jazcom Thoroughbreds
“We seem to have good foresight on a foal that a lot of people believe is too small, but we seem to get it pretty right and get them to a size where they’re quite saleable and up to $40,000 is our market.
“In the last four years we’ve done really well on horses up to $40,000 that we bought. We just do what we do."
While Branthwaite is taking time out to travel Australia and set up on the Sunshine Coast, he expects to be back pinhooking in 2023.
