Cover image courtesy of Michael McInally
Snitzel filly Stroll was bought for $450,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of breeder Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud. She is now a two-time winner from four starts in the Proven Thoroughbreds colours, headed by a valuable victory in the Listed Bill Carter S. at Eagle Farm.
“That was a good win and very, very pleasing,” said Jamie Walter, proprietor and managing director of Proven Thoroughbreds.
“When you pay quite a lot of money for them, it’s really exciting and quite a relief when they come out as a 2-year-old and deliver a result like that so early in their career.
Jamie Walter and Steve O'Dea | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“She’s the most expensive yearling we’ve ever bought, and Steve O’Dea needs to take a lot of the credit with this filly. We select our yearlings together, and we’re on the same page 99 times out of 100, but the degree to which we like each horse can vary. He was just in love with this filly from the start and was so keen to get her, and we had to go over our budget to do it.
“We had put a figure of $400,000 on her, and she reached that amount and it wasn’t our bid. We looked at each other and decided to throw one more bid in, and we got her.
“Obviously it’s early days, but that decision seems to have worked out well. I would think she’s worth every bit of what we paid for her now, and still with further upside in her racing career.”
"I would think she’s (Stroll) worth every bit of what we paid ($450,000) for her now, and still with further upside in her racing career." - Jamie Walter
Trained by O’Dea in partnership with Matthew Hoysted, Stroll was a debut winner at the Sunshine Coast in December, then finished third and sixth in two appearances at the Gold Coast before hitting her black-type high on Saturday.
The 122nd individual stakes winner for super-sire Snitzel, Stroll is out of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Walk The Streets – a winning half-sister to stakes placegetters Sebrakate (Sebring) and Quattro Katie (Sebring). Their dam Kakakakatie (Zeditave) won five races including the Listed PJ Bell S. and Wenona Girl H.
Snitzel | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
The latest highlight for Proven Thoroughbreds
The black and lime-green colours of Proven Thoroughbreds have been carried to more than 600 wins since Walter established the syndication business in 2002, including G1 Epsom H. winner Private Eye (Al Maher), but Stroll’s success on Saturday brought special satisfaction.
“We’ve had some great results over the years, but getting a win like that with such a high-priced and now very valuable filly is absolutely one of the highlights,” Walter said. “We’ve got some terrific, loyal owners involved in her, so I’m thrilled for them.
“Gerry Harvey bred the filly and actually kept a piece of her, which was good of him. Whenever the vendor decides to stay involved with a yearling you’ve bought, it’s a real endorsement of the product and a great selling point when you’re trying to syndicate the horse.”
"Gerry Harvey bred the filly and actually kept a piece of her (Stroll)... Whenever the vendor decides to stay involved, it’s a real endorsement of the product and a great selling point when you’re trying to syndicate the horse." - Jamie Walter
Proven Thoroughbreds has continued to make its presence felt on the buying bench in the 2022 yearling sale season, securing more than 30 horses including several for prices over $200,000. At the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, they paid $375,000 for a Deep Field filly out of Ostentatious (Shamardal {USA}) and $370,000 for a filly by Snitzel out of Palazzo Cristallo (More Than Ready {USA}).
“About five years ago, we upped the ante a bit and went up in terms of both quality and numbers,” Walter said. “Touch wood, it seems to be paying off.
“You tend not to want to go backwards in terms of your purchasing, but at the same time you’ve always got to be careful. There have been certain instances where people have overspent. The easy part is putting your hand up – you’ve always got to be mindful that you need to actually sell all of the shares in each horse.
Connections of Stroll after winning the Listed Bill Carter S. at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“There’s a considerable outlay involved, but we’ve been doing it for quite a long time now, and we’re fairly comfortable with our processes.
“I always say that selling all of the shares in your yearlings is a year-long process, so it’s a long haul. We bought 38 yearlings last year, and we’ve got another 31 or 32 this year – and we’ve probably spent as much money this year, if not more.
“The rising market is a bit of a conundrum from a syndication point of view. I’ve been a public syndicator for 20-odd years now – but obviously owned horses before that as well – and the market has done nothing but go up in those 20 years. The only period of levelling out was around the time of the Global Financial Crisis in 2009. It’s been one-way traffic, which has been great for breeders, but it is a challenge for syndicators.
"I’ve been a public syndicator for 20-odd years now and the market has done nothing but go up in those 20 years. It’s been one-way traffic, which has been great for breeders, but it is a challenge for syndicators." - Jamie Walter
“If you’ve been buying yearlings for an average price of $50,000, the only thing that’s going to happen if you stick to that amount is that you’ll be purchasing from a diminishing pool of horses. If you want to be involved in a greater section of the market, you have to pay more.
“So it’s not easy, but I’m happy with how the sales are going this year. We’re only a few months into that year-long process, but it’s going okay. There’s nothing like a big win or two to give things a kick along!
“You inevitably have quiet periods as well, and we certainly had one of those with only one winner in May, where we were really compromised by the wet weather.
Stroll, winner of the Listed Bill Carter S. at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“But we’ve had a pretty strong season overall, and Stroll was our 53rd winner. We’ve got our fingers crossed that we can keep going from here, finish the season strongly and carry on into the spring.”
