Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Inglis Digital
The catalogue for the 2022 Inglis Digital November (Early) Online Sale was headlined this week by the 5-year-old import Mia Diva (GB), a daughter of Exceed And Excel that was passed in at the close of Wednesday's auction with a $200,000 reserve.
Bidding was lively on the mare, who was offered as a three-horse package with a Frosted (USA) colt at foot and a covering to Maurice (Jpn).
Mia Diva had 16 bids by midday on Wednesday, which climbed to 33 bids by the close of her auction, but the $185,000 final price was short of her reserve and she was passed in for her owners, Cunningham Thoroughbreds in the Hunter Valley.
Lot 186 - Mia Diva (GB) was the headline act of the Inglis Digital November (Early) Sale but was passed in for $200,000, she was offered as a three-horse package with a Frosted (USA) colt at foot and a covering to Maurice (Jpn) | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
It left Lot 73, the Zoffany (Ire) gelding Marimenko (GB), to top the latest Inglis Digital sale at $60,000. The buyer, Tanami Transport magnate and Alice Springs resident Viv Oldfield, is a very regular patron of the Inglis Digital platform with around 46 purchases in the last two years.
Marimenko for the Territory
Six-year-old Marimenko was originally imported from England in 2019, then exported to Hong Kong in 2020 and reimported in March last year.
In Hong Kong, when racing as Ready To Fly, he had just a single start over 1000 metres for David Hall, placing near-last in a 14-horse field and that was all Hong Kong saw of him before he flew back to Australia.
For the Hawkes team at Flemington, Marimenko won on debut at Ballarat, then was second and first at Bendigo. All up, he’s had 12 starts locally for two wins, five placings and close to $75,000 in earnings.
Lot 73 - Marimenko (GB) was purchased for $60,000 by Viv Oldfield | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
It’s been a soft career so far for the 6-year-old, which was exactly what Viv Oldfield was looking for in the Inglis Digital catalogue this week.
“He was lightly raced and looked a good type,” Oldfield said, chatting with TDN AusNZ after the sale. “The Hawkes’ look after their horses. They don’t over-race them and I’ve got three or four horses already with them, so I know they’re good trainers. When I ring them about a horse, I know they’ll give me a good and 100 per cent honest assessment of it.”
From Oldfield’s perspective, Marimenko was an on-pace racehorse by the look of his form, and the horse is Northern Territory-bound at some point.
“The idea is to bring him up here to Alice Springs where I’m from, and probably race him up here with a mind to go on to Darwin,” he said. “I’ll have a yarn with the Hawkes’ about putting him back into work down there (Melbourne), because he’s gone to the paddock now, and if they’re interested we might even get them to bring him up to the Alice Cup themselves. That would be a coup for Alice Springs if we could get that to happen.”
“I’ll have a yarn with the Hawkes’ about putting him (Marimenko) back into work... and if they’re interested we might even get them to bring him up to the Alice Cup themselves. That would be a coup for Alice Springs if we could get that to happen.” - Viv Oldfield
All up, Oldfield has around 40 racehorses dotted around Australia, from the stables of Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse in Sydney to yards in Adelaide, Darwin, Scone and Melbourne.
“The important question is how many good ones I have,” he said. “We’ve got some with Matthew Smith, the Snowdens, the Hawkes', Mick Price, Clayton Douglas, Peter Moody, Phillip Stokes, Will Clarken, Bjorn Baker and Paddy Payne. They’re scattered around everywhere, and here in the Territory mostly with Gary Clarke.”
Admittedly, Oldfield doesn’t get to see his horses very much, but his bloodstock interests keep him occupied. He says he’s no expert with a handful of mares here and there, but he was enough of an expert to buy 50 per cent of the Cox Plate winner and Rosemont sire Shamus Award.
Shamus Award | Standing at Rosemont Stud
“I just buy a few mares on spec for him,” Oldfield said. “I’ve got a few at Shadow Hill, a few at Rosemont and a few others at Thompson Creek and Denman. I've never bought any dear ones, but I play around with some matings each year.”
Regular customer
Marimenko is a relatively well-bred gelding to add to the Oldfield portfolio.
His second dam, Mehthaaf (USA) (Nureyev {USA}), was a Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in England in 1994, and her daughter, Tanaghum (GB) (Daarshaan {GB}), is the grandam of Darley’s in-form shuttler Ribchester (Ire).
Marimenko was initially a £44,000 (AU$80,000) weanling when sold by Trickledown Stud at the 2017 Tattersalls December Foals Sale, and he was resold as a yearling at the 2018 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale (Book 2) for £60,000 (AU$110,000).
Viv Oldfield
Wednesday’s sale was the second time the gelding had gone through the Inglis Digital platform, with him selling in the April (Late) Online Sale in 2021 for $40,000. On that occasion, he was sold by Wild Oaks and bought by S. Reid.
For Oldfield, Marimenko’s purchase was the latest in a long string from Inglis Digital since 2020.
“I like the digital sales because you can bid from anywhere,” he said. “It’s a very efficient system, and I’ve never had a bid refused or not accepted, and if it’s too low you get notified. It’s a fool-proof system.”
“I like the digital sales because you can bid from anywhere. It’s a very efficient system and I’ve never had a bid refused or not accepted, and if it’s too low you get notified. It’s a fool-proof system.” - Viv Oldfield
Marimenko is up there among the more costly horses Oldfield has purchased from the platform in the last two years, a list that includes Armed For Action (Exceed And Excel) whom he bought from Glentree Thoroughbreds in April this year for $85,000. That horse was a Listed winner and Group 1-placed and in foal at the time to Street Boss (USA).
Other purchases have included the Group 3-winning, Group 2-placed Bliss Street (Flying Spur), who cost Oldfield $60,000 at the Inglis Digital February (Early) Online Sale when sold by Morning Rise Stud.
“I know there’s a bit of buyer beware with these auctions, but that’s no different to anywhere you go buying horses,” he said. “I haven’t kept track of how many horses I’ve bought all up, but I’ve bought quite a few mares and a couple of yearlings on spec.”
Group 3 winner Bliss Street was purchased by Viv Oldfield for $60,000 at the Inglis Digital February (Early) Online Sale | Image couretsy of Inglis Digital
In total, Oldfield’s Inglis Digital broodmare purchases number 38, with two yearlings and six racehorses, making Marimenko a relatively rare purchase for Oldfield on Wednesday.
The November (Early) Sale wrapped up its 187-horse catalogue with a $1,127,250 aggregate, with a 78.33 per cent clearance rate and an average of $7995. The majority of the catalogue (78) was racing colts and geldings, with 54 racing fillies or mares and 30 broodmares offered.
Yearlings numbered 11 from vendors the likes of Newgate Farm, Kooringal Stud, Bhima Thoroughbreds, Vinery Stud and Burke Bloodstock, among others.
