Cover image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock

Foote Capitalises on golden opportunity

Capitalist has hit the ground running in Hong Kong and a son by the Newgate Farm resident will be heading to the Asian jurisdiction after prominent bloodstock agent John Foote went to a sale-topping NZ$625,000 on the final day of the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale for a colt by the high-class stallion.

Catalogued as Lot 258, the colt is out of the winning Sebring mare Sebrina and was offered by Regal Farm. A grandson of the Group 3-winning mare Crown Princess (Beautiful Crown {USA}), he breezed in a slick 10.31s.

Initially purchased by Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) / Silverdale Farm for $250,000 from the Widden Stud draft at the 2021 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale, he was later passed in at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale before Regal Farm/Upper Bloodstock paid $155,000 for him at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale from the draft of Widden Stud.

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer David Hall will train the chestnut colt and Foote told TDN AusNZ there was plenty to like about the youngster.

“He’s very well-bred and had a lovely action on him,” Foot explained. “He’s one of the nicer horses here. My client decided that was the one he wanted to buy and that’s the one he bought.

“He’s just a very nice horse and everyone liked him and that’s why he made the money he made.”

Capitalist made the perfect start to racing in Hong Kong last Sunday when the Tony Cruz-trained debutant Superb Capitalist bolted in by 4.5l, almost breaking Master Eight’s (Oamaru Force) Class 4 record in the process.

The star sire made it two winners from as many runners when the Frankie Lor-trained Savvy Chic triumphed in Class 4 company at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

“He’s done well in Hong Kong so far with limited numbers,” Foote said. “It’s only early days, but he’s certainly one of the flavours of the month up there.”

This colt is Sebrina’s third foal and she won four races between 1300 to 1900 metres and finished third in the G3 James Carr S. in 2015.

Sebrina’s first foal, Gulf Of Tomini (Not A Single Doubt) is a 4-year-old gelding, who started his career with Anthony Cummings, but is now with Cassandra Schmidt at Port Macquarie. Sebrina’s second foal is an unraced 3-year-old colt by Exceed And Excel.

“The colt has a nice pedigree, there’s a bit there to back him up, which always helps with any horse. He’s from a Sebring mare and the second dam was Group 3 placed,” Foote added.

Andrew Williams and Jamie Richards active on Day 2

Another leading bloodstock agent, Andrew Williams of Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) was busy on Thursday, and by stumps, he had bought seven lots – five of them in tandem with fellow-Kiwi and now Hong Kong-based trainer Jamie Richards.

Williams was delighted with his haul and told TDN AusNZ it was a typically high-quality sale.

“I love coming back to New Zealand; I’ve got the utmost respect for the grass that these horses are either grown out on or the horsemanship of these guys, the vendors… it’s always a sale that produces a very good horse. You only have to look at Sharp ‘N’ Smart and there’s also Golden Sixty, the list goes on,” he said.

“I’m very lucky to be able to purchase them.”

He paid NZ$550,000 for Lot 307 – a colt by Hellbent from the Magic Albert mare Title Holder, who was initially purchased at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by RTR Partnership / McKeever Bloodstock / Bevan Smith Bloodstock for $120,000 from the Yarraman Park Stud draft.

Offered by Kilgravin Lodge, the colt looked good in running 10.30s for his breeze.

“He was a lovely, athletic horse, he was a beautiful type,” Williams said. “We rate him one of the highest-rated horses in the sale on breeze, also physically, as well.

“He came highly recommended by the vendor and he is a very good horseman. He definitely gave the go-ahead for this horse.”

The colt will head to Australia and go through the system before his racing future is determined.

This is the fourth foal for Title Holder, who had just three starts and won over 800 metres. Her first foal, Titled Tycoon (Written Tycoon), added a third victory to her CV at Hawkesbury on Thursday, while her second foal, Title Shot, is a two-time winner.

This colt has an unraced 3-year-old sister Hell Of A Shambles, and after missing in 2021, Title Holder foaled another Hellbent filly in August.

Williams then teamed up with Jamie Richards to buy Lot 248 - an Almanzor (Fr) gelding from the Ohukia Lodge draft – for NZ$475,000.

He is the sixth foal of the winless Salkantay (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), a half-sister to Group 2 winner Te Akau Coup (NZ) (Thorn Park) and Listed victor Don Garcia (NZ) (Danehill {USA}). Salkantay’s second foal, Smiling Pride (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), won two Class 4 races in Hong Kong when trained by Jimmy Ting.

“It’s exciting, he’s a lovely middle-distance style of horse,” Williams explained. “I’ve got a lot of time for Almanzor and he’s out of a Zabeel mare, which is even better.

“He is a beautiful horse and we’ll try and get him up to Hong Kong and aim him up at the 4-year-old series.”

Williams and Richards once again combined for Lot 262, paying NZ$330,000 for a Kilgravin Lodge-consigned Star Turn colt from the winning mare Sessantesimo (Flying Spur).

The Vinery Stud-based Star Turn has made his mark in Hong Kong, with all four of his runners victorious, including Group 3 scorer Cordyceps Six.

This colt’s dam, a winner at 1800 metres, is a sister to the two-time Listed winner Traveston Girl and this is her fifth foal. Sessantesimo has produced, among others, Sess (Pluck {USA}) – a winner at 2400 metres in South Africa, as well as Grandellie (Rubick) – a 1000-metre winner in Australia.

“Jamie identified this particular horse; he really liked this horse and thinks he’s perfect for Hong Kong. He obviously wants to build a stable around the horses he likes, so it’s exciting for him,” Williams said of the colt who breezed in 10.49s.

“We thought he was a good, strong, well-mannered horse that again came recommended from the vendor. He’s an exciting horse to be following over the next couple of years.”

Williams will take home Lot 231 – a colt by Deep Field from Ra Ra Epic (Drumbeats), who registered a time of 10.81s for his breeze-up.

This is the first foal for the dam, who won three races in Queensland. She is a sister to Bergerac, who won two 10 races, including two in Listed grade, and a three-quarter sister to Group 3 victor turned sire Ardrossan. Ra Epic is also a half-sister to G1 Caulfield Cup hero Incentivise (Shamus Award) and Listed winner Cheyenne Warrior (Not A Single Doubt).

“He’s a fantastic sire up there in Hong Kong. There’s going to be less and less of them over the next few years, so I think the demand will go up and up,” Williams commented.

The colt was a member of the Riversley Park draft, and they bought him in partnership with broadcaster and journalist Michael Guerin for $200,000 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when offered by Bhima Thoroughbreds.

“This horse came highly recommended by Sam Beatson (owner of Riversley Park) as a real Hong Kong horse. He’s obviously a horse with a good pedigree, being out of a sister to Incentivise and Ardrossan,” Williams commented.

“He’s your quintessential Hong Kong horse, bought by one of my favourite clients, and he will be gelded on Friday, have a Christmas in New Zealand, he’ll go to the trials early in the autumn with the potential to head up to Hong Kong in probably June or July into the new season.”

Williams and Richards’ other purchases on Thursday were Lot 209 – a Sweynesse colt from the Ohukia Lodge draft, which they paid NZ$210,000 for; Lot 254 – a Vancouver gelding from the Pertab Racing draft, which cost them NZ$160,000; and Lot 265 – a Tarzino (NZ) colt offered by Westbury Stud, which made NZ$200,000.

Well-related Justify colt Asia bound

Morgan Carter Bloodstock parted with NZ$520,000 for Lot 249 – a Justify (USA) colt from Santa Clara (Foxwedge), who breezed in 10.47s and was offered by Ohukia Lodge.

The colt’s dam won over 1200 metres and she is a three-quarter sister to the dual Listed winner Gybe (Fastnet Rock), who is the dam of Listed winner Crosswinds (Written Tycoon). Santa Clara is also a half-sister to the two-time Group 1 winner Anabandana (Anabaa {USA}), and she herself is the dam of Group 2 victor Packing Rockstar (Fastnet Rock).

“I can tell you right now, you feel nerves when you go up on to the rostrum as an auctioneer, and that’s one thing, but this is different,” Carter told the New Zealand Racing desk. “I thought I was pretty relaxed right up until about two lots before the horse went through.

“I was a bit nervous, but it’s my first proper order from the Ready to Run Sale for Hong Kong, and now I’m really, really excited.

“My day-to-day role is mainly private sales off the track, so I hadn’t really given much time to buying from the sales until now, just because of the other business and my auctioneering work taking up that time as well.

“But we wanted one decent horse from the Ready to Run Sale today, and that was it.”

Bought on behalf of his regular client, Hong Kong trainer Michael Chang, Morgan is hopeful their good run of success can continue.

“Over the years that I’ve been forging a business in Hong Kong, Michael and I have done a bit of business together,” Carter said. “I recently got him a horse called Ching, who just came out to run a huge second the other day at Sha Tin.”

Santa Clara’s first foal, Mr Burrows (Sebring), in an unraced 3-year colt with Canberra-based trainer Matthew Dale.

This colt was first bought for $60,000 from the draft of Morning Rise Stud at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Riversley Park on top yet again

Sam Beatson and the team at Riversley Park were celebrating at the conclusion of the two-dale sale, and well might they should, after taking out leading vendor honours for the sixth year on the bounce.

Of its 43 entries, Riversley Park sold 27 lots at an aggregate of NZ$5,192,500 and a recorded average of NZ$192,315. They had two colts make NZ$500,000 – a colt by Turn Me Loose (NZ) from Aypebe (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}), which was purchased by Hong Kong-based trainer Caspar Fownes and a colt by Exceed And Excel which was snapped up by Magus Equine.

Seabrook stoked after buyers spend up on Day 2

New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) CEO, Andrew Seabrook, was justifiably over the moon at the conclusion of the sale, with the Day 2 figures off the charts.

The clearance rate leapt from 65 per cent on Day 1 to 76 per cent across the two days, with that latter figure up 10 per cent on last year, while the overall aggregate (+NZ$4,639,000) and overall average (+NZ$7579) both increased significantly.

In total, 17 lots realised NZ$300,000 or more.

“(Wednesday) I was satisfied, (Thursday) I am absolutely ecstatic,” a jubilant Seabrook told TDN AusNZ.

“This is my 30th 2-year-old sale, 30 years I’ve been with NZB, and it was the most incredible day of selling (Thursday), it was unbelievable.

“Buyers sat back and took it all in, whereas today, they just unleashed.

“We did over 80 per cent clearance (Thursday) and we’ve never done that before at a 2-year-old sale, with an average of NZ$135,000, which is unheard of.

“Overall, we’ve ended up at 75 per cent clearance, which is a really good clearance for a 2-year-old sale.”

Seabrook added that results were all the more satisfying, given the hardship everyone has endured over the past couple of years due to COVID.

“It was so great to see a lot of our Australian friends back, they haven’t been able to travel for so long,” he said. “Some of the big names were active and Hong Kong was really strong.

“And John Foote bought the top lot, the Capitalist colt, which was great; he’s been a huge supporter of NZB for many, many years, so that was great.

“I’m thrilled for the vendors; we’ve had a tough couple of years in New Zealand with the borders closed. To see how the sale went (Thursday) was huge.”

Top lots

Top buyers

Vendors by aggregate (3 or more sold)

Vendors by average (3 or more sold)

Sires by aggregate (3 or more sold)

Sires by average (3 or more sold)

Cover image courtesy of the HKJC

On November 19, 2015, Bill Mitchell parted with NZ$200,000 for Lot 260 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale – a bay colt by Hinchinbrook out of Flion Fenena (Lion Hunter), from the Prima Park draft.

Little did Mitchell know that the horse, who would be named Beat The Clock, would go on to become a superstar of Hong Kong, amassing HK $52.9 million (AU$10 million) in prizemoney. Trained by John Size, the sprinter won 10 races, including four Group 1s, and missed a top-three finish just once from his 25 starts.

“He was a truly wonderful horse and gave everyone a great thrill,” Mitchell, who co-operates Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA), told TDN AusNZ.

“You always hope to buy a good one and he was certainly that. He won four Group 1s, won the International Sprint and was one of the top sprinters.”

Mitchell was back at Karaka this week and on Thursday, the Group 1-winning trainer-turned-bloodstock agent bought two colts, including one that is headed for Hong Kong.

That horse is Lot 217 – a colt by the ill-fated Group 1 winner and elite-level producer Sacred Falls (NZ) out of the unraced Savabeel mare Pleased (NZ) – which realised NZ$220,000.

The colt is from a three-quarter sister to Listed winner Exuberant (NZ), his grandam, Glad (NZ) (Pins) won a Listed race, and Group 1 winners Magnus, All Too Hard, Ole Kirk and Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) are all on his page.

“He’s a really nice colt by Sacred Falls and he’s going to Hong Kong in January,” Mitchell said of the colt who breezed in 10.84s.

“It’s a great family that he is from and he comes off one of the best farms in the Southern Hemisphere. Waikato Stud just churns out winners, so he’s got a good stamp on his shoulders.

“He suited me, he was a really good buy for what I wanted. I thought he was very well-bought on the day.”

Mitchell said the colt, who will return to Ohukia Lodge and do a bit of work to keep him ticking over, has a lovely temperament, which is vitally important for horses heading to Hong Kong, given the nature of the climate there.

“I assume he will be a 1400-to 2000-metre horse, that seems pretty obvious. He’s a big, strong horse… usually, they get to Hong Kong they want to geld them and he’ll cope with all of that. He’s big, he’s 16 hands,” he said.

“We’ve got a great relationship with the Beatsons (of Ohukia Lodge) and they said he’s very easy to deal with.

“He’s filling a PPG (Privately Purchased Griffin)… I bought him for the owner and I’m not exactly sure who the trainer is as yet.”

Two years after buying Beat The Clock, Mitchell purchased three 2-years-olds from the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale - Winwin Thirtythree (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}), a winner of three races in Hong Kong; Splendid Surprise (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}), which bolted in at Wyong at his third start; and Red Brick Fighter (Artie Schiller {USA}), a five-time winner in Hong Kong.

At the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, Mitchell paid NZ$180,000 for a colt by Fastnet Rock from the stakes-winning Felix The Cat (USA) mare Belmont Cat (NZ), again from Ohukia Lodge.

Named Rock The Bells, he won on debut at Newcastle for Richard and Michael Freedman and won consecutive races in New South Wales earlier this year.

“We’ve had some good success with this sale from limited numbers,” said Mitchell.

“It’s always a very good sale, a strong sale, and this year was no different, there was plenty of nice horses and it was competitive, especially (Thursday).

“We have owners in Hong Kong that have got permits and we need to buy some horses and this sale, it’s been pretty good to us.

“I’m happy to buy here.”

Tarzino colt one for the future

Mitchell’s second purchase on Thursday was Lot 240 – a colt by emerging staying sire Tarzino (NZ) from Renediym (General Nediym). He paid NZ$120,000 for him in partnership with multiple Group 1-winning trainer Annabel Neasham.

“I’m really pleased with him; he’s a good-value horse and we love General Nediym mares,” Mitchell explained.

Mitchell, of course, trained General Nediym to eight stakes victories, including the G1 Lightning S. and G1 Newmarket H. in 1998.

“I reckon he’ll be gelded and come back to be a nice middle-distance horse,” he added.

The colt, who was offered by Westbury Stud and clocked 10.86s for his breeze, is the ninth foal of a mare that won over 1450 metres and is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Rezone (Electronic Zone {USA}) and Listed victor Danyon (Success Express {USA}).

Renediym has produced, among others, Serein (NZ) (Postponed {USA}), a stakes-performer and winner at two.

Cover image courtesy of the National Library of Australia, The Kalgoorlie Express as Bullabulling in the 1930s

There are several races on the annual calendar that are as old as the hills and generically named, and Western Australia’s G1 Railway S. is one of them. It wasn’t named after a racehorse, so it’s safe to assume it was named after a railway which, in 1887, was still a novelty in Australia’s ‘wild west’.

That year, the city of Perth was blossoming and it had several short railway lines already crisscrossing its suburbs, but the most significant one in the state of Western Australia that year was the opening of the ‘Kalgoorlie Express’, a dedicated passenger service between Perth and Kalgoorlie.

At the time, the Kalgoorlie service wasn’t officially named. It was called the Kalgoorlie Express by many, the ‘Kalgoorlie Passenger’ by some, and to others, it was the ‘Eastern Goldfields Express’. To everyone though, it was the first of the vast state’s overnight train services, trundling from the Indian Ocean to the beating heart of Australia’s gold mining industry.

The service was opened in December 1887, the exact month and year that saw the inaugural running of the Western Australia Turf Club (WATC) Railway S. The race took place on New Year’s Eve, 1887, on the same card as the Perth Cup and, as a handicap run over nine furlongs (1800 metres), it was restricted to western-bred horses.

The winner was the 3-year-old Nimrod, whose breeding isn’t recorded in the Australian Stud Book. He carried just over 41kg to victory in a four-horse field, purse of 50 sovereigns, and he was a ‘grand little horse who may do greater things for it is not certain that he was not, by any means, in tiptop racing trim’.

Nimrod didn’t go on to greater things, but he would always be the inaugural winner of the WATC Railway S. and, as the years went on and the Kalgoorlie Express continued to rattle its way across the desert, the race evolved too.

In 1895, it was opened to horses bred outside of Western Australia and, in 1922, its distance was changed to a mile. It remained part of the Perth summer carnival until 2001 when it was moved back to November, and aside from a few shuffles here and there, it has remained ever since.

In 1979, the Railway S. assumed Group 1 status and its modern winners have included the likes of Better Loosen Up in 1989 and homegrown Northerly (Serheed {USA}) in 2000. Its local winners have very often been sensational, multiple Group-winning horses of the like of Asian Beau, Hardrada (Marooned {GB}) and Artesian (Argonaut {GB}).

It’s not a certainty that the Railway S. is named after the Kalgoorlie Express, but it’s likely that its significance at the time (and it would have generated much chatter) played a part in the race’s creation.

The trainline was the start of true interior passenger-train services, and it was hauled by a Pr-class steam locomotive for 51 years until 1938, and thereafter replaced by a clunkier, diesel-fuelled X-class locomotive, The Westland.

With Kalgoorlie opened up to a daily, overnight train service from the state's capital, the township exploded with human activity. In this wild and curious place, it was the ‘lust after gold which converts the desert into a populous region, fills the remote and sterile corners of the earth with the machinery of civilisation, builds cities as if by magic, and stirs into a whirl of feverish activity every ramification of human industry’.

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

The modern Stud Book has been shaped by some very good Australian families in recent history, but in the discussion about the very best of them, one, in particular, is loyally present.

On Wednesday, the bloodstock industry was reminded of it when Strawberry Hill Stud, the breeding operation of John Singleton, announced the death of 19-year-old Tuesday Joy (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}). She was put down on humane grounds, surrounded by human friends.

For the crew at Strawberry Hill, in particular manager Bridie Sparkes, it was a tough day. Sparkes has been with the stud for the best part of 17 years, so Tuesday Joy had always been there, be it racing with Gai Waterhouse through the 2000s or breeding a colt and five fillies over the last 12 years.

“She’d had a few issues that we’d been trying to deal with, but in the end, it was the best thing for her,” Sparkes said. “She was retired from breeding last year and we would have loved for her to have a much longer retirement here at the farm, but unfortunately that wasn’t to be.”

Tuesday Joy will be remembered at Strawberry Hill Stud with a plaque in her honour, tacked on to a sandstone rock that bears the plaques of all the farm’s important horses before her.

A Joy in name and everything else

Tuesday Joy was bred by John Singleton in 2003. By the Irish sire Carnegie (Ire), she was a daughter of Joie Denise (Danehill {USA}), herself a daughter of Denise’s Joy (Seventh Hussar {Fr}).

So successful has this family been that it’s easy to lose track of the stakes winners, broodmares and champion racehorses that have emerged from it, but in her simplest form, Tuesday Joy was a half-sister to Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {USA}), in turn, the dam of More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready {USA}).

She was sent into the care of Gai Waterhouse in early 2006. On debut, she was fifth in a Rosehill maiden, and then she ran second next time out to fellow Strawberry Hill-bred Universal Queen (NZ) (Scenic {Ire}) in the G2 Sweet Embrace S. Thereafter, Tuesday Joy raced through a total of 24 lifetime starts for $3.25 million in prizemoney, in days well-before the big Sydney purses.

She won the G2 Wakeful S. in 2006 and was second to Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice) in the G1 VRC Oaks. She won the G1 Coolmore Classic in 2007, along with the G1 Ranvet S. and G1 The BMW, in the latter putting away Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago) for a second successive time.

Watch: Tuesday Joy winning the G1 Coolmore Classic

Tuesday Joy won the G2 Apollo S. and G1 Chipping Norton S. in 2009, and that year she travelled to the Gulf to contest the G1 Dubai Duty Free at Nad Al Sheba. She was unplaced, and it proved her final start before retirement to Strawberry Hill in 2009.

“As horses get older, people tend to forget what they actually achieved on the track,” said Sparkes. “It’s nice to remind people what she actually was. She was an amazing race mare, and when you actually look it all up and list what she did, there are her Group 1s and her stakes wins, and also all of her stakes placings. Over $3.2 million in prizemoney, she was just wonderful.”

Tuesday Joy was Group-placed on nine occasions, and those races included Fiumicino’s (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) AJC Derby and Rena’s Lady’s (Arena) AJC Oaks.

She ran into Casino Prince, Racing To Win (Encosta De Lago), Weekend Hussler (Hussonet {USA}) and Littorio (Bellotto {USA}), and there was nothing protected about her career. She tackled all comers in all conditions in Sydney, Melbourne and Dubai.

Sparkes said that right to the very end, the people in Tuesday Joy’s life were devoted to her.

“Dave Meijer, who was her strapper, has held onto this absolute love for her through all these years,” she said. “I still touch base with Dave about bits and pieces when it comes to these horses, More Joyous too. He is still so passionate about them and I’m sure he’s really sad right now.”

Meijer was also the unsung hero in the More Joyous story until, by the close of that mare’s career in 2013, he was almost as well-known as the horses themselves.

“The amount of care and dedication he put into those horses, especially these two great mares, is something I’m so grateful to him for,” Sparkes said. “When you get people like that looking after your horses, and obviously Gai did a tremendous job with them too, you feel quite lucky.”

Foundation family

At stud, Tuesday Joy produced foals by More Than Ready (USA), Street Cry (Ire) and Snitzel. The best of her progeny was Girl Tuesday (Street Cry {Ire}), who won six races and was multiple times stakes-and Group placed.

Girl Tuesday never made it to stud for Strawberry Hill as she died last year, while Daisy’s Joy (Street Cry {Ire}) was sold to Jon Freyer at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2017 and Tuesday Special (Snitzel) was sold at the same sale in 2019 to Australian Bloodstock.

“It’s been a very tightly held family by John (Singleton) over the years,” said Sparkes. “Tuesday Joy would definitely be one of the best mares that’s come out of it, and it’s a female family that keeps throwing females that succeed on the track. We were devastated to lose Girl Tuesday last year, and we do have some other daughters but she was the best-performing.”

The Strawberry Hill broodmare band numbers about 25 these days. It’s boutique, and around half of it is carved from the Joie Denise family.

In recent times, sale ring returns have been strong on the bloodline, showing a healthy appetite for this extraordinary family, even all these years later.

At the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the Strawberry Hill draft numbered seven, and three were from the Joie Denise family. There was a son of Woman (Frankel {GB}), the latter a daughter of More Joyous, who made $650,000 when going to Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster, and a Fastnet Rock colt from Sunday Joy that sold for $450,000 to the Freedman Brothers via Mick Wallace.

There was also a Zoustar colt from History Repeats, Tuesday Joy’s fourth foal, and he made $160,000 when going to Proven Thoroughbreds and O’Dea Hoysted Racing.

“We still have many daughters of daughters on the farm,” Sparkes said. “I never knew Denise’s Joy, but Joie Denise was here when I came 17 years ago, and every mare that’s come out of this family has just been the most wonderful individual. They were all beautifully natured and we never had any dramas with any of them.”

At Strawberry Hill, Sunday Joy is still kicking around at the age of 23. She is retired from breeding duties, her last foal being a Dundeel (NZ) colt in 2021.

“She’s looking absolutely amazing,” Sparkes said. “She’s older but she’s thriving, and this summer she’s all dappled up, fat and healthy. She’s loving life, and that’s what you wish for all of them.

“I’ve been involved with this farm and this line for so long now, and these mares become like family. As sad as it was yesterday (Wednesday) with Tuesday Joy, it had to happen and it couldn’t have been a more peaceful ending for her.”

Cover image courtesy of Goffs

Kingman's star shines brightest

The Airlie Stud-consigned Kingman (GB) colt is not just a half-brother to that 2018 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Ireland but also the promising Charlie Appleby-trained Victory Dance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the €550,000 (AU$850,100) it took to buy him represented a new record for Stauffenberg.

The fact that Lot 727 boasted a stallion's pedigree provided Stauffenberg with the confidence to push on and buy the colt who brought the leading pinhooker's total spend at Goffs this year to over €1 million (AU$1,545,700).

Stauffenberg said, “As the auctioneer said, he has a stallion's pedigree and I was actually the underbidder on the Dubawi as well. I think there is a lot of upside and, from what I hear, the Dubawi is going extremely well. They pushed him a little and thought he was a little bit earlier than he was. If he wins something nice next year, which you would hope he can, it will improve the page again. He definitely has a stallion's pedigree. It's a very good family and if Kingman comes up with a nice horse I'm not too worried.”

Asked if the significant outlay could make securing a pinhooking profit more difficult, Stauffenberg replied, “On one side, yes, but on the other, how many chances do we have to come up with something like him to go to war with next year? We spent a lot of money but hopefully, we spent wisely. Sometimes it is more risky to buy one for €200,000 (AU$309,100). I think he was a no-brainer. I never gave this much for a foal before but I did underbid one for €1.2 million (AU$1,854,800) but didn't get her. She was the first crop of Frankel out of Finsceal Beo. This is the most expensive foal I've bought.

“Like all the others, he will come back to the farm. I will have to tell my staff that we have quite a valuable thing there. We treat everything the same and he will be raised like all the others then we will make a decision about where we are going, but I think it's an obvious decision about where we will go next year with him.”

Stauffenberg spent €1,113,000 (AU$1,720,400) on six foals at Goffs this week, including a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt (Lot 601) for €280,000 (AU$432,800) who was offered from the Irish National Stud.

Asked if he was confident that the market would stay strong into the yearling sales next year, Stauffenberg replied, “Listen, who was confident this year? We were blown away with how well the yearling sales went and this is another thing with a horse like him; whether you are a high-end racing owner or someone looking for a stallion prospect, a horse like him will always have a value with his pedigree. I think you can be a little bit safer on that level than on a lower level. Whether I am right or not, we will know next year. I am happy to have him.”

The German-based operator was also happy to snap up the Night Of Thunder colt from the Irish National Stud earlier in the afternoon.

On that acquisition, he added, “There aren't many Night Of Thunders on the open market and I've been very lucky with the sire already. I sold a filly by him in Book 1 to Godolphin who was an absolute queen so you could say I'm quite biased towards the sire. This was just an exceptionally good colt and I was keen to get him after missing out on one earlier today (Wednesday).”

That Night Of Thunder colt was owned by the Irish National Stud Mares Syndicate and the dam in question, Persona Grata (GB) (Sire Percy {GB}), a six-time winner including twice at Listed level, was a relatively new recruit having been snapped up at Arqana December last year for €190,000 (AU$293,700).

Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud, said, “This is the fourth year of the syndicate. A lot of the foals we are selling are in different syndicates. The Night Of Thunder was in the newest version. We bought four mares last year and, what we try to do is, there are 100 shares and we offer half of them out and we keep the other half. That's what we try to do. It's gone fantastically well.

“We had a Dark Angel colt out of Nabeyla make €78,000 (AU$120,600) and now this Night Of Thunder colt makes €280,000 (AU$432,800). We have a Showcasing and a Mehmas that we will sell on behalf of the syndicate as yearlings and the mares are back in foal to different stallions now as well.”

He added, “Hopefully we will try and produce some stakes winners along the way and appreciate the mares if at all possible. We want to try and continue to sell foals profitably. That's the game. We bought this mare for €190,000 (AU$293,700) at Arqana so, to get the price of the mare back already, you don't fully expect to do that in your first year.

“He was a smashing colt and he's gone to a great home. He will be reoffered and hopefully, he can make a good profit for Philipp next year.”

Those sales stood out in an exceedingly strong sale. The aggregate was a whopping €15,242,500 (AU$23,560,500), up 27 per cent on last year's figures, while the average jumped 22 per cent to €88,619 (AU$137,000). The median also rose 16 per cent to €58,000 (AU$89,700). Of the 203 foals offered, 172 were sold, which represented a clearance rate of 85 per cent.

Juddmonte snaps up half to Derby contender

Just over a month on from Arrest's (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) narrow defeat in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Juddmonte paid a handsome compliment to their Derby contender by securing his half-brother by Wootton Bassett (GB) (Lot 591) for €340,000 (AU$525,500) as well as a €530,000 (AU$819,200) Kingman colt (Lot 606).

Arrest went from strength to strength this season, ending his campaign with a head defeat to Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion {USA}) in France, and can be backed at odds as big as 40-1 for next year's G1 Derby at Epsom.

Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said after the sale that parallels could be drawn between Arrest and his Swordlestown Little-consigned little brother.

Mahon said, “He's a half-brother to a good one. He (Arrest) was unlucky the last day to get beaten just a head in a Group 1 in France and the Abdullah family were particularly keen to buy him given how well the brother had done for them. I looked at him the other day and felt he was a very nice horse and that we'd be happy to have him. They gave me the confidence to kick on and buy him.”

Asked if there were similarities between the two, Mahon added, “They are both big, strong-looking horses. This fella might be a little bit sharper than the brother but they are both good-sized, good-moving, quality animals. It was an easy decision with how well the brother has done for us.”

The sale capped off a wonderful afternoon's work for Marriann Klay and Des Leadon of Swordlestown Little with their offerings by the sire as, not only did their homebred sell to Juddmonte for €340,000 (AU$525,500), but they also secured €280,000 (AU$432,800) for a Wootton Bassett filly (Lot 565) from Tally-Ho Stud earlier in the day.

Des Leadon said, “Nisriyna (Intikhab) is just fantastic. We're just so lucky to have her. She's a wonderful mare with a wonderful temperament and how exciting to sell a half-brother to what may be next year's Derby winner. It's not often you have horses like that and, in their own way, our two Wootton Bassetts in this environment as foals are as precious as the Alpinistas and Baaeeds.

“These are collectors' items and they don't come along very often. We feel very lucky to have Marvada for our very good friend and client Alan O'Flynn and to have Nisriyna ourselves. To have the support of Juddmonte, who have been wonderful to work with, has been brilliant and Nisriyna goes to Kingman next year. We have a Dark Angel in utero and we are very happy to work with such professionals within the industry and, in our own small way, to enjoy everything that it brings to us. It's a very special day.”

Asked what led to the decision to support Wootton Bassett, Leadon said, “Because he was here and that he had done so well. We wanted to use better and better sires because the mare had shown us what she could do. The accessibility of Wootton Bassett was a big factor in our decision.”

Wootton Bassett broke the €1-million (AU$1,545,700) marker on the day. The sire of this year's impressive G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. winner Al Riffa (Fr) had six foals sold for an aggregate of €1,345,000 (AU$2,079,00) on Wednesday.

On how the Nisriyna story began, Leadon continued, “Mariann and I rode out for John Oxx for many years. That's where we first met the mare. We bought her here in Goffs (for €2000 {AU$3100} in 2010) and tried to develop her as a broodmare from there. We can't do it without the raw material and these Aga Khan families are wonderful. John Oxx was so good with them and it gave us an insight into the thinking of elite stud farms like that and to John's wonderful assessment of horses.”

Kingman reigns supreme

Kingman reigned supreme at Goffs on Wednesday. Not only did he supply the top lot and the Roundhill Stud-drafted colt who was knocked down to Juddmonte for €530,000 (AU$819,200) he also completed the clean sweep when The Castlebridge Consignment's filly (Lot 688) by the stallion was snapped up by Japanese buyers for €460,000 (AU$711,000).

Shingo Hashimoto, who has made the trip to Goffs in the past, signed for that Kingman filly on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida.

He said, “She has been bought to race in Japan. Kingman has done well in Japan and has a runner (Schnell Meister) in a Group 1 there this weekend. She looked good and the pedigree is very strong. She is lovely. She has been bought for Katsumi Yoshida.”

Honora and Bobby Donworth of Roundhill Stud know a thing or two about selling big-ticket items and, in Lot 606, the second-highest priced foal of the sale, the perfect suitor was found.

Honora Donworth explained, “I'm so pleased he is going to Juddmonte. For me, that was everything. Everything. He's going where he should be going. We wanted to give it every shot in the world and the mare has been bred to Frankel so fingers crossed. There has been a good horse every year and it goes back to his grandmother who we bought in America. It's the most wonderful family.”

There were just three foals sold at the November Foal Sale at Goffs by Kingman and they filled the top three slots at an aggregate of €1,540,000 (AU$2,380,400).

No Nay Never colt commands €300,000

Off the back of a memorable season, No Nay Never (USA) had his fee for 2023 increased by Coolmore to €175,000 (AU$270,500) and progeny by the sire proved popular on the day at Goffs with a colt (Lot 602) selling for €300,000 (AU$463,700) from Rockfield Farm to Rockbank Bloodstock.

A first foal out of Piece Of Paradise (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who carried owner-breeder Michael O'Flynn's red and yellow silks to victory at Listed level, the No Nay Never colt delivered on the high expectations that everybody at Rockfield Farm had for him.

Mitch Barry, the racing and stud manager at Rockfield, said, “It's great and we've always liked the colt, he's been a cracker from day one. When we came up here everything just clicked with him and he came out of his box every day and did everything perfectly. We couldn't be happier. He's been busy but I was humming and hawing whether he'd get to €300,000 (AU$463,700) but I'm delighted he surpassed that.”

He added, “We're big fans of No Nay Never, he's had a phenomenal season. The mare is in foal to St Mark's Basilica and she's a beautiful mare. It's been a great family for Michael and all the O'Flynns and this is a great day for the farm.”

No Nay Never has had an exceptional year with Blackbeard (Ire), introduced on the Coolmore roster at €25,000 (AU$38,600), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Meditate (Ire) winning Group 1 juvenile races.

Five colts were offered by him on Wednesday, selling for an aggregate of €674,000 (AU$1,041,800) and an average of €134,000 (AU$207,100).

This week's episode

Week of November 14, 2022

This week Caroline Searcy's Thoroughbreds Are Go features Steve and Eliza Grant's Silverdale Farm, the early home of this year's Golden Slipper winner Fireburn (Rebel Dane), is proactive in caring for thoroughbreds it's sold and we see 2 examples of thoroughbreds who have been brought home to the farm post-racing. Plus hear more about the Silverdale Academy internships and training staff for the thoroughbred industry.

Tim Boland is one of Australia's elite three-day eventers with a passion for thoroughbreds. His Limitless Lodge is an early education and pre-training facility that plays home to some of Australia's best-loved racehorses. It's also home to a number of retired thoroughbreds being schooled for equestrian careers and Tim has strong thoughts on the responsibilities of owners to their retiring racehorses.

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Earlier episodes

Week of November 7, 2022

This week Caroline Searcy's Thoroughbreds Are Go features some Darley Stud blue-blood mares who have shaped generations of Group 1 winners around the world. Learn what are the things you should know if you are looking after a retired broodmare from Darley Woodlands stud manager John Sunderland.

Bruce Neill's Cressfield is one of Australia's most successful breeding operations and he has a plan for all the horses he races. If they aren't breeding the next generation with the CF brand on them he finds them good homes in the equestrian world through his Tasmanian base. It's something he believes the racing industry must also do voluntarily.

And, in Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Stories, Nicki Hunt from Matt Smith's racing stables at Warwick Farm talks about her love for Fierce Impact (Jpn) and how she follows him and his new foals well after he retired from racing.

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 7 2022 (Season 3)

Week of October 31, 2022

Caroline Searcy returns with Australia's thoroughbred re-homing show Thoroughbreds Are Go, assisting the safe and happy transition of horses from the racing and breeding industry.

This week being Melbourne Cup week, hear how you can help promote the good in the racing world as Kick Collective's Vicky Leonard explains 'Kick Up' - a way to provide real facts in the face of anti-racing criticism.

Australian 5-star eventer Lauren Browne with an elite thoroughbred Sky's Da Limit and her new young horse Rafiki as she explains what you need to know about re-training thoroughbreds for a competitive life.

And Randwick trainer John Sargent's foreman Campbell Ashby with a European champion in Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Stories, as he celebrates the VRC Carbine Club S. win of promising colt Perfect Thought (So You Think {NZ}).

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 6 2022 (Season 3)

Week of June 13, 2022

Caroline Searcy returns to the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Richmond centre in New South Wales to see the thoroughbreds who change the lives of people with disabilities, young and older!

Champion jockey Clare Lindop relies on thoroughbreds to train new track riders as part of a great Racing SA education program attracting new staff to the racing industry. And, in Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Stories, a Golden Slipper-winning Champion Australian Stallion features for his former stablehand Julie Scanlon.

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 5 2022 (Season 3)

Week of May 30, 2022

In this week's Thoroughbreds Are Go, we take a look at the Australian Stud and Stable Staff Awards that celebrate the racing and breeding industry's unsung heroes, with a particular focus on the winner and runner-up in the Thoroughbred Care and Welfare category - Fiona McIntyre and Grace Chantler.

The Victoria Racing Club takes the 2022 Melbourne Cup and a great sponsorship to the Sydney International three-day event with more and more thoroughbreds competing.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show with a whole day of thoroughbred classes and a trainer and strapper with another story about a favourite racehorse in a new life, in Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Story.

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 4 2022 (Season 3)

Week of May 23, 2022

In this week's Thoroughbreds Are Go find out how to go from showjumping into a job in a racing stable, learning more about the care of thoroughbreds. Hear from Sydney's Champion trainer Chris Waller and young thoroughbred riders Jasmine Haynes and Chloe Manell about the great opportunities within the racing industry.

Equine nutrition expert Dr Caroline Foote with some great tips on feeding thoroughbreds to keep them in the best condition. And French track-rider Pauline Leflaec, now the proud owner of multiple Group winner Star Of The Seas (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) in Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Story.

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 3 2022 (Season 3)

Week of May 16, 2022

In this week's episode of Thoroughbreds Are Go, Caroline Searcy speaks with NSW trainer Kim Waugh about the pros and cons of rehoming thoroughbreds and ensuring they are in a good home. Rebecca Brown's Hillview Thoroughbreds turns ex-Hong Kong racehorses into elite Sydney Royal Show horses.

Inglis Millenium winner, Prime Star (Starspangledbanner), features in this week's Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Story.

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 2 2022 (Season 3)

Week of May 9, 2022

Thoroughbreds Are Go returns for 2022 with an update on two-time Racing Victoria top accredited thoroughbred re-trainer Fiona McIntyre. She travels to the prestigious Royal Sydney Easter Show with not only the popular four-time Melbourne Cup runner and earner of over $1.9 million, Precedence (NZ) but also Caravan Rolls On (GB) and Able Fun (Snitzel).

And in Arrowfield Stud's Strapper Story we hear about a son of Nicconi who's found a great home with his strapper from his racing days.

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Thoroughbreds Are Go EP 1 2022 (Season 3)