Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
In the last fortnight of yearling sales, one of the buzz points has been the Darley shuttler Blue Point. The son of Shamardal (USA) is one of the first-season sires on the market right now, and his start to things has been robust, to say the least.
At the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale this week, he was leading first-season sire by aggregate, while at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale two weeks ago, he landed the sale-topper and was leading freshman by both aggregate and average.
In January in Queensland, it was a similar story.
Blue Point (Ire) | Standing at Darley
Blue Point was the leading first-season sire by average at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and seventh by average overall. That latter fact was a remarkable effort, given I Am Invincible, Zoustar, Exceed And Excel, Snitzel, Extreme Choice and Fastnet Rock were the only others ahead of him.
Blue Point has competed for his first-season share so far with the likes of Pierata, Zousain, Too Darn Hot (GB) and Microphone, while at Oaklands Junction this week he squared off with Yulong’s Alabama Express.
For a shuttler, Blue Point has done remarkably well, and that’s not to say that shuttlers don’t do well when their first crops hit Australian markets. It’s more that Blue Point has already muscled into space occupied by the big guns.
Andy Makiv | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
When we sat down this week with Andy Makiv, Darley Australia’s head of sales, he said no one around him was particularly surprised at Blue Point bursting off the blocks as he has.
“You can bring out shuttle horses from time to time that are really good horses, really high-class horses heading to stud,” Makiv said. “But this horse here, he’s top drawer. He’s one out of the box because he’s a fantastic physical, he raced at the highest level at two, three, four and five, and he won four Group 1s.
“But he won the Group 1s that matter to Australians. He was a triple Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot and he won a Group 1 in Dubai that horses like Buffering and Ortensia have won, so his wins are those that really resonate with Australians.”
“... he (Blue Point) won the Group 1s that matter to Australians. He was a triple Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot and he won a Group 1 in Dubai that horses like Buffering and Ortensia have won, so his wins are those that really resonate with Australians.” - Andy Makiv
Of Blue Point’s 20-race career he won 11 times, and his six Group victories were over the slick distances of five and six furlongs. He was a speedster, and Darley hasn’t sold him any other way.
“A lot of the shuttle horses come out here as really great 2-year-olds and class sprinters, but they’re often more seven-furlong horses,” Makiv said. “I think Blue Point is built like an Australian fast sprinter, and his record suggests similar.”
Blue Point has therefore been relatable to Australian buyers and his sale-ring results this year suggest as much.
In Perth, Suman Hedge had no concerns about going to $350,000 for the filly that eventually topped the sale, and it was the first time since 2016 that a shuttler had the highest-priced yearling in the Perth ring. The last horse to do it was Street Cry (Ire).
The Blue Point (Ire) x Single Spice filly that topped the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, selling to Williams Racing and Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) for $350,000 | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Physically, Blue Point has thrown to himself,” Makiv said. “They are fast, tough, precocious, Australian styles of horses among his first progeny, hence why the breeders used him, and a lot of those Blue Point yearlings that have been at the high end of the sales this year were bred by leading breeders.
“Trainers came for them and buyers got on board, so everything so far is going to plan for him. All they’ve got to do now is run.”
Shuttle commitments
Shuttle stallions, like local stallions, have a long history in Australia of working and not working. Some, like Street Cry, Medaglia D’Oro (USA) and Danehill (USA), have been spectacular hits, while others have flopped in spectacular fashion.
Last winter, we spoke to a number of breeders at the point where they were finalising their breeding plans, and a few of them said they were reluctant to use any stallion who might not even be standing in Australia at the point where yearlings would hit the sale ring.
On this, Makiv said Darley has a distinct approach.
“We’ve always been committed to shuttling our horses here until the first progeny are at least three, so two crops of racing age,” he said. “We’ll continue on that vein, regardless of how difficult it might get to sell them, and one of the only exceptions to that might be injury, for example.”
“We’ve (Darley Australia) always been committed to shuttling our horses here until the first progeny are at least three, so two crops of racing age.” - Andy Makiv
Night Of Thunder (Ire) was a good instance recently when Darley had to walk back its standard commitment. In 2016, the dual Group 1 winner shuttled to Australia and covered 96 mares, and he was popular, so popular in fact that he could easily have kept coming.
However, he never returned because of a back injury, and the arduousness of shuttling would not have suited him.
“Street Boss was another,” Makiv said. “He got injured and missed his second year here, and we brought him back for his third, fourth and fifth seasons and on he went.
Street Boss (USA) | Standing at Darley
“They were difficult years having missed a season, but we felt those breeders that used him in year one needed to be supported, so we try, where possible, to give our shuttlers every opportunity.”
For every shuttler that does hit the mark in Australia, there are others that never do.
As far back as the 1980s, big-ticket horses have been arriving from overseas with enormous boom and they amount to little in the covering sheds. But this is no different to local stallions, and Blue Point has been a good reminder this year that buyers will come for shuttle stock as much as local stock, provided the product is right.
“The shuttle element of breeding is crucial,” Makiv said. “If you think about a horse like Winx, some of these champions don’t exist but for shuttle stallions. Some of the great sirelines in Australia are thankful for it too, like Danehill who was a shuttler and is responsible for the Redoute’s Choice sireline. I Am Invincible, too, is by a shuttler.
“The shuttle element of breeding is crucial... Danehill who was a shuttler and is responsible for the Redoute’s Choice sireline. I Am Invincible, too, is by a shuttler.” - Andy Makiv
“If you go through so many elements of what we do in breeding, you’ll see that so many of our great pedigrees come from the shuttlers. It could be either a son of or grandson of, so in my opinion we’ve got to have a very open mind about them.”
Lindsay Park keeping the shuttle faith
At Oaklands Junction this week, Blue Point had a bumper book of 23 yearlings on offer, which is about right among the Victorian sires represented.
His clearance rate on that stock was 75 per cent and, as mentioned, he had a first-season sire lead on aggregate at $2,025,000. Ahead of him were only I Am Invincible, Toronado (Ire), Written Tycoon, So You Think (NZ) and Capitalist.
His most expensive yearling was Lot 476, a colt from the Bel Esprit mare Humma Mumma, making the youngster a half-brother to the Group 3 winner Humma Humma (Denman) and the Listed winner Tycoon Humma (Capitalist). Lot 476 was offered by Flinders Park Stud and bought by Lindsay Park Racing for $320,000.
Lot 476 - Blue Point (Ire) x Humma Mumma (colt) purchased by Lindsay Park Racing for $320,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis
Lindsay Park co-trainer Ben Hayes had no inhibitions with this colt’s purchase on Monday.
“I watched Blue Point race against one of ours in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai,” he told TDN AusNZ. “He was a very good English sprinter and he performed at the highest level many times.
“From a buyer’s perspective, I thought he put a lot of strength into his yearlings, especially the Humma Mumma. I thought that colt was an absolute athlete. He had a good hindquarter and he moved really well, and I just like the way Blue Point is stamping his horses.”
“I thought that colt (Lot 476 at Inglis Premier this week) was an absolute athlete. He had a good hindquarter and he moved really well, and I just like the way Blue Point is stamping his horses.” - Ben Hayes
Lindsay Park, back in its South Australian day, was the gun-runner when it came to shuttlers. It was one of the first, if not the first, to stand a fly-in stallion, and it was a concept that Colin Hayes believed in and fostered until shuttling became what it is today.
“My grandfather was the first one to ever do it, and personally, I think it still works,” Hayes said. “By the amount of stallions that have shuttled since those early days, it’s obviously something that still works really well.
“With a horse like Blue Point, a lot of Australians are willing to give it a go. The progeny are athletes and they look fast, and that’s what a lot of trainers specifically look for. That’s what he’s producing and they’re selling well.”
JD and Ben Hayes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Breaking it down
Blue Point will return to Australia in the spring for his fourth Southern Hemisphere book. He will stand at Northwood Park in Victoria, balancing the roster in the south as against that at Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley.
It’s probable that his fee of $44,000 (inc GST) will increase, which isn’t surprising when you break down the stats he has produced in the sale ring this year.
Blue Point has had 45 yearlings sell since January, grossing over $9.3 million so far. Their average is $207,975, which is nearly five times his service fee.
Blue Point has had 45 yearlings sell since January, grossing over $9.3 million so far. Their average is $207,975, which is nearly five times his service fee.
Blue Point’s highest-priced yearling has been the $900,000 colt from Bumbasina (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), who was sold by Segenhoe Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January to the Rosemont Alliance with Suman Hedge. His top-priced filly emerged at the same sale, a $380,000 purchase for James Bester from Edinburgh Park.
Blue Point has 10 yearlings upcoming at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale and another four at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. In the latter, he has a filly from a half-sister to Slipper winner Crystal Lily (Stratum) and another who’s a half-sister to the very sharp Sword Of Light (New Approach {Ire}).
As such, the Blue Point canvas is likely to richen in colour for what has already been a perfect start.
