Cover image courtesy of Inglis
There was barely time for Collingrove Stud's Daniel Brash to take a breath in between packing up from a busy Inglis Premier sale and getting on the road to Adelaide.
After taking 19 yearlings through the ring at Oaklands - including a handsome Toronado (Ire) colt that sold to Anton Koolman Bloodstock for $400,000 - Collingrove have an even busier time ahead with 23 Magic Millions horses.
It was this time last year that Brash took his first Collingrove draft to South Australia and what a success story it was; a $300,000 Snitzel colt, now named Superstitious, the highest seller on day one and the third-highest priced horse overall.
Superstitious as a yearling, the third-highest selling yearling at last year's Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Another four members of last year's draft fetched six figures including one that Brash is especially proud of - a Mikki Isle (Jpn) filly purchased by Clarken Bloodstock for $200,000 off a reserve of just $25,000.
Brash was happy with the quality of that draft and even more excited this year with youngsters by such high-class proven stallions as Snitzel, Written Tycoon, So You Think (NZ), Dundeel (NZ), Shalaa (Ire) and Starspangledbanner joined by the progeny of up-and-comers Castelvecchio, Showtime, Pariah, Long Leaf, Impending and The Autumn Sun.
“Our draft looks very strong on paper and they have the types to match,” Brash told TDN AusNZ, confident that buyers will be impressed and that he will reach his goal; “to have horses in the top 10 per cent of each sale we go to.”
“(Our goal is) to have horses in the top 10 per cent of each sale we go to.”- Daniel Brash
That goal was achieved at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale last year with the Snitzel colt and again at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale last week with the Toronado colt. At that sale Collingrove was in the top 10 by average.
Brash wants to keep building on that record.
“We are always learning, each year improving,” he said.
Daniel Brash | Image courtesy of Inglis
Arrowfield links
Proud to again be taking Arrowfield Stud horses to Adelaide, he noted that his philosophy regarding the placement of horses in sales is the same as that of leading farms.
“It is a definite marketing strategy to place horses in a sale where they can feature amongst the best-selling lots,” he said.
Brash has nice links to Arrowfield, looking after such stallions as Shalaa, Maurice (Jpn) and Admire Mars (Jpn) whilst they were in quarantine. And he kicks off the Adelaide sale with a daughter of Shalaa - straight into action with Lot 2, a filly from the winning Elusive Quality (USA) mare Cacophony.
Also the sire of Lot 276, a colt from the three-time Metropolitan-winning Redoute's Choice mare Platinum Passion, who has already been represented at stakes level being the dam of the Listed Gosford Guineas winner Tribal Wisdom (Makfi {GB}).
Gallery: Some of the yearlings to be offered by Collingrove Stud at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions
Shalaa has added a couple of stakes winners to his tally since the catalogue was printed - Princess Duhallow at just her third start taking out the Listed Festival S. at Flemington whilst Recommendation made it four wins from six starts when winning the G3 Zeditave S.
Starspangledbanner, sire of Lot 70, has also had two new stakes winners - Saturday's G1 Newmarket H. contestant Star Patrol winning the Listed WJ Adams S. at Sandown whilst Duvet Day (Ire) won at Listed level at Santa Anita.
Showtime was not yet off the mark at the time the catalogue was put together but has now had a couple of promising winners including the Group 3-placed Tacito. Collingrove have four of his progeny at the sale with Brash particularly excited about Lot 435 - describing the son of a half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Mentality (Flying Spur) as “a serious athlete, an absolute beauty.”
Brash is hoping for another great Snitzel result and he has the sale's only entry by that Champion Sire - Lot 431 a colt out of the Stay Gold (Jpn) mare Almandine (Jpn), who is a half-sister to two Japanese Group 1 winners.
“He is a big, strong, great moving horse who is bound to prove popular,” Brash said.
“He (Lot 431) is a big, strong, great-moving horse who is bound to prove popular.” - Daniel Brash
Five grandsons and granddaughters of Snitzel are also to be sold - one by The Autumn Sun and four by Pariah including Lot 267 - the half-sister to last year's $200,000 Mikki Isle filly who has had a lovely update to her page: the Olly and Amber Tait-bred Lemon Pop (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}) who won at Group 3 level in Japan in January then backed that up with Group 1 success last month.
Lemon Pop's grandam is a full sister to this filly's grandam. She is also a full sister to a horse we all know well - the mighty Danehill (USA).
Champion Sire Written Tycoon's representative - Lot 449 - has also had an exciting upgrade; her two-time winning dam Banskia (Redoute's Choice) being the dam of the very promising 3-year-old Bank Maur (Maurice {Jpn}) who was second in the G3 Manfred S. before a terrific fourth in last weekend's G1 Australian Guineas.
“She is an absolute standout on pedigree. A filly with massive residual value, she will be admired,” Brash said. “I think she will end up being in the top five lots.”
“She (Lot 449) is an absolute standout on pedigree. A filly with massive residual value, she will be admired. I think she will end up being in the top five lots.” - Daniel Brash
Also bound to prove popular is Lot 382 whose three-quarter brother is The All-Star Mile-bound The Inevitable (Dundeel {NZ}) and Lot 324 by Dundeel who has had three new stakes winners in recent weeks.
His son (“the best of her foals”) Lot 324, is out of the dual Group 3 winner Sharnee Rose (Nadeem) whose progeny have been racing well - her 4-year-old son Songaa (Shalaa {Ire}) easily breaking his maiden before a game Flemington second whilst her 3-year-old daughter Audrey Rose (Shalaa {Ire}) raced away to an easy maiden win for the Matt Laurie stable at just her third start in late January.
Breeding quality
The Collingrove name is of course well known and Brash is grateful to the Sangster and Hayes families to be trusted to continue on with its sizeable legacy.
Which he is doing from a beautiful farm across from the Goulburn River flats at Murchison.
Collingrove Stud | Image courtesy of Collingrove Stud
Aided by 10 staff during the peak times of yearling preparation, Brash also looks after a select group of mares including four of his own.
He aims to breed premier sale quality horses, seeking pedigree analysis advice from this author, and aiming at the middle market of service fees - “Not too high, not too low” - a good zone from which to make a profit come sales time.
This spring he has foals by Hanseatic, Fierce Impact (Jpn) and Exceedance to look forward to with nice type on the ground by Puissance De Lune (Ire) and Highland Reel (Ire).
Though he knows the going is not easy.
“It is a little bit tough out there at the moment but the good types are still making money.”
“It is a little bit tough out there at the moment but the good types are still making money.” - Daniel Brash
Working on a farm set up to give yearlings every chance to thrive during their preparations, Brash is able to put the polish on with his long experience with young horses coming to the fore.
Spending valuable time with yearlings (including stints as yearling manager) at Three Bridges, Eliza Park/Sun Stud and Bowness Stud where he prepped such high-class horses as Youngstar (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Trapeze Artist, Brash had previously worked in stables - spending time with Tony Vasil, Greg Eurell (foremen for both), Gai Waterhouse and Lee Freedman.
He looks back at those times fondly, working with such terrific gallopers as Mahogany (Last Tycoon {Ire}), Encosta De Lago, Poetic King (Yeats {USA}) and Doriemus (NZ) (Norman Pentaquad {USA}).
Great experience for a lad who had no background with horses - introduced to the thoroughbred world by being a regular at his local track Yarra Glen then becoming a passionate fan of the sport of racing.
Gallery: Some of the high-class horses Daniel Brash has worked with, images courtesy of Sportpix
“I loved watching Darren Gauci ride and as a 14-year-old one of my favourite horses was Expected Journey, I won a lot of money on him!”
Kicking off his career working on weekends for nearby trainer and family friend Mark Ashton, Brash made his way from there and in a short time (four years) preparing yearlings under his own banner, he has enjoyed following the successes of his graduates on the track.
Such as Grand Pierro (Pierro), winner of last spring's Listed Geelong Classic, the lightly raced last-start 4l Sha Tin winner Victor The Winner (Toronado {Ire}), the Kyneton Cup winner Station One (Toronado {Ire}), the two-time winner Deekay (Hellbent), the up-and-coming Singapore galloper Ejaz (Street Boss {USA}) who has won three of his first four starts and last year's VOBIS Sires Guineas-winning, G3 Zeditave S. placegetter Chartres (Toronado {Ire}).
