Cover image courtesy of Golden Grove
A quick glance through the sale records this year shows that Golden Grove Stud has had a good yearling season. Solid transactions at both the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and Inglis Premier Yearling Sale went down well, but Easter is another beast altogether.
Along with The Chase, Golden Grove is one of just two first-time vendors at this week’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, and it’s an important debut that isn’t lost on studmaster Grant Mackay.
Grant Mackay | Image courtesy of Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association
“It’s the first Easter draft for both myself and the farm, and it’s a big deal” he said, chatting with TDN AusNZ between inspections. “In the last seven days I haven’t slept much, and I’m still not sleeping much. Although I want to be here, I just want the week to be over so that our pair of horses have got through it.”
Golden Grove’s Easter debut was supposed to happen last year, but both yearlings went wrong and were withdrawn. A Written Tycoon colt sustained a knee-injury infection, and the other was a Street Boss (USA) filly with a small scope issue.
In the end, both yearlings were retained and are doing well with their respective trainers and, for Mackay and the team at Golden Grove, good things come to those who wait.
“That seems to be the case,” he said.
Golden Grove Stud | Image courtesy of Golden Grove
Golden Grove has a concise draft of two this year. They are Lot 124, a colt by Street Boss from the More Than Ready (USA) mare Eyre, and Lot 158, a Shamus Award filly from the Bel Esprit mare Guardian’s Path.
They are tidy types with sensible brains and lucrative pedigrees, and they're about as good a pair of yearlings as Mackay could hope to bring to Easter for the first time.
“The prestige of Easter is a real factor,” Mackay said. “Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love going to the other sales and I really enjoy bringing our horses to them, but Easter is the cream of the crop. Getting horses to the yearling stage at all is an achievement, but getting them to be good enough for selection into this sale is another thing again.”
“Getting horses to the yearling stage at all is an achievement, but getting them to be good enough for selection into this (Inglis Easter) sale is another thing again.” - Grant Mackay
Limited editions
Lot 124 is the only progeny of Street Boss at Riverside this week. He was among the stallion’s crop of foals bred off a $27,500 (inc GST) service fee, when Street Boss was still standing in Victoria. These days, he’s at Kelvinside and $77,000 (inc GST).
Lot 124 - Street Boss (USA) x Eyre (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Lot 124 is a bay colt from Eyre, and the second dam on this page is a half-sister to Encosta De Lago. It’s a sire’s pedigree.
“This isn’t just the only colt by Street Boss,” said Mackay. “He’s the only Street Boss in the sale, so we think he’s been very well-placed. He’s a nice animal and has been a gem to deal with all the way through.
“Every so often, the Street Bosses can have their moments, but he wouldn’t know he’s a young boy. He’s been an absolutely pleasure to do anything with and he may just make a racehorse.”
“This (Lot 124) isn’t just the only colt by Street Boss. He’s the only Street Boss in the sale, so we think he’s been very well-placed. He’s a nice animal and has been a gem to deal with all the way through.” - Grant Mackay
The third dam here is Shoal Creek (Star Way {GB}), who was not only the dam of Encosta De Lago but a half-sister to Flying Spur. This is also the family of the Silver Slipper winner Ballybleue (Peintre Celebre {USA}) and her filly, the G3 Alexandra S. winner Think Bleue (So You Think {NZ}).
“He’s got a stallion’s page,” Mackay said. “I just hope that those judges who see that on his page can get him to that point, and he keeps doing what he’s been doing.”
Lot 158, on the other hand, is one of the six by Shamus Award in the catalogue, and one of just two fillies by the Rosemont stallion. From the Bel Esprit producer Guardian’s Path, her dam is a half-sister to Lazumba (Sebring), who was second to Jameka (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce S.
Lot 158 - Shamus Award x Guardian's Path (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Lazumba, now breeding in New Zealand, is the dam of Latino Blend (Hinchinbrook), who was second in the G2 Silver Shadow S.
“This filly is probably the nicest Shamus Award I’ve had anything to do with,” Mackay said. “I’ve been with the farm nearly six years and I’ve seen a lot of Shamuses come through, and this one is by far the nicest I’ve had anything to do with.
“She’s got that get-up and go-early type of nature and she’s bred basically on the same lines as Swats That. A couple of the owners in Swats That are actually in this filly, and they might have duplicated her nicely.”
“This filly (Lot 158) is probably the nicest Shamus Award I’ve had anything to do with. I’ve been with the farm nearly six years and I’ve seen a lot of Shamuses come through, and this one is by far the nicest I’ve had anything to do with.” - Grant Mackay
Swats That, like Lot 158, is bred on the Shamus Award-Bel Esprit cross. Lot 158 is the only filly in the catalogue on this cross, and from it Swats That has won the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. and G3 Scarborough S.
“I’d like to think we’re going to do alright from these two this week,” Mackay said. “It’s hard to say with the market the way it is because things have softened this year, but we had a good sale at Melbourne so we’re hoping we can come here to Easter and the buyers can see what we’re trying to bring to the market. I hope this pair is seen for what they are.”
Dual Group 3 winner Swats That | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Minding his business
Golden Grove had a draft of 10 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale earlier this month. At Classic last month, it also had 10, so handling two at Riverside this week has been a breeze.
However, Mackay is pitching towards a bigger presence at future editions of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
“Two is a good number because we’re putting a lot of effort into them,” he said. “We’re always monitoring our numbers to make sure we’re not getting too big, but coming here to Easter with five or six horses is where we want to be for the future.
“Last year was to be our first but this year has turned out to be our first, and hopefully clients can see what we’ve been able to produce because these two are client horses.”
“We’re always monitoring our numbers to make sure we’re not getting too big, but coming here to Easter with five or six horses is where we want to be for the future.” - Grant Mackay
Lots 124 and 158 are the result of opening up the farm in 2019 to client mares. Before that, Golden Grove was a private farm only and now it’s handling some 150 mares.
The steady escalation in operations has coincided nicely with this Easter debut, and Mackay is paying little attention to the fact of his having one of the more concise drafts at Riverside.
“I understand that the bigger farms at Easter have the bigger numbers, but I’m concentrating solely on what we’re doing,” he said. “If I start worrying about what others are doing, I’ll take my eye off what we’re trying to achieve and my sole reason for being here this week is Golden Grove.”
It’s as simple as that.
