Cover image courtesy of Throughbred Breeders' Western Australia
Magic Millions Online concluded its March sale on Thursday afternoon, with the 4-year-old mare Buzzoom (Safeguard) selling for $215,000. She was bought by Santo Guagliardo’s Ridgeport Holdings after a healthy auction on account of her trainer, Daniel Morton.
Buzzoom was offered on Thursday as either a racing or breeding prospect and she will remain in Western Australia. Guagliardo is one of the state’s burgeoning thoroughbred breeders, with his Ridgeport Thoroughbreds a relatively new farm, located in Waroona, south of Pinjarra.
Buzzoom | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Grant Burns, who doubles as a Magic Millions auctioneer and bloodstock consultant, and who has been assisting Guagliardo with his bloodstock portfolio, said Buzzoom was a tidy addition to Ridgeport ambitions.
“This is a nice mare for Santo to be owning,” Burns said. “He part-owns her sire, Safeguard, who he bought into, and she’s been the best Safeguard horse there is. She’s a multiple stakes winner and she’s a fast mare, and those are the sorts of mares that a commercial breeder will be wanting to breed from.”
A broodmare upgrade
Buzzoom is the sole stakes winner for the Mogumber Park-based Safeguard, a son of Exceed And Excel whose 2022 fee was $4400 (inc GST).
Safeguard won the G3 Kindergarten S. as a 2-year-old in 2013, along with the G3 Vain S. He was bred and raced by Darley during the Peter Snowden and John O’Shea era, and he was third as a 3-year-old in the G3 Gold Coast Guineas.
Safeguard | Standing at Mogumber Park
Safeguard retired to stud in 2015 and has so far sired 63 winners from 94 runners to the track. It’s a respectable record, and Buzzoom arrived from his 2017 coverings as a daughter of the Xaar (GB) mare Xaar Boom.
Guagliardo bought into Safeguard at stud and the horse stands at Mogumber alongside Rommel, who Guagliardo raced to win the G2 Western Australian Guineas and G3 Zeditave S. at Caulfield.
Buzzoom herself was sold to trainer Daniel Morton at the 2020 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, consigned by Forest View Farm and fetching $80,000. During her career she provided a decent return, winning just shy of $560,000 to date, and among her six wins have been the Listed Burgess Queen S. and Listed Jungle Dawn Classic.
Buzzoom as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
When she was consigned to the Magic Millions Online Sale this week, it was with an opening for her buyer to continue racing the 4-year-old or retire her to stud, plans that Guagliardo is yet to settle.
“The long-term plan is to breed from her, and short-term we might look at racing her over the next few weeks through Easter,” Guagliardo said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “We’ll have to look at that before we definitely decide, but she was mainly bought as a breeding proposition.”
“The long-term plan is to breed from her (Buzzoom), and short-term we might look at racing her over the next few weeks through Easter. We’ll have to look at that before we definitely decide, but she was mainly bought as a breeding proposition.” - Santo Guagliardo
As a 2-year-old winner, 3-year-old stakes winner and 4-year-old stakes winner, Buzzoom had plenty to recommend her. She is a half-sister to the four-time winning filly Boomtastic (Sessions), and her dam is a half-sister to the Group 3-placed Mendicity (Blackfriars).
“If we get a run out of her and she comes back to form, that will be well and good,” Guagliardo said. “But if not, she will head to stud this year so it’s a good situation all round.”
Guagliardo has been a racehorse buyer for many years, but Ridgeport Thoroughbreds is a relatively new operation.
Ridgeport Thoroughbreds' team at the 2023 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale | Image courtesy of Ridgeport Thoroughbreds
The Waroona farm is about a year old, and Guagliardo has invested heavily in new infrastructure. It premiered as a vendor at the 2022 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, and last month it sent 10 yearlings through that sale, with a colt by Rommel from the Choisir mare Leitfaden topping the draft at $170,000.
“We’ve got about 20 to 25 mares these days,” he said. “It used to be around 30, but around that 20 mark is where I want to be. This year we’ve been trying to upgrade the broodmare band a fair bit, which has been part of our long-term plans. This mare will fit in nicely with that plan, as will some of my better-bred racing stock.”
“This year we’ve been trying to upgrade the broodmare band a fair bit, which has been part of our long-term plans. This mare will fit in nicely with that plan, as will some of my better-bred racing stock.” - Santo Guagliardo
Over the years, Guagliardo has been associated with a few outstanding racehorses. He had Rommel, and also Ellicazoom (Testa Zoom) who won the G3 Cockram S. in Melbourne. He had the very good, dual Group-winning gelding Conservatorium (Royal Academy {USA}), and his blue and green silks are widely known through the Lloyd Kennewell and Clarken Racing yards.
Buzzoom was the first broodmare purchase for Guagliardo on the Magic Millions Online platform, and he said it was a breezy way to do business. He added that her being by Safeguard was an added bonus.
“He’s been a reasonable sire and he might make a very good broodmare sire,” Guagliardo said. “I bought her mainly on her race record and nice conformation, but it didn’t hurt to have Safeguard on the page.”
Take The Sit heads home
While Buzzoom topped the Magic Millions Online Sale at $215,000, next in line was the good story of the Tasmanian mare Take The Sit, a daughter of Tough Speed (USA).
Take The Sit | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The 6-year-old was offered for sale by her co-trainer, the Longford-based Bill Ryan, and she was bought by Armidale Stud for $90,000.
Armidale had bred this mare in 2016 and sold her to her trainer at the 2018 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale for $15,000. She raced 28 times through the subsequent seasons, winning eight races and over $260,000, including the G3 Vamos S. last year.
Take The Sit is from the Lago Spirit mare Tula, herself a half-sister to the Listed Tasmanian Guineas winner Brainpower (Grand Royale {USA}). Armidale Stud had learned on the bush telegraph that the mare was coming up on Magic Millions Online, and Rhiannon Whishaw, the farm’s racing and bloodstock manager, said they were thrilled to get her back.
Take The Sit as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We were very fond of the mare,” she said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “Obviously we had sold her as a yearling and she went on to win eight races, including the Vamos, which is one of the premier Group races in this state. We were proud of her achievements on the track and hopefully she can go even better as a broodmare.”
“We were very fond of the mare (Take The Sit). Obviously we had sold her as a yearling and she went on to win eight races, including the Vamos... We were proud of her achievements on the track and hopefully she can go even better as a broodmare.” - Rhiannon Whishaw
Armidale Stud was one of the keen underbidders on Bazzoom, so when they lost out to Santo Guagliardo in that sale, they were very motivated to get Take The Sit. Whishaw confirmed that the mare will be retired from racing immediately and will be readied for the upcoming breeding season.
“We won’t race her on and myself and David (Whishaw, husband) will be having discussions about which stallion she’ll go to,” she said. “At this stage we’re thinking Toronado, but we take a lot of care and pride in who we send our young mares to each year. We’ll give her the best chance to produce both a sales horse and a good racehorse.”
