Day 2 sale-toppers: YLP snaps up Too Darn Hot filly for $600k

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

Lot 325 - Too Darn Hot (GB) x Hell It’s Hot (Zeditave), filly, $600,000

YLP Racing went to $600,000 for the top lot (325), a daughter of Too Darn Hot (GB) from a family the operation knows plenty about.

Consigned by North, the six-figure youngster is a sibling to seven winners, most notably In Her Time, whose nine victories include the 2018 running of the G1 The Galaxy H. and the following year’s Lightning S. Yulong went to $2.2 million to add In Her Time (Time Thief) to Yuesheng Zhang’s broodmare band at the 2021 Inglis Chairman’s Sale. The outfit has gone a long way to recouping that investment as In Her Time’s progeny have appeared at the last two renewals of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

In 2023 Matt Laurie Racing signed at $800,000 for her first foal, a son of I Am Invincible, while just last month Coolmore’s Tom Magnier went to $750,000 for the mare’s Written Tycoon colt. Moreover, Yulong also owns this filly’s full-sister, Flame Of Hestia.

The $280,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase was an eye-catching winner of her first trial for trainer Kris Lees.

“We own the full sister, which is well known,” said Vin Cox, general manager of YLP.

“She won her trial very impressively the other day for Kris Lees. We obviously own In Her Time, which is a mare that we’ve invested very heavily in. We’re well vested in the family and, in some respects, we liked this filly better than the full sister so she was an obvious play for us. We probably had to dig a little deeper than we anticipated, but congratulations to the breeders.”

European Champion 2- and 3-Year-Old Too Darn Hot has made a fine start to his stallion career in both hemispheres. His seven black-type performers are headed by G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Fallen Angel (GB), while in Australia he is the sire of Magic Millions Ballarat 2YO Classic scorer Arabian Summer, who also finished third in the G3 Ottawa S. Cox knows plenty about the Darley shuttle sire having spent close to six years as managing director of Godolphin Australia.

“I think she’s a little bit more scopey than the sister,” he continued.

“And that’s not being critical of the sister, she looks like being pretty smart. Obviously, the stallion is doing a good job, he’s got off to a good start here in Australia and he’s one I know well from my previous life. Hopefully this turns out to be a good investment for us. We had to dig pretty deep to get her.”

There is plenty going on beneath the filly’s second dam too, as her dam is a sibling to the Group 3-winning Hot As Hell (County) and the Listed scorers Craig’s Dragon (Catbird) and Flaming Hot (County). Another half-sister, Sin Sin Sin (Fantastic Light {USA}), is the dam of Champion 3YO Yes Yes Yes.

On the state of trade, Cox added:

“The market is what it is. With these high-profile, well-related lots and the good individuals, you’ve got to take a deeper breath.”

Lot 366 - Justify (USA) x Islay Inlet (Can) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}), filly, $420,000

Another stallion compiling a hugely promising international profile is Coolmore’s Justify (USA), and those exploits prompted Bryce Heys to go to $420,000 for Lot 366 from the Mullaglass Stud draft. The filly is the second foal out of Islay Inlet (Can), a Canadian-bred daughter of Lemon Drop Kid (USA) and a half-sister to the Listed-winning Merveilleux (USA) (Paynter {USA}).

“She’s an outstanding filly and she certainly made her money,” said Heys.

“We have to back our judgement and the stallion needs no speaking for in terms of what he is and what he might be. Physically, we couldn’t fault her in terms of how we assess a yearling, where we think they’re at and where they might get to. Just her physical presence in terms of how she carried herself was impressive.

“We thought she was gorgeous. We’ll see if that means anything, but I thought she was the nicest horse I’ve seen this year. We knew it would be hard to get a Justify so we felt we’d try and be strong on her. We’d love to have anyone involved in what’s an outstanding filly, and hopefully we’ll get her done quickly.”

US Triple Crown hero Justify has emerged as one of the hottest young sires on the planet, with his six elite winners including four 2-year-olds. He is the sire of European champion juveniles City Of Troy and Opera Singer, while at last year’s Breeders’ Cup he was represented by Just F Y I and Hard To Justify, who struck in the Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile Fillies Turf respectively.

His Australian record includes G2 Reisling S. scorer Learning To Fly and the G3 BJ McLachlan S. and Magic Millions R. Listed 2YO Classic victor Storm Boy. The latter named is not only favourite for the Golden Slipper but it was recently revealed a majority interest had been sold to Coolmore in a big-money deal.

Lot 507 - Written Tycoon x Mulhimah (Snitzel), filly, $360,000

Dodmark Thoroughbreds entrusted bidding duties to Adrian Bott when Sledmere Stud presented the well-related Written Tycoon filly out of Mulhimah (Snitzel). The trainer duly won out for Lot 507 with a play of $360,000. The youngster is the third foal out of the unraced Snitzel half-sister to champion juvenile Almalad (Al Maher) and is from a pedigree boasting strength in depth.

“I’m delighted to be able to secure her,” said Bott.

“She’s been bought on behalf of a client, Peter and June Dunn of Dodmark Thoroughbreds. They’ve raced some good horses with us like Thinkin’ Big and Ganbare, and Peter was keen to secure this filly. She’s by a proven stallion out of a nice Snitzel mare and it’s a family we know and have had success with.

“There’s Almalad in there, who won the JJ Atkins for us, and then you’ve got a Slipper winner (Shinzo) down there under the third dam. I think Prost is out of that family too. Overall, she’s a quality filly. Obviously, she stood out and grabbed a few people's attention, so we knew we had to be strong. Peter was prepared to do that so we’re very happy.”

He added: “She’s a forward type, no doubt. She looked to have a great attitude with the way she handled the sale. She’s got the constitution for it. Written Tycoon out of a Snitzel mare, you’d think that would be a nice running type and physically she backs that up with her looks.”

The Written Tycoon - Snitzel nick has yielded 12 winners - and two stakes scorers - from 21 runners.

Lot 385 - Pierata x Just No Kissing (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), colt, $320,000

As well as securing the session’s top lot, YLP Racing also rowed in behind one of its young sires with the $320,000 acquisition of Lot 385, a Pierata colt from the Robyn Wise draft.

“You come to the Classic sale to buy racehorses,” said Cox.

“This colt is by Pierata, who obviously stands on our roster, and he’s a stallion we’re very excited about. He’s a very likeable horse that we think will get to the races and hopefully win some good prizes for us. To be honest, I thought he might make a little more. I said to the boss he’d be somewhere between three and four (hundred thousand) so I got that one right, I just thought he’d be closer to four!”

Pierata, a Group 1-winning son of Pierro, has had 11 starters in Australia and remarkably four of those have collected black type. Three of those reached the frame in Group company on the same afternoon, most notably the Matt Laurie-trained Coleman, who struck in the G3 Chairman's S.

Earlier that same day Fearless (Pierata) finished runner-up to Prost (Snitzel) in the G3 Canonbury S., while Wave Breaker finished third to Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) in the Widden S. a short while later.

Reflecting on the bright start made by Pierata, Cox said:

“It’s quite outstanding. The day he had Saturday week is a studmaster's dream for a first-season sire. To have a Group winner sail in then two other Group placegetters, one of them arguably being a little unlucky, you dream of that sort of start. It’s a wonderful thing to see because Mr Zhang has put so much money into the business, so it’s great to see him have success not only on the stallion side but with the broodmares too.”

Lot 489 - Alabama Express x Modda Miss (Canny Lad), filly, $310,000

Written Tycoon and Pierata weren’t the only Yulong Stud residents to enjoy success on Monday as Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott combined with Kestrel Thoroughbreds to land Lot 489, a daughter of Alabama Express from Glenbeigh Farm, at $310,000.

The Waterhouse and Bott stable has had first-hand experience with the progeny of Alabama Express as the promising Shangri La Express is two from two this season.

“The stallion has a great profile and what he’s done with his progeny so far is pretty exciting,” said Bott.

“Obviously, we’ve got a nice colt in the stable by him, but first and foremost this was just a beautiful style of filly. The fact that she’s by Alabama Express, with the positive experience we’ve had with his stock, that meant we were happy to be that little bit stronger on her.

“We backed ourselves that she’ll be a lovely, forward type that we could potentially see as being back here for the race series next year. There’s plenty of precocity about her. She just looked like a real nice style of filly with a lot of quality about her.”

Alabama Express heads the first-season sire standings, with his four winners to date including not only the promising Shangri La Express but also G3 Ottawa S. scorer Karavas. He also sired a $240,000 colt bought by Paul Moroney, Catheryne Bruggeman and Ballymore Stables on Day 1 of the sale.

Expanding on the stable’s approach to the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Bott said:

“We’re selective and although we don’t buy the same volume at this particular sale, we’ve had some fantastic results from here. Our strike rate of stakes winners to purchases out of this sale is certainly quite high. Plenty of decent horses have come out of here previously and will continue to come out of here going forward. We’ll land on the ones we can and we’ll be strong on the ones we identify.”

Lot 279 - Harry Angel (Ire) x Florabella (Exceed And Excel), colt, $300,000

Day 2 got off to a bright start when bloodstock agent James Mitchell of Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA), signing on behalf of Ohukia Lodge, parted with $300,000 for Lot 279 from Sledmere Stud. The son of Harry Angel (Ire) is a full brother to the high-class Arkansaw Kid. Not only has that sibling won two Listed contests but was also third behind Little Brose, (Per Incanto {USA}) in the Blue Diamond S. and fourth to Ozzmosis, (Zoustar) in the Coolmore Stud S.

“I’m very pleased to have bought the full brother to Arkansaw Kid,” said Mitchell.

“He’s just a lovely quality colt. He’s nice and correct, well-grown and has lovely balance. That’s really what we’re looking for in a racehorse. He’s a full brother to a stakes-winning horse who’s an Inglis graduate as well, I believe. Hopefully we can get another like that.”

There is more Group 1 form in the next generation of the pedigree as the dam, the winning Exceed And Excel mare Florabella, is a three-parts sister to CF Orr S. scorer Shinzig (Danehill {USA}).

“He looked to me like a horse who’s pretty sharp but will be a nicer 3-year-old type,” continued Mitchell.

“He wasn’t really muscle-bound, he’s just naturally athletic. I’m happy to have him. We’ve got some really good clients and he was bought for a group who trade a few and race a few. We’ll send him back to the farm, get him race-educated and get to know him, but there’s no immediate plans. We’ll just get him in the system and keep our fingers crossed.”

Darley shuttler Harry Angel may have raced in Britain, where he won the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup, but he has made a bigger impact at stud in the Southern Hemisphere, where his successes include G1 Spring Champion S. winner Tom Kitten and G2 Danehill S. scorer Stretan Angel.

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