Riverstone Lodge's Nick Taylor has set about creating good branding for his new business this year and he could not have made a better start - taking seven well-related yearlings to the Inglis Classic and selling all but one; crowned as the leading vendor by average (three or more sold) and median.
Riverstone's strike rate at the Adelaide Magic Millions was also good - all but one of the eight finding new homes - and they now look forward to another successful sale at the Gold Coast with a lovely draft including...
Lot 1251: North Pacific x Chica Loca (Fr) (American Post {GB}) (bay colt)
From the debut crop of the Group 3 winner North Pacific whose sire Brazen Beau has already produced an exciting stallion in the shape of Tassort - this eye-catching bay is out of an imported stakes winner who has been well represented by four winners amongst her first five runners.
Her sons Good Birthday (Ire) (Darbisim {Fr}) and Fils de l'Air (Fr) (Areion {Ger}) have won 12 races between them - Chica Loca's progeny know how to find the line. Chica Loca's dam Comete (Fr) (Jeune Homme {USA}) is also a stakes winner whilst her dam Cocooning (Fr) (Galetto {Fr}) is stakes-placed.
Line-bred to the legendary Mill Reef (USA), this colt boasts multiple strains of the prolific Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) family with crosses of Northern Dancer (Can) and Arctic Tern (USA).
Lot 1275: Farnan x Duchess Kate (NZ) (Savabeel) (brown colt)
Hailing from the first crop of a G1 Golden Slipper S. winning son of Not A Single Doubt, he is a half-brother to the promising three-year-old Seasons Of Mist (The Autumn Sun) who looked good racing away to an easy maiden win at Newcastle last month.
His G3 Desert Gold S. winning dam has made a most encouraging start to her stud career - all three of her foals being winners with the Macau based Joyful Rainbow (Sooboog) also showing plenty of talent. A full sister to the dual Group 2 winner Saavoya (NZ), Duchess Kate produces a great type with her first three through the ring fetching $130,000 (Paul Moroney), $150,000 (James Bester) and $950,000 (Kris Lees).
This is a real running family, Duchess Kate one of the six winners for her dam Royal Prize (NZ) (Prized {USA}) who is one of the seven winners produced by her G1 Avondale Cup winning dam Eva Grace (NZ) (Vice Regal {NZ}).
Four of the six Not A Single Doubt runners out of mares by Savabeel are winners including the Group 2 galloper Not An Option. What a great job Savabeel is doing as a broodmare sire - his daughters already producing 31 stakes winners; five of whom are Group 1 winners including last weekend's runaway G1 Queensland Derby winner Warmonger (NZ) (War Decree {NZ}).
Lot 1292: Farnan x Fascination Street (NZ) (Elusive City {USA})
A three-quarter brother to the talented Maotai (Not A Single Doubt) - a stakes-placed multiple city winner - this son of a Listed winner of five races is bred on a 4 X 4 cross of the wonderful mare Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere {Can}).
Her grandson Not A Single Doubt and son Snippets have combined extremely well in the pedigrees of ten stakes winners including the Group 1 winners Miracles Of Life (Not A Single Doubt) and Espiona (Extreme Choice).
Also line-bred to his own influential ancestress Raise You (USA) (Case Ace {USA}) - the dam of Raise A Native (USA) - he is out of a full sister to another stakes winner in Lamington Vegas (NZ).
The high class Hong Kong based sprinter Ultra Fantasy (Encosta de Lago) also hails from this family and Fascination Street keeps producing good types - Maotai a $425,000 yearling (Aquis Farm) whilst Linara (Lonhro) - who has been in the placings at three of his first four starts - fetched $360,000.
Lot 1309: Sweynesse (NZ) x Glaze (NZ) (Danzero) (chestnut colt)
By an in-form stallion whose son Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) is one of the best sprinters in the world, this handsome chestnut is out of a city winning mare who is doing the job at stud with three of her first four foals to race being winners.
Her son Urban Triumph (NZ) (Divine Prophet) won at Shatin in mid-April whilst her three-year-old granddaughter Rose Noir (Divine Prophet) is showing nice promise for the Tony Gollan stable.
Glaze is a three-quarter sister to the stake placed five times Hong Kong winner Golden Harvest (Al Maher) out of a full sister to the Group 3 mare Butterscotch (NZ) (Gold Brose).
This is a prolific black-type family, this colt - who is bred on the same Sweynesse/Danehill (USA) cross as Lucky Sweynesse - is also able to boast amongst his relations the Group 1 winners Headturner (Anabaa {USA}), Anacheeva and O'Marilyn (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) as well as the Group winners Viennetta (NZ) (Pins), Golden Archer, Let'srollthedice (Dundeel {NZ}), Mackintosh (NZ) (Pins).
Lot 1347: Zoustar x Ladybeetle (Fastnet Rock) (bay/brown colt)
The son of a high-class stallion who just keeps getting the results in the sales ring and on the track, he is the first foal for a daughter of the G1 Coolmore Classic and G1 Queensland Oaks heroine Eskimo Queen (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}).
That mare did a great job off the track as well - six of her seven foals to race being winners including the G1 George Ryder S. winner Dreamforce (Fastnet Rock) and the Group 3 placed city winner Deep Chill (Wandjina).
The Zoustar/Fastnet Rock cross is one of the hottest in the country - the former represented by 40 winners from 51 runners out of mares by the latter; an excellent 78.4% winners-to-runners strike rate.
And of those winners six are stakes winners including the Group 1 gallopers Zougotcha, Joliestar and Climbing Star.
There is good male strength to this colt's pedigree - his sire bred on a Fairy King (USA)/Danehill (USA)/Nijinsky (Can) cross whilst his dam is Danehill/Nijinsky/Fairy King.
Lot 1376: Wootton Bassett (GB) x Mistress Oz (Snitzel) (bay colt)
What a great job Wootton Bassett is doing in the northern hemisphere and he is widely anticipated to do just as well in Australia - his weanlings and yearlings selling exceptionally well.
And this colt has the sort of pedigree his sire does best with - duplications of the outstanding mares Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) via Nureyev (USA) and Fairy King (USA) and Flaming Page (USA) (Bull Page {USA}) via The Minstrel (Can) and Nijinsky (Can).
Wootton Bassett has sired 11 stakes winners out of mares with a Nijinsky strain... four of those being Group 1 winners including the up-and-coming stallion Almanzor (Fr). He excels with the Special duplication as well!
This colt - a descendant of the famed matriarch Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB}) - is the second foal for a daughter of the wonderful mare Princess Coup (Encosta de Lago) - winner of twelve races including three Group 1 contests.
Also a high achiever at stud, Princess Coup has had eight winners from nine to race including the Group 3 winners Argentia (Frankel {GB}) and Thewizardofoz (Redoute's Choice) as well as the dams of the Listed winners Oz Empress (Exceed And Excel) and Stonecoat (Pierro) - and the grandam of the unbeaten Listed winning two-year-old Epimeles (Dundeel {NZ})
Lot 1495: Farnan x Unusual Dream (Ire) (Dream Ahead {USA}) (bay/brown filly)
From the debut crop of her sire whose yearlings have been well received at the sales, she is the third foal for a well related imported mare whose dam also produced the Group 3 winners Frankuus (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Kitaya (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}).
Her first foal Casa Helena (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was a close up and unlucky third at just his second start at Ballarat a couple of weeks ago whilst her two-year-old Predicting (Shalaa {Ire}) is a member of the Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou stable.
Unusual Dream's grandam is the G1 Phoenix S. winner Pharaoh's Delight (Ire) (Fairy King {USA}) whose Listed winning daughter Pharmacist (Ire) (Machiavellian {USA}) did a great job at stud with her seven winners including the dual Group 1 winner Red Rocks (Ire) and the stakes winners Blue Coral (Ire) (Grand Lodge {USA}), Medicinal (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}) and Galvaun (Ire).
Further back this is also the family of the G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Open Mind (USA) (Deputy Minister {Can}) and the dual Group 1 winning stallion Peaks And Valleys (USA).
Lot 1512: Pierata x Warpath (Reset) (bay colt)
What a great start Pierro's outstanding son Pierata has made to his stud career with eight debut crop winners including the stakes winners Coleman (who went so close in the G1 Golden Slipper S.) and Tobeornottobe and three stakes placegetters.
Boasting three strains of the mighty Zabeel (NZ), this descendant of the acclaimed matriarch Plucky Liege (GB) (Spearmint {GB}) is out of a Listed winning mare who is well and truly proving her worth at stud.
Six of her seven foals to race are winners including the dual Group winner Positive Peace (Stratum) and the stakes placed gallopers Rotator (Not A Single Doubt) and Alkaashef (Stratum) as well as the dam of the promising stakes placed three-year-old Kind Words (Written Tycoon).
Warpath's progeny have always sold well with her latest runner Cavalry Man (So You Think {NZ}) - who looks close to a win for the Moroney stable - fetching $320,000 as a yearling.
Lot 1524: Zoustar x Hell Or Highwater (Not A Single Doubt) (bay filly)
By a high-class stallion out of a tough, classy and durable race mare, this filly ticks all the boxes.
Her dam - a $210,000 yearling who has changed hands as a broodmare for $850,000 - won eight of her 27 starts including the Listed Heatherlie S. - and she was also stakes placed on two occasions; winning races at Flemington, Moonee Valley and Caulfield.
Her first three foals - all of whom have sold very well - are all winners including the promising three-year-old Mafia (Written Tycoon), a Peter & Paul Snowden trained $850,000 Easter yearling who has won two recent Randwick trials in preparation for his return to the track.
Her two-year-old Boss 'N' Highheels (Written Tycoon) - a $275,000 Easter yearling - also has good talent, leading throughout at her debut in New Zealand before a Listed fifth at just her second outing.
Hell Or Highwater is one of the four winners (from as many to race) for the Listed winner Get Ready Bertie (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}) who is also grandam of the stakes winners Tamborera (Can) (Macleans Music {USA}) and Magic Grant (USA) (Good Magic {USA}).
Get Ready Bertie's dual Group 3 winning dam De Bertie (USA) (De Niro {USA}) produced another two stakes winners - making this a terrific black-type family.
Eight of the 12 Zoustar runners out of Not A Single Doubt mares are winners including the stakes winners Schwarz and Solar Star.
Lot 1507: Farnan x Voila (Choisir) (bay colt)
Another member of a brilliant G1 Golden Slipper S. winner's debut crop, he is the first foal of a very good race mare who won at metropolitan level in Sydney and Melbourne - successful at five of her starts, also finishing in the placings on eight occasions.
By the wonderful globe-trotting galloper Choisir whose daughters have produced 31 stakes winners including six Group 1 winners, Voila was a $250,000 yearling who changed hands as a broodmare for $190,000.
She is one of the five winners (from as many to race) for the Group 2-placed three times winner Milzeel (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) whose triple Group 1 winning dam Miltak (NZ) (McGinty {NZ}) was crowned Champion Older Mare of Australia and New Zealand.
Macau Horse Of The Year Luck Of Smiling (NZ) (Elusive City {USA}) also hails from this classy family.
