MELBOURNE bloodstock agent Suman Hedge parted with $500,000 to buy the dearest youngster offered on the opening day of the National Yearling Sales on the Gold Coast this week.
Offered by Milburn Creek and a son of champion sire Snitzel and the high quality Hussonet mare Walk With Attitude, he had a $180,000 break on the next most expensive yearling for the session.
Hedge thought his new acquisition was the best n the catalogue.
"He was probably the stand out horse of the sale for a lot of people and we're absolutely delighted to have been able to secure him," Hedge said.
"Scott Holcombe (Milburn Creek's farm manager) is someone I respect and he's always loved this colt."
Chris Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock paid the second highest price of the session when they went to $320,000 for an I Am Invincible half-brother to the group placed Centimental.
Those two sales helped push the day's aggregate to $7,090,500, a significant drop on the $10,288,500 realised at the same sale a year ago. The average $63,887 ($53,866) and median $45,000 ($36,000) were up on 2020, as was the top priced.
But Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch expressed some dismay with the clearance rate of 57 per cent.
"I think it's an extremely polarising market and the clearance rate is far from satisfactory," Bowditch said.
"Buyers, agents, trainers and owners out there need to be paying attention to this sale. On the other side of the coin, I think vendors need to set their reserves low and give the market an opportunity to gain some confidence and obviously give themselves an opportunity to sell these horses.
"This is the end of the line from a selling perspective for the yearling market and it would be good to be able to sell a higher percentage of these horses."
Sale statistics (with 2020 in brackets) -
Lots catalogued 225 (293, sold 111 (191), withdrawn 29 (38), passed-in 85 (63), top price $500,000 ($360,000), average $63,887 ($53,866), median $45,000 ($36,000), gross $7,090,500 ($10,288,500), sold 57% (75%).
Day one top sellers -
- $500,000 Snitzel-Walk With Attitude colt (Lot 1619), vendor Milburn Creek (as agent, buyer Suman Hedge B'stock (Vic)
- $320,000 I Am Invincible-Serena Miss colt (Lot 1547) Torryburn Stud, Waller Racing/Mulcaster B'stock (NSW)
- $220,000 Dundeel-Quizzed colt (Lot 1512) Kenmore Lodge (as agent), Mulcaster B'stock (NZ)
- $220,000 Extreme Choice-She Brings Hope filly (Lot 1553) Bowness Stud, Suman Hedge B'stock/Mick Price Racing (Vic)
- $210,000 Redoute's Choice-La Fouine Tail colt (Lot 1401) Arrowfield Stud (as agent), Waller Racing/Mulcaster B'stock (NSW)
- Leading buyers ranked by total spend) -
- $530,000 Waller Racing/Mulcaster B'stock - 2 lots, $500,000 Suman Hedge B'stock - 1 lot, $425,000 David Ellis/Andrew Williams B'stock - 3 lots, $360,000 John Foote B'stock - 2 lots, $300,000 Vandyke Racing - 2 lots.
- Leading sires (ranked by average - 2 or more sold) - $186,667 - Snitzel - 3 sold, $135,000 - Capitalist - 3 sold, $105,000 - Written Tycoon - 2 sold, $98,750 - Deep Field - 5 sold, $87,500 - Maurice - 4 sold.
- Leading vendors ranked by gross) - $685,000 Milburn Creek - 4 sold, $612,000 Kenmore Lodge - 7 sold, $547,000 Arrowfield Stud - 7 sold, $472,500 Yarraman Park Stud - 6 sold, $420,000 Westbury Stud - 9 sold,.
- Leading vendors (ranked by average - 2 or more sold) - $171,250 Milburn Creek - 4 sold, $112,500 Bhima T'breds - 2 sold, $105,000 Alexia Fraser B'stock - 2 sold, $94,12- Torryburn Stud - 4 lots, $91,250 Bowness Stud - 4 sold.
Alan Welburn
Lover of sport, particularly horse racing and all things Olympic. Have spent my entire working life in journalism, mostly with News Corp on its major metro mastheads. Done plenty of things but the best by far is having a teenage son who calls me dad.
Lover of sport, particularly horse racing and all things Olympic. Have spent my entire working life in journalism, mostly with News Corp on its major metro mastheads. Done plenty of things but the best by far is having a teenage son who calls me dad.
