Breeze Up Bloodstock Scores at Magic Millions Adelaide

Chinese owner Gu Tao and his expatriate New Zealand trainer Quinton Cassidy added two colts and a filly to their burgeoning Breeze Up Bloodstock operation on the March 11 final day of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.

The pair landed a colt by Zoustar and a son of Widden Stud-based barn mate Nicconi for AU$140,000 (US$91,498) each, as well as adding a filly by Darley shuttler Frosted  for AU$30,000 ($19,607).

The trio of yearlings, to go with a AU$110,000 ($71,891) Brazen Beau colt bought on Day 1, brings Breeze Up Bloodstock's 2020 Australasian yearling sale tally to 38 with the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale still to go.

Cassidy, who trains from Wuhan in mainland China, and Gu have been in Australia since early January with no chance of returning home due to the coronavirus outbreak.

While concerned with the growing crisis and the wider ramifications, Cassidy said the pair have used their time in Australia and New Zealand to ramp up Breeze Up Bloodstock's Thoroughbred interests.

"We do plan on getting a racing team up and going, which is already underway, and we will also have some that will be re-offered (at 2-year-old sales), and the ones we think are suitable for China will go back there later on.

"We are covering all bases, and once everything settles down—we've still got Easter to go—we will decide which ones do what. It is exciting times ahead, and really looking forward to what we are establishing."

The Zoustar colt (Lot 324), who brought AU$140,000 Wednesday, is the first foal out of the three-time winner I'm A Flying Star, who in turn is a half sister to Hussterics, the dam of Inglis 2-Year-Old Classic winner Lady Jivago.

"He was magnificently turned out from Leneva Park—they did a great job preparing him, so full credit to them," Cassidy said. 

"He is a very athletic colt. We loved everything about him, and the good thing is the boss loved him, too. That makes the job very easy."

Leneva Park's Sarah Beaumont admitted it had been a tough market in Adelaide but was "very happy with the way he sold."

"He really developed throughout the prep. He is a big colt with the biggest overstep, and he was extremely busy throughout the parades. He was never in his box and paraded beautifully and very professionally throughout the week," Beaumont said. 

"I think the real selling point with him was his walk. He used every part of his body to walk and just improved and improved, and I think in six months' time, we will see an even bigger and better colt."

The Nicconi colt, who brought the same price for Breeze Up Bloodstock, was offered by Balcrest Stud as Lot 364. He is the first foal out of the two-time winner Life's Zerprise.

"It will be a tough decision with what we actually do with him. Initially, we did have plans to breeze him up, but looking at him two or three times, we might have to re-strategize our plans (and add him to the racing team)," he said. 

On the coronavirus that has prevented Gu and Cassidy from returning to China, he said: "It has been very tough on both of us, but it has enabled us to do now what we were going to be doing later in the year.

"We have brought that plan forward, and our racing team has given us something to do until everything settles down over in China. 

"When it is time to go back, we will pursue our projects over there, but it's a million-dollar question at the moment (when that will be)."

There were five yearlings who reached six figures on Day 2, bringing the total number of lots to make AU$100,000 or more at this year's Adelaide auction to 14, down from 19 in 2019.

Among them was the half brother by Shamus Award to group 3 winner Li'l Kontra, who also ran fourth in last year's star-studded Coolmore Stud Stakes (G1) at Flemington.

The colt was bought by Newcastle-based syndicator Australian Bloodstock, which went to AU$135,000 ($88,230) for the Golden Grove-consigned yearling who was cataloged as Lot 362.

By the Cox Plate (G1) winner, who relocated to Rosemont Stud last year, he is the seventh foal out of nine-time winner Li'l Cashy, who has had four foals to race for four winners, including Li'l Kontra and stakes-placed Cashed.

Australian Bloodstock's Luke Murrell believes the colt was a clear standout, not just in Adelaide but at all sales he attended this year.

"I spent three days down there looking at him, and as soon as he walked out, he was just the best-looking colt and also moved so well," Murrell said. 

"I thought he was in the top 10 balanced horses I'd seen all year—I just loved him. I was hoping, it being Adelaide, that I didn't have to spend that much, but he was worth every cent, and I guess in 12 months we will find out if it was a good decision or not." 

Shamus Award is best known as the sire of Queensland Derby (G1) winner Mr Quickie, and Murrell believes he is an underrated stallion.

"He is 60% runners to winners, and I think his colts are about 7% stakes horses, and this is coming off probably not the best batch of mares he would have covered in those seasons," he said. 

"We bought a filly, Enchanted Heart, off the same farm a couple of years ago, and she has won four from seven for us." 

Earlier, Leon Macdonald went to AU$120,000 ($78,427) to secure the Palentino half sister to Tequila Time (AUS), the group 3-winning sprinter under his care.

The veteran trainer, who runs a Morphettville stable with son-in-law Andrew Gluyas, prepared Tequila Time to win at Morphettville on Feb. 29.

By Sun Stud's first-season sire, the Willow Grove Stud-bred and -sold filly is the seventh living foal out of El Milagro, making her the half sister to not only Tequila Time, himself a AU$170,000 ($128,231) Adelaide graduate, but also the Tasmanian Guineas winner Inner Warrior and two other winners. She was cataloged as Lot 278.

The top-priced lot in Book 2 was a Puissance de Lune filly sold to Ballarat trainer Mitch Freedman from the draft of Phoenix Broodmare Farm for AU$90,000 ($58,820).

Golden Grove also sold a Shamus Award colt in Book 2 for AU$85,000 ($55,552) to Gold Coast trainer Michael Costa.

The Book 1 sale closed with 288 yearlings changing hands at a clearance rate of 79% at an average of $38,318 ($25,043, down 3.7%), and a median price of AU$30,000 ($19,607) held steady from 2019. The aggregate was AU$11,035,500 ($7,212,310), up 11% on the previous year but in line with the larger offering.

"I think the way the sale results were was reflective of some of the stock. I thought the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale was very even across the board," Australian Bloodstock's Murrell said. 

"But the last two Inglis sales (Classic and Premier) and now this Adelaide one, I thought those better horses were standing out because the difference between the top horses and the bottom horses is big. 

"When you look at every one of them, you get those lesser horses out, and they really stand out when you've just looked at a good horse. I saw all the horses (in Adelaide), and if you were to rate them out of 100, there were a lot of horses at 90, but there were a lot of horses at 10 as well and all in between, and I would think that is reflected in the results." 

While the overall yearling market has been up this year, Murrell was well aware that there were breeders who had lost money.

"The whole industry is pretty tough at the moment. There are some very good prices there, but there are a lot of costs associated, and I am sure there are a few people that have done it a bit tough in all the sales," he said. 

"But if you have the right product, they will certainly pay for it." 

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch again reiterated that it was "a very selective market" that played in Adelaide. 

"Buyers came here, they knew what they wanted to buy, and they had to pass all their criteria to bid, and in those cases they did bid strongly, but in other cases a lot of horses slipped through the cracks," Bowditch said.

"On the right horses, there was plenty of activity and competition. It just shows if you bring the right horse to Adelaide, you get plenty of money."

The focus for the Magic Millions bloodstock team now switches to next week's two-day QTIS March Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast.

"It is always a fantastic sale—plenty of opportunities, great value to be had with the prize money available up there (in Queensland)," he said.