Son of Impending Tops Magic Millions Tasmanian Sale

Trainer Cameron Thompson Feb. 22 fended off a powerful band of mainland buyers who dominated the top-end of the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale to keep an impressive AU$150,000 (US$118,024) son of Darley's first season sire Impending in his home state.

The highest-priced lot sold at Quercus Park in Carrick, one of six six-figure yearlings in a record-breaking Tasmanian auction, was a clear indication that the demand for bloodstock in 2021 had reached the island state, with the afternoon session smashing all previous measures.

There were no six-figure yearlings sold in 2020 and, more importantly, the average of AU$35,872 ($28,225) was up 17%, while the median of AU$29,000 ($22,818) increased from AU$26,000 last year, figures which observers suggest will provide a boost to local breeders and give them the motivation to reinvest in young broodmares.

The aggregate of AU$3,372,000 ($2,653,180) was also up slightly on last year, despite 21 fewer horses being offered.

Cressy-based Thompson zeroed in on the colt during on-farm inspections a fortnight ago and, along with the support of some new clients, was able to land the standout yearling.

"He is a cracking type, a real early type, from a deep-pedigreed family who has performed on the track, which is good to see," Thompson told ANZ Bloodstock News. 

"We love the hot new sire in Impending, being a son of Lonhro, and it is a good combination.

"I thought he would make at least AU$100,000 and, not being by a local stallion, he had to go close to topping the sale, but I didn't think he'd make the money he did. 

"The sale was so strong today that it really put a cream on top of the horses and that was evident on the lesser ones. It's really good for the breeding industry."

Consigned by Armidale Stud on behalf of breeders Ken and Jen Breese, the colt is the first foal out of Snitzel mare Dream Food, a three-quarter sister to the Matthew Dunn-trained stakes winner Snitz and a half brother to the group 2 winner, group 1-placed mare I'll Have A Bit. His third dam is the group 2-winning Tickle My. He was cataloged as Lot 104.

"He was a lovely type, by the right stallion, out of a super family. Ken and Jen have been wonderful supporters of ours, and it was great to get a result for them," Armidale Stud's David Whishaw said. 

"It is great to see Cameron Thompson, a young local trainer with some big owners behind him, it's great they are investing in him and giving him some quality stock."

Vandyke Makes Most of Opportunity From Afar

When David Vandyke ventured to trackwork early Monday morning, buying a horse was the furthest thing from his mind, but only a matter of hours later, the prominent Queensland trainer had the second highest-priced lot sold at the sale in his possession.

The group 1-winning Sunshine Coast-based trainer was Monday alerted to the fact that the sister to his promising mare Cotton Fields, a last-start Doomben winner, was going through the Tassie ring and, after some due diligence, the filly is heading his way with a AU$120,000 ($94,419) price tag.

"I have got David Chester to thank for that," Vandyke, who was bidding online, revealed to ANZ Bloodstock News Monday. 

"He rang me up and alerted me that she was in and Cotton Fields is a lovely, scopey type of mare who I have had a good opinion of. 

"It's a lovely family, it's versatile, there's good depth to it, and my spies down there told me she was a lovely type. She is certainly worth giving a go.

"The fact that she's Magic Millions (Race Series eligible) and that I know the full sister well, she will be an easy sell. I am delighted to get her at that price and I can't wait to see her in the flesh."

By the same sire as Saturday's exciting 3-year-old Neds Oakleigh Plate (G1) winner Portland Sky—Deep Field's first at the highest level—the yearling is also a sister to last week's Ballina maiden winner Medusa's Fury. She is the fifth foal out of the unraced Medusa, herself a half sister to Perth listed winner View The Stars and the stakes-placed sire Olympus. Offered by Alva Stud, she was cataloged as Lot 5.

Medusa was bought at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale by Belmont Bloodstock's Damon Gabbedy for AU$30,000 ($20,751) on behalf of vendor Alva Stud.

Les Bridge trains an unraced 2-year-old three-quarter brother to the AU$120,000 filly, while Medusa also has an Alpine Eagle filly at foot.

Alva Stud's Catherine Hills was hopeful of a big result given she rates her as "one of the best fillies I have ever brought here."

"She was a lovely filly, all her X-rays were good. Her scopes were good and Deep Field is going really well at the moment. I was hoping she would do quite well," Hills said.

"Sometimes things work out perfectly in terms of timing, and the sister shows there has been proven success with Deep Field as well, which meant she had a lot of going for her."

Vandyke plans to continue his patience with the lightly raced Cotton Fields, who has won twice from five starts, and he is already looking ahead to next season with the mare.

"She will have one more run and then go to the paddock," he said. 

"I know she is 4, but she is a scopey type and she is just going to get better with time. Most of these female horses should be racing (well) at 5."

Vandyke has been selective so far this sales season, with Monday's addition his third yearling in 2021.

"You have got to pick your mark. Overall, they are expensive but I think if you are diligent you can certainly get a bargain," he said. 

"I bought a Savabeel for AU$250,000 at the Magic Millions and she is a beautiful filly and I got a Pierro filly for AU$150,000. Taking those two into this filly, I think I have shopped well thus far.

"I had none on the shopping list in Tassie until a couple of hours ago, but you've got to keep your phone on and your mind open."

Later in the session there were back-to-back six-figure lots with an Alpine Eagle colt, the third foal out of well-performed Tasmanian stakes-winning mare Testamarriage, bought by well-known agent John Foote, with the assistance of Merrick Staunton, for AU$110,000 ($86,551) before a Lonhro filly with a strong pedigree made AU$100,000 ($78,683).

The Alpine Eagle colt, cataloged as Lot 68, was offered by Armidale Stud, while the Grenville Stud-consigned filly was bought by Victorian trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mat de Kock in conjunction with agent Peter Ford. She was cataloged as Lot 69.

Grenville Stud also sold a colt by its first season Henry Bucks Sires Produce Stakes (G2)- winning sire Zulu Land for AU$100,000 to the partnership of China Horse Club, which raced the sire, McEvoy Mitchell Racing, and Belmont Bloodstock. 

Bred by Graeme and Bart McCulloch, who also bred group 1 winner Mongolian Khan, the colt is the third foal out of two-time winner Benoit, a half sister to New Zealand group 1 winner Ekstreme and the stakes-placed Maradona and Pellegrini. He was cataloged as Lot 87.

The McCullochs later sold another son of Zulu Land—the half brother to boom Tasmamian 2-year-old Turk Warrior—for AU$100,000 to Lindsay Park, who were bidding online. Cataloged as Lot 106, the colt is the sixth foal out of Tasmania dual listed winner Ehor, herself a half sister to the stakes-placed Party Crasher. 

Records Set at Quercus Park

Monday's sale was the first staged at Quercus Park in Carrick, near Launceston, and the results, Magic Millions Victoria and Tasmania manager Tim Brown says, will provide an impetus for local breeders to raise the bar in terms of quality in the years to come.

Brown would have taken the results achieved Monday if they were put to him three months ago.

"And I will take them today as well," he declared. "We got six for AU$100,000 and over this year, which is fantastic. 

"That is a great result at the top end. Some of the lesser horses were hard (to move) as they have been in other sales, but on the whole, considering Tasmania had that three-month hiatus from racing last year, I think the trainers and the local buyers have come back extremely strongly.

"There's an impetus now at the top end and I do believe that more people are going to follow that better end of the market and reduce the number of average mares and move on with producing more commercial stock."

The leading sire was Armidale Stud's Alpine Eagle, who averaged AU$46,167 ($36,325) from 21 yearlings sold, ahead of Zulu Land who averaged AU$42,067 ($33,099) from 15 lots sold. Armidale also took the leading vendor honor, selling 26 yearlings for AU$1,197,000 ($941,830) at an average of AU$46,038 ($36,224) ahead of Grenville, which traded 18 yearlings at an average of AU$44,278 ($34,839).

Queensland-based agent Foote, who went to Tasmania last week to inspect yearlings before returning to the mainland in preparation for the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, was the leading buyer with eight lots for various clients. Interstate buyers bought 47 yearlings while two were also sold to Hong Kong clients.