STRONG INTERNATIONAL BUYING BENCH AT MELBOURNE PREMIER

Derek Brugman (Mayfair Speculators Racing Manager) with Dean Kannemeyer
(Photo : ANZ Bloodstock News)

MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALE
27 February - 1 March 2012

Led by a big contingent of South Africans, the international buying bench has been very strong during the opening two sessions of the 2012 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

Internationals splurged $1,426,000 on 19 lots during the first session and yesterday secured another 25 lots for $1,604,000, bringing the sale total for internationals to $3,030,000.

In addition to South Africa, other countries to have success at Premier so far have been Hong Kong, Ireland, new Zealand, Korea, Singapore and Japan.

Obviously buoyed by the success of their current flagbearer Igugu, a $65,000 purchase out of the Oaklands ring sold in South Africa by Summerhill Stud on the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, that country has had a huge presence during the opening two sessions.

Buyers from South Africa to date have included Heritage Bloodstock, World Wide Bloodstock, Livestock Traders, Summerhill Sales, Form Bloodstock and Mayfair Speculators, who added to Encosta De Lago, Danehill Dancer and Hussonet colts bought on day 1 with a $140,000 Street Sense colt yesterday.

Heritage Bloodstock secured a Flying Spur colt and Stratum filly yesterday, while Form Bloodstock picked up a Hussonet filly.

World Wide Bloodstock went to $45,000 for a Duke Of Marmalade colt on day 2 after securing a Tale Of The Cat filly during the opening session.

Korean Bloodstock are a welcome presence at this year’s sale and yesterday their purchases included a Reset filly and colts by Elvstroem and Mutawaajid.

Renowned international buyer Demi O’Byrne has made his way to Oaklands this year and on day one he went to $100,000 to secure a colt by Coolmore stallion Duke Of Marmalade.

On day two Demi O’Byrne secured the top lot (lot 408) for the sale, a Fastnet Rock colt out of Bellevue Lady. This is a record price for the Premier sale at $500,000 and a positive finish to the day.

Fellow Irishman Dermot Farrington was the successful bidder on a bargain $22,500 Encosta De Lago filly yesterday. New Zealand buyers included Dean Hawthorne, Beamish Bloodstock, Lyndhurst Farm, Mark Treweek, Tony Pike, Warren Bolton and Paul Willetts.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club picked up a not A Single Doubt colt for $120,000 yesterday, while Kin Shan Yeung led the Hong Kong charge on day one with $200,000 for a Bernardini colt.

Extract from ANZ Bloodstock News

TAKE-OFF FOR TRIPPI

Click above to watch Agra winning the Summer Juvenile Stakes (L)…
(Image : Gold Circle - Footage : UpInClass)

TRIPPI (USA)
End Sweep (USA) - Jealous Appeal (USA)

David Thiselton
Gold CircleTrippi, who finished 23rd on the General Sires List in the USA last year having finished 20th the year before, has made a big impact during his short stay in South Africa to date, although this was not unexpected.

On J&B Met day his first South African runner, the Justin Snaith-trained Agra, who had won on debut, became his first stakes winner in South Africa when easily winning the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes and maintaining her unbeaten record, while at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale, Trippi finished third on aggregate behind Jet Master and Captain Al and second on average behind Jet Master at R566,667 per yearling of the 21 sold.

Charles Faull of Form Bloodstock recommended the son of End Sweep to Drakenstein Stud’s Gaynor Rupert on his racing record (he won a Grade 1 and two Grade 2s over 1400m at Belmont) and his pedigree, while his progeny had made a good start, he was throwing nice looking foals and, not least, on his “beauty”.

Rupert and her stud manager Ross Fuller went to see Trippi in the USA and were equally impressed.

The decision to purchase him in 2008 paid almost immediate dividends as Trippi was Florida’s leading sire by the end of the season, a title he would have won every year since had he still been standing there, and the following year he had a Royal Ascot winner in Jealous Again, who won the Grade 2 Queen Mary Stakes over 1000m.

To date Trippi has bred 33 American Stakes horses, including a champion, three Graded stakes winners, track record holders and a Breeders Cup place getter.

A few hours after Agra had won at Kenilworth on Saturday, Trippi’s four-year-old son Soaring Stocks collected US$90,000 for his connections when winning the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes over 1200m on dirt at Gulfstream Park in the USA.

Agra looks a splitting image of her father, so it would appear Trippi stamps his foals.

Justin Snaith said he would rest Agra now and would not be taking her to Durban for the Champions Season.

Trippi received an outstanding book of 120 mares last year and this season Ross Fuller will drop him down to 100 mares although his fee of R30,000 nomination fee plus R70,000 for live foal might rise.

Trippi’s stallion companion at Drakenstein Stud is the legendary Horse Chestnut. 

Horse Chestnut, regarded by many as the greatest racehorse South Africa has ever produced, received poor support during his spell in the USA and had dropped down to half a handful of mares by the time he was brought back home.

He had gained a reputation for being infertile, but Fuller revealed that this was a false impression created by a condition he has which does not manifest if he is kept busy.

Horse Chestnut, who is an absolute gentleman in terms of temperament, was kept busy last season with over 100 mares. Another reason he didn’t get good mares in the USA is that his only start there yielded a Grade 3 win and he was probably viewed as only a Grade 3 winner, but in South Africa his famous eight length J&B Met win and his facile wins on the road to Triple Crown glory still live strong in the memory.

Even without the support he deserved, Horse Chestnut sired 141 individual winners in the USA at a rate of 61% winners to runners, while he sired 28 stakes horses and 13% stakes horses to runners.

Extract from www.goldcircle.co.za

READY TO RUN : A NEW GLOBAL STANDARD

Ready To Run Gallops at Summerhill Stud
(Photo : Gareth du Plessis)

“Extract from Australia’s Gavelhouse”

South Africa’s Ready To Run Sale, which comfortably exceeded its predecessors in terms of averages and turnover, may well have set an international standard that is going to make the rest of the world “take a hard look” at our model. So says Gavelhouse South Africa’s director David Mickleburgh.

“First of all, the lavish marketing programme spearheaded by Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud was brilliantly conceived and executed at a level of intensity not seen elsewhere, was reinforced by a sponsor, Emperors Palace, who did not hold back in exploiting the occasion and venue to its fullest extent resulting in a branding exercise that others will do well to follow,” he commented. “Ready to Run sales elsewhere, and in the Antipodes particularly, are generally indifferent affairs and none have developed the excellence or respect of the Emperors Palace exercise. But it is in the trading results and quality of stock that is causing others to take notice,” Mickleburgh suggests.

“Our Ready To Run has now entrenched itself as the happy hunting ground for skilled South African pinhookers to ply their trade internationally, buying weanlings in Australia and New Zealand and even South America, raising them till two-year-olds in this country and on-selling highly profitably at the Emperors Palace Ready to Run. And don’t think the Aussies and Kiwis haven’t noticed this trend and are on their part ready to cater to our pinhookers,” Mickleburgh added. “In fact, this year’s sale was dominated at the upper price levels by well bred, two-year-olds imported as weanlings which accounted for about 10% of the catalogue but about 25% of the R31,000,000 aggregate, which in itself was well above last year’s R23,685,000. The strong marketing backed by the impressive quality level of the imports, ensured that the average of R189,000, was an increase of nearly 20% quite extraordinary in this tough economy. Virtually all the top prices were achieved by the quality imports,” points out Mickleburgh.

Sales topper was a Royal Academy colt knocked down for R1.5 million to Form Bloodstock. The unnamed colt is out of Machiavelian’s granddaughter Dubai’s Fairy and was consigned by Summerhill’s Mick Goss who understandably enjoyed the lion share of business.

Another lot to make R1 million was lot 180, also a Rock of Gibraltar colt, also consigned by Summerhill and also purchased by Form Bloodstock.

The highest priced priced filly on the sale was lot 71, a daughter of El Prado. Consigned by Summerhill Sales, the grey filly was bought by Anfield Sports for R900,000. The excellent prices achieved by the large number of pinhooked fillies indicated that the speculators had recognized the continual demand by South African breeders for well related females with stud potential.

The top nine prices were for imported stock and included an interesting South American import consigned by Nicola Coppez’s Balmoral pre-training farm representing a mix of USA and Brazillian blood; knocked down for R400,000 to Fred Crabbia; the colt was sired by Breeders Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup out of a well-performed Brazillian mare Allysa.

As pleased as anyone else over the results was the TBA who are experiencing some stiff competition from Cape-based sales companies which enjoy an advantage due to the restrictions governing the movement of horses in South Africa.

Extract from Gavelhouse

RECORD TURNOVER FOR 2011 EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE

Click above for 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale Statistics
(www.tba.co.za)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE
TBA Sales Complex, Gosforth Park, Germiston
South Africa
6 November 2011

The 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale concluded Sunday at record levels. The sale aggregate topped R31,030,000, up 31% on 2010 figures. The average of R189,207 was up 22% on the previous year.

The sale was largely dominated by well bred, imported 2-year-olds and was topped by lot 35, a superb looking son of Royal Academy, who was knocked down for R1.5 million to Form Bloodstock. The unnamed colt is out of the Medicean mare, Dubai’s Fairy, and was consigned by Summerhill Sales. The other lot to make R1million was lot 180 Duke Of Medina, a son of Rock Of Gibraltar, who was also purchased by Form Bloodstock.

The top priced filly on the sale was lot 71 Hope Forever, a daughter of El Prado knocked down for R900,000. Consigned by Summerhill Sales, the grey filly was purchased by Anfield Sports.

Imported sires truly dominated the sale with top prices being paid for the progeny of Royal Academy, Rock Of Gibraltar, El Prado, Street Sense, Dylan Thomas, Danehill Dancer, Any Given Sunday, Tale Of The Cat and Forestry.

Top sires by aggregate were Rock Of Gibraltar, Mullins Bay, Kahal, El Prado and Stronghold.

Summerhill Stud’s Mick Goss was pleased with the overall result of the sale, saying, “It was a record turnover for the sale, which in these tough times is truly remarkable. This sale is also a tribute to the spirit of South Africans, who have shown their spirit and resilience at the sale. People remained until the last lot sold, and there was a million rand available with just five lots to sell.”

The TBA’s CEO Jan Naude was also satisfied by the one day sale, commenting, “The pin hooked imports really stole the show, but there was still good money for the good locally bred individual.”

Click the thumbnail above to view in-depth statistics of the 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

Extracts from www.tba.co.za

2011 NATIONAL YEARLING SALE : DAY 3

Derreck David with Lot 421 Blue Ridge Mountain
(Photo : Heather Morkel)

EMPERORS PALACE NATIONAL YEARLING SALE
15 - 17 April 2011

The final day of the 2011 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale started well when the Summerhill Sales-consigned lot 421, Blue Ridge Mountain, was knocked down for R2 million to Markus Jooste. The beautiful chestnut is by champion US sire, Giant’s Causeway, out of a Distant View mare, and hails from the same family as last year’s Cartier Champion 2-year-old filly, Misty For Me.

The Sale closed on a high when lot 599, the penultimate lot on sale, was knocked for R1.2 million to John Freeman. The chestnut colt, consigned by Varsfontein Stud, is named True Master. A son of Jet Master, he is out of G3 winner Bushra.

Overall, the sale posted an aggregate of R115,310,000. Of the 600 yearlings catalogued, 557 went through the ring, and just 65 failed to find homes.

The sale’s average price was R244,301, down slightly from last year’s average of R324,557. No fewer than 16 yearlings made R1 million plus. The top priced yearling to sell was Heart’s Content, lot 196. The filly, consigned by Varsfontein, is by champion sire Jet Master out of the stakes winning mare, Jalberry.

Varsfontein Stud enjoyed a fantastic sale, and ended up as the leading vendors by aggregate. Their 17 lots to sell made R7.055 million, and averaged R415,000.

Leading vendor, by average, was Varsfontein Stud (As Agent), they sold seven yearlings for an average price of R706,429.

Form Bloodstock were the most prolific buyers, and purchased 20 yearlings for an aggregate of R10.2 million.

Champion sire, Jet Master, enjoyed a truly phenomenal sale. The great horse sold 35 of his 37 yearlings on offer, for an aggregate of R21,325,000, making him the leading stallion by aggregate. He averaged R609,286, which made him the leading sire by average, with five or more sold.

TBA’s CEO, Jan Naude, was resigned about the sale, “These prices are a realistic reflection of the economy. There was plenty of good money for the top horses, but the middle market struggled.”

Extract from Bloodstock South Africa