THE success of Star Witness progeny on the racetrack continued in the sale ring at the Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale held on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 11 and 12 when two colts sold for $450,000 and $315,000.
Queensland-bred Star Witness had a Saturday to remember on October 8 when 3YO daughter Global Glamour won the Group 1Thousand Guineas – her second Group 1 in a week – while 3YO colt Star Turn and 4YO mare Mella Maria added Group 2s to their outstanding records.
Local trainers Bryan and Daniel Guy outlasted rivals to secure the last lot offered among the 2YOs on Day 2 for $450,000. Presented by Washpool Lodge near Aratula, in the supplementary catalogue, the Star Witness colt is the second living foal of the Exceed And Excel mare High Aspirations. Washpool Lodge also sold a So You Think/Morning Light colt for $220,000 to Gold Coast-based Les Kelly and a Sebring/Amusements colt for $200,000 to New Zealand-based agent Paul Beamish.
The $315,000 Star Witness colt will head to Singapore after topping Day One. Constance Cheng bought the colt, offered by Aquis Farm, Canungra – their first Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale. He is the first living foal of the lightly raced Exceed And Excel mare Ellamotion – a mare who hails from the family of Group 1 winners My Brilliant Star, Shot of Thunder and Sudurka.
The sale grossed more than $10 million – up almost $1.9 million on last year's record breaking edition. The clearance rate rounded out at 73 percent for 212 lots sold at an average price of $48,910.
Leading international jurisdiction by spend was Singapore with 34 lots costing $2.17 million while buyers from Macau (19 lots), South Korea (16), Hong Kong (12) and China (10) were also very active.
Melbourne black type for Our Boy Malachi
QUEENSLAND-bred sprinter Our Boy Malachi has added Melbourne to his list of Black Type success after his win in the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday, October 15 – the first time he’s raced in Victoria.
Dubbed the 'Rockhampton Rocket', the 8YO gelding – now trained by Team Hawkes in Sydney – boosted his remarkable record to 19 wins and three placings from 26 starts for $946,400 earnings. His earlier black type success includes the Group 2 Expressway Stakes, Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes, Listed Razor Sharp Handicap and Listed Starlight Stakes – all in Sydney – plus a Group 1 placing in the BTC Cup at Doomben, Brisbane.
By Top Echelon from the Rustic Amber (Ire) mare Rusticate, Our Boy Malachi was trained early in his career by John O’Sing who won 13 races with the gelding including two Rockhampton Newmarkets. Co-owner Ross Donovan told Aushorse News “Our Boy Malachi was bred by my brother, Colin, who sadly passed away in January 2015. He bred the horse at Rockhampton and I now race the horse in partnership with Colin’s wife (Katrina) and daughter (Jess). We’re a fairly spread out bunch: I’m in Townsville, Katrina is in Rockhampton and Jess is in Brisbane.
“Our Boy Malachi’s older brother, Hodgie And Mo, won 10 of his 20 starts, two more won five races each and Wal’s Boys – named after our father – won four. Rusticate was a great mare. Unfortunately she died not long after producing Our Boy Malachi. Incredible – seven to race for seven winners and, luckily, she saved the best for last,” he said.
Octagonal put down
OCTAGONAL – one of the greatest Australian horses of the modern era – has died at the age of 24.
Known affectionately as the 'Big O', Octagonal (Zabeel/Eight Carat) was euthanised at Godolphin Woodlands on Saturday morning, October 15.
Octagonal was bred at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand and was from the first crop of champion sire Zabeel. Bought by Jack and Bob Ingham, he was trained for his entire career by John Hawkes at their Crown Lodge headquarters. Crowned Australian Horse of the Year in 1996, Octagonal won 14 of his 28 starts including 10 races at Group 1 level. His career prize money haul of $5,892,231 made him the highest earning Australian racehorse in history at the time.
Next Saturday marks the 21st anniversary of Octagonal’s stirring victory over Mahogany as a 3YO in the 1995 Group1 Cox Plate. The following autumn he became the first horse since Kingston Town to win the 3YO Triple Crown of the Canterbury Guineas (now the Australian Guineas), Rosehill Guineas and Australian Derby. Retired to stud in 1997, Octagonal made the perfect start to his new career, siring Horse of the Year Lonhro in his first crop. An 11-time Group 1 winner, Lonhro is the only Australian Horse of the Year to go on and become a Champion stallion.
