ROCKHAMPTON and Townsville trainers John Wiggington and Bill Kenning collectively have almost 190,000 reasons to promote the forthcoming 2019 Gold Coast March Yearling sale being held on Monday and Tuesday, March 18 and 19.
The two trainers are remarkable success stories with their country-based fillies Better Reflection and Lady Yendor bought at last year’s sale that now have combined earnings of $188,950 including $56,250 in QTIS bonuses. Better Reflection was bred at Yarramalong Park, Kalbar, while Lady Yendor was bred at Wattle Brae Stud, Nobby.
Winner of the Listed BRC Callaway Gal Stakes for 2YO fillies at Doomben last December, Rockhampton-based Better Reflection was bought by John Wiggington for $20,000 and has now earned $103,550 including $12,750 in QTIS bonuses.
By Better Than Ready from the unraced Canny Lad mare Miraposa – making her a half-sister to three winners – Better Reflection demonstrated her potential with a six lengths win in 1050m 2YO maiden at Rockhampton in early November having earlier won an 900m trial by five lengths. The dominant win was all the incentive her trainer and co-owners needed to target the Listed Callaway Gal Stakes at Doomben in preparation for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January this year.
Townsville based filly Lady Yendor (Mahiara/Thundering Girl) cost her trainer Bill Kenning $14,000 and has repaid his trust with three wins at Bowen, Townsville and Mackay and has been the best QTIS 2YO performer in January and February, banking $18,200 and $14,550 respectively in bonus prizemoney. That was boosted by a further $10,750 with her Bowen win on March 2 to $43,500 – just over half her total earnings of $85,400.
Another Rockhampton trainer Tony McMahon has reported rising excitement for the March sale in central and north Queensland. “The QTIS bonus scheme is a huge attraction for buyers and Magic Millions provides wonderful service for all their country clients,” he said.
McMahon speaks from first-hand experience having bought a yearling filly for $9000 in 2016. Named Paradis Imperial (Instinction/Hennessy Beau), the filly was QTIS Horse of the Year for the 2016-17 season collecting $125,400 in QTIS bonus prizemoney with seven QTIS 2YO victories and has now earned $379.365 from 10 wins and 11 placings.
In south Queensland, more than 30 trainers and owners have had the opportunity to inspect a cross-section of more than 260 yearlings being prepared by 17 vendors for the March sale. Magic Millions bloodstock consultant James Dawson organised four days (February 26 and 28, March 5 and 7) of yearling parades and inspections at the Gold Coast hinterland, Scenic Rim (Beaudesert and Kalbar), Lockyer Valley and the Darling Downs.
The Magic Millions QTIS March sale is regarded as one of the country’s best value sales and Dawson believes this year’s quality is at a high standard again. Dawson has been a consultant with Magic Millions for 10 years after working for Coolmore and Keeneland overseas.
Participating vendors were: Aquis Farms, Canungra (16); Grandview Stud, Peak’s Crossing (15); Yarramalong Park, Kalbar (12); Lucas Bloodstock, Beaudesert (7); Glenlogan Park, Innisplain (6); Telemon Thoroughbreds, Innisplain (5); Bahrinna, Beaudesert (4); KBL Thoroughbreds, Beaudesert (17); Wattle Brae Stud, Nobby (8), Daandine Stud, Goomburra (4); Raheen Stud, Gladfield (29); Lyndhurst Stud, Warwick (38); Oakwood Stud, Haigslea (20); Clear Mountain Fairview, Greenmount (10); Kenmore Lodge, Wyrema (17), Eureka Stud, Cambooya (42); and Oaklands Stud, Umbriam (11).
MM March yearlings boosted by QTIS bonuses
ALL 392 lots at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale on March 18 and 19 have been subject to the first payment for QTIS, allowing buyers the opportunity to scoop up the bonuses of $67,200 (colts and geldings) and $79,740 (fillies) on every Saturday for a Queensland metropolitan two and three-year-old win – provided they complete the QTIS eligibility.
Boasting a record 91 BOBS-eligible lots and large collection of yearlings by in-demand young sires Spirit of Boom and Better Than Ready, the sale's past graduates include this season's 2YO stakes-winners Better Reflection (Better Than Ready) and Champagne Boom (Spirit of Boom), while Magic Millions 3YO Guineas and inaugural Aquis Jewel 2YO winner Boomsara (Spirit of Boom) is a graduate of the 2017 sale.
Earlier graduates include Buffering (Mossman), Spirit of Boom (Sequalo), I'm a Rippa (Love Conquers All) and Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon).
The two-day sale follows Saturday’s gala Gold Coast meeting which features the second running of the $500,000 Aquis Jewel (1200m) for 2YOs and the $200,000 Aquis Jewel for 3YOs over the same distance. The $197,500 Listed Goldmarket Handicap (1200m) also will be one of the meeting’s highlights.
Superstar Sunlight dominates Newmarket
SUPERSTAR 3YO filly Sunlight upstaged one of the finest sprint fields ever assembled at Flemington with a brilliant win in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on Saturday.
The brilliant daughter of Zoustar trained by Tony McEvoy led throughout the 1200m to score her ninth win and boost her earnings past $3.8 million.
The $300,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale purchase from Widden Stud has been a star during her racing career – one which shot to prominence on the Gold Coast last year when she won the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic and then ran third in the Group 1 Golden Slipper.
Then last November she beat the best sprinting 3YOs in the country with a dashing win in the 1200m Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week. Last Saturday, she rose another level to beat the country's leading sprinters that included at least five other Group 1 winners.
The win provided the best welcome to Australia for top class international jockey Barend Vorster who recently linked up with the powerful McEvoy Mitchell stable. The South African jockey was a star for many years in Singapore and regularly fought out finishes with champion rider Joao Moreira.
Sunlight is a great advertisement for the Magic Millions sales calendar having been a $300,000 buy for Aquis Farm, McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Blue Sky Bloodstock from Widden Stud at the 2017 Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Her dam, the group winner Solar Charged (Charge Forward), was bought from the National Broodmare Sale specifically for a date with young Widden Stud sire Zoustar – himself another purchase through the famous Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Winner of the Kindergarten Stakes and Thoroughbred Club Stakes in Sydney, Solar Charged is also the dam of group performer Sheikha and exciting juvenile Sisstar, who was fourth at Group 3 level on debut last November for the McEvoy stable.
Queensland owners in winning Sunlight syndicate
THERE are two Queensland families involved in the all-female syndicate that owns Sunlight – Loretta Fung from Aquis Stud, Canungra and Emerald-based Rae Fletcher and daughters Jordan and Shannon.
The Fletcher connection with Sunlight occurs because Rae’s husband, Dan Fletcher, is listed as a co-breeder after he joined up with Widden Stud in a mare ownership venture that includes Sunlight’s dam – the Group 3 winning Charge Forward mare Solar Charged. Consequently, when the filly sold for $300,000 at last year’s Magic Millions yearling sale the Fletcher family decided to retain an interest.
In fact, Sunlight’s sire Zoustar was foaled at an Innisplain property near Beaudesert that has seen numerous name changes and is now owned by Dan Fletcher. Zoustar was foaled there in 2010 when the property was called Racetree. The property has now undergone a further name change to Telemon Thoroughbreds with Dan expanding his Thoroughbred interests by acquiring the property in late 2016 and taking over operations when the lease to previous occupier Sun Stud expired in June last year.
Zoustar was sold twice as a youngster through Magic Millions. Originally bought by Kulani Park for $85,000 at the 2011 National Weanling Sale, he was later on-sold to a syndicate headed by Sheriff Iskander for $140,000 at the 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale.
$800,000 yearling at Melbourne Premier Sale
A BRAZEN Beau colt has become the second-most expensive yearling ever sold in Victoria when it sold for $800,000 on Day 1 (Sunday, March 3) of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Book 1 ended with an average of $117,624 for 384 lots and a clearance rate of 83 percent.
The most expensive price is $1.2 million paid by Melbourne trainer Ciaron Maher at the 2017 Premier Yearling sale for an I Am Invincible/Soorena colt offered by Gilgai Farm.
Orbis Bloodstock bought the 2019 sale topping Brazen Beau/Up In Lights (NZ) colt edging out Newgate Farm’s Henry Field in a stunning bidding duel for the Bhima Thoroughbreds, Scone, NSW, offering sold on behalf of client David Gillies. The colt will be trained by Hawkes Racing.
Queensland-bred stallion Written Tycoon sired the second top price lot – a colt from Black Caviar’s unraced sister Naturale – sold by Gilgai Farm, Nagambie, Victoria, to Mark Player’s International Thoroughbred Solutions for $675,000.
Brisbane bloodstock agent John Foote was active paying $1.56 million for seven lots including a Vancouver/Epingle (NZ) colt from Gilgai Farm for $540,000. He also combined with Ciaron Maher to pay $320,000 for a Fiorente (Ire)/Gorgonzola colt while Maher paid $575,000 for a Brazen Beau/ Innovation Girl colt offered by Blue Gum Farm.
Orbis ended Book 1 as leading buyer by aggregate ($1,860,000) from three buys, while Robbie Griffiths and Peter Ford topped the overall ‘lots purchased’ list, taking home 11 yearlings.
Darley stallion Brazen Beau was the star sire of the sale, topping the aggregate at $4,850,000 from 17 sold while Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible topped the averages list at $301,875 for eight lots.
Brazen Beau ($800,000) was one of six stallions to achieve a record price for a 2019-sold yearling alongside Vancouver ($540,000), Kermadec ($540,000), Golden Horn ($425,000), Fiorente ($320,000) and Free Eagle ($250,000).
Other Queensland-based buyers included Aquis Farms, Boomer Bloodstock, Tony Gollan, Kelly Schweida, John Morrisey, Stuart Kendrick, Maven Racing and The Last Stride syndicate.
Two Queensland vendors recorded solid sales across Book 1 and Book 2. Yarramalong Park, Kalbar – operated by Richard and Joan Foster – sold seven yearlings for $532,000 including three yearlings by first season sire success Better Than Ready for $135,000, $85,000 and $70,000 while Eureka Stud, Cambooya, sold eight yearlings for $474,000 including a Spirit Of Boom filly for $115,000.