Major incentives to buy QTIS Yearlings at Gold Coast

The sale source of star gallopers Buffering, Spirit of Boom, I'm A Rippa, Boomsara, Chapter And Verse and Winning Rupert, this year will see 412 select lots offered over two days, March 16 and 17 after the massive $1.6 million Jewel Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club on March 14.

All lots offered have been subject to the first payment for QTIS and buyers will have the opportunity to scoop $67,200 (colts and geldings) and $79,450 (fillies) every Saturday for a Queensland metropolitan two and three-year-old win for fully paid QTIS youngsters. A record 113 lots are BOBS eligible in a further boost for buyers.

QTIS yearlings get to race in more feature races across Queensland including the recently boosted $300,000 QTIS 3YO Jewel and the new $100,000 QTIS Northern Jewel. Selected Saturday metropolitan races across south east Queensland will now carry bonuses for four-year-olds.

The newly announced regional Queensland Guineas Series, sponsored by Magic Millions, will provide buyers with more lucrative opportunities - the series carrying prize money of $250,000 plus QTIS bonuses.

The news is even better for buyers with the introduction of QTISx bonuses where owners can take the cash or choose a sales voucher to double the bonus value on the purchase of a QTIS yearling at specified Queensland sales.

Buyers at the 2020 Gold Coast March Yearling Sale will have the added incentive of a discount on the Magic Millions Race Series nomination fee to make their purchase eligible for the $12.69 million suite of graduate races held over six states of Australia.

The online catalogue for the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale can be accessed at magicmillions.com.au while it can also be downloaded via the Equineline Catalog App for iPad.

A DEBUT 2YO maiden win by five lengths at Bowen last Friday by Rockhampton-based filly Java Sparrow has elevated her deceased sire Spill The Beans to second on the Australian first season sires' list for the 2019/20 season.

Spill The Beans has four individual winners from 16 runners and progeny earnings of $270,250 to rank second behind Pride Of Dubai who has two individual winners from 11 runners and progeny earnings of $33,825.

Spill The Beans, who shuttled to the National Stud for the 2018 northern hemisphere breeding season, died suddenly at Aquis Stud, Canungra on November 1. The son of champion sire Snitzel captured the Group 2 QTC Cup as a 3YO before retiring to Aquis Farm's stallion base in Canungra, where he had been in high demand throughout his short career at stud, covering 489 mares in his first three seasons. Spill The Beans covered 202 in his first year alone, making him the most popular newcomer to stud in Australia in 2016.

A home-bred for Graceville Thoroughbreds and trained by Peter Fleming, Java Sparrow's win came eight days after 2YO filly Cosmic Gossip won the 2YO Classic Plate at the metropolitan ranked Sunshine Coast Cup meeting on Saturday, January 25. Earlier wins by Spill The Beans first crop progeny were Bangers And Mayo at the Sunshine Coast and Tennessee Boy at Townsville last October where he also sired the quinella with Molongle Drifter being runner-up.

SIX individual winners from Townsville to the Sunshine Coast during January have given central Queensland Thoroughbred enthusiasts Brian and Lorraine Hall a dream start to 2020. The band-wagon started on New Year's Day, when their courageous 4YO mare Gracie Belle resumed racing as a winner at Doomben and continued through until last Friday, when their 2YO filly Java Sparrow had a debut win at Bowen.

Rockhampton racing journalist Tony McMahon reports the value of the upcoming yearlings at the Capricornia Yearling Sales (CYS) on April 5 has been further enhanced by the win of Java Sparrow who was a graduate of the 2019 CYS when sold for $9000.

McMahon reports the Halls enjoyed a winning run with their astute Rockhampton trainer Peter Fleming preparing five different horses - Koby's Strategy, Ziggi Rocks, Boss Baby, Cat In The Raine and Java Sparrow - to win at tracks from Townsville through to Calliope all through January. In addition, Fleming also trained Gracie Belle before being transferred south during last Spring to Murwillumbah trainer Matthew Dunn.

The Halls have a band of 12 broodmares at their Mornish 144ha property Graceville from where Gracie Belle, Koby's Strategy, Ziggi Rocks, Boss Baby and Java Sparrow were all bred.

Despite having her share of problems, Gracie Belle (M 4 Top Echelon/Alexandra Gardens) won three times at Rockhampton and once at Bowen for Fleming. Then, having been off the racing scene since a Callaghan Park second on June 7, Gracie Bell won at her Doomben debut on January 1.

Brian Hall explained that Gracie Belle had endured her share of setbacks and problems during her racing career and unbeknown to all concerned had actually raced successfully with a fractured rib earlier in her career.

QUEENSLAND racing identities Neville Bell, John McCoy and Denise Hanly have been recognised in this year's Australia Day honours with the trio each awarded an Order of Australia Medal.

The Racing Queensland website reports they were acknowledged for their service to the racing industry and respective communities over a number of years.

Bell has been the Brisbane Racing Club chairman since 2012, and was an original member of the board when the Queensland Turf Club and Brisbane Turf Club merged in 2008. Bell was honoured for both his contribution to racing as well as his service to the community of Caboolture, where he has run the Kilto Park Stud for more than 30 years.

McCoy has been the voice of Queensland sport for more than 50 years, and for the past 16 years has been heard on Radio TAB's Breakfast Show with co-hosts Peter Psaltis and Paul Sawtell. 'Macca' kicked off his broadcasting career in 1966 at 4LM in Mt Isa, and moved on to 4BC in 1971 where he was mentored by legendary race-caller Vince Curry.

At 4BC he went on to call everything from rugby league to the Commonwealth Games, before taking up a breakfast presenter role at RadioTAB covering all sports. McCoy retired last Friday from sports broadcasting, however he will still have a keen interest in the races through the Tony Gollan trained gelding Capital Connection, of which his wife Carmel is a part-owner.

Hanly was awarded an OAM for her services to the community of Ipswich, where she is a committee member of the Ipswich Turf Club. Hanly's appointment was history making, being the first female in the club's 160-year history to be voted onto the committee.

Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell was pleased to see industry participants acknowledged in the Australia Day honours list. "The three OAM recipients have been strong advocates for our industry over many years," he said.

FIVE years ago 15 lots sold for $100,000 or more at the Inglis Classic Yearling sale in Sydney where the gross was $13 million. Fast forward to the 2019 edition at Riverside Stables, and an astonishing 150 yearlings breached the $100,000 benchmark, underpinning nearly $50 million in turnover.

From February 9 to 11 at Riverside Stables, off the back of phenomenal Group 1-winning dominance by Inglis graduates - 40 victories since 2018 alone - the 2020 Inglis Classic Sale catalogue has a combined 808 yearlings (613 in Book 1 and 195 in the popular Highway Session) catalogued for sale.

Six Queensland vendors are represented - Canning Downs, Glenlogan Park, Grandview, Highgrove, KBL Thoroughbreds and Kenmore Lodge - while Queensland-based sires Better Than Ready, Kiss And Make Up, Siderius, Sidestep, Spill The Beans, Spirit Of Boom and Under The Louvre have progeny catalogued.

Breeding and Racing webnews reports that with the benefit of hindsight, Inglis Classic was always destined to live up to its moniker with a veritable production line of star graduates (including pass-ins) like Yankee Rose, She Will Reign, Samadoubt, Hellbent, I Am A Star and, more recently, Vow and Declare, Castelvecchio and Shadow Hero. The Classic Sale is also responsible for 25 Australian stakes winners sold for $100,000 or less since 2018.