After the conclusion of
Session 1 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when lot 438 departed the sale ring, the sale had again made its mark on the Australian Thoroughbred Industry’s landscape.
The sale recorded with a Clearance rate of
81% (which will finish higher after pass in lots are traded privately), and an
Average of $258,038 with a Median of $200,000. The sale by that stage had a
Gross of $81,540,000.
After inspecting well over
120 yearlings that met our qualification criteria, we had only 18 sets of x-rays read for session one, then removing 2 lots that failed we were left with
16 to bid upon.
DENMAN x QUILT Yearling Filly
After the dust had settled, we had only purchased the one yearling by
Denman x Quilt - she being a ¾ sister to SW PINWHEEL which we immediately announced would be in the care of
Peter & Paul Snowden.
We had also identified
3 lots from the
Session Two catalogue. Commencing at Lot 438 and catalogued through to Lot 550, as luck would have it, each of the 3 yearlings we were interested in fell in the last passage of the sale catalogue.
But it was worth the wait in the cold and rainy conditions. Two of the lots we had wanted we chased hard but fell short when the under bidder on each.
We had steeled ourselves that despite all the hard work we had put in, it appeared that we would walk away from the 2014 sales with just the one purchase.
However we still had one shot at the stumps remaining. We remained upbeat that we had a chance to get the remaining lot but the way the sale had progressed, we were only living in hope rather than expectation.
Since Lot 550 was a scratching, there were only 2 lots remaining in the catalogue when the penultimate lot was presented.
COMMANDS x MEZMAR Yearling Colt
Lot 547 had been on our radar from early in the sale inspections. We had been patient and our reward would soon be realised.
Into the sale ring walked Lot 547 - a particularly strong colt for a first foal by outstanding successful sire
COMMANDS – The leading Australian Sire of Winners (3 times) and
61 Stakes Winners.
The colt was the first foal of
MEZMAR (by the Marscay son - Marwina).
She was a successful Sydney class racehorse winning
5 races from 900m to 1450m.
MEZMAR is also a half-sister to the Stakes Winner:
DORF COMMAND (f by Commands)
7 wins 1100 to 1350m, Ipswich TC Gai Waterhouse Classic,
L, 2d AJC Challenge S.,
Gr 2, Nivison H.,
L, PJ Bell H.,
L, 3d ATC Maurice McCarten S.,
L, MRC Sportingbet Sprint Series Final S.,
L.
MEZMAR is the daughter of MEZDORF (by Cossack Warrior).
MEZDORF was a winner at 1600m and she produced 4 to race, 4 winners including
DORF COMMAND and her full sister
PAESE COMMAND.
MEZDORF is a half-sister to 3 Stakes Performers:
Sussman (g Commands) 8 wins 1400 to 2300m, $179,320, AJC Cabramatta H., 2d STC Neville Sellwood S., L, 3d AJC Barr Industries H.
Brother of Danny (c Danewin) 6 wins–1 at 2–1200 to 2200m, $112,795, AJC CVD 79th Birthday H., STC Information Services H., AOG H.
Windorf (c Danewin) 3 wins 1500 to 2400m, AJC Seppelt Wines H., Rhonda Boyce H., 2d STC Christmas Cup, L, 4th AJC Summer Cup, Gr 3.
This is the immediate family of stakes horses
COCO COBANNA (f Casual Lies (USA)) 7 wins 1250 to 2600m, $1,048,693, AJC Metropolitan H., Gr 1, Australian Oaks, Gr 1, Colin Stephen H., Gr 3, 3d South Australian Oaks, Gr 1. Producer.
SWIFT GUN (c Bletchingly) 4 wins 1000 to 1250m, AJC Sir Brian Crowley S., L, NSW Tatt's RC Roman Consul S., L, AJC Amounis H. Sire.
MOHICAN BRAVE (g Desert King (Ire)) 5 wins 1200 to 2000m, $108,332, AuRC New Zealand Derby Trial S., L, 2d Matamata Cup, L.
WAIT AND HOPE (c Nediym (Ire)) 3 wins–1 at 2–1000 to 1615m, $101,590, QTC JF Meynink S., L, BTC Fitton Insurance H.
ELECTRIC GENERAL (g General Nediym) 7 wins–1 at 2–1000 to 1300m, WATC Colonel Reeves S., Gr 3, 3d WATC Winterbottom S., Gr 2.
The colt we purchased was on offer by John North of
BOWNESS STUD (as agent). Having done our homework prior to the sale, we knew the colt would represent an excellent chance of racetrack success.
Firstly before the sale we had identified that the colt was exceptionally well bred, genetically being on the
Danehill over Marscay cross. He has a pedigree rating score of
A 300% and a Best Of Sale rating of 1.0.
Genetically this colt was first class and then after the colt survived our 3 rounds of physical inspection, he still remained on our list to present to our contracted veterinarian
Dr. John Walker. Then John also passed the colt and confirmed it was worthy of being purchased. John then read the 42 x-rays on file in the x-ray repository and gave the colt the all clear to proceed with a purchase based upon the x-rays and physical conformation.
The final aspect was to determine a fair market valuation for us to set a ceiling price.
Without chasing beyond our limit, we believed the colt had a commercial value
$75,000-$80,000.
However there were two things in our favour.
Firstly we knew he was the second last lot to be sold in the catalogue and took a punt that by then, the buyers would already be set for yearlings or those buyers without a purchase had already left with disappointment or frustration. That certainly appeared the case with a look around the seats in the sale ring showing hardly a soul to be found by the late arrival of our colt.
Then the most important factor of all. We had become aware that the colt had to be sold unreserved as it was bred on a
foal share and as such, was required to be sold under the terms of that contract to crystallise a settlement value. Neither Bowness nor Darley as successful breeding operations are interested in keeping colts.
This was the key fact – it was there to be sold –
unreserved.
Bidding was called for to commence at $50,000 but the start was at just $10,000 and went up in $5,000 bids. Dynamic were on at $25,000 before a reduced counter bid of $27,500 was received to which we instantly shot back $30,000.
That was it ! Our bid was not countered again and it was knocked down to
Dynamic Syndications for $30,000 + GST, with us still with another
$50,000 left in our pocket to bid for him. We simply couldn’t believe our luck !
Dealing with professional breeding operations that are organisations of integrity and knowing there was no over inflated reserve price on the colt allowed us to buy the best value of yearling at the sale – even if we did have to wait to the second last catalogued horse to be offered to do so.
As the saying’s go:
Patience is a Virtue !
All Good Things Come To Those Who Wait !
This colt will be trained by Dynamic Syndications most successful trainer for our Team –
DARREN SMITH at Newcastle. Darren has trained
92 race wins for our owners over the past 8 years including two Group 1 wins with Atomic Force.
Having trained the Stakes Winner Court Command and many other fine city class winners by the champion sire, Darren was our obvious choice for the BOBS eligible colt. With his heavily discounted training rates at Newcastle, our colt will represent fabulous value for those who choose to invest in him when over the coming months when we launch his promotion.
Stay tuned !