Excel colt Exceeds online weanling record in Great Southern Sale
Victorian vendors feel the brunt of lockdown with a limited buying bench for trademark auction
Vendors at this year’s Inglis Great Southern Sale faced the brunt of Victoria’s lockdown restrictions which prevented buyers inspecting stock across the state, however a colt by leading sire Exceed And Excel (Danehill) still managed to pull a good price as Wagga Wagga-based breeder Brett Bradley of Arlington Park Racing went to $170,000 to secure the sale topper.
Consigned by Three Bridges Thoroughbreds as agent, the colt is out of winning mare Vicennalia (More Than Ready) and his half-brother by Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) sold at this sale last year for $225,000.
“I was just having a look through the catalogue and came across this colt and really the main attraction was his sire Exceed And Excel, I’ve always wanted to send one of my mares to Exceed And Excel and it’s never worked out for one reason or another,” Bradley said.
“I was just having a look through the catalogue and came across this colt and really the main attraction was his sire Exceed And Excel, I’ve always wanted to send one of my mares to Exceed And Excel and it’s never worked out for one reason or another” – Brett Bradley
“This colt was the best weanling in the sale so I knew we had to be strong and I didn’t really look at anything else – the photos, videos and reports were very helpful, in fact even at a live sale I find any parade videos to be advantageous, it’s like going back for your second and third looks.
“It’s a fast, American pedigree – and it was good to see the dam’s half sister Speaktomeofsummer win her second stakes race a few weeks ago – but for me it was all about Exceed And Excel.
“I haven’t 100 per cent decided yet on the future plans for the colt, I’ll get him to Kitchwin Hills first and have a good look at him, then discuss options with Mick Malone.”
Bradley – a director of the Murrumbidgee Turf Club for almost a decade – moved to Australia from the United States 24 years ago and became interested in horses through his wife and friends.
“I honestly just really love horses, it’s evolved to an interest in breeding and I have a small collection of broodmares at Kitchwin Hills – while the name Arlington Park Racing comes from the town Arlington in Texas where I once lived,’’ Bradley said.
“I’m a fan of the Inglis Digital format, I have used it before and people are definitely getting more used to trading online, it’s like working from home how people are adapting – I’m happy with the process and the result.’’
Three Bridges’ Toby Liston was pleased with the sale of the colt, who broke the Australiasian record for a weanling sold online.
“It has been really good,” Liston said. “Obviously online is the future and the pandemic has brought these changes forward.
“I think with online sales, the more information you can give the buyers the better results you are going to have and our horses were for genuine sale and people felt they could buy with confidence.
“We sold two out of three of the horses, and I would think the other one will sell in the next day or so.
“We made a decision not to go to Sydney with our horses and I guess it has been rewarded. It is a terrific effort by Inglis, the team does a great job and the sales are a terrific example of the change in the industry that is coming.”
On the colt himself, Liston said: “I thought it was a very fair price for him, but we put him on the market early. He was a lovely horse and the brother made $225,000 last year, but I guess this year is different with the world the way it is.
“I think it was a fair price, but in saying that I think the purchaser got a lovely colt from a big international family with very few risks. If they want to pinhook it and trade it they will make money, but if they want to race it they will have a nice horse for the future. I think it is a win for us and a win for the purchaser which is a positive.”
Given the lockdown across Victoria, buyers have been unable to inspect stock at respective farms, but Liston said Three Bridges had successfully managed to navigate this and make the most of technology available.
“Our online presence has been good and we are pretty good with social media now, so people know what is for sale,” he said. “I guess it comes back to giving them all the information and making it as easy as possible to select your horse.
“We have all our x-rays online, we have a report online, with the agent’s opinion and Inglis’ opinion, a good video and conformation shots. We only had eight people come to inspect the horse, so to sell it for that is a true testament to where Inglis Digital is currently at. “
Catalogued as Lot 703 https://inglisdigital.com/lot/30000078.703.htm, the colt is the third foal out of Vicennalia, who was purchased by Paul Willetts Bloodstock for $400,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale after originally being secured by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock and Yulong Investments for 80,000gns at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale.
She is out of dual stakes scorer Silver Reunion (Harlan’s Holiday), making her a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Speaktomeofsummer (Summer Front) and Listed scorer Proud Reunion (Proud Citizen). Further back, this is also the family of late stallion Comic Strip (Red Ransom) and champion sprinter Lucayan Prince (Fast Play).
Vicennalia’s first foal, the unraced three-year-old filly Hare (Frankel), is in training with Lindsey Smith, while her second foal – a colt by pensioned Arrowfield sire Not A Single Doubt – sold at least year’s Great Southern Weanling and Bloodstock Sale for $225,000 to Fernrigg Farm. She is currently in foal to Dundeel (High Chaparral).
The Vicennalia colt is one of 64 horses to sell for $100,000 or more on the Inglis Digital platform since 2018, while the August (Early) Sale is the seventh consecutive to gross $2 million or more.
Overall, the sale had a 70 per cent clearance rate and grossed more than $3 million.
Burnewang North feel the brunt of weak market
Burnewang North presented a high class draft at the sale, including the equal second top lots – colts by former Coolmore shuttler Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) and late Widden sire Sebring (More Than Ready) who sold for $90,000 apiece, but the Victorian farm’s owner Cathy Hains was disappointed with their overall results amid the difficult time in the world.
“These are difficult times,” Hains said. “We completely anticipated that people in every area of business and life in general are facing some real challenges at the moment so a non-essential, a luxury item like horses is going to represent a challenge.
“A couple of our horses sold okay. We’re disappointed across the board at the results.
“We had a pretty outstanding draft but that’s for us to say and unless the potential buyers are able to view them, we completely accept that it’s very difficult to buy them. I think the limited interest in them online is evident in the prices.
“I think that from the top down to the lesser end, these horses at a normal auction would’ve bought considerably more money. 30, 40, 50 per cent, I don’t know but we’ve passed in a few and we’ll wait and see what we do with them but my opinion is very guarded.
“I think it was always going to be a difficult sale and that’s what it turned out to be.
“It’s been a huge road to the end result because we would’ve loved to have sold them in June onsite, and then we accepted that the sale would be pushed out to July, and then we accepted of course that with the Covid problems in Melbourne that we were pushed to go to Sydney. But that all fell in a heap so it’s really been a whole set of very unsettling circumstances but we’re able to absorb all of that.
“There’s plenty of other businesses that are in a lot more trouble than us, and whilst we’re disappointed and it’s been detrimental to our results, there’s a lot worse problems out there.
“I do understand it’s a luxury buying horses and a lot of people aren’t looking at that kind of investment right at the moment.
“We are very pleased the horses that sold went to discerning judges and look forward to their progress.”
Following an active year at the yearling sales, Ciaron Maher went to $90,000 for the Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) colt after being impressed by the stallion when seeing him at Coolmore in Ireland.
“I saw Caravaggio at Coolmore when I was travelling around and I really liked him then and thought he had the right credentials, but I also really liked the horse as an individual,” Maher said.
“I’m not too sure what we are going to do, but we really liked the horse and a few clients were keen so we thought, why not?”
Catalogued as Lot 602, https://inglisdigital.com/lot/30000078.602.htm the colt is the second foal out of winning mare National Velvet (Commands).
Her first foal, a filly by Nicconi (Bianconi), was passed in for $175,000 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale after being purchased by James Bester Bloodstock for $120,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
National Velvet is out of Nonchalance (Lonhro), making her a half-sister to Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) fourth Niccolance (Nicconi). Further back, this is also the family of Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Complacent (Authorized), Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) scorer Dracula (Quest For Fame) and New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) victor Sentimental Miss (Reliable Man).
Maher also snapped up another colt in their draft, a Dundeel (High Chaparral) youngster out of Blendwell (Hard Spun) for $70,000. He was catalogued as Lot 742. https://inglisdigital.com/results/30000078.742.htm
The second colt, who was catalogued as Lot 508, https://inglisdigital.com/lot/30000078.580.htm sold for $90,000 and is by Sebring out of unraced mare Midnight Fantasy (Commands), who herself is a daughter of Group 1 winner Ancient Song (Canny Lad), making her a half-sister to stakes performers Tampiko (Lonhro) and War Hero (Sepoy).
Further back, this is also the family of champion stayer and multiple Group 1 scorer Preferment (Zabeel) as well as Group winners Rezoned (Zabeel) and Is Amazing (Laranto).