Pierata leads the way in strong opening session for first-crop stallions

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Aquis Farm flagbearer Pierata (Pierro) held court on an impressive day for first season sires during yesterday’s opening session at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, which ended with three freshman stallions among the top ten in the overall aggregate sire standings. 

Headlined by the standout $800,000 first foal out of Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ dual Group 1 winner Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), Pierata averaged an extraordinary $450,000 from four yearlings sold, the regally bred filly knocked down to the dam’s trainers, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

Pierata, who stood his first three seasons at Aquis Farm at a fee of $44,000 (inc GST), arrived at the Gold Coast armed with 29 lots on offer, with 16 of his progeny for sale either being out of black type mares or siblings to black type horses. Aquis Farm’s Jonathan Davies said the early success was an indication of the hard work invested in the Group 1 winner’s impressive first book, which was well supported by breeders. 

“It most definitely has exceeded our expectations. It’s always hard when you have a first season stallion, sometimes at the sales we can have our rose tinted glasses on. But for the market to accept them and value them in the high echelons that we did, it’s very satisfying and it’s great for everyone who has supported Pierata,” he said. 

“The Loving Gaby filly making $800,000 was an amazing result for Phoenix Thoroughbreds and it justifies their faith in the stallion to send a really good mare to Pierata in his first season at stud. 

“I’m extremely happy to see her go to Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and hopefully she can follow in the footsteps of her mother.”

Pierata’s three other yearlings to sell made $450,000, $320,000 and $230,000 as the filly out of Group 3 winner Miss Exfactor (Your Song) was knocked down to Louis Mihalyka of Laurel Oak, while Bjorn Baker and Jim Clarke signed for the filly out of the stakes–placed Kardashing (Redoute’s Choice).

Mihalyka purchased his with a view to returning to the Gold Coast in future years with his $450,000 buy. 

 “I’m into my pedigrees and she’s a beautifully bred horse out of a good mare and a stallion we believe in as a first season sire,” Mihalyka said. 

“To me she was (looked) an athlete so she is a fair chance of coming back and running here as a two and three-year-old over the next few years.”

The stallion’s day one results see him lying fifth on the overall leading sire table by average, behind only I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), Fastnet Rock (Danehill) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor). 

Darley shuttlers Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) and Blue Point (Shamardal) enjoyed fruitful days on the Gold Coast, averaging $253,000 and $245,000 respectively. 

Hong Kong buyers took a shine to colts by three-time Royal Ascot Group 1 winner Blue Point, snapping up two of the stallion’s four lots sold yesterday, including a $400,000 yearling out of the stakes–placed Lady Loire (Not A Single Doubt), who was knocked down to Marie Yoshida of Asian Bloodstock Services. 

Consigned by Newgate, it was the Hunter Valley stud’s farm manager, Jim Carey, who originally sourced the colt as a weanling, going to $290,000 at the 2022 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale to purchase him from the Sledmere Stud draft, before his successful pinhook yesterday. 

The colt, who was catalogued as Lot 38, is the first foal from his dam, with the family tracing back to Group 1 winners Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern (Medaglia D’Oro) through fourth dam Tristram Lady (Sir Tristram).

Among the buyers of lots by Blue Point yesterday were Robbie Griffiths and Matthew de Kock, who went to $280,000 for a filly out of a half-sister to Royal Ascot Group 1 winner Rizeena (Iffraaj), as well as Damon Gabbedy and Merricks Staunton, buying on behalf of a Hong Kong client.

Blue Point’s fellow European shuttler Too Darn Hot earned favour from Ciaron Maher during yesterday’s opening session, with the Victorian champion trainer parting with $270,000 to purchase the colt out of Latitude (Casino Prince).

Catalogued as Lot 47, the colt is out of a half-sister to Listed winner Sugar Boom (Spirit Of Boom). 

Yesterday’s top seller for Too Darn Hot, an unbeaten two-year-old Group 1 winner in the UK, was a $380,000 daughter of the stakes–placed Miss Foxwood (Fastnet Rock), who was knocked down to Cape Schanck Stud in Victoria. 

Offered by Segenhoe Stud, the filly is a granddaughter of New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Foxwood (Centaine) and out of a half-sister to Group 3 winner and Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Rockwood (Rock Of Gibraltar). 

A daughter of the regally bred stallion also made $270,000 on day one when selling to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds and UK-based agent Johnny McKeever, who first purchased the filly out of Lusitania (Sepoy) for $220,000 at last year’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. 

Offered by Cannon Hayes Stud, the filly is out of a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Alinghi (Encosta De Lago), who claimed the 2004 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m). 

Syndicators Dynamic Syndications and Proven Thoroughbreds also joined the Too Darn Hot buyers list when going to $195,000 and $150,000 respectively for sons of the shuttler.

Dynamic came away with Lot 34, a colt out of La La Luchie (Medaglia D’Oro), who herself is a half-sister to two stakes winners, including Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Go Indy Go (Bernardini). 

Newgate Farm’s Cosmic Force (Deep Field) made an instant splash on day one, when Lot 13, a colt out of the unraced Fastnet Rock mare Joseph’s Coat, sold for $240,000. 

Chris and Michael Ward of Triple Crown Syndications and Redzel (Snitzel) and Mazu (Maurice) fame proved the strongest bidder, for what was the brothers’ second–most expensive purchase ever at auction. 

The colt is the third foal out of Joseph’s Coat, with her previous produce both unraced. The mare is a daughter of Listed winner and two-year-old Group 3 runner-up Satin Robes (Ne Coupez Pas), making her a sister to Nudgee Stakes (Listed, 1200m) winner Saturn Rock and a half-sister to Sydney Group 2 runner-up Omeros (High Chaparral). 

Cosmic Force was a runaway winner of the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in the silks of Newgate Farm and China Horse Club, with this colt a successful first lot sold at Magic Millions by the consignment of the latter’s farm The Chase. 

The stallion sold two lots on day one, with a filly out of Munjai (Trusting) selling to Chris Munce and Arthur Hoyeau for $100,000. 

It was perhaps inevitable that Chris Waller, the trainer of Zousain, and indeed his sire Zoustar, would feature on the buyers list of progeny by the Widden Stud first season sire, and the champion trainer swooped on the opening day of trade, going to $350,000 in conjunction with Guy Mulcaster for a filly by the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) runner-up. 

The most represented sire in the catalogue with 35 lots, Zousain had seven yearlings offered yesterday, with all finding homes, at an average of $231,459. Buyers of Zousain yearlings included David Ellis of Te Akau Racing, who parted with $250,000 for the daughter of stakes winner Liesele (Exceed And Excel), and McEvoy-Mitchell Racing, who purchased a colt by the stallion for $210,000. 

Also yesterday, Waikato Stud’s first season sire Super Seth (Dundeel) had the solitary yearling sell yesterday, but a notable one nonetheless, as Anthony Freedman and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock purchased a colt from the Silverdale Farm draft out of Miss Bling (Golan) for $250,000. 

The trainer also took home a colt by Brutal (O’Reilly) for $210,000, while the stallion had a filly sell for $260,000. Other first season sires to make an impression yesterday included Yes Yes Yes (Rubick), who had four yearlings sell at an average of $215,000 and to a high of $300,000.