Rosemont lead Australian buying spree at spectacular Fasig-Tipton sale
Anthony Mithen has eye on Spring Carnival success with US$1.375 million purchase La Dragontea as records tumble in Kentucky
Tuesday’s Fasig-Tipton November auction marked the start of a ten-day breeding stock sale extravaganza in Kentucky, and the quality assembled for the curtain-raising ‘Night of the Stars’ showpiece saw records tumble, as it drew an elite international audience of which Australians did not miss out.
Eight race fillies and mares from the 149 lots sold will head Down Under, adding craved black type and outcross blood to the Australian breeding pool, with Rosemont Stud, Kia Ora, Newgate Farm, Paul Moroney and Richard and Michael Freedman all securing fillies and mares from the star-studded catalogue.
In a night which saw record trade of US$103,699,000 (approx. AU$141m), the first time revenues have surpassed the US$100 million barrier, 26 lots sold for US$1 million (approx. AU$1.36m) or more, headed by the US$5.2 million (approx. AU$7m) mare Magical World (Distorted), who is in foal to US champion sire Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday).
She is the dam of three-time Grade 1 winner Guarana (Ghostzapper), who earlier in the session sold for US$4.4 million (approx. AU$6m) in foal to Into Mischief to Hill N Dale Farm.
Magical World was one of two mares to break the US$5 million barrier, with three-time Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) purchased by Whisper Hill Farm with partners for that exact figure, while buyers from Japan and Europe also made their presence felt.
Leading the Australian contingent was Victoria’s Rosemont Stud who left it until late in the one-day session to continue their spending splurge in acquiring top quality mares from across the globe, with the purchase of recent Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 runner-up La Dragontea (Lope De Vega) for US$1,375,000 (approx. AU$1,866,775) in conjunction with Julian Blaxland, who is one of several Australians to have made the trip to the US.
Listed as Lot 267 in the 274-strong catalogue, the four-year-old daughter of Lope De Vega (Shamardal) followed the earlier purchase of the Lot 237, the dual stakes winner Sound Machine (Into Mischief), with Rosemont, in conjunction with Blaxland, partnering with Anthony and Sam Freedman and Arthur Hoyeau to secure the race filly for US$750,000 (approx. AU$1,018,240).
The duo took the tally of US-sourced mares for Rosemont this year to four, following the private purchase of Heavenly Curlin (Curlin) in September, who is now in foal to Frankel (Galileo) and $110,000 buy Mo See Cal (Uncle Mo) from Fasig-Tipton’s July Breeding Stock Sale, who was purchased to be covered by Hanseatic (Street Boss).
“Fasig-Tipton put together a fairly spectacular catalogue, so it was all too tempting in the end,” Rosemont’s Anthony Mithen told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday, with both mares set to continue their careers on the Australian turf before retiring to stud duties.
“If you can source opportunities where you’re paying their broodmare value but you’ve got some opportunities where you can race on and they’ve still got some petrol left in the tank, it’s pretty good business. Particularly for a farm like ours that likes to race. We’re in it for the racing fun, we make no bones about that.”
Trained by Christophe Clement, La Dragontea was most recently seen running a neck second to stablemate Mutamakina (Nathaniel) in the E P Taylor Stakes (Gr 1, 10f) at Woodbine on October 17, a placing which followed Grade 2 success in September’s Canadian Stakes (Gr 2, 9f) at the same track.
An absence of contenders across the recent Melbourne Spring Carnival features spurred Mithen into deviating away from the desire for speed mares, with the studmaster suggesting a long range goal of next year’s Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) for the four-year-old.
“We’re very keen on Lope De Vega and she had plenty of racing upside. She seems to have improved with every run and improved with every month,” Mithen continued.
“We’ve been wanting to add speed mares to our broodmare band and that’s been our focus over the last 12 months. She doesn’t quite fit that category, but at the same time I think racing through the Melbourne spring with those Caulfield Cups and ultimately a Melbourne Cup.
“We were probably a fraction fright that we didn’t have anything to spin around in those weight-for-age races over the last couple of seasons. We’ve had others over previous seasons, but she might just fit that bill for next campaign.”
Out of the Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) mare La Concorde, La Dragontea is from the family of Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells), who can count Tavistock and Camelot among his 31 Group 1 winners at stud.
British-bred, La Dragontea was a 67,000 gns buy for Stephen Hillen Bloodstock from the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in December last year, having started her career with Michael Bell, a stint which yielded a fourth in the Lingfield Oaks Trial (Listed, 1m 3.5f).
“Lope De Vega out of a Sadler’s Wells mare, the world could be her oyster. She’s got a pedigree for stamina and she’s not even been tried up to a mile and a half yet,” Mithen continued.
“We feel like we’ve bought well and have a racing season to look forward to. She’s a fit, healthy and happy horse and a trainer that’s desperate to run her in a nice race (at Belmont) in a couple of weeks time. That indicates that you’ve bought the right article for what we were looking for.
“Ultimately she’s booked on a flight to come to Australia in January and she’ll campaign in Australia next year, but she might be a rare opportunity.”
Since winning her maiden in July 2019, Sound Machine has been campaigned almost exclusively at stakes level, winning a Listed race in May earlier this year and next start placing third in the Princess Rooney Stakes (Gr 2, 7f) at Gulfstream Park.
She has a record of three wins from 16 starts and is a half-sister to Listed winner Forever Liesl (Mineshaft). Her unplaced dam is a daughter of dual Grade 3 winner Lakenheath (Colonial Affair), making her a half-sister to Listed winner and Grade 1-placed The Truth Or Else (Yes It’s True) and Group 3 winner Decorated Soldier (Proud Citizen).
Kia Ora Stud have earned success when previously sourcing American mares for Australian shores, with Daaher (Awesome Again) mare Gypsy Robin, the dam of Wild Ruler (Snitzel), deriving from the US, and she is one of seven US-bred mares to have produced Group 1 winners in Australia since the start of last season.
The Scone stud prized away the globetrotting Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Queen Supreme, going to US$900,000 (approx. AU$1,221,890) to secure the five-year-old South African dual Grade 1 winner.
“We’re thrilled to have secured Group 1 winner, Queen Supreme. She was a standout for us in the catalogue and given current market values around the world we are very happy with how she was bought,” said Kia Ora bloodstock and breeding manager Shane Wright.
The Andrew Balding-trained mare, who was previously campaigned by South African trainer Mike De Kock to two victories in the Paddock Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) at Kenilworth in 2020 and 2021, has a record of six wins from 16 starts.
A half-sister to Heatherlie Stakes (Listed, 1700m) winner Call Me Handsome (Kodiac) and UK Listed winner Be Ready (New Approach), she is out of the unraced Gone West (Mr. Prospector) mare Call Later, a half-sister to four-time Grade 1 winner Ventura (Chester House).
“She has the Exceed and Excel factor along with a beautiful international pedigree and black–type strength throughout every dam from all over the world, not to mention that illustrious Group 1 beside her name,” Wright added.
“She was inspected by one of the best judges in the world and his first comment was, ‘her name suits’, Queen Supreme.
“Kia Ora has had good success in the past purchasing out of America with the dam of recent Group 1 winner Wild Ruler as a current example and we feel this mare will fit right into our broodmare band.
“We look forward to her visiting one of our stallions next season.”
Bloodstock Agent Paul Moroney struck for Lot 138, the stakes-winning Munnings (Speightstown) mare Always Inthe Munny.
The four-year-old was secured along with partner Catherine Bruggeman for US$330,000 (approx. AU$448,250). From a progressive family, she is the half-sister to stakes winners Star Of The North (The Hunk) and last month’s juvenile winner Marie Mackay (Noble Mission).
Newgate Farm in conjunction with SF Bloodstock sourced two mares from yesterday’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale, going to US$300,000 (approx. AU$407,500) for the Chilean-bred Listed winner and Group 1-performed Lagertha (Scat Daddy).
She was preceded by the purchase of Hay Field (Haynesfield) for US$110,000 (approx. AU$135,850). A stakes performer who has placed in 20 of 29 starts in the US, she is a half-sister to the stakes-winning Chief Istan (Istan) and was purchased in foal to Vekoma, a two-time Grade-1 winning son of Candy Ride (Ride The Rails) who stood his first season at Spendthrift Farm earlier this year for a fee of US$17,500 (approx. AU$23,775).
Richard and Michael Freedman secured two mares from the sale, including the Listed winner I’llhandalthecash (Point Of Entry), whose last win came at Saratoga over 8.5f in July. She was secured for US$220,000 (approx. AU$298,825) and is the granddaughter of Grade 1 winner Too Late Now (Raj Waki).
The training duo also purchased Lot 217 No Mo’ Spending (Uncle Mo). She is out of the stakes-placed Stopspendingmaria (Montbrook), with No Mo’ Spending a sister to the stakes-placed Blewitt.
While US buyers accounted for the top two lots, a feature of the sale was the strong international presence, and none more so than from Japan, with eight individual buyers securing 17 lots for an outlay of US$34.55 million (approx. AU$46.93m).
Katsumi Yoshida led the charge, with the US$4.7 (approx. AU$6.38m) million buy of Preakness Stakes (Gr 1, 9.5f) winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). The four-year-old, who was a US$35,000 yearling purchase for Kenny McPeek in 2018, has seven wins from 16 starts, among which three are at Grade 1 level.
The Japanese breeding giant secured a total of six lots, five of which were for seven figures for an outlay of US$12.725 (approx. AU$17.28m).
Shingo Hashimoto, manager of international affairs for the Yoshida family’s Northern Farm, said Swiss Skydiver was the pick of the sale.
“Both pedigree-wise and how she looks, and what she had been racing,” Hashimoto said when asked about what made Swiss Skydiver an appealing purchase. “It’s simply so amazing. She was unbelievable. She was so attractive. We are very, very happy.
“(The Preakness) was a very, very tough race and it was very amazing that a filly beat the colts in a Classic. It was a great challenge and she deserved that win.”
The strength of the Japanese buying follows a weekend in which they secured their first Breeders’ Cup success with Loves Only You (Deep Impact) in the Filly and Mare Turf (Gr 1, 11f) and Marche Lorraine (Orfevre) in the Distaff (Gr 1, 9f).
Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jnr was thrilled with the results of the sale.
“Remarkable evening tonight; we were so fortunate to have such tremendous horses on the grounds. As we went around Sunday morning looking at the physicals, it was almost impossible to believe the quality of horses that were on the grounds,” Browning said.
“We have been very fortunate that a lot of horses that have sold in this sale have gone on to become significant producers around the world, because of the quality of horses we have had the opportunity to sell.”
The gross figure of US$103,699,000 comfortably broke the 2018 record of $89,473,000. The $695,966 (approx. AU$945,336) average also was a record, surpassing the 2012 median of $692,184.
At the 2020 sale, 142 horses sold out of 288 cataloged, grossing $80,237,000 with an average of $565,049.