November and December 2003
Forest Express Fetches 400,000 Guineas 8 December 2003
The final chapter in the Forest Express (1997 Inglis Winter Yearling $2,400) saga was played out at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale last week when the Group Three winning daughter of Kaaptive Edition was knocked down to the bid of McKeever St Lawrence Ltd for 400,000 guineas (just shy of $A1million).
Forest Express has made a phenomenal start to her stud career, producing two cracking foals which have made 140,000 guineas (colt by Machiavellian) and 340,000 guineas (filly by Green Desert).
We will watch with great interest to see how they progress on the racetrack and in the meantime start looking through the yearling catalogues for the next Forest Express!
Forest Express Filly Stars at December Foal Sale1 December 2003
The Forest Express story just gets better and better.
Her second foal, a glorious dark bay filly by Green Desert, took the honours as the highest priced filly at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale last week.
The filly was knocked down for 340,000 guineas to London based bloodstock agent Charlie Gordon-Watson on behalf of an undisclosed English client who is reported to have Australian connections. She is to be placed in training with Jeremy Noseda after boarding at Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber's Watership Down Stud.
Forest Express, whose first foal made 140,000 guineas at the October Yearling Sale earlier this year, is also due to go under the hammer later this week at the December Broodmare Sale.
She will no doubt attract keen interest given the tremendous commercial success of her first two foals and has been covered by the Group One winning sprinter Pivotal, a grand-son of Nureyev.
It seems almost unbelievable that the Kaaptive Edition filly which was purchased for just $2,400 at the 1997 Inglis Winter Thoroughbred Sale is now one of the most desirable broodmares in Europe.
Keeneland Success Highlights Opportunities 14 November
2003
The overwhelming success of the recent Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale is a clear indication that things are well and truly on the up in the international world of bloodstock.
The tough times experienced in 2002 have been erased by the return of a booming market in the Northern Hemisphere this year.
At Keeneland some 23 mares fetched $US1 million or more highlighted by the world record breaking matron Cash Run, which fetched $US7.1 million with a positive test to Storm Cat.
Australian breeders seem poised to profit from the market upswing and are sure to draw the benefits at our yearling sales next year.
Shuttle stallions have provided the local industry with a quality product which has worldwide recognition and the potential for great financial upside.
Take the Aussie bred mare Lan Kwai Fong for example.
She was purchased by Ron Dufficy at the 1999 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $A110,000 and won three races including VRC The Vanity Gr 3 at Flemington.
By Bluebird (USA) from the Fappiano mare Veronical (USA), she always had the sort of pedigree to garner international attention, so it was no surprise to see her fetch $US450,000 ($A625,000) at the November Sale.
Last year it was a similar result for Langoustine, a Group Two winning daughter of Danehill (USA) who was purchased at the 2000 Easter Yearling Sale for $A500,000 and then made $US900,000 at Keeneland.
And then of course there’s Forest Express, but if you’re a regular reader of my website then you will know all about that one!
It’s not just our fillies and mares either.
The international race performances of Choisir and his subsequent sale for a reported $A20 million to Coolmore has set a precedent which you can bet on being repeated in years to come.
The lure of that sort of money is hard to ignore and impossible to attract without the international kudos gained from racing against the best horses in the world on their own turf.
However, always remember Choisir was purchased by his trainer Paul Perry for just $A55,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
He was not a so called “blue blood” and he did not cost a fortune.
Anyone could have bought him.
He was a great type and a grand-son of Danehill (USA).
A few big wins and some $A20 million later, Choisir has raised the bar for prospective financial rewards from bloodstock to a level previously not even considered in this part of the world.
So what are we waiting for?
Let’s see those yearling catalogues, opportunities are there for the taking!
Encounter Sold to China 14 November 2003
Negotiations have just been completed on the sale of former champion juvenile Encounter who will be joining his sire Tierce at the Huajun Stud in China later this year.
The Chinese have been extremely happy with Tierce and the quality of his progeny, so were only too pleased to secure his best performed son for stud duties as well.
