Big Week for Cox Bloodstock Fillies
10 October 2006
Vin Cox Bloodstock has enjoyed a terrific week with the fillies having scored a metropolitan win with Chaud Roche, a Group One placing with Fleur Royale and a promising debut run from the two-year old Weekend in Paris.
Courageous mare Chaud Roche started the run when she dug deep for an exciting win at Canterbury last Wednesday, prevailing by a long head to win the welter event over 1250 metres.
Prepared by Gary Portelli for a great syndicate of owners, Chaud Roche was having just her second run back from a spell and looks poised for another great campaign.
A modest purchase for Vin Cox Bloodstock from the 2004 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Chaud Roche was secured from the draft of Alanbridge Stud for just $28,000.
An athletic chestnut daughter of under-rated sire Beautiful Crown (USA), Chaud Roche has been a professional from day one winning five races and placing five times from 19 starts with earnings of $172,810.
She has pulled up a treat and her next engagement will be at Randwick on Saturday week.
Given the success of Chaud Roche it’s not hard to see why we ventured back to the draft of Alanbridge Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale earlier this year and secured another Beautiful Crown (USA) filly, this time a bay from Lae Lady Lae.
Knocked down to us at $28,000 (the same price paid for Chaud Roche), Weekend in Paris as she has been named, is raced by a syndicate that includes several of the Chaud Roche owners, who used BOBS double up vouchers to further their investment.
Like Chaud Roche, Weekend in Paris is also prepared at Warwick Farm by Gary Portelli, who had the filly well primed for her debut last Saturday in the Listed AJC Gimcrack Stakes.
The perceived advantage of a nice barrier was unfortunately negated when she proved slow to jump, but Weekend in Paris rattled home from a mile back to grab fourth spot and $3,200, prizemoney that will prove useful in securing a place in the 2007 $500,000 Inglis Classic race.
Weekend in Paris will head straight to the paddock for a short break before returning to be readied for the Inglis showcase event for two-year olds on February 10.
Gallant three-year old filly Fleur Royale covered herself in glory with a fabulous run to hold third place in the Group One AJC Flight Stakes.
Beginning brilliantly from barrier 16 in a field of 19, Fleur Royale charged to the lead, which she held until being overrun by Cheeky Choice and My Lady’s Chamber, eventually going down by less than three lengths.
The effort of Fleur Royale was sensational under the circumstances and trainer Gai Waterhouse will now spell the filly, with a view to the rich program of fillies and mares races in the autumn.
Fleur Royale has proven to be an outstanding investment for her owners Paul and Judy Kevin, and Phillip Webb, winning $87,400 and easily recouping her modest purchase price of $38,000.
She was selected for her owners by Vin Cox Bloodstock, who spotted the Royal Academy (USA) filly in the Widden Stud draft at the 2005 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
She is the second foal of young winning Marscay mare Azalea who descends from champion New Zealand mare La Mer, the 1979 NZ Horse of the Year and winner of 24 races including the New Zealand Oaks
Next Stop, Keeneland November
3 October 2006
The 2006 Keeneland September Yearling Sale concluded in Kentucky on Monday with record results achieved right across the market including a new benchmark for aggregate with 3,556 yearlings generating $US399,791,800 in turnover.
The average across all 14 sessions rose by 3.7% to $US111,427 or $AUD147,752, which compares favourably with the average of $140,146 achieved at our own Magic Millions Sale in January.
“The select portion of this sale was stronger than last year and set the tone for the rest of the sale,” said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland’s director of sales.
“However, the success of this sale was built on the middle market – Books 3, 4, and 5 of the catalogue. We graded deeper into the middle market this year, and really made this a conformation class. Our consignors worked hard with us to understand and make adjustments, and they were rewarded with a stronger sale.”
While media attention focuses on the glitz and glamour of the opening two sessions of the sale it is the strength of the vast middle market that Australian investors should focus on as an accessible stepping-stone into the strongest bloodstock market in the world.
While a good number of Aussies made the trip over to Keeneland this year in September, many more are looking forward to the 2006 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale (November 6 – 19), acclaimed as the largest and most diverse sale of its type in the world.
Keeneland announced earlier this week that it has catalogued 5,026 horses for its annual November Breeding Stock Sale including 2,495 broodmares and 184 broodmare prospects.
The bumper catalogue features mares in foal to 293 different stallions including our very own reigning champion sire Redoute’s Choice, who is booked out this spring at a fee of $275,000.
Other high profile covering sires include: A. P. Indy, Distorted Humor, Dynaformer, Elusive Quality, Forestry, Fusaichi Pegasus, Giant’s Causeway, Gone West, Kingmambo, Pulpit, Seeking the Gold, Storm Cat, Vindication, etc.
Given the overwhelming domination of Danehill (USA) and his various sire sons in Australia at present it is becoming increasingly difficult for commercial breeders to find suitable mares to take advantage of the popular stallions and one alternative is sourcing mares from overseas.
The quest to acquire quality mares with outcross or complimentary pedigrees to suit our leading commercial sires inevitably leads to Keeneland November where the depth of choice and variety on offer puts this sale in a class of its own.
Purchasing a mare in foal can be a great way to gain a foothold in the strong US market and many astute investors have been able to recoup costs by selling the resulting foal as a weanling or yearling in the Northern Hemisphere.
As a result, it has become common practice to allow a mare to foal down in America and then place the foal with a foster mare to be raised and then prepared for sale.
Meanwhile the mare of your choice jumps on a plane bound for Australia, where she arrives all ready to go for our breeding season, which begins in September.
Advances in technology through digital cameras, email and the like, have made global breeding a far more appealing option with breeders now able to see good quality pictures of a foal born in the Northern Hemisphere within hours of its arrival, making little difference as to whether the mare is in Scone or Kentucky.
Global breeding is undoubtedly the way of the future and for forward thinking breeders who embrace the concept the rewards can be great.
First Up Win for Fleur Royale
Sydney, September 6
Talented filly Fleur Royale resumed from a spell to score a soft win at Wyong on Wednesday, cruising home to win the 1100 metre maiden as a 10/9 favourite.
The Widden Stud bred daughter of Royal Academy (USA) had trialled impressively on August 25 and with stakes-placings last season behind Churchill Downs and Mirror Mirror she was always going to be a good thing to win a modest maiden.
The Gai Waterhouse trained filly is entered in all the major spring fillies events and is sure to provide some excitement for her owners Paul and Judy Kevin, and Phillip Webb.
Fleur Royale was offered by Widden Stud at the 2005 Premier Yearling Sale where she was quickly snaffled by astute Sydney bloodstock agent Vin Cox for $38,000.
She is the second foal of young winning Marscay mare Azalea who descends from champion New Zealand mare La Mer, the 1979 NZ Horse of the Year and winner of 24 races including the New Zealand Oaks.
Azalea is currently due to foal to Royal Academy (USA), a mating that will produce a full sibling to Fleur Royale and she is booked to visit General Nediym later this spring.
Peregian Resumes With Strong Win
1 September 2006
Promising filly Peregian gave us all a big thrill when she resumed from a spell to score an all the way win at Canterbury on Wednesday.
Ridden by champion jockey Darren Beadman, Peregian jumped swiftly and controlled the race throughout to score a tenacious short head win over Judged, with two and a half lengths back to the third placed horse.
The daughter of Grand Lodge (USA) is prepared by leading trainer John Hawkes and we’re delighted the association is progressing in such fine fashion.
Peregian was purchased for just $40,000 from the draft of Collingrove Stud at the 2005 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale last June and is the second foal of Unbridled Victory (USA), a three-quarter sister to Group Two winner Fappaburst by leading US sire Unbridled.
She’s a filly we bought on spec and then liked so much we decided to retain a share in her to race, along with co-owners Mark Flagg of Barellan, near Griffith and Michael Collins, who lives at Peregian Beach, hence the name!
Peregian comes from a strong international Black Type producing family and if she can gain Black Type of her own somewhere along the line, will make a lovely broodmare with international appeal.
