January to March 2008
New Year’s Day Double for Vin Cox Bloodstock
2008 started with a bang for Vin Cox Bloodstock with two winners at Royal Randwick on New Year’s Day and a close second making for a memorable beginning to the year.
Straight into the winner’s circle were Cigar Royale and Weekend in Paris, both horses sired by Beautiful Crown (USA) and prepared by Gary Portelli for large groups of varied owners.
Cigar Royale was resuming after contracting and recovering from EI and was obviously feeling no ill affects in romping away to win the Ratings 71 event over 1100 metres by a commanding three lengths.
Stakes-placed last season at two after breaking his maiden at Hawkesbury, Cigar Royale proved a class above his rivals and can doubtless go on his winning way.
A $46,000 purchase from the 2006 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Cigar Royale has already recouped costs winning $52,950.
Snapped up from a consignment of horses presented by Erinvale Thoroughbreds, Cigar Royale is the first foal of the Royal Academy (USA) mare Royal Magenta, who comes from the family of Group winners Monopolize, Rock You and Marnie’s Magic.
Secured for just $28,000 at the very same sale from the Alanbridge Stud draft, Weekend in Paris showed the benefit of a first up second at Wyong on December 19, trailing the pace throughout before kicking home in the straight to win the 1100 metre Ratings 71 event by the best part of a length under 58.5 kg.
With two wins and a second from six starts, Weekend in Paris has already won a tick over $60,000 in prizemoney and could possibly follow in the footsteps of another former smart Vin Cox purchase in Chaud Roche.
Also by Beautiful Crown (USA), Chaud Roche won five races and close to $200,000 in prizemoney as well as gaining Black Type when placed third in the Listed STC Canterbury Classic.
Three year-old filly Silken Appeal very nearly made it a treble of winners failing narrowly to catch the older and stronger Alotta Lute by a neck in the maiden event over 1200 metres.
A $90,000 purchase for Vin Cox Bloodstock at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling Sale from the draft of Twin Palms Stud, Silken Appeal is raced by the Angus Lodge Syndicate and has been placed at three of her four starts for the Clarry Conners stable, so she cannot be far off a win.
Vin Cox is the subject of the Spotlight feature in the weekly Breednet Newsletter due out on Thursday evening.
Vin Cox Bloodstock Score with Belle
The juvenile event at Rosehill on Saturday provided a great result for Vin Cox Bloodstock with the Redoute’s Choice filly Belle Soleil leading all the way to win on debut.
Backed into favoritism on the strength of a recent barrier trial win, the Gary Portelli trained Belle Soleil jumped swiftly from barrier two and controlled the race throughout skipping clear to win by two lengths.
“She is a thorough professional and that’s what wins a lot of two-year-old races,” said winning jockey Blake Shinn.
“And the good thing is that she is only going to get better. When I got to the front it was all over. She only had to quicken when I let her off the bridle.”
Bred and offered for sale by Newhaven Park, Belle Soleil was purchased for Peter Campbell’s Bennelong Bloodstock by Vin Cox, who secured the daughter of champion sire Redoute’s Choice for $220,000 at the 2007 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
Cheap for a filly by a stallion whose average yearling price at the majors last year was $576,204, Belle Soleil has very little Black Type in her immediate family being from the El Moxie (USA) mare Summer’s Glory.
A minor winner of two races at Werribee and Stawell, Summer’s Glory has a pretty skinny pedigree until you get back to her grand-mother Squaw Angel (USA), a half-sister to European Horse of the Year Dancing Brave and dual Group One winner Jolypha.
War on Everything a Winner at Newcastle
Leading Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli and bloodstock agent Vin Cox joined forces for another juvenile winner at Newcastle on Saturday when War on Everything got the cash in the 900 metre two year-old maiden.
Backing up from an unplaced run at Randwick on January 5 when he showed great pace and knocked up in the straight, War on Everything showed the benefit of that run when he settled better and found the line strongly to score by a short head at just his second race start.
Secured for $50,000 from the draft of Woodlands Stud at the 2007 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, War on Everything is raced by a syndicate of 10 lucky owners.
Despite being by an unfashionable sire in Desert Prince (IRE), War on Everything is an outstanding individual and comes from a well performed daughter of champion sire Flying Spur in Flying Mahal.
A metropolitan winner of five races and nearly $100,000, Flying Mahal is a grand-daughter of champion racemare Maybe Mahal, whose 14 wins included such benchmark races as the AJC Doncaster Handicap and VRC Newmarket Handicap.
War on Everything is her first foal and in his case the positives far outweighed any perceived negative for a sire in Desert Prince (IRE), who has after all left Australian Group One winners Outback Prince and Kusi.
Vin Cox Bloodstock Active at Keeneland January
23 January 2008
The first major sale of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale and once again there was strong interest from Australians.
Vin Cox Bloodstock was successful on four mares purchased through the ring, plus another two that were secured privately after the sale.
Most expensive purchase was Lot 238, Forest Code (USA), a five year-old stakes-winner by Forestry that was secured for $US350,000. A half-sister to Group Three winner Desert Code and stakes-winner Soul Onarazorsedge, Forest Code will be heading to Australia for the 2008 breeding season.
Lot 668, Lake Dream (USA) was purchased for $US70,000 and is am unraced four year-old three-quarter sister to stakes-winner Maizelle, being by leading sire Gone West from the stakes-winning Storm Cat mare Corona Lake.
Another four year-old mare captured by the Aussies for just $US45,000 was Lot 1097, Ms Guacamole (USA), a minor winner and half-sister to two stakes-winners in Delta Wolf and Miss Wineshine.
She will remain in America for the time being and have a few runs for astute trainer Tom Proctor.
Cheap as chips was Lot 1683, County Mayo(USA), a four year-old half-sister by Grand Slam to four stakes-winners from a stakes-winner in Tracy’s Rock and knocked down to Vin Cox Bloodstock for just $US16,000.
Bought privately after passing in during the sale were Lot 1098, Ms Seneca Rock (USA), a stakes-winning mare from the family of the previous purchase County Mayo and Lot 721, Mountain Legacy (USA), a half-sister by Mt Livermore to Group Three winner Essence.
Also featuring on the buyer’s list were regular Keeneland visitors Lockyer Thoroughbreds, successful on Lot 523 at $US290,000, an Argentinian bred stakes-winner Beauty Halo (Arg).
A daughter of champion sire Southern Halo, Beauty Halo was a Group Three winner in her homeland and Group Two placed in North America. Already the dam of a colt by Speightstown and a filly by Successful Appeal, she was offered in foal to Bluegrass Cat.
Absent Friends Impresses
Statuesque Dehere (USA) colt Absent Friends ran right up to his eye-catching good looks when he burst from the pack to score an impressive win at Randwick on Wednesday in the 1300 metre maiden.
Resuming from a spell of 44 weeks after an unplaced debut in the Group Two STC Pago Pago Stakes last autumn, Absent Friends was backed into favouritism and despite racing greenly for much of the race, he showed a brilliant turn of foot over the last 100 metres to win by nearly two lengths after looking no hope on the turn.
“Before the race when I was saddling him up I thought he was the prettiest horse I’ve ever trained and after seeing that, he may also be the best horse I’ve trained,” said winning trainer Portelli.
“I was a bit worried about the 1300 first up and the soft track, but when they have the pedigree and the ability like he does, they don’t take much training.”
Absent Friends is raced by Mr and Mrs Geoff and Mary Grimish having been secured for them by astute Sydney bloodstock agent Vin Cox at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $600,000.
Bred by John Madgwick and foaled and raised at Willow Park Stud, Absent Friends is the second foal of former top class racemare Lady Mulan (NZ), a Group Two winner of the AJC Light Fingers Stakes and twice placed in Group One company.
Her first foal Hollaback (by Fusaichi Pegasus (USA) is a smart metropolitan winner in the John O’Shea stable and her third foal, a filly by Lonhro fetched $350,000 at the 2007 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and has gone to leading Rosehill trainer Tim Martin.
“Lady Mulan has thrown some outstanding looking horses and Absent Friends was magnificent. He’d be one of the best horses we’ve ever bred here on type,” said Glenn Burrows of Willow Park.
“She has an Encosta de Lago filly for Easter this year that will be one of the highlights of our draft and produced a lovely Commands colt last spring.”
Willow Park Stud will be heading to Melbourne in March for the 2008 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale with a draft of eight yearlings.
Excelling From the get Go
20 February 2008
All of a sudden there is a new kid on the block; Exceed And Excel has blasted his way into the top performing stallions in the country. The feats of his 2 year olds have been somewhat extraordinary, to the point that at similar stages of their respective careers he is well and truly out performing Redoute's Choice, Encosta De Lago and Zabeel. Time will tell where he finishes his debut year and into the future, but you can guarantee he will be Champion First Season sire and judging by the depth of his runners he will be competitive at the pointy end of the sires titles in years to come.
Speaking of Encosta, what a great stallion he is. He gets sprinters, stayers, milers, fillies, colts, the lot; for mine the best stallion in the country.
Kiwis Clean Up
20 February 2008
The New Zealand yearling sale, as has been well documented, a roaring success. Dollar for dollar pound for pound without doubt one of the most expensive sales ever conducted. As an example of the market strength, we had a good order for a nice filly and on the first day there were at least 10 fillies that we lined up to bid on. The market was that strong that I couldn't even get my hand up. It wasn't until the second day that we came onto the radar, being under bidder on the first horse into the ring and managing to get a few bids in on a couple of others. Eventually, we were able to purchase a Cape Cross filly from the Cambridge draft for $210,000. And on the first day of the second session we were able to pick up a very likable colt by Hawk Wing, who is off to Graham Begg after being broken in.
Full credit to New Zealand Bloodstock, there was a sensationally strong buying bench headed by the buying power of the newly formed Patinack farm. The quality of yearlings was outstanding, doing the rounds of the complex horse after horse was very buyable. The next step for the Kiwi breeders is to upgrade their breeding stock, their mare strength is lacking and largely depleted over many years of selling out "the farm." The stallion strength is limited with a handful of horses performing at the higher level. The New Zealand Government has introduced some very lucrative tax incentives for breeders and to date this has had limited effect on investment, the obvious exception being the massive splurge on Australian bred weanlings at last years weanling sales.
What does all this mean for the rest of the yearling sales to come. Largely the market will be strong, good horses will be hard to buy as they generally are. If there is going to be a softer part of the market it will be in the middle to bottom end of the market. In my view there will be some very good buying in this area, if you are prepared to do the work.
Private Purchases On Fire
13 March 2008
It has been a good run of late with some of our private purchasing performing well on the track.
Headed by Laura's Charm who won the Group 2 Sunline Stakes at her first start for new owners Patinack Farm. As has been well documented Patinack have poured plenty into the business in recent months. It was a great thrill for us all to see her add to her value considerably.
Jonathan Rosham's Layered also won first up for him at Moonee Valley, a brilliant win for her and it would appear there are many more wins in store for her, now in the Danny O'Brien stable.
Kenobe put two on end when he won at Sha Tin on March 9th. We purchased him out of a trial in Victoria for some very good Hong Kong clients, Peter Kwan, David and Zarina Yeh and Stephen "The Dragon" Chang. He wasn't an expensive horse when we bought him and judging by his last two starts he looks even cheaper now.
If you are in the buying mode, buy privately, you will get better value than through the ring.
