Honey Creek Farms

Day two of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale picked up where it left off the opening day with strong demand for quality yearlings and it was Supreme Thoroughbreds who again consigned the top lot when their colt by Rubick (Aus) was knocked down to trainer Gerald Ryan for A$420,000. That figure, one of two yearlings to make A$400,000 or more contributed to an aggregate of A$17,335,500, up on the first day due mainly to an increased number of yearlings offered. The clearance rate held steady at 80% while the average and median dipped slightly from the opening day figures to A$119,555 and A$100,000 respectively. Cumulatively the sale’s aggregate and average are running slightly behind this time last year but the median is holding firm at A$100,000. Bloodstock Manager Simon Vivian was again satisfied with results to date and commented, “This sale has had nine continuous years of growth and we are on track to hold that again. There were some great sales today for our breeders and vendors and we look forward to more strong results on Day 3 tomorrow.”

“Go and find the best looking Rubick you can and buy it for me.” That was the instruction Gerald Ryan received from owner Mr Yaseen of Teeley Assets in January and for Ryan it was lot 300 that fit the bill for this particular order. The colt is the third produce out of the stakes winning mare Charm’s Honour (Aus) (Strada {Aus}) whose career as a broodmare received a major boost from the recent exploits of her second produce Enbihaar (Aus) (Magnus {Aus}). That 2-year-old Shadwell colour-bearer won the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield Feb. 10 before finishing second in the G1 Blue Diamond S. two weeks later.

Rubick was bred by Teeley Assets and trained by Gerald Ryan and the trainer said, “This horse was the best Rubick of the year so far hands down. He’s a great mover, great strength and has a nice page. He is the spitting image of his old man, albeit maybe a little taller than his father at the same age.”

Ryan continued, “We’ve had a bit to do with the family obviously over the years and Mr Yaseen has raced some of the best horses we have seen, so with a bit of luck this is his next one.”

Like the day one co-topping son of Pierro (Aus), Monday’s Rubick colt was bred by Rob Crabtree of Dorrington Farm who was naturally delighted with the price. “He’s a beautiful individual and you have to be delighted with the result. Teeley are such great supporters of Gerald and the industry so I’m glad he’s gone to such a great home. I took a still photo off the Coolmore website of Rubick and he was a clone for our horse.”

Monday also saw the sale’s highest priced filly so far and that accolade belonged to lot 265. Offered by Blue Gum Farm, who also consigned Sunday’s joint top priced yearling, the Sepoy (Aus) filly was bought by Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock Agency on behalf of Milburn Creek’s John Muir for A$400,000. The filly’s dam Beauty World (Aus) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has been a fantastic producer with four stakes winners, six stakes performers and eight winners from her eight foals to race so far.

That sale ensured Blue Gum ended Day 2 as the sale’s leading vendor by aggregate with 17 sales for A$2,525,000. The leading vendor by average is Yarraman Park at A$247,500 from four sales.

Zoustar (Aus) is the leading sire by aggregate so far with 17 sold for a total of A$3,205,000 and his sales on Monday were headed by lot 271 a colt purchased by Spicer Thoroughbreds/Noorilim Park Thoroughbreds for A$360,000. The colt was offered by Bowness Stud out of Bionic Girl (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) whose first foal is the stakes placed colt Bionics (Aus) (Hnchinbrook {Aus}).

Yarraman Park are never far off the leader-board at the top yearling sales and their colt by I Am Invincible (Aus), offered as lot 318 proved popular when selling to Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for A$330,000. Less than an hour later the stud also parted with a filly by the same sire when the South African team of Form Bloodstock signed for lot 335 for A$300,000. Day three of the sale commences at the same local time of 11a.m. on Tuesday.

Well Hello (f, 3, Quality Road–Just Say Goodbye, by Not For Love), a $70,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, came bounding home late to graduate on debut at Santa Anita Sunday. The bay filly, sent off at 7-1, was unhurried and fell back to last as a four-way skirmish developed for the lead through fractions of :22.31 and :46.46. Angled to the center of the track in upper stretch, Well Hello reeled in Tapalita (Eskendereya) and powered home a four-length winner, completing the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.88. Broome (Bellamy Road), the 4-5 favorite, was third. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $32,400. O-Buscar Stables, Gold or Radley Equine. B-Mr & Mrs Charles McGinnes (Md). T-Dan Blacker.

A Pair of A$400,000 colts headed the opening session of the four day Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on Sunday. Day one, which also included a Blue Riband session of 39 yearlings posted a set of returns broadly in line with 2017 with 116 of the 145 (80%) offered yearlings selling for a total of A$14,648,000 (+6.5%). The combined average for the two sessions came to A$126,276 (+2%) while the median settled at A$110,000, the same as the corresponding day last year. These figures left Inglis’ Victorian Bloodstock Manager Simon Vivian optimistic for the next few days at Oaklands Junction.

“It was a largely predictable day, on par with this time last year and there are still a lot of very good horses from very good stallions to enter the ring,” Vivian said. “We would obviously like to see the clearance rate improve over the coming days but I’m extremely confident that will be the case as there is a lot of great stock still to be offered. The average of over $126,000 is pleasing knowing what is being offered over the coming days,” he added.

It was lot 63 that staked an early claim for top lot honours and the son of Pierro (Aus) was eventually knocked down to James Harron Bloodstock for A$400,000. Offered by Supeme Thoroughbreds as the first living produce out of the group 2 winning mare Scandiva (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the bay colt, who will be trained by Peter and Paul Snowden also hails from the family of Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}).

“He’s come into his own in the last month. He was so popular here this week, everybody wanted a piece of him,” Brent Grayling of Supreme Thoroughbreds said.

“The key to him was everyone who knew the mother knew this colt because he’s just a dead-ringer for mum. The way Pierro is going, he’s potentially a stud horse of the future this horse.”

James Harron was in full agreement with that assessment and said, “He’s a cracking colt by the sire of the moment in Pierro out of a fantastic mare with one of the biggest pages in the book. He has a great attitude, lovely depth of girth, great strong hip, very powerful sort of colt. He looks very strong and speedy. His mother was precocious so it’s a fast family. He does tick boxes to be an early-type of horse.”

The co-topper, lot 137, came from the Blue Riband session when bloodstock agent Paul Moroney bid A$400,000 for a son of Fastnet Rock (Aus) offered by Blue Gum Farm. The colt’s dam Bird Of Fire (NZ) (Stravinsky) was a multiple stakes winner up to group 2 level and is already proving her prowess as a broodmare through the exploits of her stakes placed son Firehouse Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The colt will join the team of the purchasers brother Mike Moroney.

China Horse Club purchased the next most expensive yearling when acquiring lot 26 for A$340,000, a son of Zoustar (Aus)) offered by Mill Park Stud while that price was matched when a colt by Toronado (Ire) sold to Hawkes Racing and Cameron Cooke Bloodstock. Lot 83 was offered by Gilgai Farm out of the stakes winning mare She’s Got Gears (Aus) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Trainer Tony McEvoy’s shopping included four six figure lots headed by a Written Tycoon (Aus) colt, lot 19, which was knocked down for A$230,000.

Selling resumes on Monday morning at 11a.m. local time beginning with lot 161.

PROMISES FULFILLED (c, 3, Shackleford–Marquee Delivery, by Marquetry), let go at 18-1 having been off since a third in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. in November, went right to the front and forgot to stop as returning champion Good Magic (Curlin) could only settle for a disappointing third. Speedy ‘TDN Rising Star’ Strike Power (Speightstown) completed the exacta. The winner, who scored first out at Churchill Sept. 17 and doubled up at Keeneland Oct. 13, stopped the clock in 1:44.17. Sales history: $37,000 yrl ’16 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1.
O-Robert J Baron. B-David Jacobs (Ky). T-Dale Romans.

Champion Good Magic (Curlin) makes his highly anticipated 3-year-old debut Saturday in Gulfstream’s GII Fountain of Youth S. Runner-up behind a “TDN Rising Star” performance from Hazit (War Front) in his Aug. 26 unveiling at Saratoga, the $1-million KEESEP buy completed the exacta in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Oct. 7. The chestnut put it all together when it mattered most, capturing the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by 4 1/4 lengths at Del Mar Nov. 4 and snagging the Eclipse for top juvenile colt.

“The year is filled with promise,” trainer Chad Brown told the Gulfstream notes team. “The horse, knock on wood, is very healthy. His battery is recharged. He’s a fresh horse. We’re excited to get his 3-year-old year kicked off and hopefully one filled with success and no interruptions.”

Last term’s GI Breeders’ Futurity S. hero Free Drop Billy (Union Rags) could only manage ninth behind Good Magic in the Juvenile, but had never finished worse than second in his four starts prior to that. The chestnut flashed that previous form in his sophomore bow Feb. 3 in the GII Holy Bull S., checking in second behind an eye-catching performance from Audible (Into Mischief).

“The biggest thing about his [Holy Bull] performance is that it shows the race in California was just a fluke and he came back to his old form,” Romans said. “You don’t know for sure until you run a horse. I was very pleased with his race. It was a really fast-run race according to all the numbers you look at. His numbers actually moved forward to an all-time top.”

“TDN Rising Star” Strike Power (Speightstown) has shown abundant speed going around one turn and will attempt to stretch his speed in this spot. Romping by eight lengths in his career bow here Dec. 23, the homebred went wire-to-wire in the GIII Swale S. Feb. 3, finishing 2 3/4 lengths clear of Street Sense S. winner Gotta Go (Shanghai Bobby).

Fellow “TDN Rising Star” Marconi (Tapit), a half-brother to GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno), joins Todd Pletcher’s Florida string after making his first three starts at Aqueduct. Donning cap and gown by 5 1/2 lengths at second asking going nine panels in Ozone Park Dec. 15, the $2 million KEESEP purchase broke slow and was a bit green when third in the GIII Withers S. there Feb. 3.

“A mile and a sixteenth might be a little short for him but the race looks like it should have some pace,” said Todd Pletcher.

Charles Fipke’s Eclipse Award-winning older mare Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song) drilled five furlongs over the Fair Grounds main track in 1:01.40 Friday morning as she continues her preparations for a start in the G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse Mar. 31.

“She was even the whole way, galloped out well,” trainer Dallas Stewart told the Fair Grounds press office. “It was a basic breeze for her. She needed a good rhythm and she needs to train. It was a good work, she came back good and didn’t struggle through any part of it.”

Forever Unbridled departs for Dubai Monday, Mar. 19.

The homebred daughter of 2006 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Lemons Forever (Lemon Drop Kid) was third to Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) in the 2016 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but was perfect in three appearances last season, winning the GII Fleur de Lis H. and defeating Songbird in the GI Personal Ensign S. before adding the Distaff at Del Mar.

No female has contested the World Cup since Royal Delta (Empire Maker) in 2012 and 2013. The Japanese mare To The Victory (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) was runner-up to Captain Steve (Fly So Free) in the 2001 renewal at Nad al Sheba.

In other World Cup night news, Live Oak Plantation’s Holding Gold (Lonhro {Aus}) breezed a half-mile in :48.20 over the main track. Last-out winner of the Colonel Power S., Holding Gold is an intended runner in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200mT).