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Country Thoroughbreds sold a colt by American Pharoah to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $850,000.
Jo Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds was one person celebrating on the Gold Coast yesterday, after they sold a colt by shuttler American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) to Coolmore's Tom Magnier for $850,000 - a new record for the farm.
"That is a new record for us and it is for the owner Brad Crismale and I think his previous record had been $380,000," said Griffin. "This is the first time we have sold for him so it is a great result all round. He has a sister in the paddock back at the farm and she is a beautiful foal. He was the most inspected and had the most x-ray hits we've ever had."
Griffin said the American Pharoah's that had been sent to their farm impressed her so much that she supported the stallion with more mares than she had initially intended to.
"After the Crismale's sent us the Pharoah foals we actually sent more mares to the stallion as a result of the quality of the foals we had on the farm," she said.
Catalogued as Lot 237, the colt is out of Derelique (Danehill Dancer), the dam of Man From Uncle (Uncle Mo). Further back this is the same family as Group 2 winner Shania Dane (Danehill) and Listed winning-trio Scintillation (Danehill), Rick Aversion (Encosta De Lago) and Northwest Passage (So You Think).
Tom Magnier said was very impressed with the colt, who was born at Coolmore and said that he was delighted with the with the way the American Pharoah's had been received on the first day of the Gold Coast sale.
"He's got loads of quality and since we arrived at the complex everybody's been talking about the American Pharoah's, we are delighted to have a Triple Crown horse down here," said Magnier.
"He got a great book of mares and obviously the results are being seen here today - it's very exciting. We are going to be needing a little of luck going forward, but he was a very nice physical and the American Pharoah's have everyone talking and hopefully it will eventuate on the track.
"He is going to have a big week. All the top people are buying them and everyone seems to like them. Obviously the shuttle sires have had a great year and I think you will be seeing their influence in Australia for years to come."
Earlier in the day, a colt by the Triple Crown winner also caught the eye of Wayne Hawkes, who said the stallion's explosive start to stud in the northern hemisphere gave him the confidence to dig deep and secure a yearling from his first Australian crop for $750,000.
Catalogued as Lot 112, the colt is out of the unraced Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) mare Azumi who is herself a sister to multiple Group 1-winning mare Alinghi and Listed-placed Slice Of Paradise - the dam of Group 3 winner and ill-fated sire Beneteau (Redoute's Choice).
"It's a lot of money to pay, but the biggest plus is that American Pharoah is doing such a good job in America and more so in Europe," said Hawkes.
"I know he hasn't had any runners here but what they've done overseas, especially on the grass is a major plus. We loved him from the time we walked into the sales and was one of the first that we saw. He was right near the front gate. You've got to be a bit lucky at a sale because what you want and what you can buy can be so far apart."
The Triple Crown winner - arguably one of the most exciting stallions to hit Australian shores - has made an exceptional start to stud in the northern hemisphere, siring 27 individual winners, including four stakes winners headed by Grade 2-winning pair Four Wheel Drive and Sweet Melania. To strengthen his record further the stallion added his first three-year-old winner to his CV last week when his son Phast Pharoah broke his maiden at Santa Anita.
Earlier in the day, Maria Yohsida's faith in California Zimbol's (I Am Invincible) class prompted Asian Bloodstock Service's agent to fork out $725,000 for a filly by Darley's first-season sire Astern (Medaglia d'Oro), who is a half-sister to their daughter of I Am Invincible.
Yohsida purchased California Zimbol from Yarraman Park, who offered also offered this colt, for $450,000 at the 2018 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and she said she believes the filly could progress into a Group 1 winner, giving her the confidence to outlay this price for the half-brother, who will head into training with California Zimbol's trainers Peter and Paul Snowden.
"It was a little bit higher than we wanted, but we didn't have much choice because we really wanted this horse," said Yoshida, who was working on behalf of Howard Liang.
"We have been really lucky with Yarraman Park and we purchased California Zimbol. The mother is a good producer and California Zimbol is a very talented filly, who we believe could go to Group 1 level.
"If California Zimbol wins a Group 1 or maybe a few, then this colt will be a hot commodity and maybe can do a lot too.
"He was a very good mover, we will give him some time, but he was a very correct horse. He just went through all the hoops and did everything correctly.
"The competition was very stiff - Coolmore and Chris Waller I think wanted to create a syndicate, but we purchased California Zimbol as a yearling and we like her very much, she is a lovely filly."
Catalogued as Lot 59, the colt is out of Zimaretto (Anabaa), whose five foals to race have all been winners. As well as California Zimbol the mare is also responsible for Listed-winning duo From Within (Not A Single Doubt) and Cruden Bay (Not A Single Doubt).
It was also a great result for Darley-based first season sire Astern who stood for $38,500 (inc GST) in his first year at Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley. Yoshida showed her affinity for Astern's sire Medaglia d'Oro (El Prado) at last year's corresponding sale when she went to $1 million for a colt by the former Darley shuttler.
"The colt was very beautiful by the new sire Astern, but we purchased a Medaglia d'Oro here last year for a lot of money, we really like that line," she said. "I think we can trust Astern. He was a very good racehorse."
Anabaa (Danzig) is a sought after broodmare sire, with the likes of prolific Group 1 winners Buffering (Mossman), Treve (Motivator), Dissident (Sebring), Hartnell (Authorized) and English (Encosta De Lago) all out of mares by the stallion.
The colt was offered by Yarraman Park and Harry Mitchell said the mare had proved herself a good producer, so was not surprised to see the colt make good money.
"We are pleased with how he sold," said Mitchell. "He is obviously from the first crop of Astern out of a great producing mare, she's had three stakes winners and obviously California Zimbol looks very good. He is a lovely moving horse and we are delighted with the price. I think they think California Zimbol is very good so they wanted to go to the same source."
Meanwhile, James Harron said he rated the Capitalist (Written Tycoon) colt he purchased from Newgate Farm for $750,000 as one of the best physicals on the sales ground and was over the moon to be leaving the grounds with a yearling by him in tow.
It was no surprise to see Harron making a play for the colt, given Capitalist handed the agent his greatest day on a racecourse when taking out the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in 2016, having taken out the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) en route to his win in the stallion-making Group 1.
"He's a really special colt," said Harron. "I think he was my favourite colt as a physical on the sales ground and but it is an added bonus to see such similarities to Capitalist.
"He is a great shape, very powerful and he looks a ready made two-year-old which is what we like. He has been really impressive from day one - I saw him at the farm and had a really good look at him. But you want them to come here and thrive and enjoy the whole experience and soak up the good Queensland weather and hopefully be back here in a year's time.
"A lot of good judges liked the horse and it's great for Capitalist going forward."
Harron said he rated this year's crop of first-season sires and said he had been looking at their stock for his colts syndicate.
"He's for the colts syndicate. Over the five years we have had a mixture of proven and first-season sires and it's ebbed and flowed a lot. But certainly this year we are looking at a lot of first season sires, I think it is a really good bunch of horses, very elite horses, but regardless of us having a special interest in Capitalist - this colt was a standout."
Catalogued as Lot 146, the colt is out of Listed-winning Tale Of The Cat (Storm Cat) mare Booklet, who was purchased by Karl Brown Bloodstock for $280,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Broodmare Sale in 2013.
The colt is a half-brother to four-time winner Groundbreak (All Too Hard), while further back this is same family as Group 1 winners Spyglass (Sir Sian) and Iron Horse (Zephyr Zip).
