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Secured for $135,000 from draft of Golden Grove Stud
Luke Murrell of Australian Bloodstock rated the Shamus Award (Snitzel) he picked up for $135,000 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale on Wednesday as ‘one of the best colts’ he had seen all year.
“I spent three days down there looking at him and as soon as he walked out he was just the best looking colt and also moved so well,” said Murrell. “I thought he was in the top ten balanced horses I’d seen all year - I just loved him.”
Although he would have liked to have paid as little as possible, Murrell is confident the colt will prove worth the price-tag.
“I was hoping, it being Adelaide, I didn’t have to spend that much, but he was worth every cent and I guess in 12 months we will find out if it was a good decision or not. But I am renowned tight-arse so I don’t like spending too much at all, but as I said I have seen 99 per cent of yearlings being offered at public auction this year and I have him in my top ten full stop.
“I look for specific things, but when you have a proven sire and the mare is getting winners and just how well put together he was - I just loved him.”
Catalogued as Lot 362, the colt is seventh foal out of Li’L Cashy (Keltrice), whose four foals to race have all been winners, including 2019 SAJC National Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Li’l Kontra (Krupt) and Cashed (Krupt), who finished second in the 2015 Schillaci Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m).
Australian Bloodstock have had good success with the progeny of the Rosemont Stud-based sire, most notably with Enchanted Heart - a fellow Golden Grove Stud graduate - they purchased for $80,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and she has gone on to win four of her seven starts accumulating $71,855 in career prize-money and Murrell was ample in his praise for the son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice).
“Shamus Award is doing a really, really good job at stud,” said Murrell. “He is 60 per cent runners to winners and I think his colts are about seven per cent stakes horses and this is coming off probably not the best batch mares - I love the stallion.
“We bought a filly - Enchanted Heart - off the same farm a couple of years ago and she has won four from seven for us. I just think his progeny have got such good attitudes. I wasn’t his biggest fan as a racing horse, but I just love his stock as a sire.”
Murrell said the sale was very much a mixed bag of stock and that was very reflected in the results of the sale.
“I think the way the sale results were reflective in some of the stock - I thought the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale was very even across the board, but the last two Inglis Sales and now this Adelaide one I thought those better horses are standing out because the difference between the top horses and the bottom horses is big,” said Murrell.
“When you look at every one of them you get those lesser horses out and they really stand out when you’ve just looked at a good horse. I saw all the horses down there and if you were to rate them out of 100 there were a lot of horses at 90, but there were a lot of horses at ten as well and all in between and I would think that is reflected in the results.
“The whole industry at the moment is pretty tough at the moment, there are some very good prices there, but there are a lot of costs associated and I am sure there are a few people that have done it a bit tough in all the sales. But if you have the right product they will certainly pay for it.”
Meanwhile, a filly by Swettenham Stud-based sire Puissance De Lune (Shamardal) topped Book 2 of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale after Mitch Freedman Lot 491, https://catalogue.magicmillions.com.au/lot/20APR/491 paid $90,000 for the youngster out of Hughes My Daddy (Henny Hughes) from the Phoenix Broodmare Farm draft.
