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Operations snap up four yearlings on day one at the Gold Coast.
The familiar buying power of Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds were active on the first day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale on Tuesday, as they purchased four colts for an aggregate of $2,245,000 - with all four set to run in their stallion syndicate in training with Annabel Neasham.
The most expensive of the quartet was a colt by Arrowfield Stud-based sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia), paying Tyreel Stud $650,000 for the yearling.
Catalogued as Lot 161, the colt is the second foal out of three time-winning Thorn Park (Spinning World) mare Choux Diva.
Choux Diva herself is a sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion and now sire Jimmy Choux, while she counts fellow Group 1 scorer Miss Wilson (Stratum) among her half-siblings.
It was no surprise to see the progeny of Written Tycoon prove popular at the sale, with the stallion having enjoyed a great start to the season, headlined by the exploits for his Group 1-winning progeny Ole Kirk, Pippie and Odeum and Aquis Farm CEO Shane McGrath told Racing & Sports Bloodstock the colt was one of the standouts on the complex.
"Tyreel Stud stats are unbelievable and they are very well prepared," said McGrath. "I loved this horse from the minute we saw him. He was a great moving horse with a big hip. He looked like a nice sound horse that we can get going with early.
"We will get him into the system nice and early and get him through the programme and hopefully he is one that can do us proud."
Tyreel Stud sold both lots they offered on Tuesday for a total of $1,270,000.
The colt was one of two yearlings purchased by the two operations by Written Tycoon, with the other being out of the Vinery Stud draft who they secured for $525,000.
Catalogued as Lot 20, the colt is out of Afleet Esprit by Bel Esprit (Royal Academy), who landed the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) in 2014.
Further back the colt shares a page with Group 3 scorer Triple Gold (Gold Crest) and Listed scorer It's A Miracle (Hula Chief).
Aquis have had good success from buying from Vinery, having purchased subsequent Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) off the farm for $550,000 at the 2019 edition of the sale and McGrath is hoping this colt can also prove to be a star like the son of Not A Single Doubt (Redoute's Choice).
"Obviously he was purchased off the same farm we purchased Farnan off and like Farnan he is a smashing colt," said McGrath. "He vetted really clean and of course Written Tycoon has had the best few months as any stallion in the world. He ticks every box.
"He is from a lovely family and he is fast looking and is sure to be early. Most of the good two-year-olds get rolling early and he looks like one of those. He will head off to Annabel Neasham hopefully lightning can strike twice from a Vinery selection."
On the price-tag, McGrath said: "We expected to pay that sort of price, with the stallion market being so strong in Australia, you have a lot of different groups sourcing the same sort of type of horse and when you lock horns you're going to have to pay that sort of price."
Six out of the eight yearlings offered by Written Tycoon sold on Tuesday for $4,400,000 at an average of $628,571. Then based at Woodside Park in Victoria, the sire stood for a fee of $110,000 (inc GST) in 2018 and overall in 2020 the 76 yearlings sold by the sire averaged $165,258.
Aquis and Phoenix also teamed up to buy a colt by Arrowfield Stud's four-time champion sire Snitzel (Redoute's Choice), parting with $550,000 for the colt from the draft of Newgate Farm.
"'What can go wrong with a Snitzel colt?'" said McGrath. "He has a great pedigree and looks like he can run. He is well admired, which you can see from the price he made. I shouldn't imagine he will take too long.
"He is obviously part of the stallion partnership between Aquis and Phoenix and he will also head to Annabel Neasham and in June time we will work out whether he is a Breeders' Plate type horse.
"At the end of the day if you have a Snitzel colt with a stallion's page you have bought a ticket in the lottery."
Catalogued as Lot 60, the colt is the first foal out of winning Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Artemis Rose, who is herself a daughter of Listed winner True Blonde (Naturalism).
True Blonde produced ten winners in total headed by Listed scorer Regrowth (Unbridled's Song) - the dam of Group 3 winner Colour (More Than Ready).
Further afield this is also the same family as 2007 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Forensics (Flying Spur) and Group 2-winning son of Hinchinbrook (Fastnet Rock) in Derryn.
The operation's quartet of yearlings purchased on day one was completed by a colt by Coolmore Stud-based sire Pierro (Lonhro), who they snapped up from Twin Hills Stud for $520,000.
Catalogued as Lot 9, the colt is out of winning Delzao (Encosta De Lago) mare Zuzao, making him a half-brother to 2017 J J Atkins Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Capital Gain (Ad Valorem).
Further back the colt's third dam is Group 2 scorer Darling Take Care (Bending Away), while this is also the same family as Group 3-winning duo Regent Diamond (Voodoo Rhythm) and Mr Sands (Mister Big Louie).
McGrath was brimming with admiration for the colt and believes he is by a champion sire in the making in Pierro.
"Pierro is a phenomenal sire down here and the mare has done the job in producing a good two-year-old in Capital Gain," said McGrath.
"We liked the horse. He was a lovely style of horse with a great temperament and physically he looked like a sharper type of Pierro and then you factor in what the mare has done already.
"She has had an upgrade in Pierro, who I have no doubt is a champion sire in the making and if this lad can be the one to help him become champion sire we will all be tickled pink."
