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Ellis syndicate part with $1,925,000 for trio of yearlings.
With the travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand still in place, many familiar buyers from across the Tasman were absent faces on the buying bench, however Te Akau's David Ellis was not about to stop a global pandemic get in the way of him securing some prime stock at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale as he teamed up with fellow Kiwi Andy Williams to buy three yearlings at the sale on Tuesday, headed by a Coolmore Stud-consigned Fastnet Rock (Danehill) colt for whom they purchased for $825,000.
Williams told Racing & Sports Bloodstock it was sheer luck he received the nod from the Te Akau supremo to help them purchase stock at this year's sale and said he had been working closely with Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards in order to leave the sale with the ones they earmarked.
"With David Ellis and Jamie Richards unable to make the sale due to the ongoing situation with COVID, I was very lucky to get a tap on the shoulder," said Williams. "It has been a great process working with Jamie and he has done a lot of work online and short-listed the sale and gone through what he likes and what he doesn't like from all the pictures and videos.
"Jamie has done a lot of work and I just went round and compiled a short-list and by the time we did some pictures and videos we identified a dozen horses we would have a crack at. We are very lucky, we managed to get three on day one, because it is a very hard market to be buying in."
Te Akau have reaped the rewards of putting their faith in the progeny of Fastnet Rock, through the deeds of multiple Group 1-winning mare Avantage and fellow elite level winners Age Of Fire and Heroic Valour and Williams said he was instructed by Ellis to buy the best colt by the stallion in the sale.
"Te Akau has had good success with the progeny of Fastnet Rock and at the end of the day they made their money, but they are quality individuals," said Williams.
"David told me to buy the best Fastnet Rock colt in the sale and I identified this colt as just that.
"He really was very hard to fault. He is a lovely shape, all quality and moved well and forward enough to be running early. Jamie will give him every chance."
Catalogued as Lot 163, the colt is out of dual winner Ciarlet (Northern Meteor), who is herself a sister to dual Group 1 winner and now Widden Stud-based sire Zoustar and stakes-placed Emperor Of The Sun (Galileo). Further back this is the same family as Group 3 winner Testashadow (Testa Rossa) and Group 2 scorer Dusty Star (General Nediym).
Earlier in the afternoon, Ellis purchased a filly by the stallion for $600,000, once again consigned by Coolmore Stud, where the stallion resides.
Catalogued as Lot 109, the yearling is out of the winning Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Blue Blue Sky and hails from the family of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed La Sizeranne (Stravinsky) - the dam of Listed scorer Za Moulin Rouge (Street Cry).
Further afield this is also the same family as Group 3 scorer Weregoingtogetcha (Testa Rossa) and Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Tavago (Tavistock).
Williams said the filly was very much typical of the style of filly Richards targets and said the trainer was very keen to secure her.
"She was all quality," said Williams. "She is your typical Jamie Richards style of filly - she is sharp and has a great shape and length. He identified her from afar as a must have, which is very telling in itself.
"I love Fastnet Rock fillies and you can't go past them, they are proven performers with great residual value."
At the close of trade on day one, Fastnet Rock had six yearlings sell for an aggregate of $2,750,000 at an average of $458,333.
Te Akau have enjoyed some great success with the progeny of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), most recently with Imperatriz, who landed the Eclipse Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) on New Year's Day, while Richards also trains Hallmark Stud Handicap (Listed, 1200m) winner Vamos Bebe and Richards and Ellis have a new filly by the Yarraman Park-based sire who will don the Tangerine silks, paying $500,000 for the Yarraman Park Stud-consigned youngster.
Williams said he fell in love with the filly, who was catalogued as Lot 159, so happy to secure her for that price-tag.
"I asked David if we could buy her no matter what. So to come away with her for $500,000 was great," said Williams.
"She really was a standout. She was a great shape with a lovely depth of girth. She was just a star and the development she has gone through from the farm to now has been enormous.
"She is by I Am Invincible out of a Starcraft mare, who is doing great stuff as a broodmare sire and you can't really go wrong."
The filly out of Group 3-placed mare Choose (Starcraft), who is herself a daughter of winning Redoute's Choice (Danehill) mare Choices Are.
Choices Are is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Bawalaksana (Straight Strike) and Damaschino (Last Tycoon), whose best victory came at Group 3 level. Choices Are is also a half-sister to Group 3-winning pair Arbeitsam (Snitzel) and Payroll (Not A Single Doubt).
Yarraman Park's Harry Mitchell told Racing & Sports Bloodstock he was over the moon with the result and was happy to see the filly head to Richards' New Zealand base.
"That was a good result," said Mitchell. "We are very happy she is going there because we think that Jamie Richards is a bloody good trainer.
"She was average size, lovely big girth and lovely head and eye. She was just a lovely well put together filly. Her sister made $600,000 last year and she is now in training with Chris Waller and they seem to think a lot of her. She looked like a filly who would love six furlongs, but might even end up running a bit further in time."
