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Four of six highest priced lots on Wednesday are Australian bound
Four of the six highest priced lots to sell during Wednesday's session of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale are bound for Australia with Snowden Racing and Will Johnson Bloodstock buying the most expensive of these, going to 250,000 guinas for three-year-old colt Old Flame (Invincible Spirit).
Colum McCullagh, Snowden Racing's Racing and Bloodstock Manager, took time out from morning track work to discuss the purchase of the three-year-old son of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert)
"He will be on the first shipment from Europe to Australia. He looks to have the right sort of profile for Australia and is by Invincible Spirit, who has such a huge influence here through his son I Am Invincible.
"He should suit a lot of races here over distances from six furlongs to a mile, he is a real-sprinter miler type.
He has not been bought for a particular client and we will look to syndicate him.
" McCullagh added: "He came highly recommended by his trainer, who loved him every morning and evening. I have to give special mention to Will Johnson, who spent time in Newmarket as assistant to trainer Roger Varian.
Will has put a lot of work into the catalogue and it is great to have someone with his knowledge of racing in the region. "To have a horse from such an organisation as Juddmonte Farms speaks for itself – Old Flame has just two dams on the page and has a stallion's pedigree.
" Formerly trained by Ralph Beckett, Old Flame has won two of his four starts and was offered with a 'Timeform' rating of 100p.
McKeever Secures King of Clubs for 230,000 Guineas
Johnny McKeever struck at 230,000 guineas on behalf of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for three-year-old colt King Of Clubs (Intello) who was consigned by Hughie Morrison's Summerdown Stables.
"King Of Clubs is for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott," reported McKeever. "He is a lovely horse, Robbie Waterhouse liked the form, I liked the horse and Hughie Morrison recommended him. It is the same formula we have always used – find the horse we like, with the right form, with the right rating, and hope he or she adapts to Australia.
We think this is a horse who looks like he will make a nice stayer in Australia.
" Elaborating on the team's selection process McKeever added: "Rob Waterhouse is a very clever man on form, he has been an integral part of all the good horses we have bought. He is good at spotting horses that he thinks, on form, will translate to Australia – that takes a bit of pressure off me as all I have to do is look at the horse and decide if physically, he is the right sort of horse.
"We have identified some very good horses – Knights Order, who won the Queensland Derby this year, came out of this sale. We have a good record of spotting the ones to suit us." King Of Clubs was the first purchase for the team at the sale this year, and McKeever explained that the strong market has hindered their plans:
"They have been making more than we have been prepared to spend so we've had two blank days – hopefully we have another couple to follow through today." Later in the session, McKeever again went to 230,000 guineas and secured Youth Spirit (Camelot) for Waterhouse and Bott.
"I really believe that he is the best value horse in the sale. And on price I think he is the best value horse I have bought for about 10 years!" enthused Johnny McKeever.
"I am extremely excited about that... I have been trying to buy the horse all year," he added.
"There has been a lot of activity from Australia to buy this horse privately, for various reasons the sale did not quite happen. His level of form is outstanding, he is by Camelot, he is such a beautiful looking horse, he has absolutely everything going for him.
I am surprised and delighted, thrilled, I am very satisfied that is my buy of the year."
Youth Spirit was fifth on his most recent start in the St Leger (Gr 1, 1m6f) and has also been placed twice at Group Two level.
Matthew Flinders to Follow Familiar Path Down Under
The team responsible for purchasing subsequent dual Group One winner Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) at the 2020 Autumn Horses in Training Sale made the buyers sheet at this year's renewal with a successful bid of 230,000 guineas by Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman on behalf of Annabel Neasham for the appropriately named Matthew Flinders (Siyouni), whose namesake led the first inshore circumnavigation of Australia. The four-year-old gelding is a dual winner and Listed placed this season for trainer Ed Walker, and was offered with a 'Timeform' rating of 107.
Stuart Boman, accompanied by Neasham's mother Patricia, commented:
"This is my second purchase for Annabel at this sale, the first one obviously very successful! It is going to be a hard act to follow, but we wanted to target here what we felt was one of the nicest horses for Australia. His ability is far better than what the form book shows. He is a horse who constantly travels best of all in any field he is in. I spoke with Ed Walker and I think he has probably felt he has had a Group horse on his hands for a long time – he wanted him to win his big handicap but he never had his day.
"The handicapper then forced his hands by raising the horse's mark so high. He ran so well at Chester leading into the Balmoral Handicap in October, and put in another good run there. He is thoroughly consistent and runs to a very high Timeform rating all the time. He is a strong travelling horse and should really suit Australia with the firm ground, and there are a lot of races for him in his distance range.
" Boman added: "I am delighted for Annabel. She is flying along, she has two runners in the Golden Eagle on Saturday which is worth A$7.5 million, things are healthy in Australia.
" Of last year's purchase Boman smiled: "Zaaki has been phenomenal, it is fantastic. It is remarkable what one horse can do for people's lives and careers."
