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Syndicator looking forward to getting to sale where he bought last year’s Epsom winner
Jamie Walter might have a swagger in his step as he arrives in Adelaide this weekend and only part of it will be to do with Stockman's win in Saturday's $350,000 Group 3 Sky High Stakes at Rosehill.
The Proven Thoroughbreds proprietor is returning to the South Australian capital for the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale, which is where he bought Private Eye.
Private Eye is the latest Group 1 success story from South Australia's major yearling offering, springboarding from being a $62,500 yearling as part of the 2019 Ambergate Farm draft to providing Proven with its maiden Group 1 success in last year's Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.
"Adelaide's been great for us," Walter said. "We bought Invinciano over there, few years ago we had a horse called Lyncean Academy, who was another Stakes performer, so I enjoy going to Adelaide."
Private Eye joined the likes of last year's Kingsford-Smith Cup winner Vega One, Victoria Derby champ Warning and former stars Divine Madonna, Viddora and Happy Trails as Group 1 winners to be bought out of Adelaide.
A son of Al Maher and the Shamardal mare Confidential Queen, Private Eye was one yearling Walter was eager to see at Adelaide knowing the Joe Pride, who is one of Proven Thoroughbreds' trainers, had already enjoyed success with older half-brother Royal Witness (Star Witness).
"He was from a good farm, by an unfashionable sire in Al Maher, who I think is underrated, but a lot of his stock can be bulky and this fella wasn't which made him immediate appealing," Walter recalled.
"But, probably most important of all, he was only the second foal of a mare who had already produced a horse called Royal Witness that Joe trained.
"So, while he wasn't a knockout type, he was attractive and closely related to a horse we knew a bit about trained by Joe."
The Epsom Handicap was one of eight wins from 16 starts for Private Eye, who has earned $1,645,960 in stakes.
Walter reported that Private Eye had come through his first-up third placing in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) well and was on track to run in this Saturday's Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) before heading to the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) on April 2.
Proven will start the search for the next Private Eye via inspections on Monday with 454 yearlings catalogued in what is the first Adelaide sale comprising only Book 1.
There are 107 stallions represented at the sale, including Snitzel, Fastnet Rock, Written Tycoon, So You Think and Zoustar, along with youngsters by 17 first-season stallions, including one by The Autumn Sun who last week produced a $900,000 yearling at Karaka in New Zealand.
The Adelaide Sale commences at 10am local time Tuesday with the first 227 lots to be offered on Day 1 with the same number catalogued for sale on Wednesday's second and final day.
