The old adage 'money makes money' would appear to be true for Tony Santic, owner of Australia's best staying mare Makybe Diva - and also her dam, the Riverman mare Tugela. With $9,124,110 million in prize money courtesy of Makybe Diva's expended energies on the track, Tony looked to Tugela to also chip in in terms of income generation. The mare duly provided when her yearling son (a half-brother to Makybe Diva) merely had to prance nervously into a sales ring this evening to garner Tony more than a quarter of Makybe's earnings again in the time it took for six bids to wipe last year's record price of $2.2 million for a Danehill/Prawn Cocktail colt off the board. The new record now stands at AUD$2.5 million. The man behind the purchase was none other than the "chicken king" Bob Ingham whose stud - Woodlands - has been an active buyer at this year's sale (having waded back into the auction fray last year).
It could be argued that on paper at least, the record priced colt didn't have as strong a stallion's pedigree as certain others - but the judges held him in high esteem and it certainly didn't hurt that his sire was current auction sensation Redoute's Choice. Here are some comparisons for you: 38 Redoute's yearlings have been offered at 2005 yearling sales prior to Easter. 30 have sold for a total of $6,035,000 and an average of $201,166 and change [the top price of $410,000 paid by R James at the New Zealand Premier sale for a colt out of Za Tiara].
But since the Easter catalogue went to print the progeny of the young Arrowfield sire have driven their collective prize money total to $7,157,373 (top earner the Golden Slipper winner Stratum with $1,944,650). The stallion has sired an amazing 10 individual two-year-old stakes winners, including three Group 1 winners this year and not surprisingly such results have thrown the old 'supply/demand' curve into overdrive, and left a tonne of breeders who forked out just $44,000 for the service fee 3 years ago to be raising a glass (or four) of champagne at a breeding gamble that has well and truly struck gold. By the close of this evening's session 19 Redoute's Choice yearlings had been sold for an average of $674,474. As an interesting comparison consider that Redoute's champion father - Danehill (USA)- averaged $600,000 at Easter last year when 26 of his stock were sold (including the Australian record priced yearling for $2.2 million).
... and just to remind you that this end of the market is as much about the 'who's who' as is it about the horses - another Redoute's Choice colt (ten lots earlier than the record breaker) that had been bred by former high profile politician Andrew Peacock was sold to Sheikh Hamden’s bloodstock representative Angus Gold who paid a million dollars for the colt out of Treasury Gardens. This was the fifth yearling purchased for the Sheikh under the Shadwell banner. Other buyers include the usual suspects such as Gai Waterhouse, Lee Freedman, Graeme Rogerson etc - also Tim Stakemire bidding on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum who, with Tim Martin, purchased the first session sales topper - a $1.8 million Redoute's Choice/Saucy Nell colt; Adrian Nicoll from the bloodstock agency BBA Ireland; and the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
The sale continues tomorrow.
