'She has a Group 1 pedigree' - A$750,000 The Autumn Sun yearling breaks records at Magic Millions National Yearling Sale

A filly with an Inglis Easter pedigree was the shining light on day one of an otherwise subdued Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, with the A$750,000 (£395,000/€457,000) The Autumn Sun blueblood purchased by Hong Kong interests.

The most expensive filly ever sold at a Gold Coast National yearling sale and the second highest-priced overall - a Dundeel colt made A$850,000 in 2019 - the Arrowfield-consigned horse was knocked down to agent Denys Chan of Golden River Investments after a titanic bidding war.

The ninth living foal out of blue hen mare Bagalollies, the prized filly is a half-sister to Hong Kong champion Werther and Australasian Oaks winner Toffee Tongue, as well as New Zealand Group 3 winner Gobstopper and the stakes-placed Milseain.

Glentree Thoroughbreds was the underbidder on the day’s top-priced yearling, with stud manager Luke Simpson having been despatched to the Gold Coast to bid on the filly for the Victorian operation’s owner Bruce Wilson.

After multiple parties threw down bids up to A$400,000, Chan and Simpson squared off in a drawn-out bidding duel, the former going straight from A$660,000 to A$700,000 in the hope of landing a knockout blow, before eventually securing the filly at A$750,000.

“She has got the perfect pedigree, a Group 1 pedigree, and she is the one who caught my eye. I had to have her,” said Chan.

“With that pedigree and the type she is, I think she was worth that money every day. She is a great mover and she has a great mind. You could see her in the ring, she never panicked at all.

“The plan is for her to stay in Australia to race and hopefully she’s a Group winner in the making.” 

Sydney-based Bjorn Baker is likely to train the filly on behalf of her new owner, the Hong Kong-based Cheng Keung Fai, who agent Chan represents. 

The October 1-born foal, who was catalogued as Lot 1452, was initially going to be retained to race by her breeder, but they had a change of heart, prompting the filly to be the page-turner of the National Sale catalogue.

Jon Freyer of Arrowfield Stud, which consigned the filly, said: “She belongs to clients and they intended to keep her and race her and then there was a change of heart after the Easter sale had closed, so this was the last option. 

“She’s made her price but she’s a glorious filly and a magnificent page. She has got tremendous residual value, come what may.”

The Spirit Of Boom colt out of two-time winner Jaunty sells for A$160,000Credit: Magic Millions

Fellow Hong Kong agent, Magus Equine’s Willie Leung, signed for the second highest-priced yearling sold on Tuesday at A$160,000.

Acting for Hong Kong trainer Manfred Man and owner Francis Lee, Leung bought a colt by Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom who will be given his chance to show his wares at Sha Tin and Happy Valley as a two-year-old.

Spirit Of Boom has sired three winners in Hong Kong so far: the former New Zealand-raced Spirits Aubeer [known as The Hulk in Hong Kong], Blooming Spirit and Kanbeki Molly.

“There are a couple up in Hong Kong [by Spirit Of Boom] and they are doing pretty well and this one looks exceptional,” said Leung.

“He is an athletic type and he looks precocious. We will give him six months here and then he will go to Hong Kong for the griffin races.”

Consigned by Eureka Stud, the colt is the second foal out of two-time winner Jaunty, whose three-year-old son of Spirit Of Boom, Big Sky Country, has placed at four of his five starts for Tony Gollan.

Tuesday’s trade was reflective of the downturn of the economy and the reduced demand for horses, particularly in the syndicator space, which has been evident all season.

The session began slowly as vendors attempted to adjust to buyer sentiment, with the clearance rate picking up throughout the day on what was the first of two “end of the road” sessions for the eastern state yearling sale circuit.

The 98 yearlings sold generated A$4,529,500 in turnover, down 32 per cent year on year. The average was A$46,219 (down six per cent), while the median held firm at A$30,000. The clearance rate improved to 56 per cent after a sluggish start to the day.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch had forecast pre-sale that the yearling auction would prove difficult given the selectivity of the market, but even he admitted late that the clearance rate was below his conservative expectations.   

Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News: “Obviously, the clearance rate is disappointing at below 60 per cent. It is never a sale that clears extraordinarily well, but I think motivated vendors who were willing to meet the market found, in most cases, buyers to sell their horses to and in other cases vendors need to revise their reserves a little bit.

“We’re at the end of a big yearling sale series and there’s a lack of domestic participation here, but what is pleasing me is the traders and the international buyers who are here.

“There are buyers from many countries and if a nice horse walks into the ring you can get a huge result - in particular the good filly [by The Autumn Sun] today.”

Bowditch urged bloodstock investors to capitalise on the opportunities available in Wednesday’s final session.

He said: “I think there’ll be buyers who aren’t here who will be looking at the results and thinking, ‘I should be making offers on some of these passed-in lots’ and the buyers who are here are finding value and will be buoyed by today’s sale and will come back looking to participate in the auction.”

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