Spitting image Lonhro colt sells for $180,000 at Magic millions

If there was ever a need for further proof that well-credentialled horses will be found by buyers no matter what marketplace they are offered through, there was another example yesterday when a striking colt by champion sire Lonhro made A$180,000.

The top-priced lot in Book 2 of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, purchased online by the Hong Kong-based Upper Bloodstock, also capped off a successful 2020 pinhooking exercise for NSW’s Jazcom Thoroughbreds.

The fact that there were numerous bidders on the colt past the reserve of A$80,000 also highlighted the continued demand for new season two-year-olds from an array of participants in an array of racing jurisdictions.

The strong result for the Lonhro colt - and the A$260,000, A$160,000 and A$160,000 price tags for racehorses Noble Privilege, Sole Heir and Haunted respectively - brought a satisfying end to the seven-day national Gold Coast sale which for some time was in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Book 2 sale-topping colt was a A$46,000 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale purchase from Twin Hills Stud by Jazcom Thoroughbreds.

He is the second foal out of the twice-winning mare Respected, who is a half-sister to the Listed-winning sprinter Federal. Further back is MRC Thousand Guineas winner Flit. Consigned by Goodwood Farm for Jazcom, the colt was catalogued as lot 1625.

Jazcom Thoroughbreds’ Colin Branthwaite had intended to offer the colt for sale earlier this year but was forced to wait until the delayed National sale to put him to market.

“It was a bit of a mistake (that he was in Book 2), but in all honesty, we had the same thing happen two years ago when we topped Book 2 at Magics in January when our Brazen Beau filly was in Book 2,” Branthwaite said.

“We were all down and out about it, but I just find when Book 2 horses are able to be viewed at the same time as Book 1 horses, if you’ve got the right product they find their way.

“That Brazen Beau filly two years ago made her way to be one of the best (by the sire) in the sale even though she was in Book 2 and she brought A$230,000.

“This horse, he made himself, and the buyers don’t miss the nice horses.”

Magic Millions bloodstock staff helped facilitate the sale on the Lonhro colt with Upper Bloodstock.

“We have been an information service for those guys who are in Hong Kong and they have been doing their work back there,” managing director Bowditch said.

“Upper Bloodstock bought a lovely Capitalist (on Monday) and a fantastic Lonhro today and I know when they actually get to lay eyes on these horses, they will be delighted with what they have purchased.

“The way the sale has gone gives us confidence that we can provide a competitive market even in tough circumstances. The virtual or online platform is the way the world is going to be for quite some time.

“This has been an outstanding effort just to pull it off, but for it to be as successful as it has been is truly humbling for me and the whole team.”

Darby Racing secure unraced Noble Privilege

After missing out on a Shalaa colt at Monday’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, Darby Racing, in conjunction with Will Johnson Bloodstock, returned yesterday and secured three-year-old colt Noble Privilege for a session-topping A$260,000.

The colt was from the unreserved draft of The Estate of the Late Eduardo Cojuangco, and hails from a family that includes Northern Meteor and Smart Missile.

Mark Holland, sales manager for Darby Racing, was delighted to secure Noble Privilege.

“We missed out on the Shalaa last night, we were wrapt with that Shalaa, but when this guy came up, he was just a must get for us,” Holland told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“Lonhro, outstanding family, two stallions in the family and he’s a horse that’s won a city trial already. We’ve had success buying breeze up horses last year with Malkovich who was a horse that had won a city trial as well. We bought him for good money and sold him very quickly. This horse is still a colt, he’s Lonhro who is a champion stallion and he was just a must have.”

Holland lauded the fact the colt is a racehorse, which means shareholders won’t have to wait long for him to hit the racetrack.

“That’s one of the massive bonuses,” Holland said. “We’re up here buying yearlings at the moment and now we can get our shareholders into a racehorse and with legitimate reasons for Gooree to be moving him on.”

Formerly trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Noble Privilege is set to join the Team Hawkes stables. A winner of a 742-metre trial at Randwick in April, he is one of six foals out of dual Group 3 winner Queen Of The Hill , who herself is a half-sister to the late stallion Northern Meteor and Comical Smile, the dam of Twin Hills Stud resident Smart Missile.

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