Booming week-to-week prizemoney augmented by the super-successful Westspeed Platinum Bonus Scheme gives WA vendors every right to be confident ahead of this year’s Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
This season’s inaugural $10.5 million The Pinnacles in November-December and $4 million The Quokka in April have also lifted the profile of WA’s racing and breeding industries.
The catalogue is boosted by 94% of yearlings bonus-eligible in either the Westspeed Platinum or standard Westspeed Scheme. Some 68 lots are BOBS eligible and all lots offered are eligible to be paid up for the $14 million Magic Millions Race Series.
To be conducted across two days on February 23 and 24, the Swan Valley Sale will see Magic Millions welcome back interstate and international buyers following two years of extreme challenges dealing with border restrictions, bushfires, sale-date delays and harsh quarantine directives.
“The feedback I’ve received while in the Hunter Valley and the Gold Coast has been very encouraging,” Magic Millions WA manager David Houston said. “All our leading stallions are well-represented and we’re looking forward to at least maintaining our results from last year.”
Despite the lockdowns, local owners and trainers showed their support at the 2022 Sale when the average soared 32% to $91,175.
Alwyn Park owner John Andrew (pictured) has been prepping yearlings since the 1970s and he’s also one of the most successful this season having bred and sold Buster Bash in the Swan Valley. The son of Trade Fair (GB) was a four-length winner of the G2 Perth Cup (2400m) earlier this month to send his earnings past $750,000.
“Our on-site inspections have been very positive,” Andrew said. “And even though trainers are notoriously noncommittal, I’m pretty sure a few we paraded made their short-lists.”
One of the Alwyn Park highlights on Day 1 is the Gingerbread Man half-sister to Buster Bash (Lot 80). “She’s a very strong filly and a real good doer,” Andrew said. “Whoever buys her will have plenty to work with.”
Gingerbread Man (Shamardal) is best known in the Eastern States as the sire of Caulfield’s G3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) winner Red Can Man. His off-shore progeny includes G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Ima Single Man who scored his fourth Sha Tin win on New Year’s Day.
Alwyn Park stallion Maschino has emerged as one of the most popular stallions in the west and Andrew will have three of his 13 Lots going under the hammer. A Group 3-winning son of Encosta De Lago, he did it the hard way after siring just 50 foals in his first four books!
Maschino has built a 22% stakes-performers to winners strike-rate headed by Fabergino who was a Flemington specialist winning the LR Kensington Stakes and LR Bob Hoysted Stakes (twice) in a half-dozen starts down the straight-six. “His filly from Flying Flitter (Lot 95) is a scopey, athletic filly,” Andrew said. “The dam has thrown six winners in Perth and Melbourne and, given time, this one will be a winner, too.”
Alwyn Park’s consignment commences with an interstate-sired filly by Hellbent (Lot 26). He’s off to a flyer at Yarraman Stud alongside his sire I Am Invincible with 15 yearlings averaging $200,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions. “Our Hellbent is a neat filly from a half-sister to Rose Of Choice who won a LR Jungle Dawn Classic. She was bred by Keith Biggs and Yarraman sold her I Am Invincible colt for $800,000 on the Gold Coast.”
Biggs also races homebred I Am Invincible sprinter Minsk Moment who won the Dual Choice Plate at Geelong prior victories in the Carbine Club Stakes and Easingwold Stakes at the Ascot summer carnival. Andrew has a share in the 4yo sprinter who go in search of stallion-making Group wins this year.
Alwyn Park has four yearlings from the second crop of Snitzel sire Ducimus who opened his account on Boxing Day when Leading Taddy bolted in at Pinjarra. Ducimus was bred in WA by Oakland Park and changed hands for a sale-topping $700,000 at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier. Trained by Team Hawkes, he was a LR Talindert Stakes (1100m) winner at Flemington for Orbis Bloodstock and they stand him at Rivercrest Park in the south-west of WA.
“Our Ducimus colt from Classic Snow (Lot 68) is a half-brother to Snowchino who we bred to win a LR Starstruck Classic,” Andrew continued. “He’s a smooth-walking chestnut and caught the eye of at least one Ascot trainer during our inspections.”
Alwyn Park (as agent) also sells Ducimus yearlings on behalf of Rivercrest Park including the fillies from Angel Wins (Lot 51) and Renegade Girl (Lot 171). Angel Wings (Hurricane Sky) won a Sky Racing Championship Final in Perth and is a half-sister to the Peters Investments black-type winners Graceful Girl, Respondent and State Solicitor.
“It’s the family of Avenida Madero and she should go early,” Rivercrest’s Steve Hoare predicted. “She’s not huge but is a beautifully barrelled with a kind eye and lovely walk.”
Renegade Girl (War Chant) is a half-sister to G2 Lee-Steere Stakes winner Famous Roman and Hoare reports her Ducimus filly is well-built and well-balanced. She received an update on Saturday when her older half-brother Who By Fire (Cohen) won his maiden at Albany.
The Alwyn Park draft will be stabled in Barns B and C in the Swan Valley.
This article was first published on Breednet.
