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The Impact speaks to Russell Warwick, General Manager at the Westbury Stud, about their 2020 Magic Millions’ National Yearling Sale draft of 15 yearlings which includes, three Reliable Man, Westbury’s leading stallion.
Reliable Man, a son of Dalakhani, has had an excellent season and proved himself as a proved a commercial success. His successes included his daughter Miami Bound winning both the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) and Gr.2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) in the spring.
Additionally, the Chris Waller-trained Kinane, a last-start Group Three winner, shapes as one of the most progressive 3YOs in training in Australia.
Reliable Man’s yearlings selling is up to NZ$330,000 at Karaka this year.
The Westbury draft includes glorious yearlings by Tarzino, Excessively, El Roca, Telperion and Redwood.
Billionaire Gerry Harvey's Westbury Stud is considered one of New Zealand's dominant studs, consistently contributing the high numbers of yearlings through their sales' drafts. Australian retailer, Mr Harvey, also owns Australia's Baramul Stud, with more than 1000 horses, and is also a major shareholder in the Hunter Valley-based Vinery Stud while the Harvey family own the Australian thoroughbred auction house Magic Millions, which has one of that country's richest competitions in the Magic Millions Race Series. He acquired Westbury Stud, which was established by businessman Eric Watson, in 2009 when he bought out property developer Michael Tolli.
Q: If I’m looking for something special in your draft where should I start? Please tell us more about your draft and its highlights.
A: Although Covid-19 as placed us under some unknown territory when it comes to selling horses at the Gold Coast this year, the draft we are sending to the Magic Millions this year could be the best we have sent this for sale. We have a number of quality horses among the 15 yearlings and this year represents not only a high standard of a horse, but a number have been broken in due to the uncertainty of the timing of the sale and will allow the purchasers to continue with the horse’s preparation without incurring expense or time for the breaking in process to be completed.
We have 13 colts and 2 fillies in the draft with horses to suit all buyers.
Exciting first season sire Tarzino, who’s first yearlings sold up to A$230,000 in January, is represented by four colts and a filly who have all been set for this sale. Lot 1380 is the colt out of Yugoslavia (by More Than Ready), a very athletic individual, and is a quality type from the family of Hong Kong champion Vengeance of Rain and the Oaks winners Dizelle and Pinot; while another Tarzino sure to impress buyers is the colt from Excessively (by Exceed and Excel) who is catalogued as Lot 1459.
The Excessively colt is a well-balanced horse with excellent conformation and is out of a half-sister to Gr.2 winner Barbaricus and to the Gr.3 placed Addendum. Another of the Tarzino’s with his share of substance about him is the colt from Call Me Ruby (by Big Brown), a half-sister to Gr.2 winner and Caulfield Guineas placed Divine Calling, while the colt’s grand dam is the Gr.2 winner Rubicall.
Tarzino was the Champion Australian colt of his year winning the VRC Derby Gr.1, Rosehill Guineas (defeating Beauty Generation & Jameka), and was narrowly beaten in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas over 1600m.
Fastnet Rock’s Gr.1 performing son El Roca has three nice colts in the draft with Lot 1242 from Lupara (by Encosta de Lago) the first of these to be offered and a very good individual to get the ball rolling for his sire. El Roca is one of just two second-season sires in Australasia this season to produce a Gr.1 winner and is well on his way to becoming a successful sire, his remaining two colts are Lot 1282 out of the O’Reilly mare O’Erin and Lot 1450, the colt from the Hussonet mare Eclaircissement who is a half-brother to the stakes winner Ichiban.
High Chaparral’s son Redwood has had a wonderful year with four stakes winner during the past season including the Gr.1 performers Platinum Invader and Rock on Wood as well as the hardy Australian Group winner Night’s Watch and the talented 3YO filly Communique. Redwood has a very good colt from the Testa Rossa mare Glasgow which is listed as Lot 1204 who is a grandson of Champion racemare Tartan Tights and a close relation to Nevis and Ultra Sound. The second of the Redwood colts is an attractive, well-balanced brother to the Gr.2 placed mare Swampland – out of the Group placed Marsh Harbour (by Volksraad) and a colt who looks a quick running individually.
Tarzino’s fellow freshman sire Telperion (by Street Cry) also has two colts representing him, the first is a colt from Black Caviar and All Too Hard’s family out of the Hussonet mare Mandeville. A half-brother to six individual winners including recent 2YO Mandeville Rocker (by El Roca), the colt is a well-grown individual with plenty of scopes and carries a lot of the presence of his grandsire Street Cry. The second yearling by Telperion is out of the Swiss Ace mare Ski Slopes and also has a lot of Street Cry about him from a physical perspective.
A half-brother to Gr.1 winner Kementari, Telperion won the Listed Lonhro Plate at Randwick and was second to Yankee Rose in the ATC Sire’s Produce Stakes Gr.1 as well as a fast-finishing fourth to Capitalist in the coveted ATC Golden Slipper Stakes Gr.1.
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Q: Which particular yearling in recent years gave you the most pleasant surprise with the sale price?
A: In 2015 we sold a High Chaparral filly from Alma Star who was an excellent type and we headed to the sales expecting her to make NZ$150-200,000 and we were overwhelmed to see her make NZ$500,000 when she went through the ring.
Q: Please tell us more about the weanlings you have on ground that will be the highlight of your 2021 yearling sales drafts.
A: These are my views on some of our better yearlings which fit the brief you spoke about:
El Roca-Anthology colt: A smart colt with excellent natural strength, a good girth, and attractive head. By Fastnet Rock’s son El Roca, who is one of only two second-season sires in Australasia to produce a Gr.1 winner with the highly talented Travelling Light and a second Gr.1 performer with talented filly Bella Mente. The colt is out of the Encosta de Lago mare Anthology, a daughter of Gr.1 winner Imananabaa and from the family of top sprinters Born Rich, Born Priceless, The Heavyweight, Rostova, Anaheed, Zedrich and Mystic Master.
Tarzino-Call Me Ruby filly: Excellent style of a filly with a great girth, good scope, and a decent hindquarter. Out of a half-sister to Gr.2 winner Divine Calling who was runner-up in the Caulfield Guineas as a 3YO, while the filly’s grand dam Rubicall who won an STC Sweet Embrace Stakes as a 2YO and the AJC Light Fingers Stakes Gr.2 as a 3YO.
Telperion-Chinchilla Rose colt: A well-built muscular colt from the ATC Surround Stakes Gr.2 winner Chinchilla Rose who is a sister to Group winners Ferocity and Leone Chiara (dam of Star Witness Gr.1 and Nostradamus G3). His sire Telperion is a Gr.1 performer in his own right and a son of the mighty Street Cry (sire of Winx) and is a half-brother to the Gr.1 winner Kementari, being out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna.
Savabeel-Eau de Parfum colt: A quality colt, built very much in the mould of the better Savabeel performers and out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Eau de Parfum, which sees him bred on the same cross as Gr.1 winner Pasadena Girl.
The first foal (by Tarzino) was a magnificent type and sold for A$230,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale in 2020, while his dam Eau de Parfum is a half-sister to the Gr.2 winner Sambro and closely related to STC Golden Slipper Stakes winner Polar Success.
Dundeel-Lady Cumquat colt: A later foal, this colt possesses a number of characteristics of his sire Dundeel with a good head, good strength, and nice length. His dam Lady Cumquat (by Duke of Marmalade) is a Gr.3 winning half-sister to four Group winners including dual NZ Horse of the Year Bonneval (by Makfi), and a close relation to the top-priced yearling in New Zealand last year from another half-sister in Our Squeezer (by Redoute’s Choice). Lady Cumquat’s first foal is a filly by Pierro in work with Sydney trainer Mark Newnham, while her second foal is a yearling filly by So You Think.
Tarzino-Light Up a Screen colt: While this colt may not possess a Book 1 pedigree, he is bred 3x3 to the outstanding sire Zabeel and is a magnificent type in his own right. For what he might lack in a pedigree, he more than makes up for on the score of physicality and will be a trainer’s horse - while his grand dam Betty Blockbuster is a full sister to Caulfield Cup winner Inaflury.
Telperion-Perfect Silhouette colt: A quality, well-balanced colt, by Street Cry’s son Telperion from the More Than Ready mare Perfect Silhouette. A half-brother to two winners, the grand-dam Fitting was a quality 2YO winning the ATC Gimcrack Stakes and placed in the ATC Silver Slipper Stakes Gr.2 and a good fourth in the ATC Golden Slipper Stakes Gr.1, before going on to be Gr.1 placed in the AJC Flight Stakes as a three-year-old. Fitting was the dam of ATC Golden Slipper Stakes winner and sire Catbird, as well as the STC Pago Pago Stakes Gr.2 winner Danbird.
Reliable Man- Quality Dream colt: A very good colt who is very typical of the Reliable Man progeny and is a full brother to stakes winner and Gr.1 placed Hypnos. The second dam Dreamworks was the winner of the Gr.2 ARC Royal Stakes and the third dam Slanchyvah was the winner of the BATC Doomben Classic LR and Gr.1 placed in the ARC Championship Stakes. A full brother to the colt was sold in 2019 for $270,000 at Karaka and is set to debut in Australia.
Redwood-Saskia colt: A striking son of Redwood with good size and quality and a half-brother to the Gr.3 placed Alaskan Rose (by Encosta de Lago). Out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Saskia, a half-sister to stakes winner Quayside and a daughter of Gr.2 winning racemare Quays, winner of the VRC Wakeful Stakes Gr.2 and placed in the ATC Australian Oaks, ATC Arrowfield Stakes Gr.1, and the BTC Queensland Oaks Gr.1. The third dam is the Gr.1 winner Pontal Lass. By High Chaparral, Redwood has had an excellent season with Night’s Watch, Platinum Invader, Communique, and Chief Sequoyah all winning at black type level while the talented Rock on Wood was narrowly beaten in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile, and Columbus County performing at a high level in Hong Kong.
Reliable Man-Sexy Thing filly: This well-balanced, precocious, filly should come to hand at two and is a half-sister to stakes-winning Queensland 2YO Smart ‘n’ Sexy. Typical of the Reliable Man progeny, the filly has an excellent temperament and is similar to the likes of Aalaalune and Belle du Nord. Out of the Mossman mare Sexy Thing, the filly’s grand dam is the Gr.2 winner Eureka Jewel and is closely related to stakes winners Sermon, Golconda, and Spurred On.
Q: As a breeder, what would you say makes the most commercial horse for this region?
A: Karaka has traditionally been such a successful producer of top racehorses that the buyers have an open mind to the type of horse they are looking to buy here. The advent of two races being run for $NZ1,000,000 for graduates of the sale is an added incentive for buyers and there is obviously a desire to buy a horse who may find itself it one of these two races in the future. Other than that the staying horses obviously have an appeal to the broader bench as the Derby and Oaks winners often come from New Zealand and are very hard to source from within Australia.
Q: And finally, if you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, who’s would they be and why?
A: Bloodstock agent John Foote, as he is recognised as one of the best judges of a yearling around the world and his reputation globally is of the highest standard which sees him buying horses for some of the best trainers, breeders, and owners in the southern hemisphere