 |
|
 |  |
The principal of Pinhook Bloodstock International, Dave Mee chats to The Impact about his purchase of Aim For Perfection, a Smart Missile mare previously owned by Gooree Stud. Mee has had a lifelong association with the industry through his families involvement in breeding and racing thoroughbreds in New Zealand and has worked for some of the world’s leading trainers, stud farms and bloodstock agents including Sir Patrick Hogan, Gai Waterhouse, David Payne, Clive Brittain (UK), Taylor Made Farms, and Eddie Woods (USA).
Q: You bought Aim For Perfection at the recent dispersal sale for the Estate of the Late Eduardo Cojuangco. Could you tell us more about why you chose to go up to AA$80,000 for her and what are your plans for her?
A: It was a combination of factors. Namely, she was a handy sprinter herself, arguably a better horse than her record suggests; she’s a lovely big strong mare; she comes from a deep genetic family bred by one of the most successful breeders and breeding programs in modern times; genetically she has a diverse range of bloodlines that will match with a good number of commercial stallions and the immediate family is very active with her dam and siblings being mated to top tier stallions and we believe the lightly raced half-sister Kaakit Akit (3YO filly by Artie Schiller trained by Gai Waterhouse) has significant potential upside.
At this stage, she has a date with Pierro. A very good physical and genetic match to a top tier stallion we believe has yet to reach his peak
 |  |
Q: Could you tell us about the horses you have bought this season as a whole? We would especially like to know about your sales highlights.
A: The sale season was a very solid business, buying horses in all ranges throughout the year I believe it was 16 mares at auction (Aus, NZ and USA), 22 yearlings (Aus, NZ and Argentina) and 9 weanlings (Aus)
It is hard to say the highlights just yet as the upside and potential you see in each individual horse you purchase, especially weanlings and yearlings are yet to be realized (either back in the sale ring or on the track). In some ways, it’s a bit like asking me who my favourite child is!
Of the weanlings one of the nicest I thought was an Exceed and Excel x Go Daisy (Show a Heart) filly for A$100k – just a real athlete by a sire who rates in the top bracket in both hemispheres. I thought at A$100k she was great value and I am looking forward to seeing how she develops
Yearlings – again I liked them all but probably three that come to mind are three fillies – I bought a smashing Maurice filly in conjunction with Flying Start Syndications now in the Maher/Eustace stable – hearing really good feedback already; a Shamus Award filly from Classic for only A$28k, also with Maher/Eustace and a super Testa Rossa filly for a good Victorian client.
Of the mares, the best value of the lot was a Gr.1 winning Argentinian mare called Ride of Valkyries in foal to Darci Brahma for only NZ$8,000. Couldn’t believe it. She was a proper racemare, young enough and will actually head back to Argentina for a client in October after she foals down
Q: What have been the most successful horse you've purchased and then Pin Hooked?
A: I’m a guy that tends to look forward so I am hoping all the weanlings I purchased this year for re-sale will all break my personal best!
I’ve had a couple of nice results in the last year or two. Recent successes that come to mind are a Shalaa colt I purchased for a good friend and client Roger Sousa for A$75,000. He resold for A$275,000 at this year’s Magic Millions. He is in work with Tony and Calvin McEvoy and the early reports are excellent.
Also, a nice stake placed mare was purchased at a value price off the track and put in foal to Merchant Navy and re-sold last year for A$425,000 which was a super result for good clients
Q: What was your experience like with digital sales programs this year?
A: I would say 99% of people within the industry are familiar with how these platforms operate now, so overall I think all respective sales platforms here in Aus and NZ are up with the play and user friendly, from both a selling and buying perspective.
In my opinion, I think these platforms probably lend themselves better to the selling of broodmares, racehorses and maybe to a lesser degree Ready to Run horses than weanlings and yearlings. Nothing can really substitute for seeing a horse in the flesh, especially if you plan to pay a few bucks for them, but we now have the experience and turnover, especially from the last 5-6 months that tells us this way of trading stock and doing business works, and without stating the obvious is here to stay.
The growth of these sales platforms has obviously been partially borne from necessity and accelerated because of COVID but what it has also done is probably made Vendors even more customer-focused and helped developed their overall media production and social media games to greater levels.
Q: Name your most favourite horse and why?
A: Bonecrusher. I was a young teenager when he raced and thinks the name was a big part of it. An outstanding name for an outstanding racehorse and it kind of just grabbed you and he was a big, bold Kiwi horse that dominated NZ and Aussie tracks for several years in the ’80s and I just remember that everyone back home in NZ seemed to get in behind him. And of course, his epic dual with Our Waverly Star in the 86 Cox Plate was one of the all-time great races and race calls.