Luke Mcdonald On Baramul Stud’s 2021 Adeliade Yearling Sale Draft, The Successes Of This Year And Learning From The Covid Era

Q: Since you are one of the vendors with the biggest drafts at this sale and you have a number of very high-quality horses in your draft, would you be able to suggest the five horses that you would like to spotlight and tell us more about their breeding?

A: Our top lots are as follows:

• Lot 10 – Headwater x Senorita De Lago (colt): This colt has a lot of quality and all the markings of a good horse. With a strong short coupled physical, and a shape that suggest he will be a sharp early type. Ideal for pin hookers looking for a Ready to Run horse or a buyer looking for an early 2YO type. His breeding is commercial given that he is out of a stakes placed Encosta De Lago mare who has left quality runners in both Hong Kong and Australia. This colt is by Headwater, a promising Vinery stallion by Exceed and Excel who has been stamping his stock in a similar mould to this colt and has been producing consistent city 2YO winners.
• Lot 25 – Star Turn x Sovereign Eminence (filly): This filly looks a running type. She has a lovely physical and is a strong robust type that would suggest she will handle a prep. Out of a mare by Testa Rossa who typically throws speed horses! She is by Star Turn who has made an impact on the 1^st season sires table. A filly with a quality physical such as hers suggests you would not have to wait long. Being out of an improving family, she will hold residual value.
• Lot 204 – So You Think x Illicit Romance (Colt): This colt oozes class! Physically he is the type of horse that the buyer will stretch to purchase. A strong and well-balanced individual with a typical athletic walk. He is by one of the hottest sires in Australia, So You Think, who has produced 6 stakes winners this season alone. His female side is dominated by speed as Illicit Romance is by Snitzel who is already becoming a prominent broodmare sire.
• 272 – Star Turn x My Hussy (filly): This filly looks an athletic speed machine. Light on her feet she walks with purpose and sharpness, possessing a sprinters physique. Out of a Hussonet mare who is notorious for throwing speedy 2YO types, and by Star Turn the up-and-coming Vinery sire. Star Turn is currently 5^th on the 1^st season sires table and looks to have a lot of quality 2YO’s yet to come.
• 319 – Pierro x Red is the Rose (Colt): This colt is a neat type that will keep on improving with time and looks to us to be a lovely miler type. He holds good scope and depth to his body, and is a correct horse. His family is very commercial and will appeal to a lot of syndicators and trainers. By Champion sire Pierro crossed with a Fastnet Rock mare. This cross has produced multiple stakes winners including G3 winner ROCK.

Q: We are almost at the mid-way point of the yearling sales season. How has it been for you so far? What were your top sales thus far? 

A: If this past year has taught us anything it is that racing is not only resilient but also incredibly adaptable. The Australian breeding and racing industry is becoming the strongest and most commercial of its kind worldwide with prizemoney and sales reaching record highs. As a vendor Baramul Stud has gained an enormous amount of confidence in these testing times, with a record-breaking Magic Millions sale in January, with the highlight being the NOT A SINGLE DOUBT x MEDAGLIA VALORE colt selling to Tony Fung and Phoenix Thoroughbreds for A$1,000,000.00.

Q: What other sales do you plan to attend this year?

A: Baramul Stud will continue to map the same sale schedule as we have for many years which includes the Magic Millions January Yearling, Adelaide Yearling Sale, June Yearling and Broodmare Sale and the Ready To Run Sale.

Q: What do you miss most from sales during the pre-cover (2019) era? 

A: In these testing times, we as a larger operation, have faced many obstacles. Staffing issues are becoming harder as our stud relies on foreign travellers seeking farm work in rural areas. We are also finding it hard to travel to the sale complexes as boarders continue to close unexpectedly. I think as time goes on businesses are remodelling and adapting to the new way of life, which with animals involved can often be very difficult.

Q: For the current sale, have you had a lot of farm visits? Or do you expect your buyers to inspect the horses at the sale venue? 

A: Throughout the Magic Millions Adelaide Sale prep we have only had a few on farm inspections, which was surprising considering a lot of the buyers have been in Melbourne for the Inglis Premier. However, the team has worked hard to cater for the trainers that stayed in NSW. We are anticipating a lot of the inspections will be concluded on complex.