Caption: Lot 145 at Adelaide Magic Millions, the sale-topping $190,000 All Too Hard-Lady Paget (Testa Rossa) colt.
A Colt by All Too Hard and from the immediate family of that horse’s sire Casino Prince topped the 2017 Adelaide Magic Millions Sale in mid-March, making $190,000. Offered by Baramul Stud, the youngster, from the Testa Rossa mare Lady Paget, was secured by trainer Leon Macdonald after a bidding duel with trainer Gary Moore.
The Macdonald/Andrew Gluyas stable also outbid Moore for the second most expensive lot of the sale, the Stratum-El Milagro (Encosta de Lago) three-quarter brother to Tasmanian Guineas-LR winner Inner Warrior (God’s Own) offered by Ralph Satchell’s Willow Grove Stud, Woodside. This price was matched by Attunga Stud’s Not a Single Doubt-Fidelie (Encosta de Lago) sister to multiple winner Little Indian, purchased by young agent James Ferguson for Robbie Griffiths Racing/Peter Ford Thoroughbreds. Moore made amends on day two though, securing that session’s second top priced lot, a colt by So You Think from Starspangled (IRE) by Danehill (USA), offered by Bowness Stud (as agent). This yearling’s second dam, User Friendly (Slip Anchor), won eight races including the English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks, the St Leger and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, all Gr.1, and was runner-up in the Arc de Triomphe-Gr.1.
The top priced All Too Hard colt carries a 3mx2f cross to the stakes placed mare Lady Capel (Last Tycoon (IRE)-Kew Gardens by Kenmare (FR)), dam of eight winners including Casino Prince, Tagus, Lord of the Land and Metallurgical, all stakes winners. She is also the dam of this colt’s winning dam Lady Paget and a sister to stakes winners Palia (dam of Onemorenomore) and Just Awesome.
Session One saw 259 lots sold to gross $10,404,000 on a clearance of 85.2%. The average was $40,170 and median $30,000. The figures are just off last year’s auction, which saw the average price rise 33% on 2015 and the gross soar 54%.
“We’ve finished with a gross right in line with last year,” Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox said. “The standout thing from this sale has been the participation of the trading market, the pin hookers for the two year-old sales and also into the Asian market.”
Session Two saw 88 lots sold for $1,382,000 on a 73.95% clearance and average of $15,705 (median $13,500) with top price of $56,000 paid by trainer Jason Bridgeman for a colt by All American from the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Statuette. He was among the first draft presented by John Mann’s Tosca Farm at Angaston. The average in this session was up from $13,505 in 2016 with Vin Cox reporting “a day of great trade”.
Published: April 2017
