Most predictions concerning this year’s yearling sales were that there would be a “readjustment” in values and those predictions turned out to be pretty much spot on. However, one could argue that this year’s catalogues were clearly inferior to the 2016 versions and that therefore the results weren’t that bad at all. Things can always get worse.
Anyway, in the lead-up to sales week I had found it extraordinarily difficult to sell copies of my Buyers’ Guide – an analysis which identified yearlings which could well be undervalued, given the strength of their pedigrees. Most long-standing clients had the same “I don’t think we’ll be buying this year” message. Some did end up staying at home or keeping their hands in their pockets but others nonetheless helped me equal my record of seven yearlings bought by proud owners of the Buyers’ Guide.
The honour roll was as follows:
Premier:
Darci Brahma – Surreptitiously colt (Lot 437) $105,000
Select:
Reliable Man – Run to the Bank filly (987) $40,000
Pins – Seven Schillings filly (1012) $55,000
Super Easy – The Quarewan filly (1090) $20,000
Festival:
Super Easy – Arctic Heights colt (1128) $10,000
Super Easy – Astrogal colt (1132) $90,000
Iffraaj – Designacat colt (1180) $14,000
Our Cloughmore Racing Partnership has bought a minority share in both 1128 and 1180. The former is an absolute stunner who had the misfortune to be a mid-November foal. To be more accurate, this misfortune was for his breeder as it certainly won’t stop him running. As you will deduce, I am very positive about Super Easy at this stage of his career – provided that the individual isn’t inbred to Danehill. Given the number of times this inbreeding appears in Australian sales catalogues and the number of times it is absent from the pedigrees of Group winners, there is only one conclusion which can safely be drawn.
