During the 2023 yearling sales, Coolmore’s involvement in the most expensive horses sold at auction in Australia covered a lot of angles.
Switzerland stamped himself as the nation's premier three-year-old colt in the Coolmore Stud Stakes. (Photo: Pat Scala/Getty Images)
Among the 47 yearlings that made at least $1 million at Magic Millions, Inglis and New Zealand Bloodstock sales, Coolmore figured in nine transactions - as a buyer and a vendor.
In the case of the latter, the lines can be blurred when it comes to signing on the dotted line, but for simplicity, Coolmore was connected to more than $15 million in bloodstock that changed hands at the upper end of the Australian yearling market.
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In outright purchases, Coolmore and its syndicate members spent $9.6 million on six yearlings in the seven-figure bracket.
Another $5.65 million can be accounted for three horses the global breeding conglomerate sold as part of its draft but subsequently kept a percentage.
Recouping that $15.25 million in racetrack earnings seems unlikely but Coolmore’s 2023 yearling sales investment has at least doubled thanks to Switzerland’s ranking as one of the top three-year-old colts in Australia.
When Switzerland eclipsed a race record that had stood for two decades in winning the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, some bloodstock analysts valued the son of Arrowfield Stud’s champion sire Snitzel at $30 million.
By the time his three-year-old season is complete, most likely on the prestigious racing stage of Royal Ascot in 2025, Switzerland could be worth double that again as a genuine dual hemisphere stallion prospect.
Working on the premise that it only needs one yearling to emerge with the quality, soundness and temperament to turn a handsome profit at the pointy end of the yearling sale, Coolmore has found the one in Switzerland.
It has been a good deal for Coolmore, its clients and Chris Waller, the trainer tasked with turning Coolmore’s colts into highly marketable stallions.
“We looked at him a lot at Easter, the whole team had him on the list straight away,’’ Magnier told reporters after Switzerland made a one-act affair of the Coolmore.
“To win this race is what you have to do in our industry and I’m just delighted for all the people involved in the horse because they’re great supporters of our industry.”
Switzerland will follow 2023 Golden Slipper winner Shinzo and the 2021 Coolmore Stud Stakes victor Home Affairs as Waller-trained colts to earn a place on Coolmore’s roster.
With high price tags come expectations, and Waller admitted after Switzerland claimed the most important for the Australian breeding that is decided during the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival.
“I just respect the success they've (Coolmore) had and to be given that responsibility to be training high-priced stallions, I think it's something you never quite get used to, and the pressure does tell,” he said.
“They help you deal with it. It's very satisfying. On a different level, it's very satisfying.”
Switzerland stands head and shoulders above any other 2023 graduates associated with Coolmore, including Superluminal, the I Am Invincible colt who was the most expensive yearling sold in Australia at $2.7 million.
Superluminal has raced four times and opened his account at Ballarat in September.
Dawn Service, a $1.4 million Justify colt out of the outstanding racemare Sunlight which Coolmore consigned to the Gold Coast but now races in partnership with Yulong and Go Bloodstock and others, made progress through the spring to win at Listed level ahead of a Magic Millions 3YO Guineas bid.
But not every Coolmore purchase goes to plan. Two horses once heavily linked to the stud have already been moved on via Inglis’ digital platform.
Imperial Force, a $1.6 million yearling, has now left Chris Waller’s stable for the Bjorn Baker yard after selling for $285,000 online to Darby Racing.
Former stablemate Southampton Flare sold for $1.2 million at Easter but his fate was sealed following one start for Waller after finishing down the course at Canterbury before his online sale for $27,500 to a Victorian provincial-based stable.
Other colts have been gelded to try to improve their fortunes on the racetrack but even without their manhood, the weight of expectation because of a high-profile moment in the sales ring will always be there.
It is a burden the highly promising filly Autumn Glow has made light in winning her only three starts for Waller and a racing partnership between Arrowfield and Hermitage Thoroughbreds.
A daughter from the second crop of Arrowfield sire The Autumn Sun, Autumn Glow cost $1.8 million at Easter in 2023 as a half-sister to the Group 1 Golden Rose winner In The Congo.
Autumn Glow stepped into black-type company at her second start and defeated her male rivals in the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes.
She accounted for her own sex in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes before her sudden rise was cut short because of a minor bone chip, an issue that was also found with Switzerland after he ran unplaced in the Golden Slipper.
Autumn Glow is expected to return in 2025 as potentially the best of 21 fillies who made more than $1 million in the sales ring in her year.
She is one of four stakes-winning blue chip fillies to emerge from her year. The others are Sunlight’s unbeaten $2.6 million sister Clean Energy, the $1.08 million earner Eneeza and Too Darn Lizzie, a Group 2 winner who completed her spring with a Group 1 placing in the Thousand Guineas.
Five colts from the 26 who sold upwards of $1 million have earned black-type with Bodyguard, Espionage, High Octane joining Switzerland and Dawn Service as stakeswinners.
For others, living up to their purchase hasn’t been as easy with eight horses yet to race as they approach the halfway mark of their three-year-old season and a possible crossroads in their future.
Million-dollar yearlings in 2023 and their performance to date
HORSE
PERFORMANCE
TRAINER
SIRE
DAM
FOAL
SEX
VENDOR
BUYER
SALE
YEAR
PRICE
Superluminal
Winner
CJ Waller
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Anaheed (AUS)
08/10/2021
C
Segenhoe Stud
Tom Magnier
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$2,700,000
Clean Energy
Listed winner
Waterhouse-Bott
Zoustar (AUS)
Solar Charged (AUS)
07/10/2021
F
Widden Stud
Yu Long Investments Australia
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$2,600,000
The Railway Man
Placed
Maher-Eustace
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Booker (AUS)
14/08/2021
C
Coolmore Stud
Ciaron Maher B/stock
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$2,500,000
Invincible Claire
Unraced
Snowdens
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Flippant (AUS)
13/09/2021
F
Yarraman Park Stud
Tammy Rigney
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$2,000,000
Autumn Glow
G2 winner
CJ Waller
The Autumn Sun (AUS)
Via Africa (SAF)
11/08/2021
F
Silverdale Farm
Arrowfield Pastoral / Hermitage T/breds
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,800,000
Chiba
Placed
Waterhouse-Bott
Exceed and Excel (AUS)
Ichihara (AUS)
16/10/2021
C
Corumbene Stud
Kia Ora Stud/TFI
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$1,800,000
Pretty
Unraced
Annabel Neasham
Pierro (AUS)
Ennis Hill (AUS)
18/09/2021
F
Coolmore Stud
Mick Wallace / Gandharvi
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,750,000
He's Dynamite
Unraced
Hawkes Racing
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Mossfun (AUS)
20/08/2021
C
Emirates Park
Hawkes Racing
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$1,650,000
Imperial Force
Winner
CJ Waller
Snitzel (AUS)
Ultimate Fever (AUS)
30/10/2021
C
Lime Country Thoroughbreds
Coolmore Australia
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,600,000
Behaviour
Unraced
CJ Waller
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Spright (AUS)
11/08/2021
C
Cressfield
Tom Magnier
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$1,600,000
Bodyguard
G3 winner
Snowdens
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Tumooh (AUS)
22/08/2021
C
Emirates Park
James Harron B/stock Colt Partnership
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$1,600,000
Eton
Placed
Waterhouse & Bott
I Am Invincible (AUS)
English (AUS)
03/10/2021
C
Newhaven Park
Kia Ora Stud / TFI / Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,550,000
Switzerland
G1 winner
CJ Waller
Snitzel (AUS)
Ms Bad Behavior (CAN)
13/08/2021
C
Arrowfield Stud
T Magnier
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,500,000
Rambling
Unraced
Price-Kent
Zoustar (AUS)
Fuddle Dee Duddle (AUS)
05/09/2021
F
Longwood Thoroughbred Farm
Sheamus Mills B/stock FBAA
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$1,450,000
Secure
Unplaced
CJ Waller
Snitzel (AUS)
Response (AUS)
12/10/2021
C
Arrowfield Stud
Kia Ora Stud / TFI
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,400,000
Everybody Rise
Placed
Snowdens
Snitzel (AUS)
Ballet d'Amour (USA)
09/11/2021
C
Newgate Farm
James Harron B/stock Colt Partnership
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,400,000
Media World
Winner
Snowdens
Written Tycoon (AUS)
Meryl (AUS)
10/08/2021
C
Fairview Park Stud
Yu Long Investments
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,400,000
Dawn Service
Listed winner
Waterhouse & Bott
Justify (USA)
Sunlight (AUS)
16/09/2021
C
Coolmore Stud
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel T/bred
Gold Coast Yearling Sale
2023
$1,400,000
Heavenly Shades
Unplaced
Moody-Coleman
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Heavens Above (AUS)
29/08/2021
F
Yarraman Park Stud
Glentree T/breds / Badgers B/stock
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,350,000
Indigo Star
Unplaced
CJ Waller
Zoustar (AUS)
Lady Jivago (AUS)
28/08/2021
C
Widden Stud
Hermitage T/breds
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,300,000
Lough Eske
Unraced
CJ Waller
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Bonny O'Reilly (NZ)
24/10/2021
C
Widden Stud
Yu Long Investments
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,300,000
Sister Cynane
Placed
Lance O'Sullivan
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Prompt Response (AUS)
09/08/2021
F
Widden Stud
Wexford Stables
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,300,000
Trunk
Winner
Waterhouse-Bott
Snitzel (AUS)
Acquired (NZ)
05/10/2021
C
Highgrove Stud
Yu Long Investments
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,300,000
Braveheart
Winner
Snowdens
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Octavia (AUS)
11/10/2021
C
Yarraman Park Stud
China Horse Club / Newgate / Go B/stock / Trilogy
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,300,000
I Found You
Winner
Snowdens
I Am Invincible (AUS)
Listen Here (AUS)
15/09/2021
F
Cressfield
China Horse Club
Easter Yearling Sale
2023
$1,300,000
Sakima
Winner
Snowdens
Snitzel (AUS)
My Conquestadory (USA)
29/08/2021
F
Newgate Farm
Snowden Racing/William Johnson B/stock FBAA/Trilog
Bren O’Brien
Warwick Barr
Warwick Barr
Warwick Barr
