National opportunity for an international pedigree – Wanlesses and KPW snap up rare Lope De Vega colt for $600,000

A gamble by one of Europe’s best-known breeding operations, Ireland’s Ballylinch Stud, paid off at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale with a Lope De Vega colt topping the opening session.

Bred to southern hemisphere time, the colt was bought by Queensland-based owner Ron Wanless for $600,000 at the Gold Coast on Monday, with his agent Kevin “Milly” Walls given the instruction to “just buy it”.

And that’s what Walls did, taking home the most expensive of three yearlings to sell for $500,000 or more on day one and the highest-priced of 21 to sell for $100,000 or more.

The colt, out of an unraced half-sister to Frankel’s imported Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner Francesco Guardi, is by the same sire as Australian Group 1 winners Santa Ana Lane, Vega Magic, Duke De Sessa, Gytrash, Vega One and Arapaho.

“He’s the sort of horse, as soon as he walked out of the box, I was hoping that he met our criteria and once he did, he was always on our radar,” Walls said. 

“Ron said to buy him, so we bought him. He said to me once, ‘just buy it’, and I said, ‘well, how much for?’ and he said, ‘what part of just buy it don’t you understand?’”

The August-born colt was consigned by Denis Griffin and Kerry Stephens’ Hunter Valley stud Glenbeigh Farm on behalf of Ballylinch Stud. 

He had a $250,000 reserve heading into the ring but he far exceeded that mark.

“He’s a beautiful horse who was very busy all week, so we are delighted for him (to sell so well),” Griffin said. 

“I’d like to thank Ballylynch Stud in Ireland, the breeders of him, for entrusting me in selling him for them.”

Michael Freedman wasn’t at Eagle Farm on Saturday to watch his Extreme Choice colt Berzelius win the Group 2 The Straight Sires Produce, instead leaving those duties to his Gold Coast-based assistant and brother Lee Freedman.

But Freedman did make the trip from Sydney on Monday to inspect a December-born Extreme Choice filly – one of four yearlings by the Newgate Farm supersire catalogued in the National sale – and he liked what he saw.

For that reason he and agent Andrew Williams went to $580,000 to buy the Newgate-consigned filly who is out of New Zealand Group 3 winner Volks Lightning.

“Obviously, these Extreme Choices are going gangbusters. The stallion couldn’t be going any better. So, off the back of having a winner with him again on Saturday, I thought it’d be worth coming up and having a look at this filly,” the trainer said after signing the docket.

“And when I saw her this morning, she’s a gorgeous type. I thought she was probably Easter quality, or January, it’s just that she’s probably a little bit of a later foal, but a great physical.

“She’s a December foal, it’s a little unusual, but when you get her out of the box she doesn’t look like a December foal. 

“She had plenty of strength and that to her. So, we won’t rush her. We’ll get her home and give her a bit of time off now before we break her in. 

“I thought at that sort of level, for that type of stallion, it was pretty good buying.”

Ray and Brett Gall’s Gall Bloodstock, which part-owns champion sire I Am Invincible with the Mitchell family’s Yarraman Park, combined with James Mitchell to buy a filly by the stallion for $500,000, the third highest-price lot sold on Monday.

Out of Listed winner Loveyamadly, the filly is a half-sister to stakes winners Immortal Love and I’mlovin’ya.

All metrics – aggregate, clearance, average and median price – were all up on the same session last year in what would be a pleasing result for Magic Millions.

“It was a really strong market here today,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said. 

“It’s great to see such a diverse buying bench with good local and interstate participation which has been complemented by the international market – Hong Kong, Philippines, China, New Zealand and others.

“Looking at the figures from previous years it’s hard not to be pleased with the increases across the board in today’s sale.” 

The leading buyer was China’s Linsheng Zhang, who purchased eight lots on Monday for a total of $632,500, while Filipino investor Bingson Tecson bought seven yearlings at an average of $19,143. His compatriot Manny Viray bought three as did Mongolian owner Gambaatar Dagvadorj.

John Foote was also active, buying four yearlings. Assisted by the top lot, Glenbeigh Farm holds top vendor honours so far, narrowly ahead of Baramul Stud and Arrowfield Stud.

The second and final day of the National Yearling Sale starts at 11am on Tuesday.