Cambridge-based Bob Emery, the breeder of the $675,000 Too Darn Hot filly sold during the opening session, revealed the backstory to the sought-after yearling after she was bought by Sydney-based agent James Harron, Tony Fung Investments and trainer Michael Freedman.
A half-sister to the Listed-winning, Group 1-placed two-year-old Archaic Smile, the third crop Too Darn Hot was the second highest-priced lot traded on Sunday.
The most expensive was a $725,000 Wootton Bassett colt, also bought by a partnership including Freedman and Coolmore’s Tom Magnier, but the filly’s tale is worth telling.
Emery bred the filly’s dam On The Ball, a daughter of So You Think who he sold to well-known Australian owner and breeder Stuart Ramsey of Turangga Farm for $100,000 in 2018 as a yearling.
She showed ability for trainer Murray Baker, but Ramsey’s misfortune was Emery’s good luck.
“She was having her second start and she got galloped on and severed her tendon in her hind leg, so Stuart decided that he couldn't continue with her and offered her to me, which I gladly accepted,” Emery told The Straight.
“I sent her to Woburn Farm and Hannah there nursed her for months and months and months and she came back to good health.”
In the years since, On The Ball has continued to reward Emery, producing Archaic Smile and the lightly raced Roadcone. Financially, her third foal, the daughter of last season’s champion first-season sire Too Darn Hot, has provided the biggest return to date.
Harron’s partnership outlasted Chris Waller and agent Guy Mulcaster, who underbid the filly, with strong competition from various other Australian and New Zealand parties.
Harron and his offsider Stephen Heath combed the Karaka complex for days leading to Sunday’s first session attempting to find a filly to add diversity to the yearlings they had purchased at the recent Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.
“When we're looking at this sort of fillies over here, we're looking for what New Zealand does well and that's the mile, mile-and-a-quarter type fillies, maybe a filly that can get over an Oaks distance and she certainly had that sort of Classic look about her,” Harron said.
“That's what we're really looking for and targeting as, throughout the year, we'll pick up our two-year-old type fillies and we wanted a bit of more of a diverse spread of fillies that are going to do different things and that was the idea behind the strategy with the group before the start of this year.”
Emery said the Too Darn Hot, who has a weanling half-sister by another Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath and is in foal to Cambridge Stud’s son of Frankel, Chaldean, was a stand out from day one. She was presented for the Karaka sale by Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore Stud.
“She was picture perfect and she has been right from the word go, so my expectations going into the ring were that I was pretty confident,” the breeder said.
“She had 184 parades, which is something else, and she had a lot of X-ray hits and vet inspections. She was very, very popular here.”
Day one’s highest-priced lot was a Wootton Bassett colt who sold for $725,000 just minutes into the sale while a colt by the same Coolmore shuttle sire sold later in the session brought $600,000 to the bid of Victorian trainer Mick Price.
Tim Rowe
Alongside co-trainer Mick Kent Jr, Price reasoned that if Wodeton or another two-year-old by Wootton Bassett won the Golden Slipper, as the early market favours, his second southern hemisphere crop will be hard to buy at the Inglis Easter sale.
A three-quarter-brother to Group 3 winner Francesca, the Wootton Bassett colt was bred by Greg McLaren, the man who also bred the Price-trained Group 3 winner Ayrton.
But it’s the sirepower of the rags-to-riches stallion who started his career in France that had Price prepared to spend up on the colt.
Karaka 2025 - Highlight Lot 🎥
— New Zealand Bloodstock (@KarakaChat) January 26, 2025
A strong bidding war on @CurraghmoreNZ's Too Darn Hot filly (Lot 168), with the combination of @jmeharron, @MFreedmanRacing and Tony Fung securing her for $675,000.#Karaka2025 pic.twitter.com/MKye2GYaw9
“I think he (Wootton Bassett) is an amazing stallion,” Price said.
“We watched the whole story on him – the guy (Bobby O'Ryan) buys him for $200,000 and as a 12-year-old Coolmore buys him for $50 million. It can only be one thing - because his stock goes well.”
The opening day’s trade saw a fluctuating market, following the trend set at the Magic Millions earlier this month where buyers were discerning in their activity.
Seven horses were sold for $400,000 or more, with 161 Lots traded at a 72 per cent clearance rate, although not all of the business was achieved in the ring.
In total, $25.425 million worth of bloodstock was sold on day one at an average of $164,130 and a median price of $120,000.
“We started off with a hiss and a roar, there's no doubt about that, and then as the sale made its way through, it's clear that they're being very picky on what they're after and the good ones are selling very well,” NZB business development manager Mike Kneebone said.
“The middle-to-top end is OK and holding up and anything that's not there is struggling, I think is the best way to put it."
Tim Rowe
As market sentiment became evident, vendors adjusted their sights, which should help activity over the next two days of Book 1.
“We've noticed that with the reserves coming in that they want to sell and I think that'll improve more as the sale goes on,” Kneebone said.
“There's some really nice horses to come forward and just it is the way the catalogue’s fallen.
“You've got to remember last year we had the $1.6 million filly on the first day and that probably skews the figures a little bit for today, but all in all, I think there's some really nice horses to come forward.”
Day two starts at 10am New Zealand time.
Aggregate $25,425,000 *($30,725,500)
Average $164,130 ($195,704)
Median $120,000 ($150,000)
Clearance 72% (73%)
Catalogued 250 (240)
Sold 161 (157)
Top Lot $725,000 ($1,600,000)
*2024
