Vinnie filly on top as bearish market continues in Adelaide

Ex-pat South Australian trainer Lloyd Kennewell broke the record price for a filly at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, paying $400,000 for a daughter of champion stallion I Am Invincible.

Kennewell trained I Am Invincible’s Group 1-winning daughter Viddora and together with his bloodstock agent, Mat Becker of Group 1 Bloodstock, was especially keen to secure Lot 63, the daughter of the Yarraman Park champion and Redoute’s Choice mare Les Amoureux.

From the family of Golden Slipper winner Polar Success and Group 2 winner Sambro, the filly, offered by Baramul Stud, broke the previous record of $375,000 for a filly through the sale.       

“She was a bloody good filly. She could have been on the Gold Coast or at Easter for sure. One of the best Vinnie fillies I have seen all year and we see a lot of them, and there is a lot of million-dollar Vinnie fillies floating around,” Kennewell said.

“I knew she would be expensive, but we weren’t sure what that would be, being Adelaide. We are really happy. I had Santo on the phone, my client from Ridgeport Holdings in WA, and I didn’t quote him that much for her.”

Santo Guagliardo’s green and blue colours have been carried by plenty of quality horses for Kennewell and the trainer was keen to add another one, joining in the bidding at $340,000 before seeing off Phillip Stokes.   

“Out of all horses from any sale I said this is the one to be taking home. Easter is around the corner and there will be some nice fillies there, but I felt she fitted his criteria she’s a first foal and she has got a really good manner about her,” he said.

“She was a bloody good filly. She could have been on the Gold Coast or at Easter for sure.” – Lloyd Kennewell

The top-priced colt on the first day was a son of Justify, picked up by Anthony Freedman for $300,000.

Catalogued as Lot 210 and offered by Rushton Park, he was the first foal of stakes-placed Savabeel mare Shop Til I Drop. She is the daughter of Group-winning mare Shopaholic from a highly successful Waikato Stud family.

Early in the day, Shane McGrath went to $225,000 to secure Lot 35, a colt by Toronado, on behalf of Hong Kong clients. He is out the stakes-placed mare Kabini.       

Overall, the market improved as the day wore on, with a final clearance rate of close to 74 per cent and an average of $51,209. That compared 77 per cent and $53,877 on the first day last year.

The first-day gross was just short of $7.5 million, down about $850,000 from last year, while the median price of $35,000 was $5000 lower than on the first session in 2023.