Waterhouse and Bott back Group 1-winning stallion In The Congo

The popularity of progeny of first-season sires at the Magic Millions sale has extended to In The Congo with a colt by the Newgate Farm-based sire selling for $625,000 on Friday.

And it was Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, trainers who know In The Congo better than anyone, who identified the Newgate Farm-bred and sold colt, the first foal of Stolen Jade.

Tulloch Lodge’s Waterhouse and Bott trained In The Congo, a son of Snitzel, to win a Group 1 Golden Rose and San Domenico Stakes at three.

“We have such a strong belief in In The Congo as a stallion and how successful he will be,” Bott said.

“He was a phenomenal racehorse to have in the stable. What he did in that early part of his two and three-year-old career … he showed remarkable precocity and tremendous natural speed.

“His win in the Golden Rose was top-class, the way he sustained that speed.”

Armed with that inside knowledge, the trainers resolved to target “the best colt” by In The Congo in the sale.

“That colt is all class, there’s so much quality about him and he had so much presence,” Bott said. 

“The way he continued to handle the preparation and the sale, he is just the ultimate professional and has a really good constitution. There’s so much to like about him.”

Conceived off a fee of $33,000 (inc GST), yearlings by In The Congo also sold for $350,000, $300,000 and $280,000 on the Gold Coast this week.