Interstate buyers key to Tassie sales success

The strength of the interstate buying bench will determine the success or otherwise of Monday's Magic Millions 2019 Tasmanian Yearling Sale, according to both leading local vendors and Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch.

With a record 142 horses in the catalogue, the challenge for Magic Millions has been to find the buyers to match the increase in what is on offer.

Bowditch told TDN AusNZ that there was a certain amount of caution whether the sale could match the growth of last year which saw new records for both average and aggregate among the 96 lots sold.

"We're hoping for more of the same but that's probably a bit optimistic. We’ve got good interstate interest in the sale. We just want a good healthy market for our Tasmanian vendors," he said.

"With more horses you always need to find more buyers to ensure you have a healthy clearance rate. I think the market will be healthy but we do have more horses and so we are cautious by that fact that we do need to have more numbers on the ground to get them sold."

Armidale Stud have 37 lots catalogued, over 26 per cent of the book, and managing director David Whishaw agrees that the depth of the buying bench, especially from interstate, will be crucial to the success of the sale.

"Unfortunately, the local confidence in terms of the Tassie industry is at a bit of a low. Stakes are falling further and further behind and while our leading trainers will be active in the market the guys further down the premiership are finding it very hard to buy at a commercial level," Whishaw said.

"We will be really relying on the Victorian, New South Wales and South Australian trainers to underpin the market."

Bowditch noted the general softening of the market, especially, at the middle and bottom end since the strong results of the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale was also a reason for caution.

Mystic drives success of sale and sire

But he also noted the reputation of the sale continued to grow thanks to some quality recent graduates, including Mystic Journey (Needs Further), who was bought for just $11,000 at the 2017 sale and goes into this Saturday's G1 Australian Guineas as one of the leading chances.

"The graduates out of this sale in recent years have been fantastic." Bowditch said. "You look back to The Cleaner (Savoire Vivre {GB}), Palentino (Teofilo {Ire}), and now Mystic Journey, these are horses that have had huge interest out of the state and have gone to Victoria and performed above and beyond. Buyers come in knowing they can buy a horse they can take back and compete with on the mainland," he said.

Mystic Journey has been a superb flagbearer for Armidale Stud's Needs Further and Whishaw feels the halo effect of her strong mainland performances is a crucial boost ahead of the biggest week of the year for the Carrick-based stud.

"It just keeps the momentum of the business going forward. We've got a new stallion we are launching next year in Alpine Eagle. I think off the back of Needs Further's results, more and more people are coming to a Tassie sale from the mainland," he said.

"We see the future of our business is having support from the mainland. Mystic Journey's performances on the main stage in Victoria have been huge for us as a stud and for the stallion."

Best of the draft

There are 21 yearlings by Needs Further at the sale, 12 of them offered by Armidale Stud. Whishaw said the best of their dozen is the first one under the hammer, Lot 6 out of Burnished, the daughter of More Than Ready (USA) and G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Sleek Chassis (Flying Spur).

"She's the pick of our draft." Whishaw said. "I haven’t seen all the Needs Furthers on the complex as yet but she is a gorgeous athletic filly. Probably as nice a type as we’ve seen him throw. We've seen he is really throwing some 2-year-old speed and I think the market will really hop into her."

"She's as nice a type as we've bred. She's a half to two city winners, Golden Script (Written Tycoon), and Athlete (Helmet) which has won three in the city in WA."

Colts playing catch-up on fillies

Whishaw is well aware that the three stakes winners and two stakes place getters have all been fillies and that has meant a stronger focus on them ahead of the colts. But he's also convinced that it's as much to do with numbers to the track as anything else.

"When they come and see the draft, the tables should turn. He's got some great colts in the draft. He had 69 per cent fillies in his first crop and 70 per cent the second crop, so it’s not surprising more of his fillies have got to the track and won," he said.

Whishaw highlighted Lot 76 as the pick of the six colts by Needs Further Armidale has for sale.

"I thought he might slip through the cracks, but I think a lot of good judges are picking him up, going by the parades," he said.

"He's out of a Mujahid mare called Music Shop which was trained by Darren Weir and she won six, four of them in the city. He's a gorgeous colt with plenty of scope. Looks like he’ll need a bit more time than the Burnished filly, but he is a real athlete."

"He walks well, a gorgeous coat, with a big overstep, lovely head. I thought he'd be a beautiful horse at a reasonable price, but I don’t think he'll slip through the cracks after today."

He also highlighted Lot 110 which is out of Stepaway (Giant's Causeway), as a colt which 'oozes quality'.

First Trust In a Gust on offer

Armidale Stud is offering yearlings by an array of other sires as well, including first-season stallions such as Headwater, Kermedec (NZ), Super One and Trust in A Gust.

"In the past, we’ve needed to have these sexy first-season sires to get people to the marketplace. Then they can see first-hand and say 'Needs Further leaves a good type', or 'I love that Tough Speed'."

"We will continue to do that when we launch Alpine Eagle. We just realised that often they need a big mainland stud behind them to get them here but when they see what our stud produces, we normally find they take home a Tassie-bred one."

That strategy will see Armidale offer the first-ever Trust In A Gust yearling for sale in Australia.

"Lot 8 is a gorgeous athletic filly out of a Tough Speed mare who is obviously our resident stallion at home," Whishaw said.

"The dam Buzzing Along only reads as a three-time winner but she came up against some of our best mares."

The filly received a timely pedigree update on the eve of the sale when her half-sister Deroche (Needs Further) won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at Launceston on Sunday.

Overall, like Bowditch, Whishaw has confidence but with caution, knowing how fickle the market may be.

"I've been in the horse game my whole life. As soon as you get confident, it seems to kick you in the teeth. I'm confident that we've got a nice even draft of horses and we’ve got a stallion that is doing an exceptional job off a small book of mares," he said.

"Without being too bullish, I'm confident we’ll find them a good home. We’ve cleared 100 per cent of our Armidale bred yearlings the last three years and we are definitely here to do that again."