The emergence of Orbis Bloodstock as a major player on the Australian thoroughbred scene has been writ large at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale this week, where the Hong Kong-based outfit spent $7.4m buying eight yearlings, including five for more than a million.
Headed up in Australia by former jockey Paul King, Orbis emerged as a player 12 months ago but ramped things up significantly at the recent Melbourne Premier Sale where it was the leading buyer, including paying a sale-topping $800,000 for a Brazen Beau colt.
With 100 already horses in work across Australia, the racing business is in full swing, but keen to add to its top-end, King has had a very busy week at the Riverside Complex, snapping up three million-dollar lots on Day 1 and another two on Day 2.
Orbis Bloodstock's Paul King
Orbis has worked with a handful of trainers across Australia, but will entrust its top-end colts with Team Hawkes, including Lot 315, the Redoute's Choice colt purchased by Wayne Hawkes on its behalf on Wednesday.
"Everyone knows that the Hawkes love a nice colt and can make a stallion from them. He’ll go to the right stable and get every opportunity to show what he's got and hopefully in a couple of years, we’ll have a really nice colt on our hands," King said of the Redoute's Choice colt.
"Everyone knows that the Hawkes love a nice colt and can make a stallion from them." - Paul King
"We are obviously looking for quality at this sale, and we've picked up some nice horses at this stage and we'll probably have a go at another three of four before we are done."
"You have to spread yourself around different breeds and hope you buy the right ones."
Redoute's at a premium
With Redoute's Choice producing his best ever colt The Autumn Sun in the latter stages of his career, there was a premium on his progeny, with two colts going for over a million within a manner of minutes, including the Traceability (Charge Forward) purchase by Orbis.
"Redoute's has marked and stamped himself on Australian racing and you aren't going to get too many more opportunities to buy yourself a really nice Redoute's colt. It's the right time to step in and we’re confident we have purchased the right one," King said.
The colt is a three-quarter brother to Listed winner Traces (Snitzel), out of Urge To Merge (Last Tycoon {Ire}), the sister to the superb producer Tracey's Element, the dam of multiple Group 1 winner and Australian Horse of The Year Typhoon Tracy.
"He's a cracking colt. We loved him. I spoke to John, Michael and Wayne and they said he was a must-buy out of the sale." - Paul King
"He's a cracking colt. We loved him. I spoke to John, Michael and Wayne and they said he was a must-buy out of the sale. I thought I'd let them do the nodding and Orbis has secured a really nice colt," King said.
Lot 315 Redoute's Choice x Traceability
"If he lives up to what we hope he can, he can make a stallion prospect and help the breed to live on. Obviously, it’s now up to the horse to perform under the Orbis brand."
Orbis then secured the half-sister to Catchy (Fastnet Rock) for $1.1m, Lot 398 by Pierro out of Cats Whisker (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}), from Coolmore.
Hawkes connection grows
Orbis now has seven horses with Team Hawkes but will look to double that within the next 12 months, including overseas purchases.
"We are looking to expand further, not only in Australia and we are going to the European sales and purchasing there and exporting them back to Australia. We just bought one in Ireland, a Kingman (Ire) colt for about $1m Aussie and I'll be going to the Deauville breeze-up sale in a couple of weeks and looking for some horses there," he said.
"We are looking to expand further, not only in Australia and we are going to the European sales and purchasing there and exporting them back to Australia." - Paul King
"We're here for a long time. The client has expressed a desire to be in it for the long haul. We are very much focussed on quality and hopefully out of those horses we do buy, we can pinch a stallion out of them."
Paul King with John Hawkes at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale
Orbis' three other seven-figure purchases for the week were all colts. Lot 73 was a Brazen Beau out of Just Discreet (Exceed and Excel) which cost $1.15 from Mill Park Stud, Lot 106 was by Zoustar from Madamesta (Estambul {Arg}) and cost $1m from Milburn Creek and Lot 128 was a Not a Single Doubt out of Miss Sharapova (NZ) (Ustinov) from Arrowfield for $1.1m.
"There's a lot of work involved to get the right horses and a lot of money involved. It's just a matter of ticking all the boxes and hoping you have done the right thing by your client." King said.
