Hunter shows off finest during thoroughbred tour

Cover Image courtesy of Magic Millions

Organised by Magic Millions ahead of its 2020 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the four-day excursion took in 22 nurseries at 23 locations with Newgate offering inspections at two different farms.

“We started at Coolmore on Monday and finished on Thursday afternoon at Arrowfield,” said the Gold Coast-based Jenkinson, who is the principal yearling buyer for Murwillumbah trainer Matthew Dunn.

“They flash before your eyes pretty quickly. I would legitimately say we saw between 540 and 550 horses.

“With the close proximity to the festive season of the Magic Millions Sale, if you don’t do these tours and get half of the catalogue bowled over you can’t see all the horses before the sale.”

First-crop representatives of a number of young stallions were on display and two that impressed Jenkinson were Darley resident Astern and Newgate’s Extreme Choice.

“They were the two that I liked. I only saw a small number by Astern over the last four days and they were bays and very much in their father’s mould,” he said.

“They were straight up and almost replicas of him, particularly the two better ones who were very similar to Astern.

“Extreme Choice only got about 30 foals from his first crop so there’s a very small sample out there. They were good sorts and he’s certainly a horse that’s throwing bigger, taller and scopier sorts than he is himself.”

Jenkinson has been buying yearlings for Dunn for more than 15 years and they’ve enjoyed a lot of success, including Magic Millions races with Care To Think (So You Think {NZ}) and Madotti (Falvelon).

Care To Think was a $16,000 buy and has won more than $875,000 while Madotti was secured for $80,000 and earned more than $1 million.

“Matthew’s my largest yearling client and through this year we’ll buy somewhere between 15 and 20. That’s about the number we usually end up with,” Jenkinson said.

“I buy for other clients as well and anybody who might ring up and want to spend a buck.”

Jenkinson and Dunn have a system in place when it comes to a prime list of potential purchases.

“Matthew likes to turn up when I’ve got a short list. It drives him mad spending hours and hours and hours looking through the ones that he has no interest in,” Jenkinson said.

“It drives him completely crazy so he doesn’t attend tours at all. He’ll probably turn up on the Sunday before the sale and have a short list of 100 yearlings or so and that will be more than enough for him to look at.

“It works fine for me too, I don’t need him while I’m doing it. I much prefer him to be at home training horses because that’s what he’s very good at and he leaves me alone to come up with a list of horses that I think are suitable.

“From day one when he took out his licence in his own right I’ve been involved in the selection process of all his yearlings and we’ve had a lot of luck.”

Leading MM chance

Among the pair’s latest success stories is Lady Banff (Top Echelon), who is unbeaten in two starts to emerge as a leading contender for the $2 million The Star Magic Millions 2YO Classic on January 11.

She was purchased out of Oakwood Farm’s draft at the March Sale for $40,000 and she’s banked nearly $160,000 with the prospect of a lot more to come.

Lady Banff is in Saturday’s Magic Millions Basil Nolan Jr Plate at Eagle Farm, but has a wide gate to contend with and will be ridden by Michael Rodd.

“She's qualified for the Magic Millions and we’re also hoping to have a really nice Deep Field horse called Verbal Assault in,” Jenkinson said. “He’ll run one more time and if he’s lucky enough to win he’ll qualify as well, so that would be a lot of fun.”

A runaway winner in his home track debut earlier this month, Verbal Assault was bought for $130,000 at the January Sale where he was offered by Newhaven Park. He is from the family of the dual Group 1 winner Ball Park (Ahonoora {GB}) and the stakes winner Victorem (I Am Invincible).

Jenkinson and Dunn also have a live chance at Randwick on Saturday when last-start winner Badoosh (Sebring) runs in the TAB Highway H.

“He’s a really nice horse and we’ve had an opinion of him from day one,” Jenkinson said. “He’s been a bit immature and last prep he showed all the ability, but wasn’t physically ready.

“This time he’s much bigger and stronger. I’m not sure of Matthew’s plans with him, but I imagine if he won then there’s a restricted race for him the week before the Magic Millions.

“If he was to win there that might get him into the 3-year-old race. He’s a very nice horse going forward and could be a Queensland Guineas horse.”

Badoosh was a $260,000 Gold Coast buy out of Arrowfield Stud’s consignment and is a brother to Group performer Rightoncue. Their dam Tresor (Belong To Me {USA}) is a half-sister to the G1 Kenilworth Cape Guineas winner Le Drakkar (Anabaa {USA}).