Written by Paul Vettise
John Sargent is an admirer of the progeny of Bull Point and so much so that he travelled to Tasmania to secure another one for his Sydney stable with the result of that trip delivering a satisfying result on Saturday.
The expatriate New Zealand trainer sent his son of the Fastnet Rock stallion to Ballarat to make his debut and it proved a masterstroke with Readily Availabull landing the Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic on debut.
Sargent had been impressed by a Bull Point youngster in his yard named Encountabull, who placed last season in the Inglis Nursery and was a winner earlier this spring, and that gelding motivated him to attend the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.
Readily Availabull as a yearling
“I went down there and bought this horse, he was a good-looking little black colt and I had Encountabull and was looking for another one,” Sargent said.
“He fitted the bill and I paid $25,000 for him and would have gone to a lot more. I had phoned Matthew Sandblom when I saw the horse and said would you take a share because I had no other owners.
“He fitted the bill and I paid $25,000 for him and would have gone to a lot more.” – John Sargent
“He said he would take a leg, I kept a leg and sold the rest so it’s a great result. Matthew has put a lot of money into the game and Bull Point is starting to do very well. This will give him another boost with the sales coming up.”
Bull Point won four races, including the G3 Bill Ritchie H. and twice placed at Group 1 level, before his retirement to Sandblom’s Kingstar Farm.
Readily Availabull settled just beyond midfield and cut loose in the straight when asked to sprint by rider Michael Dee to down Prince Amongst Men (Winning Rupert) and Rambeau (Brazen Beau).
“He’s a lovely horse and has been very professional, although he missed the start a bit today. We’ll get him home and have a week in the paddock and then get him ready for the Magic Millions race at Wyong and on to the Gold Coast in January,” Sargent said.
“He’s not a big, strong colt, but he has got a big stride and a lovely nature.”
Readily Availabull, who was offered for sale by Armidale Stud, is a son of the winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Readily and a family that features the G2 Chantilly Prix du Gros-Chene winner Finsbury Square (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and the G2 Premio Emilio Turati winner Nordhal (GB) (Halling {USA}).
