THE PETLEY REPORT (JULY 25 TO JULY 28): RECORDS SMASHED AT THE MM NATIONAL BROODMARE SALE

By Jack Petley | Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Australia is facing dire years ahead financially after the Covid 19 virus has wrecked havoc throughout the country, but that did not stop just over $24 million changing hands on high-class broodmares on the first day of the Magic Millions National Broodmare sale on Monday.
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When the last mare left the Magic Millions sales ring at the end of Day 1, 117 lots had been sold for an average price of $206,704 (well up on last year’s $168,646) with a medium of $75,000 against $70,000 in 2019 and a sale gross of $24.185,500 from 117 lots sold against 168 last year.
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Coolmore's Tom Magnier and the powerful breeding and racing empire of Yulong really opened their shoulders at the sale. Coolmore went to $4,2m to secure the high-class sprinting mare Sunlight trained by the McEvoys. Luke Wilkinson and Marcus Corban for Yulong (with principal Mr Zhang bidding on line) shelled out $2.75m for the Chris Waller trained Unforgotten. Magnier chimed in again with $2m for Champagne Cuddles and Yulong came back with $700,000 for Another Dollar.
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Said Tom Magnier of the Sunlight purchase: "We are very lucky to have got her. She is a filly of a generation. There were a lot of people around the world looking at her." The mare now heads to the Hunter Valley and a visit to the champion Justify in the spring.
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Sales records were broken along the way. Sunlight’s bidding kicked off at $1m but soon brushed aside the previous record for the sale ($3.4 million for Listen Here). Unforgotten was knocked down half an hour later and her $2.75m price tag made her the most expensive purchase from an on-line bidder.
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Said Luke Wilkinson of the Unforgotten buy: "Marcus and I looked at her and Sunlight. We loved them both, so we are glad to gain this mare." No sire has been locked in for the mare but I gather talks were made with the principals of I Am Invincible.
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Coolmore also took Invincibella, another Waller trained mare, for $1.3m. "She has won $3m on the racetrack so she was a great purchase," said James Bester of Coolmore. "She is the perfect mix of pedigree, physique and race performance." he added.
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A report on Andrew Adkins following his terrible fall at the weekend … he will stay at Westmead for a short time and then be transferred to an orthopaedic Ward. This, after Adkins had a rod put in his injured tibia and a plate in his clavicle … as well he had a drain in a collapsed lung due to being injured by his fractured ribs. He has seven rib fractures.
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Champion jockey Hugh Bowman has enjoyed many memorable moments at Rosehill, especially those on the great mare Winx, but I'm certain he will recall July 25 for some days ahead after he was engaged in a meelee in Race 1 at the track which saw Hot ‘N' Hazy and Andrew Atkins knocked out of the race by Bowman's mount,
Smart Image … the eventual winner. Bowman was quizzed by stewards afterwards about the Hot ‘N’ Hazy incident. Stewards also had several other riders in the room including Jason Collett, Glyn Schofield, Robbie Dolan and Louise Day. More will be heard of this, that is for sure, but not until Adkins is able to give evidence.
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The loss of Hot ‘N’ Hazy, who was put down, was such bad luck for trainer Danny Williams. Earlier in the week Williams had he described the colt as being maybe the best horse to have passed through his hands.
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Bowman's went on to complete a treble on the day. His other wins were gained on Dancing Gidget, for Chris Waller, and on the very promising stayer Mugatoo in the Winter Challenge for Kris Lees.
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Mugatoo, the son of Henrythenavigator took command with 150 metres left to travel in the Winter Challenge and went to the line ever so comfortably. Lees is now looking at bigger fish to fry with the galloper. "He is an exciting horse," said Lees, who will now set his sights on majors in the spring with the Australian Bloodstock syndicated Irish bred.
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Earlier in the day Lees and Australian Bloodstock also hit the target with Korcho, in the hands of Nash Rawiller, who won over 2400 metres. This was Korcho’s fifth win and he looks yet another top performer for Lees and Australian Bloodstock through the spring.
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Jason Collett had yet another top day winning on Eiger for the Cavanough yard and he was also successful late in the day on the ever so talented Godolphin galloper Varda, a daughter of Lonhro, who is a winner of three since resuming with James Cummings. She is another likely star for the stable through the spring with her ability to handle rain affected tracks. She has now won four from 9 in the bluejacket.
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Bjorn Baker also chimed in for another winner for the season putting him on 51 for the term in the city.
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There was much to like shout that win by Eduardo for his new trainer Joe Pride. He got home narrowly but that win showed that he will be ever so competitive in Sydney.
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William Pike broke his own National Record for winners in an Australian season when he won two on the weekend taking him past his previous best 233.
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Mystery Shot, who landed his fifth win on end in Melbourne last weekend for Lindsay Smith, was bred by Inglewood Stud and taken out of NZ by syndicator Brad Spicer after the son of Shooting to Win had been showing promise in four trials beforehand. He is from a stout NZ female line with his dam, Mystique, by Montjeu, being a daughter of that great race mare Seamist, by Beaufort Sea. Mystery Shot certainly looks a rising star with jockey Michael Rodd saying he is capable of going to the best of class … that is if his connections are able to keep hold of him as the bids from overseas become larger and larger.
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And another impressive NZ bred winner on the weekend at Caulfield was the daughter of the Waikato Stud sire Ocean Park, High Emocean. That win continued the success of the progeny of the former top galloper and he sits 12th on the Australian General Sires table. This latest winner for the powerful Maher-Eustace yard was taken out of Karaka by agent John Foote for $80,000 and she is a half-sister to the well performed Roger James and Robert Wellwood trained stakes winner, Elate (by Savabeel).
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And yet another NZ bred winner at Caulfield, the Showcasing four-year-old She's a Thief, was sold as a weanling for $13,000 and then sold again at Karaka for $30,000 to Paul Moroney, brother of trainer Mike, who is so successful as a buyer of quality winning stock throughout the racing and breeding world.
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In Melbourne on Saturday Craig Williams and Michael Rodd were both suspended, Williams for his ride on winner Morrissy for which he has been suspended for 10 meetings (by the way he won the Premiership) and Rodd was outed after his winning ride on that rising star, NZ bred Mystery Shot for trainer Lindsay Smith and has been outed for 14 meetings after his mount had caused interference to third placegetter Savvy Lad. Rhys McLeod also suffered at the hands of the stewards, outed for 10 meetings.
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Tye McNeil has taken a small lead over Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse in the Victorian state-wide premiership. He rode a double at Pakenham pushing him five wins clear with four days of the season remaining. He started racing at Pakenham three ahead of the highly successful Kiwi who went winless at the meeting. They ride at Moe today, Bendigo, tomorrow, and then likely at Ballarat, Thursday, and Geelong, Friday. McNeil has also achieved excellent figures on the Melbourne Premiership ladder sitting with 48 winners, 22 behind Craig Williams.
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I see a story that Terry Bailey is on the move to Hong Kong. From reports it is assumed that he will replace Steve Railton, who could well be returning to Oz. Bailey has been at Singapore since leaving Racing Victoria.
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I see that Kris Shailer, brother of Paul, who these days manages Chris Waller's successful yard on the Gold Coast, will soon enter a training partnership with Stephen Autridge, who manages the very promising string of Valaichi's Kevin Hickman. Shailer has been under-study to Autridge for two years and Autridge said it was time to take him on as a co-trainer. "With a growing team around us it will be good to share the load with a capable co-trainer." Chris Shailer won 24 races as a jockey and then saddled up 47 winners as a trainer, in partnership with brother Paul. "It is a fantastic opportunity and I am grateful to the whole Valaichi team," said Shailer.
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Weight structure for NZ racing for the new season -- open races will retain an eight kilogram spread to reflect the range of the horses in these events.
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Big day for former top jockey Nigel Tiley at Avondale when he produced four winners, Now is Now, Macushla, Demonetization and Rhuzick. The win by Demonetization gave Tiley much pleasure as the galloper has been injury plagued throughout his career.
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Further news out of NZ is that successful and much travelled jockey Robert Hannan has suffered a broken a bone in a leg when bringing a horse of the track late last week. Less than three years back … he was also sidelined with an ankle injury which put him out for some eight months … but this latest injury will not have him sidelined for so long. He told the NZ racing desk earlier this week that the leg was operated on late last Thursday and he says he hopes to be back in the saddle later this year. "The doctor said I am looking at a minimum of eight weeks for recovery time,” said Hannan, who has ridden more than 1000 winners in NZ, with 47 black type winners and five at Gr1 level.
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Co-trainer of the winner Matchmaker at Riccarton on the weekend, Nick Wigley, has wondered aloud about how long he will have the smart debut winner, by Makfi from Love Somebody, by Fastnet Rock, to train. One of the co-owners of the smart young galloper is Gus Wigley, (son of Nick). Evidently a day or so before that race Gus Wigley turned down a handsome offer. "The offers will be coming in thick and fast now," said Nick Wigley after the win. The filly was bred under the family stud-farm banner, Inglewood Stud.
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It has been a good week for player and cricket coach Brendon McCullum. The former Black Caps captain was on hand to watch Tabata win for him at Te Rapa last week and he also had a winner during the week in Australia … Blesk at Goulburn for Sydney trainer John O'Shea. McCullum had tried his hand at syndicating but because of major cricket commitments he has now established a boutique thoroughbred racing and breeding operation. He departs now or the Caribbean Premier League which runs from August 18 to September 10 and then hot on the heels of that competition is the Indian Premier League, being held this time in the United Arab Emirates.
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US news: I see that Justify faces potential disqualification after his 2018 Santa Anita Derby win.
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Maximum Security, winner of the Saudi Cup in January, was successful for new trainer Bob Baffert at Del Mar on the weekend. The horse was previously with Jason Servis who is facing charges for doping.
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From the UK: In the UK the great mare Enable gained a record third King George and Queen Elizabeth victory when she beat the two O'Brien runners Sovereign and Japan hands down with Frankie Dettori saying afterwards it was a "training gallop." She now goes to the either the Juddmonte International or the Yorkshire Oaks before her crack yet again at the Arc. Trainer John Gosden said he may prefer the Yorkshire Oaks, as that will also include the very good filly Love. "That could be an exceptional clash," said Gosden.
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It is three King Georges for her (Enable) and seven for me, the same as the great Lester Piggott, so I feel pretty good," said the champion Italian jockey after his latest King George and Queen Elizabeth victory.
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I see that Frankie Dettori is calling for support for injured German jockey Filip Minarik, who ,since a horendous race fall last month, has been in an induced coma. Minarik has 13 Gr1s behind him and he won a race at the last Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot. A Gofundmepage has been set up for the rider.
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Magical was far, far too good for her rivals in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on Sunday where she enjoyed almost a training gallop to easily beat stablemate Sir Dragonet with Search For A Song, last year’s winner of the Irish St Leger, finishing third.
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This should be a great clash in the Goodwood Cup, the great stayer Stradivarius and the brilliant Dubai Irish Derby winner Santiago.
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From Germany: Barney Roy was not at all happy in the rain affected going at Munich but he did enough to win the Grosser Dallmayr Preis for William Buick and Charlie Appleby.

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