Bargain buys – between XL and a Coin Toss

Greg Tobin - Tuesday May 9

We all get a little bedazzled at the massive prices forked out for bloodstock: indeed, there have been no less than 46 seven figure lots at the Gold Coast Magic Millions and Inglis Easter alone in 2023.

And, of course, there was the $3.6 million for Nimalee and $3.4 million for Montefilia in the space of an hour at the Chairman’s last week.

It’s all relative though … a well bred $1 million dollar yearling colt could easily be worth 30 to 40 times that amount if he ends up doing well on the track.

Savatoxl - $8,000 yearling to million dollar earner

Fortunately for those of us who get nose bleeds at the thought of shopping at that end of the market, there are still plenty of successful types that don’t require a second mortgage.

Take last weekend’s stakes races for instance where five of the winners were sold for $20,000 or less.

Group 3 McKay Stakes winner, Savatoxl, originally passed in for $14,000 at the 2017 Inglis Melbourne Premier was finally sold to the Alice Springs Turf Club for $8,000 at the VOBIS Gold.

Thirty nine starts … AND 19 wins later, the 5-time stakes winner has amassed $1 million in earnings and could easily bank another $300k if he wins Saturday week’s Group 1 Goodwood Handicap for the second time.

6YO, Lightning Jack, captured his third black type victory in the Great Easter Stakes at Riccarton Park and, although he’s by one of New Zealand’s leading sires in Per Incanto, he was snapped up at the 2018 NZB Karaka May Sale for NZ$8,000: which he’s paid back more than 50 times over.

Advertisement

Lightning Jack

Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial winner, Russian Alliance has won five from six and admittedly was knocked down to Paul Reedy as a yearling for $65,000 at the 2022 Gold Coast Magic Millions, but the year previously he was sold online at the Inglis Digital June Sale for $10,000.

The Mission’s headliner, Yellow Brick, took the bank to $1,268,100 with a Gold Coast Guineas win and is likely to target the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap in June.

Congratulations to Team Sears and Paul Moroney for going to $20,000 to secure the now 3YO at the 2021 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

And last but certainly not least is Flying Artie’s Coin Toss, winner of the Group 2 Singapore Classic.

Full marks to Two Bays Farm who sold Coin Toss to Bevan Smith and Kuldeep Singh Rajput for $175,000 at the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Premier … after Two Bays had snapped up the colt less than 12 months previously for $15,000 at the Inglis Weanling Sale.

No one said this game is easy, but it’s not impossible for the budget conscious either!

Advertisment
More Reading...
€1.9million Sale-Topping Colt Wins G3 Somerville Stakes
The Group III Somerville Stakes (7f) was run at Newmarket overnight with the Godolphin blue carried by exciting Night of Thunder colt Distant Storm, who they purchased for a sale-topping €1.9million at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale earlier this year.
Manhattan Rain Gold Rush in WA
Geisel Park won’t be the only WA breeder on board when the first locally-conceived 2yo crop of its Group 1 sire Manhattan Rain get mobile this season.
Bred to Win a Caulfield Guineas?
It’s been a good weekend for Yarraman Park's champion sire I Am Invincible with a G1 winner and a colt soon to roll the dice in a G1 of his own.
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
Sires With Winners - Sunday September 28
Here is the full list of 73 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Friday September 26
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Record-Breaking Weetwood Win To Dundeel’s Tavs
Having not raced since fourth in the Listed BRC Spear Chief Handicap (1500m) during the Brisbane Winter Carnival, the Mark Currie trained Tavs (Dundeel) resumed from a spell to record his first black type victory, winning the Listed Weetwood (1200m) at Toowoomba on Saturday in track record time.
My Wish on Track for G1 HK International Mile
The Mark Newnham trained Flying Artie gelding My Wish was crowned Most Improved Horse at the annual awards night in Hong Kong at the end of last season and has wasted no time confirming that potential with a dazzling first up win in the Group III Celebration Cup (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Favourite Whisky On The Hill (GB) Wins Listed R.M. Ansett Classic
With just a small field of seven runners jumping away in the Listed MRC R.M. Ansett Classic (2415m) at Mornington on Sunday, it was the Glen Thompson trained Whiskey On The Hill (GB) (Ribchester) who took the prize, securing his first black type victory.
Inglis Ready2Race Purchase Headed to $3million Big Dance
Sales for two year-olds in training are looming on the horizon for all three auction houses and the $150,000 Dubbo Gold Cup (1600m) on Sunday has eligibility for the $3million Big Dance for the winner and it was progressive Exceedance 4YO Cristal Clear, who claimed the prize.