While champions don’t know what they cost, one thing is certain, excellence can come in a costly wrapping.
History has shown that a big price in the sales ring for a yearling is no guarantee to high level success on the racetrack. In fact, many a seven-figure lot has failed to live up to its price tag or even reach a racetrack.
There will always be exceptions – a fine example being the latest Triple Crown winner Malmoos, who fetched the second-highest price at the 2019 National Yearling Sale when Shadwell shelled out R4,4 million for the son of Captain Al.
SA Triple Crown winner Malmoos – cost R4,4 million
(Pic- Candiese Lenferna)
With this year’s National Yearling Sale fast approaching, we take a moment to see which other seven-figure lots sold over the past five years have gone on to justify their lofty purchase prices.
No less than 22 yearlings broke through the million Rand ceiling in 2016, amongst which the R1,1 million graduate Do It Again, whose racetrack excellence places him at the very pinnacle. His achievements have been well documented, suffice to say, the Horse of the Year and dual Vodacom Durban July winner boasts current earnings of over R8,7 million.
Fillies from the unstoppable Mystic Spring family have become priceless commodities and it took bloodstock agent John Freeman all of R2 million to secure the Captain Al filly out of her Gr3-winning daughter Spring Lilac.
Snowdance, as she was named, proved a fine investment, for she became a dual Gr1 winner of the Cape Fillies Guineas and Majorca Stakes and is now a priceless broodmare.
That price was matched by trainer Mike Azzie for Orpheus, a Western Winter colt out of Gr1 winner Stratos. Who will ever forget his demolition job in the 2019 Sledgehammer at Hollywoodbets Greyville. Eight lengths clear at the top of the straight, he kept up his relentless gallop to score by the best part of seven lengths, while shaving almost a full second off the 1800m polytrack record!
Another R2 million purchase, the Var colt Varallo ran second in the Gr1 Gold Medallion before his export to Hong Kong where he tasted further success under the name Supreme Patrol.
As for the sales topper, that was the R2,5 million Trippi filly Sugar Girl, a grandaughter of Horse of the Year Ilha Da Vitoria. Twice a winner for Khaya Stables, she boosted her paddock value when third in the Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes. The highest-priced colt at R2, 3 million, Silvano’s son Pietro Mascagni, went on to score four times and also placed at Gr3 level.
History will show that the 2017 renewal was an absolute vintage year for those collecting million Rand yearlings, Shadwell in particular, reaping huge rewards.
Ghaalla – smart! (Pic – JC Photos)
It took a new sales record of R5 million to add the Var grandaughter of Varsfontein champion Promisefrommyheart to its fold.
At the time, trainer Mike de Kock described Ghaalla as ‘a filly worthy of Shadwell’, and although she was never going to recoup the outlay, she did run second in the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery and landed the Gr3 Fillies Mile at three.
Shadwell’s purchases also included a R2,6 million son of the then up-and-coming young sire Gimmethegreenlight from Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein. Named Barahin, he defeated his champion stable companion Soqrat in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe before adding another Gr2 at three and placing in the Gr1 SA Classic.
However, it was a R1 million ‘cheapie’ purchased from the same vendor who would end up as Shadwell’s finest buy, a Silvano colt who went on to scale lofty heights under the name Hawwaam.
Champion Nationals graduate Hawwaam (Pic -JC Photos)
Beaten just once in his first eight starts, the star colt proved nigh invincible at three and by the time he was exported to Britain, he left with a CV gilded by a championship, five Gr1 wins and earnings of over R6,7 million.
Needless to say, the class of 2018 had a hard act to follow. Now four-year-olds, the sole top level graduate amongst the 21 million Rand lots has been the R2.8 million Silvano colt Kilindini, who was lost to South African when exported to Hong Kong straight after his Gr1 Cape Guineas win.
Paternal half-brother Silver Host, slightly cheaper at R2,6-million, has emerged as a fine stayer and to date has accounted for both the Gr3 Chairman’s Cup and Gr3 Politician Stakes.
Captain Al filly Cousin Liz, the sale’s most expensive female at R2,9 million, looked destined for the top after winning her first two starts, however she has failed to build on four subsequent starts since her impressive win in the Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery.
Do It Again at Nationals 2016 – R1,1 million buy has earned R8,7 million
As for the overall sales topper, a son of Dynasty named Track Attack, he has recouped only a fraction of his R5,2 million purchase price with two victories to his name!
Malmoos clearly towers over the 2019 million Rand graduates.
Ironically, he cost Shadwell less than half it paid for the Silvano full brother to Gr1 winner Nightingale, whose price tag of R9 million obliterated the sales record. Now named Al Zaraqaan, news from the De Kock stable is that the colt was injured in training and his chances of racing appear slim. Time will tell.
In contrast, The Gatekeeper, a R2,2 million own brother to Horse of the Year Legislate, managed a third in the Gr1 Cape Derby third while Shah Akbar, a million Rand son of Querari, finished fourth behind Malmoos in Saturday’s Gr1 SA Derby.
Querari also features as the sire of Ficksburg, a R4,2 million purchase by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The second foal of champion and Triple Tiara winner Cherry On The Top, he is another who has yet to make his racecourse debut.
For graduates of the 2020 sale, it is early days yet. Like the sales topper, a R7 million own brother to Hawwaam, many of the million Rand babies have yet to start their careers. One who has though, is Pyromaniac, a R2,3 million purchase by Antony Beck and trained by Sean Tarry.
Despite his classic bloodlines, the son of Silvano colt and SA Oaks winner Pine Princess justified favouritism to score a debut victory over 1160m at Turffontein.
While champions don’t know what they cost, one thing is certain, excellence can come in a costly wrapping.
Triple Crown winner Malmoos is proof of that.
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