Just as he did on the track, where he won four of his first six starts, Microphone is off to a flyer as a sire. After averaging in excess of $200,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, it’s doubtless his yearlings at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 1) will be popular.
Darley’s freshman Microphone was one of several first-season sires to make a splash on debut at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The Champion 2-Year-Old of 2018/19 had 13 yearlings gross $3,030,000 at an average of $233,077.
The top-selling Microphone yearling at Bundall was Lot 409 – a colt from the Stakes winner South Of France (USA) (Quality Road {USA}), who was consigned by Newhaven Park and was knocked down to China Horse Club, Newgate, Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock and Trilogy for $750,000.
The highest-priced Microphone yearling filly was Lot 646, offered by B2B Thoroughbreds and was bought by BK Racing for $375,000. She is out of the winning Symboli Kris S (USA) mare Beetobee (Jpn).
According to Brett Howard, the proprietor and manager of Randwick Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) – the results come as no surprise.
A highly respected and experienced bloodstock agent, Howard told TDN AusNZ Microphone has made a great start to his new career, leaving lovely physicals.
“As a group of horses, I thought they were really nice individuals,” Howard said.
“He’s a highly credentialled stallion prospect. He was a Champion 2-year-old colt in a very good crop and you can’t really knock him.
“I did like the physicals and we (Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds and I) were happy to purchase a couple on the Gold Coast.”
Those yearlings are Lot 211 - a filly from the Rosari Farm draft, which cost $210,000, and Lot 572 – a filly offered by Eureka Stud that fetched $330,000.
The former is from the stakes performer Oxford Heart (Lion Heart), while the latter is out of the four-time winner Zoom By (Red Dazzler), who is a half-sister to the stakes winner Firenza (Kenny’s Best Pal) – the dam of the stakes Group 3 victress Tuscan Sling (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).
Zoom By is also a half-sister to Beauty World (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who has produced the stakes winners Hi World, Lite’n in My Veins (Henrythenavigator {USA}), Ducimus, Loveyamadly (Bel Esprit) and Written Beauty (Written Tycoon).
“The two we bought… there’s some similarities to Microphone. They all look like they're sprinters. With some stallions, you can get a major variation, but there seems to be a real consistency amongst them,” Howard explained. “They look genuine, strong, sprinting types to me.
“The two fillies which Star bought… the one that made $330,000, she looks like a real early 2-year-old type. Hopefully, she can come to hand fairly quickly and maybe be a candidate to run in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic next year.
“The other filly… I don’t think we will be waiting and wondering too long for her either; she looks like she’s capable of being a 2-year-old as well. Her family has got 2-year-old form there.”
Howard added he and Denise Martin had hoped to come away from Bundall with a third Microphone yearling.
“We really liked the colt from South Of France that made $750,000. We knew he was pretty popular and he sold accordingly, he sold very well. We would have loved to have been able to buy him, but that’s out of our price bracket,” Howard said.
