Sepoy yearlings steal the show

Champion two-year-old and world Champion three-year-old sprinter Sepoy stole all the headlines with his first-crop yearlings at the 2015 Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast which concluded January 10.

Sepoy was responsible for the sale-topping lot 613, a colt out of Sister Madly, who ironically first met Sepoy back in the spring of 2011 when she finished runner-up to him in the G1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley. The colt was consigned by Segenhoe Stud and was knocked down to Spendthrift Farm for $1.2 million, with Hong Kong’s George Moore the underbidder.

Sepoy also provided the third-highest priced lot of the sale, a filly consigned by Mill Park. Bred by Trevor Robertson, the filly was the first foal of Stakes winner Celebrity Girl and after spirited competition she was eventually knocked down for $850,000 to New Zealand bloodstock agent Michael Wallace acting on behalf of the China Horse Club.

Lot 452, a colt out of Miss Mooney Mooney, and lot 252, a colt out of Florentina were two other Sepoy yearlings highly sought after, selling for $575,000 and $520,000 respectively. From his 26 lots sold, Sepoy finished the sale with a remarkable average of $286,346, placing him behind only Fastnet Rock and Redoute’s Choice on the leading sires by average table.

Exceed And Excel also enjoyed a very strong sale, averaging $240,000 for his 11 lots sold. His top price came at the Saturday night session, just hours after his son Le Chef had won the $2 million Magic Millions 2yo Classic, when Queensland trainer Dan Bougoure purchased a filly out of Speedy Rossa for $800,000. Sold as lot 637, the powerfully-built filly was the highest-priced Exceed And Excel yearling ever sold at the Magic Millions.

While Sepoy was clearly the leading first-season sire at the sale, Helmet, Poet's Voice and Skilled also enjoyed some solid results. Lot 329, a Helmet colt out of In Expectation sold to the China Horse Club and Michael Freedman for $230,000. Louis Le Metayer of Astute Bloodstock went to $140,000 to secure lot 108, a Poet’s Voice filly out of Bells Will Ring, while the only Skilled yearling in the sale, a colt from the Twin Palms Stud draft sold to the G1 Champagne Stakes winner’s former trainer Peter Snowden for $80,000.