Hunter Valley Confidential

I’m looking forward to this weekend’s trek to the Hunter Valley for the stallion parades – Patinack, Darley, Widden, Coolmore - plus a few other visits to check up on various clients’ private interests.

I can’t wait for James Bester to tell us in his mellifluous tones how bulging are the muscles above the eyes of the Coolmore stallions.

I live in hope that, for once, Darley might start on time.

If they don’t, could they please arrange a big screen so we can at least watch the Sydney and Melbourne races (the reason why so many invitees arrive late in the first place – and Darley will win half the races anyway) or put on some Brazilian dancers to entertain we assembled multitudes. It’s usually freezing by start time, 3.30 p.m., so please don’t keep us waiting – with the number of stallions they’ve got it’ll be nightfall by the time it’s over.

I look forward to seeing what’s happening at Patinack, as well as their new stallions.

I will continue to wonder at the stoicism of the people who live and work at Widden when you consider how far it is to the nearest corner store. And then I will spare a thought for those who live even further down this blind valley.

I will be interested, though saddened, to hear more about the alleged matrimonial turmoil being experienced by one of the highest profile operators in our business.

Sorry, this is starting to read like Hunter Valley Confidential.

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There’s been no shortage of nice young horses hitting the tracks in the last couple of weeks and the strength of competition we’re about to witness is the one positive legacy of the 2007 EI interruption.

From a purely personal point of view (isn’t that what a blog is meant to be?) I was pleased with the win of Geared Up (3g Testa Rossa-Certain, by Rory’s Jester) at Canterbury today as I bought this fellow for $100,000 at Magic Millions 2007.

The other Testa Rossa I bought ($50,000) that year, Ortensia (ex Aerate’s Pick, by Picnicker), had her unbeaten skein snapped when third resuming behind boom colt Time Thief, to whom she gave weight, at Moonee Valley. Let’s say she looked to be sympathetically handled, though not coping too well with the tight Valley circuit. She found the line just as well as Time Thief if you check the replay. She will figure amongst the best fillies if the lid can be kept on her powder-keg temperament so it was probably a good thing that she didn’t have a first-up gut-buster. I’ve been involved previously with another horse from this family and he, too, was a head case. He won a race at Mount Garnet – go Google Earth that one. One of this family’s remote branches produced Bollinger who has been in the news this week with a promising newcomer winner in the UK.

The impressive Canterbury win of Kimillsy (3f Danehill Dancer (Ire)-Lady Fidelia, by Snippets) suggested she is a stakes-class performer in waiting. Regular readers of this blog (all two of you, hi Mum and Dad!) might recall I labeled her in a post of 10 March as one of my best fillies from the sales of 2007, rueing the fact that I was underbidder on her. Picking them is not so difficult, getting the right buying budget definitely is. However, I am thinking of changing my name by deed poll to John Ferguson or Colm Santry or Nathan Tinkler.

Pleasingly, we have had our share of high-priced yearlings coming through in recent days. Allied Force (4h Redoute’s Choice-Urge To Merge, by Last Tycoon (Ire)) has an awesome way of going and he looks another rising star from this fail-safe family. I rated him a 9.0 at the 2006 Sydney Easter Sale which means he sits on the right hand of God. Nothing ever gets a 9.0! - maybe Dance Hero, Choisir or Exceed And Excel did. I didn’t have to be a genius to do that, he is an outstanding specimen, even though he has a jaw worse than Dulcify’s. It took a bid of $2 million to ‘buy’ him, though I see he still races substantially in the interests of those who put him through the ring and close friends of the family. I don’t know why I should be altogether surprised about that.

I got out of my ‘flu infested sickbed and traipsed to Newcastle on Tuesday to see one of my charges, Anavila (5g Anabaa (USA)-Highest Cool (Fr), by Highest Honor) go around. He had been balloted out of three races in the previous 10 days and although this 900m race was 4 – 500 metres short of the distance we desired for him, it was the only race in which he could gain a start. He defied us by winning anyway. Smart, aren’t we? I’ve previously expressed my appreciation of Jeff Lloyd’s riding; he’s enormously experienced and oh so good in my opinion. Sydney hasn’t been so well off for first class jockeys in a long time. There’s almost no room now for Beadman (oh yeah?). Not that Anavila was ever a high-priced yearling. He didn’t go through the sale ring as he has a terrible sway back. But it doesn’t seem to worry him. Chris Waller has turned this gelding around, as he has many others, almost daily. Like the jockey, a real talent. I recall a horse of David Hayes's, Dark Ksar, who won a million dollars and was a very swampy-backed beast. He had cost $750.

Newcastle was notable for the impressive graduation of Redoute’s Choice’s rellie Movin’ Out (3f Encosta de Lago-Twyla, by Danehill (USA)), $2.2 million worth of Woodlands-now-Darley investment. Apart from certain yearlings ‘bought’ by certain trainers from certain studs in recent years, they don’t make that sort of money unless they are an Adonis (who was a male, but you get my drift), and of course she was, an 8.0.

Then there’s the aforementioned Time Thief (3c Redoute’s Choice-Procrastinate, by Jade Hunter (USA)), the ninth foal of a very good racemare and producer. Another lazy $2 million, sold from the Kia Ora Stud draft at Easter 2007 on behalf of the fondly remembered Michael Ryan. Surprise, surprise, Time Thief was an 8.0, another equine Robert Redford. That dates me, I hope all my readers are 50-plus so they’ll know who I’m talking about. Hi, Mum and Dad.

In case you’re wondering how my number system pans out, I classify the horses as I see them without any conscious idea of how many in any sale I’m giving a ‘buy’ mark to. When I look back afterwards, I’ve found consistently that only about 15% of any catalogue gets a mark high enough for a decent second look. That’s probably too many – about 75 in your average Sydney Easter sale. There aren't that many good horses in it.

I’ll probably front up at the Scone Broodmare Sale Friday. Very underwhelming. In terms of horseflesh, I’d be better off at the Warwick Farm or Gosford barrier trials.