Owner-breeder George Altomonte has had second thoughts regarding one of the likely superstars of the Easter yearling sale beginning at Newmarket on April 8 and has decided to withdraw the full-brother to Golden Slipper winner Overreach from the Inglis sale.
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Altomonte had planned to take the bay colt to the Easter sales but decided he had a future as a stallion as well as hopefully following in the hoofsteps of his illustrious sister, which has won more than $2.3 million from five juvenile starts.
The colt is by last season's premier sire Exceed And Excel from Bahia, a Snippets mare which was an above-average performer at the track. It is a pedigree that would ensure a lucrative stud career if he could win at black-type level.
Overreach was Bahia's first foal and was the champion two-year-old in Australia in the 2012-13 season, another feather in Altomonte's cap, having bred group 1 performers Sebring, True Jewels and Heart Ruler at his Corumbene Stud in Dunedoo.
Altomonte has a Redoute's Choice foal from Bahia, described by stud manager Toby Frazer as a “fantastic colt”. She is in foal to Exceed And Excel, which will be the sibling to Overreach.
Overreach won twice at group level – the group 2 Moet and Chandon Stakes adding to her group 1 in the Slipper. She is also at Corumbene recovering from a setback after winning a Randwick barrier trial on January 3.
“We will be keeping Overreach here for another two months and then hopefully she'll be back at the track come spring,” Frazer said.
There are three Fastnet Rock yearlings also withdrawn from the Easter sales at this early stage – but there are still 52 youngsters by the champion Coolmore sire.
Commanding stuff
It was another day of triumphs for Darley sire Commands last Saturday. He notched another group 1 win with Appearance's dazzling Canterbury Stakes success and then sired the top-priced lot at the Hong Kong two-year-olds' sale at Sha Tin. Appearance scored her third top-line win for Guy Walter and Darley in the rain-delayed sprint to take out the 1300 metre race worth $505,000, taking her earnings to $1.73 million. At the Hong Kong sale, a Commands colt from Oh So Discreet fetched $HK5.2 million ($735,000). The colt was a $400,000 buy at the Karaka Premier sale. Another stallion which enjoyed a great deal of success last weekend was Emirates Park-based Al Maher. He had six winners between Friday and Sunday, including three black-type victories in 24 hours. They were Pheidon in the group 2 Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night, Fat Al in the listed Bendigo Golden Mile and Diamond Drille in the group 3 Aspiration Stakes at Randwick.
Oka's belief
Satomi Oka, the Japanese representative for William Inglis, continued her marvellous strike rate for owner Tomohiro Sekiguchi when Believe Yourself gained a Golden Slipper berth at Randwick last Saturday. The Sydney-based Satomi was instrumental in buying the owner's first racehorse, Marseille Roulette, which won at debut in last year's Inglis Classic at Randwick. “At the presentation Mr Sekiguchi made his speech in Japanese but said when he owned his first Golden Slipper winner he would respond in English,” the Inglis agent said. Satomi spends a great deal of time with the Japanese visitors who attend the Inglis Sales and her strike rate with the prospective owners is most impressive. Both of Sekiguchi's winners were bred at Stuart Ramsey's Turangga Farm in Scone. Marseille Roulette is by resident sire Zizou, while Sebring is the sire of Believe Yourself.
Sangster reveals fees
Victorian breeder Adam Sangster has adopted a rare start to the new breeding season, which starts in September, by announcing the services fees for two of his most popular stallions, Equiano and Americain. Both sires have been in huge demand since retiring to his Swettenham Stud and by announcing their early fees he says it gives breeders every chance to obtain a booking. Equiano will stand at the same covering price as last year – $15,000 plus GST – which is a great fee considering his 15 yearlings averaged $105,200 at the Inglis Premier sale earlier this month, including a colt for $420,000, which is the highest price paid for a first-season sire in Victoria. Americain's fee is $12,500 plus GST and Sangster said the sire was fully booked in his debut season last year.
Albert magic
A yearling colt by Magic Albert, one of the country's most prolific sires, topped the Magic Millions March sale on the Gold Coast when selling for $105,000. The colt was brought by Dream Thoroughbreds and Bluegrass Bloodstock and will be trained by Anthony Freedman.
johnhollysenior@yahoo.com.au
