Star Witness Colt on Top on the Gold Coast

Star Witness Colt on Top on the Gold Coast

A colt by Australia’s sire of the moment Star Witness will head to Singapore after topping Day One of the Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale.

Constance Cheng purchased the colt, offered by Aquis Farm, for $315,000 after fierce bidding involving a number of prospective buyers.Cheng said she was delighted to secure her number one pick of the sale and revealed the colt was a birthday present for her partner.

“He’s a strong, well built colt and a brilliant mover,” Cheng said. “I’m delighted to have purchased who I thought was the standout horse of the sale.”

“He looks an early two-year-old type and has a great temperament. I’m very happy.”

Lot 177, as the top priced seller was catalogued, is by former Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate Star Witness – the sire of three group winning graduates on Saturday, all of them sold through the same Gold Coast sale ring.

He is the first living foal of the lightly raced Exceed and Excel mare Ellamotion – a mare who hails from the family of Group One winners My Brilliant Star, Shot of Thunder and Sudurka.

Another colt to sell well today was Lot 97, the Sebring-Amusements colt from Washpool Lodge who sold at New Zealand based agent Paul Beamish for $200,000.

The third highest price of the day came for Kenmore Lodge’s Commands colt from Fluffy Duck who sold to Stephen Gray from Singapore for $160,000.

The top priced filly, one of three lots to sell for $150,000, was the Your Song-Woodala juvenile from Profits Lodge who sold to WA’s Ridgeport Syndicate and likely to join the stables of leading trainer Neville Parnham.

During the afternoon over $5.75 million was traded on 116 lots sold at an average price of almost $50,000 – down on last year’s record breaking auction, but above the sale a year earlier in 2014. The clearance rate sits at 71 per cent.

“For obvious reasons we were nervous coming into this sale,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said. “As the results reveal, the diversity of buyers both internationally and domestically is rewarding for all concerned.””We must congratulate Aquis Farm on selling the top priced lot today at their first Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale. They have fully invested in the industry and it is great for them and the Queensland industry.”

“We look forward to tomorrow with a number of high profile lots to come,” Cox summed up.

To view the sale results and to make an offer on a passed in lot, plus check the catalogue, videos and breeze up times of the lots to come click here.

Day Two of the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale commences at 12 noon (Qld time) on Wednesday.

DAY ONE STATISTICS
(2015 complete sale in brackets)

Lots Catalogued: 190 (214)
Lots Sold: 116 (134)
Lots Passed In: 48 (31)
Lots Withdrawn: 23 (49)
Top Price: $315,000 ($300,000)
Average Price: $49,629 ($63,011)
Sale Gross: $5,757,000 ($8,443,500)
Sold %: 71 (80)

DAY ONE TOP SELLERS

$315,000 – Star Witness-Ellamotion colt (Lot 177)
Vendor: Aquis Farm (As Agent) / Buyer: Constance Cheng (Singapore)

$200,000 – Sebring-Amusements colt (Lot 97)
Washpool Lodge (As Agent) / Beamish Bloodstock International (NZ)

$160,000 – Commands-Fluffy Duck colt (Lot 188)
Kenmore Lodge / Stephen Gray (Singapore)

$150,000 – I Am Invincible-Debz Reign colt (Lot 164)
Nolen Racing (As Agent) / Crown Lodge (Vic)

$150,000 – Your Song-Woodala filly (Lot 80)
Profits Lodge (As Agent) / Ridgeport Syndicate (WA)

$150,000 – Captain Sonador-Civita colt (Lot 142)
Victorian Bloodstock / World Wide Bloodstock (Sth Africa)