Arrowfield

It seems a bit rich to say that Australia’s leading yearling vendor sells good horses for reasonable prices.
After all, Arrowfield’s total 2019 sales for clients and the Stud exceeded $37 million and the Messara family-owned farm has sold a staggering 33 $1 million+ yearlings since 2013. They include Group 1 winners Estijaab, Mustaaqeem and Wandjina on a list of 54 stakes-winning graduates in that period which puts Arrowfield on top of the major sale vendor list by racetrack results as well.

And it’s those much more important results which show that good value can always be found in Arrowfield’s yearling drafts, especially at Inglis Classic.

The most spectacular current example is undoubtedly Castelvecchio (Dundeel-St. Therese), spotted by Ottavio & Wendy Galletta in Arrowfield’s 2018 Classic consignment and bought for $150,000. Yes, that price was above the sale average, but well below the $280,000 required to buy Caulfield Guineas G1 winner Super Seth from Arrowfield at Inglis Easter, or exciting 3YO Profit at Magic Millions in 2018.

Fourteen months later Castelvecchio had earned more than 10 times his purchase price after winning the ATC Champagne S. G1 and the Inglis 2YO Millennium RL. Castelvecchio’s star rose again after an outstanding second to Lys Gracieux in the 2019 MVRC Cox Plate G1, a performance franked by the Japanese mare’s comprehensive defeat of a world-class field in December’s Nakayama Arima Kinen G1.

Now sitting on a 124 Timeform figure, the boom colt is set to return for an Autumn Guineas campaign.
Castelvecchio’s year-older half-sister Maid Of Heaven (by Smart Missile) made $60,000 at the 2017 Inglis Classic Sale – five starts later she was a Group 1 winner of $330,000 and a top-drawer breeding prospect.
Hong Kong buyers also found abundant value in Arrowfield’s 2017 Classic draft. Country Star (Starcraft-Moonrush), a $90,000 buy, has won five of his 10 starts and $A1.2 million from the John Size stable.

A similar record, including the 2018 Griffin Trophy, has returned around 7 times the $130,000 Chris McAnulty paid for Danny Shum’s promising sprinter Perfect Match (Not A Single Doubt-Modave). Lauriston Farm signed for Quadruple Double (Zoustar-Jessica Rose) at $50,000 and re-sold him as a breeze-up 2YO for $150,000. Trained in Hong Kong by David Hall, he has since won more than $A600,000 from three wins and 7 placings.

These accomplished performers are all following the large hoofprints of Arrowfield’s best Hong Kong graduate bought from Inglis Classic, the dual Group 1 winner and $A6 million earner Contentment (Hussonet-Jemison). He was purchased for just $65,000 by John Foote for owner Benson Lo Tak-wing and trained by John Size.
Dundeel, leading sire Not A Single Doubt and three-time Champion Sire Snitzel are all represented in Arrowfield’s 2020 Classic consignment, alongside Real Impact, 3rd on Japan’s 2019 First Season Sires’ premiership, and Animal Kingdom, whose six worldwide stakeswinners in 2019 were headed by Australian Derby G1 winner Angel Of Truth.
The progeny of Japanese superstar Maurice and Champion Sprinter-Miler Mikki Isle, Group-winning sprinter Scissor Kick and European Champion 2YO Shalaa offer juicy opportunities to catch the early wave of Arrowfield’s next generation of star sires.

Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer suggests seven yearlings to kick off buyers’ short-lists:
Lot 162 – Not A Single Doubt-Gesemi colt
“A neat, medium-sized colt and a good mover, typical of the best Not A Single Doubts. A smart precocious type from a wonderful New Zealand family.”

Lot 384 – Maurice-Prima Klaire filly
“This is a classy filly with a nice shoulder and good hindquarters, and she’s developed really well in the last few months.”

Lot 477 – Dundeel-Snowy World colt
“He has lots of quality and is a good walker with scope and size. A really attractive half-brother to Hong Kong winner Joyful Heart.”

Lot 570 – Shalaa-Zarakiysha colt
“He’s an athletic, loose-moving type from the family of European Champion Zarkava.”

Lot 586 – Snitzel-Allariza colt
“A lengthy, attractive, easy-moving colt from a strong European family and he could be early like his stakes-winning full brother Azazel.”

Lot 699 – Mikki Isle-Lilac Rose filly
“She’s a neatly made, quality filly, in the mould of her brilliantly fast sire who also appears in her superb female family.”

Lot 719 – Real Impact-Northern Model filly
“A lengthy, scopey Oaks type of filly with a nice
top line and easy walk, and she’s related to two champion fillies.”

2020 Draft