Vinery Stud has an enviable record with their Magic Millions Gold Coast graduates, and it is one that buyers should pay attention to in 2021. Since 2018, Vinery Stud has sold Gr.1 Golden Slipper winner and Champion 2yo Farnan, Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates (who went on to be a Group winner and won a Listed race at her most recent start in November 2020), Gr.2 winner Letzbeglam, and Gr.3 winners Kooweerup and Hard Landing.
In 2021, Vinery Stud will offer twenty-two yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Bluebloods spoke to Vinery’s Adam White about life in a pandemic and the highlights of their upcoming draft.
How has your farm risen to the challenges presented by COVID 19?
It has clearly been a challenging year for a lot of people within the industry. We have been a bit lucky thanks to our location because we have not really been exposed to the forefront of the virus, so the day to day running of the farm has changed very little. We had to change the way we market horses for both live and online auctions due to people not being able to attend sales nor having the opportunity to inspect the horses. This resulted in more intense information sharing, and more videos and photos that we were able to provide, so that every potential buyer had as much information available to them as possible. This will continue in 2021 since a lot of people from overseas will not be able to attend the sales where they once would have.
What are the unwritten rules of where you work?
Fill the coffee jug when empty
If animals could talk, which would be the rudest?
Llama, it doesn’t even need to talk.
What would be the coolest animal to scale up to the size of a horse?
Without doubt a quokka.
Which horse in your draft looks the best chance to win a Magic Millions 2YO Classic or a Golden Slipper?
After selling both a Magic Millions winner in Exhilarates and Golden Slipper winner in Farnan over the last two years I would say any of our draft are a real chance to win either of those races! But if I had to pick, I would go with the More Than Ready filly from Single Style (Not a Single Doubt). Her sire and dam are proven at getting an early type and there is plenty to indicate this filly will go fast early.
A full sister to winning and Gr.2 Sweet Embrace Stakes placed Still Single, the filly Adam White mentioned is out of a Listed winning half-sister to the speedy eight race winner Fab Fevola (fourth in the Gr.1 Lightning Stakes). This is the family of Gr.1 sprinter Flamberge, and Gr.3 winner Doubtful Jack.
Describe your draft for 2021 with highlights
Similar to last year, it is a very even draft. Last year’s draft included the impressive metropolitan debut winner Miss Hipstar, the first winner for her sire Star Turn. We’re bringing some nice Star Turns this year, which includes a nice colt from Cocoexcel (Exceed and Excel) as well as two nice fillies by him from Bonded and Spoleto. I think the two horses that are a real highlight in our draft are an I Am Invincible colt from Mousai and a lovely Written Tycoon colt from Afleet Esprit. They are real head turners.
The Vinery draft for 2021 includes 15 colts and 7 fillies, and has a good spread of stallions represented with the progeny of eleven different sires. Vinery stalwart More Than Ready has five yearlings entered, including the Single Style mentioned above, and a filly from Gr.1 winner Allez Wonder (making the filly a full sister
to 2YO Group winner Kooweerup). A half-brother to Gr.1 placed Stakes winner Sagaronne, out of Gr.3 winner Lasoron also enjoyed a pedigree highlight.
Mentioned above by Adam White, the I Am Invincible colt is the first foal of a winning half-sister to Starspangledbanner, while the Written Tycoon colt is out of Gr.2 Thousand Guineas Prelude winner Afleet Esprit (Bel Esprit). The Snitzel yearling colt in the Vinery draft is a three-quarter brother to Group winner Very Tempting and he has a strong family, being out of a winning half-sister to Catbird and Danbird. The three yearlings by Star Turn include a half-brother to Gr.2 winner Afleet Esprit out of four time winner Bonded (Danewin). A filly out of imported winning USA mare Spoleto, who is a half-sister to Gr.1 winner Things Change and Stakes winner Dinner Break. The other Star Turn filly is the second foal of three time city winner Cocoexcel, from the family of Headturner, Anacheeva, Golden Archer and O’Marilyn.
Other sires represented are All Too Hard, Capitalist, Flying Artie, Headwater, Russian Revolution and Shalaa.
Close inspection is warranted. The next Magic Millions winner might be right there in this quality Vinery offering.
