The Easter Sale and Cressfield were made for each other as both brand names are synonymous with the best pedigrees in the nation, and quality racehorses. With Gr.1 winner Personal (Fastnet Rock-Personify, by Galileo) and group placed winner Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook) from their Easter 3YO class, Cressfield continues to build on their reputation as a Gr.1 producing farm.
Bluebloods spoke to Cressfield’s Liesl Baumann about their 2021 draft.
Cressfield sold Gr.1 VRC Oaks winner Personal for $640,000 in 2019. Was she always special?
“If you would have walked into her paddock as a yearling, you might have appreciated her for being a nice enough style of a horse without her leaving a lasting impression. She was always uncomplicated and of a good nature. The most remarkable thing was that she was born via an elective caesarean. Fastnet Rock was the mating Bruce had wanted for Personify for a long time due to it replicating the highly successful Fastnet Rock over Galileo cross, however the mare’s propensity to throw very large stock had concerned us, both for the mare’s welfare and for the resulting foal. We were pleasantly surprised. While she was a good- sized filly, she was never coarse, and she maintained athleticism throughout her development.”
The Cressfield 2021 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft will showcase some of the best stallions in Australia with four colts and five fillies on offer.
The words ‘stallion prospect’ aren’t thrown around many pedigrees, yet Cressfield’s colt, Lot 71, fits the billing as a son of Australia’s hottest sire I Am Invincible and Gr1 winner Secret Agenda (Not a Single Doubt). This colt is the first foal of his Gr1 winning dam, who is also a half-sister to the dam of very promising two year-old Enthaar (Written Tycoon).
“Physically this colt is a bulldog and very much a copy of his dam’s shape, he is immensely strong and muscular with an intelligent, attractive head.”
A filly with incredible residual value is Lot 392, by I Am Invincible, out of Listed winner Listen Here (Elusive Quality), who is, of course, the dam of Gr1 winner and young sire Shooting to Win (Northern Meteor), group winner and emerging sire Deep Field (Northern Meteor), and group placed winner Zaniah (Zoustar).
“Listen Here is a pretty incredible mare and this cross with I Am Invincible has created a pretty incredible filly. She is a beautifully balanced filly with a great hip and that distinctive head and clean throat latch of her sire. Her half-brother Rights Of Man (Snitzel) recently broken his maiden impressively at his first start.”
Hopes are high for Lot 162, whose full sister sold for $500,000 last year, and this filly is only the second foal for her Gr.2 winning dam Wild Rain (Manhattan Rain). By leading sire I Am Invincible, this filly comes from the family of the one and only fighting tiger; Australian Horse of the Year Northerly (Serheed).
“I would not be alone in thinking this year’s filly is even better than last year. She is an absolute powerhouse of a filly with a hindquarter you could serve a ten course banquet on with a great hip and gaskin.”
A full sister to Cressfield-sold Granny Red Shoes (Not a Single Doubt-Shoboard, by Show a Heart) is Lot 83. This filly is from one of Cressfield’s best families with the likes of Star Satire, Satin Shoes, Satin Slipper, Zarzuela, and this filly’s dam Shoboard who won a Listed race as a two year-old. She has been a consistent broodmare, and her latest winner Jenga (All Too Hard) recently won on debut.
“This mare is an incredibly consistent producer of type. This filly looms over you with her physique, a lovely rein set upon strong sloping shoulders, a deep girth in front of well sprung ribs and finished off with a well angled hindquarter.”
The second foal of triple Gr.3 winner Artistry (Shamardal) is Lot 205, and this Not a Single Doubt filly has plenty of pedigree to back up her dam’s excellent race record. This is the family of NZ Derby winner Cronus (Zabeel), and his group winning sister Pravda, who is the dam of group winner Pravana (Anabaa), while also
in this family is Gr.1 winner Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice), now the dam of Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placed Miss Fabulass (Frankel).
“An almost mirror image of the half-sister we sold last year. With good sound bone and feet she is just a lovely quality filly all round.”
A colt who might slip under many buyer’s radar is Lot 465, the Headwater half-brother to group winner Egyptian Symbol (Stratum), Gr.1 placed winner Strathmore (Fastnet Rock), and group placed two year-old winner Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook). They are all out of Champion Older Female Sprinter and Gr.1 winner Our Egyptian Raine (Desert Sun) who has been an outstanding broodmare. Ignore him at your peril.
“Historically, this mare’s progeny get overlooked as they can be somewhat plain types, but the genetics for performance are there. He is a very late foal, so buyers should bear that in mind when drawing comparisons to others in the draft. He has the foundations right with good bone and he is relishing the prep, growing and developing before our eyes.”
A half-sister to stakes placed winner Regimental Band (I Am Invincible) is Lot 389, and this Lonhro filly is out of group winner Lilliburlero (Redoute’s Choice). This filly’s second dam is Champion 3YO Filly in Australia, Regimental Gal (General Nediym), whose stakes placed daughter is the dam of Gr.2 winner Souchez (Lonhro), a three-quarter sibling to this yearling filly.
“She is a laid-back quality scopey filly that covers the ground with ease. Her half- brother, Military Parade (I Am Invincible) looks to be a handy, scoring a win and two seconds in his three starts to date.”
Cressfield will present Lot 4, an American Pharoah colt who is a half-brother to two Listed winners; Great Esteem (Redoute’s Choice) and High Esteem (Redoute’s Choice); and their stakes placed winning dam, Park Esteem, is from the same family as Gr.1 Dubai Wold Cup winner Moon Ballad (Singspiel), Champion Older Male
in GB Telescope (Galileo), and Champion 3YO Colt in Italy Central Park (In the Wings).
“While he may not exemplify the type that the Australian market typically goes crazy for, he is certainly the one I would most like to throw a saddle on. He has an attractive head and a lovely sloping shoulder moving into an athletic hindquarter. I’m picking he will be a Rolls Royce to ride.”
Cressfield have only one yearling on offer by a first season sire; dual Gr.1 winner Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock). Cressfield’s Merchant Navy colt, Lot 362, is out of Gr.2 winner Jeu de Cartes (Stravinsky), whose three foals to race are all winners including this yearling colt’s three quarter brother stakes placed winner Merited (Fastnet Rock). Winner of nine races Jeu de Cartes is a half-sister to Gr.1 Australian Derby winner Nom du Jeu (Montjeu), and both are out of dual Gr.1 winner Prized
Gem (Prized).
“We have had some very nice yearlings by Merchant Navy and this colt is no exception. The sire seems to bless them with good sound conformation and brains. This colt has a large nostril and while being a very good size, he is compact and neat.”
Baumann summed up their draft by saying, “This will be my fifteenth year at Cressfield and I can say without reservation this is the best draft of Easter horses we have ever lined up for sale.” ❖
Draft 2021
