Progeny from the second crop of Lonhro’s G1-winning son Denman have set the sales ring alight over the first two days of the Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast.
Having produced Listed Breeders’ Plate winner Law, metropolitan winners Pinch River and Grapevine and Stakes-placed Piacenza from his first four runners to hit the track, competition for the Denman’s on the Gold Coast was always expected to be strong.
Law’s trainer Gai Waterhouse has not hidden her love of Denman, purchasing four yearlings by him over the past two days.
Waterhouse set a new highest-price for a yearling by Denman when she went to $310,000 to secure lot 329, a colt out of Listed winner Devil Inside from the draft of Glenlogan Park. Waterhouse also purchased lot 112 from the draft of Southern Cross Breeders, a filly out of Stakes-placed American mare Street Sign, for $300,000. Her other two Denman yearlings were a colt out of Espousal purchased for $220,000 and a filly out of Thunder Belle for $210,000.
“I think he’s the most exciting sire. He could be another Redoute’s Choice,” Waterhouse said.
“What we’ve seen from the tiny population of yearlings and two-year-olds that are around is they’re quite above average.”
Robbie Laing has a big opinion of his unraced Denman colt Dezannam, so much so that he has purchased two Denman colts at the Gold Coast, lot 31 a Denman half-brother to G3 winner Va Pensiero from the draft of Amarina Farm for $280,000 and lot 331 from the draft of Fig Tree Thoroughbreds, a colt out of Stakes-placed Diamonds Am I for $165,000.
Australia’s Champion stallion Exceed And Excel was responsible for the equal highest-priced lot on day two of the sale, a colt consigned as lot 344 by Burnewang North Pastoral selling to Hong Kong’s Sun Bloodstock for $400,000.
The final lot of day two was an Exceed And Excel half-brother to Domesday’s G1-performer Divorces. Lot 380 from the draft of Evergreen Stud Farm, he was purchased by West Australian trainer Neville Parnham for $315,000.
Street Cry has enjoyed a strong sale with lot 108, a colt out of Starfish from the draft of Amarina Farm selling to James Bester and Louis Le Metayer for $320,000.
“He is a colt with extreme athleticism. He is light on his feet and has a lot of class and presence,” said Le Metayer.
Street Cry also had lot 213, a colt out of G1 VRC Oaks winner Arapaho Miss, sell for $270,000.
Bernardini is the leading sire at the sale by average having just had the one yearling sell for $285,000. Sold as lot 252 by Newgate Farm, the filly out of Listed winner Bonifacio was purchased by Peter Tighe.
