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Coolmore snaps up Fastnet Rock colt for A$960,000 Right from the start of the second session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, the anticipation and the energy at the Magic Millions sales complex in Bundall Thursday was palpable, and turned out to be fully justified as Coolmore walked away with the day's highest priced lot, a Fastnet Rock colt who brought A$960,000. By the time Lot No. 265 was led into the ring, the session had already seen six head bring in excess of A$300,000. Bidding for the handsome bay quickly escalated and hit the A$500,000 mark in a blink of the eye as several suitors pursued the colt, including John Messara and his Arrowfield team, situated at the back corner of the dining area; Sydney-based trainer Gai Waterhouse, who was seated nearby; and the Coolmore battalion, marshaled by Demi O'Byrne and James Bester, assumed its customary place at the far left of the podium nearest the doorway. With an audible buzz throughout the early bidding, things turned remarkably quiet as the selling progressed. Past the A$800,000 mark, bidding rose by A$25,000 increments before temporarily stalling at A$950,000. When auctioneer, Steve Davis, emphatically urged Coolmore to up the ante, the number he understood was A$10,000, pushing the figure to A$960,000. "It's all right, it's an auction," quipped Davis, addressing the modest volley. But in the end, it turned out that it was all that as needed as the Jerry's Plains stud won the battle. "He probably brought a little more than we thought, but Fastnet Rock is going so well at the moment, and that's the sire people want right now," Coolmore's Tom Magnier said. "We are trying to find good Fastnets and he was a horse that Demi and James loved. The lads just said the loved quality of the horse." As for some of the colt's attributes, Magnier added, "He is typical of Fastnet Rock. He has loads of quality and he is a great mover. He ticked all the boxes for us. We came here to buy the good Fastnet Rocks and he's one of them." An August 31 foal, the bay -- who was offered by his breeder Ian Smith's Edinburgh Park -- is out of multiple winner Rose of Cimmaron (Bite the Bullet), who is a full sister to Group 3 winner Mica's Pride, who in turn is responsible for Group 2 scorer Varenna Miss (Redoute's Choice) and listed winner Silently (Anabaa). "The family is alight with Fastnet Rock, and they do well with him, so (O'Byrne and Bester) were very keen to get him." Smith may not have a sprawling operation or a large group of broodmares , but he certainly makes the most of what he's got. The master of Edinburgh Stud brought only seven horses to the Gold Coast this year, but he hit paydirt with Thursday's top seller. "I knew he was a very good horse and I knew there were some serious buyers on the horse, so we were lucky to get some momentum in the ring and off we went," Smith said. "It was fantastic." While numerous operations enjoyed varying degrees of traffic through their barns during the preceding week, Smith was keenly aware that he had something special in stable M in the days leading up to his sale. "There was a buzz around the colt at the sales, and each day, it was just building momentum as all the vets and buyers went through them all. Everyone was coming to him. We got the result we wanted." He added, "He was a complete horse you and couldn't fault him. He had beautiful balance and is by the hottest sire in the country. He is the first foal out of a very good mare with a fantastic pedigree. Anyone looking for a serious yearling, which could flow onto the racetrack and hopefully go into the barn as a stallion, would want him." As a young man, Smith was introduced to the game as young punter before securing a few of his own to race. After playing in the ownership ranks, the Australian secured Edinburgh Park in the early 1990s and, eight years ago, launched his commercial operation. "As a 16-year-old, I liked to have a bet," Smith chuckled. "I was lucky enough that the first horse I raced became a Group 3 winner and it sort of developed from there. I went from having a bet and having some fun to buying a horse to a full-blown commercial establishment." Edinburgh is divided into two separate tracts; the original property spans 300 acres and is located in Taree, while the second is comprised of 30 acres in nearby Wingham. According to Smith, the smaller farm is used primarily for yearling preparation and weanlings, in addition to the education of the younger horses, while the larger farm is dedicated to mares and raising the older horses. According to Smith, the operation currently boards only 25 mares, but has made the most of the limited numbers. While Edinburgh Stud has a handful of horses on the racetrack, Smith is abundantly clear what the operation's main focus is. "I'm a breeder, I do race some, but I like to sell quality horses," he stated. Among the operation's biggest commercial scores prior to Thursday's sale was Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Sister Madly (Redoute's Choice), who brought A$1 million last June at the Magic Millions National Broodmare sale. Edinburgh Park also bred that filly's half-brother, Silent Witness, a two-time Horse of the Year and champion sprinter in Hong Kong. "I always come to the sales with maybe five to 10 yearlings," Smith confirmed. "Starting off you have the lesser lots, but you kick them along. Silent Witness definitely helped us and we are producing quality horses every year." As for his overall sense of the market through the first two days of the sale, Smith added, "I think the middle market might be missing, some people might be reluctant to go hard and they seem to be sitting back a bit to see if the horses place in the market. There seems to be a lot of horses being sold after they come out of the ring. People just seem to be a little pickier about what they want to buy, but the right horse will make serious money." Just like a flawless gem, Coolmore's Fastnet Rock continues to appreciate in value as his offsrping continue to dominate on the track as well as in the sales ring. The highly prolific stallion, who covered an impressive 364 mares in both hemispheres last year, has already sired eight Group 1 winners (four this year), including the Mark Kavanagh-trained Atlantic Jewel. "He's ideal for here, because he gets sprinters, he gets colts and fillies and they train on as well," Coolmore Stud Manager Peter O'Brien explained. "He produces great quality and all types of horses." While perennial leader Redoute's Choice currently leads the stallion rankings for the Australian 2011-2012 season, the handsome bay seems to be poised to make a race of it after having already garnered his 10th individual stakes winner of the current season. Among the favorite's for this Saturday's Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic is B.J. McLachlan Stakes heroine Driefontein, who could further bolster her sire's total earnings. Seeking to expand his influence, Coolmore shuttled the stallion to Coolmore Ireland for the past two Northern Hemisphere seasons, and his reception there has been tremendous. He currently has his second crop of foals in Europe this year. Servicing a limited book of mares in Ireland this year, the young stallion has a waiting list of 30 mares waiting to be bred to him. "He got some excellent mares in the Northern Hemisphere," confirmed Magnier. "We sent a lot of our own mares to him and so did (Coolmore trainer) Aidan (O'Brien). He's stepping up to be the next Danehill."
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