Powerhouse owner Jonathan Munz will be hoping to reprise the Super Seth story and raise another stallion prospect from the emerging sire line of Dundeel after making a colt by the Arrowfield stallion the sale-topper on Day 2 of the Inglis Classic Feb. 10.
Purchased by agent Dean Hawthorne for Munz's GSA Bloodstock, the imposing son of Dundeel sold from Arrowfield's draft for AU$440,000, (US$276,549, AU$1=US$0.63) before that stud and sire later also had the sale's equal second top lot through a filly who fetched AU$400,000.
It came on a day when Classic continued to perform relatively strongly despite pre-sale fears of a downturn, with the average only marginally down on 12 months ago. At the end of auctioning, it stood at AU$97,153, down from $97,338 at the same point of last year's sale. The median was unchanged at AU$80,000, with the clearance rate 77%, down from 83% last year.
Hawthorne's sale-topper so far also came in a frenzied 15 minutes after giant Japanese owner-breeder Koji Oka matched the highest lot to that point, making up for missing an AU$400,000 Wootton Bassett filly on day one by paying the same amount for a colt by the same sire.
Oka, owner of 2023 Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai, confirmed the colt from Ridgmont's draft would be going to his home country and aimed at the grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).
Eleven lots later, Hawthorne set the new sale-topper when he bought Lot 455, by Dundeel. Bred by Arrowfield and Jungle Pocket, the colt is the second foal of five-time winner Mother's Mercy, a three-quarter sister to Australian Oaks (G1) winner Autumn Angel and group 2 -winning sprinter Baraqiel.
The colt will carry Munz's famed red and white stripes for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman, setting out to follow a trail blazed by Super Seth en route to winning the Caulfield Guineas (G1) before his burgeoning career as a sire at Waikato Stud.
Hawthorne said it was hoped the colt could emulate Super Seth in more ways than one.
"He reminded me a bit of Seth," Hawthorne said. "I bought Seth here (at Inglis Easter) from the same (Arrowfield) draft. I saw this colt earlier in the week and I rang the boss (Munz) and said, 'I've found another one.' Whether he is remains to be seen, but I just loved him.
"He's really well-balanced, and Super Seth had the same balance. Same sort of head, same sort of markings—not identical but very similar."
A Too Darn Hot colt from Widden Stud sold for AU$340,000 to Tony Fung's TFI in tandem with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who also bought an Ole Kirk colt, in partnership with Bruce Slade's Kestrel Thoroughbreds, for AU$250,000 from Sullivan Bloodstock's draft.
In a surprising outcome at the top end, a half brother by Tarzino to the Feb. 8 Eskimo Prince Stakes (G3) winner Public Attention, offered from Amarina Farm's draft, was passed in at AU$425,000. The colt was later bought for AU$300,000, by MyRacehorse trainer Mick Price and Damon Gabbedy's Belmont Bloodstock.
