Vinery Stud has catalogued 23 yearlings for the Gold Coast Magic Millions with the majority of its draft dominated by All Too Hard (11) and More Than Ready (6).
Book 1 commences on January 11 and North American champion Tapit (USA) adds an international flavour to Vinery’s consignment with a colt from Saratoga Group 2 winner Touch Of Love (Lot 532).
Tapit has emerged as one of the most influential stallions of the modern era at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky. He was a Group 1 winner of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct for Winchell Thoroughbreds and they retired him to the famed nursery for a service fee starting at $15,000.
Since then, the milestones have accumulated to the point where he will cover a stellar book capped at 125 mares next year for a fee of $300,000.
The incomparable grey stallion has been North America’s champion sire since 2014 when his progeny earned $16.81 million to beat the previous record held by Smart Strike since 2007. He bettered that figure in 2015 and will do so again in 2016.
“Being a three-time leading sire isn’t a first,” Winchell manager David Fiske declared. “But I don’t know that any stallion has ever broken the earnings record back-to-back-to-back.”
Tapit’s ongoing masterclass of a stud career delivered another classic winner this year when Creator claimed the Group 1 Belmont Stakes. He also sired 2016 Group 1 winners Frosted, Time And Motion & Ring Weekend – the latter two on turf.
His champion filly Untapable has been retired after landing Group 1 blows in the Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She has been sent to England to be covered by Frankel in February.
And in the ultimate testament to his progeny’s precocity, Tapit’s 2yo daughters Pretty City Dancer and Sweet Loretta dead-heated for the Group 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga in September.
The fillies extended Tapit’s career stats to 21 Group 1 winners and that superiority has been reflected in the sale-ring where 20 of his yearlings have been knocked down for $1 million or more at auction.
Vinery averaged $232,500 for its 16 yearlings at the 2016 Magic Millions with top-priced lots from All Too Hard ($470,000) and More Than Ready ($320,000) helping it finish in the Top 10 among vendors on the Gold Coast.
“All Too Hard has the potential to become one of our best stallions in generations,” Vinery’s Conor Phelan predicted. “He owns a world-class pedigree and was Australia’s 3YO Champion winning the Caulfield Guineas in the spring and returning for an unbeaten autumn campaign against older horses in races like the Futurity Stakes and All-Aged Stakes.
“His first starters in the spring still looked six months away but trainers kept telling us they were going too well not to go to the races. Just wait until they come back for a second prep in the autumn.
Phelan is also a fan of the phenomenonal More Than Ready. “For sheer class, consistency and longevity, he has to be the best stallion to ever shuttle from Kentucky to Australia. This is the 15th year in a row we’ve prepped his yearlings and this crop is as good as any we’ve entered for the Magic Millions.”
TAPIT