Rivercrest Park sire Ducimus is bred on the same cross as the colt that topped this year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale on Wednesday.
Coolmore Stud bought the superior looking Snitzel colt from G1 Flight Stakes winner First Seal (Lot 447) for $1.80 million. He attracted global competition at Australia’s premier yearling sale but Coolmore wouldn’t be denied.
The history-making virtual thoroughbred auction was conducted at Riverside Stables without horses, vendors or buyers due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Sledmere Stud’s Royston Murphy, who prepped the bay colt, was only sorry more prospective buyers weren’t given the opportunity to inspect him at the sale grounds. “It’s emotional to get such a great result under these circumstances,” he told Inglis TV seated alongside his wife Catriona and their two boys in Scone.
“We had the right product but there’s been pressure going through the system into the sale,” Murphy admitted. “He was popular at our parades but Coolmore’s James Bester wore a track going back and looking at him.”
Topping the leader-board at Inglis yearling sales has a familiar ring to it for sons of Snitzel.
Ducimus carried that tag from the 2016 Inglis Premier when graduating for $700,000. He was conceived off a $45,000 service fee at Arrowfield Stud whereas the breeders of his latest sale star had to pay $160,000.
They’re both bred on a 3×3 cross to Danehill.
Snitzel’s asking price soared commensurate with multiple sires’ championships. And a fourth domestic title in a row this season will see him priced within range of last year ($200,000) despite the predicted dips ahead.
Pierro ($13.2 million) currently holds a slender lead over Snitzel ($12.9 million) and I Am Invincible ($12.8 million) for national honours in 2019-20.
Snitzel sired his 99th individual stakes winner last weekend with Meuse in the LR Laelia Stakes at Morphettville. He can crack a century on Day 2 of The Championships at Randwick this Saturday with Spintex (G2 Arrowfield 3yo Sprint), Spend (LR South Pacific Classic) or Philizzy & Time Is Precious (G2 Percy Sykes Stakes).
His breed-shaping sire Redoute’s Choice was represented by his 38th individual Group 1 winner plus an elite quinella when King’s Legacy nailed Prague in the Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick last Saturday.
Snitzel leads the Australian 2yo winners list this season with 16 led by Magic Millions Classic star Away Game. His 16th arrived on Wednesday when Lindsay Park colt Itzhot broke his maiden in the Ladbrokes Hcp (1400m) at Sandown.
Snitzel has been a powerhouse source of juvenile winners in recent years and Ducimus was part of his record haul of 32 Australian winners in 2016-17. He was a 2yo black-type winner of the LR Talindert Stakes at Flemington that season before retiring to Rivercrest Park last year when he was the busiest first-season stallion in WA.
Ducimus will stand for an unchanged $2,750 (inc GST) service fee in 2020 at Rivercrest Park in the south-west of WA at Stratham. He stands on Payment On Live Foal (Conditions Apply) and will again be nominated for the Westspeed Platinum Stallion Scheme. There are discounts for black-type mares and black-type producers.
Rivercrest Park owner Steve Hoare can be contacted for further information on 0409 987 970 or rivercrestpark@bigpond.com
Snitzel – First Seal colt sells for $1.8 million at virtual Inglis Easter Yearling Sale