Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Instrumental to their buying team is Suman Hedge of Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA), sat down with TDN AusNZ to discuss the stiff competition at Magic Millions, branching out with new trainers and the changing dynamic amongst buyers.
It’s the Alliance’s third year of purchasing yearlings and, with that first set now in their Classic year, the relatively new venture has not been without success. The 12 yearlings they secured in 2021 resulted in two stakes-winning 2-year-olds and impressive Flemington maiden winner Doull (Snitzel), who was fourth in the G2 Danehill S., was a one-time favourite for the G1 Coolmore Stud S.
Anthony Mithen and Suman Hedge | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
They came to last year’s January sale and signed for four horses for a total receipt of $3.3 million across Book 1, two of whom were millionaire Zoustar colts. For a similar spend ($3.58 million), they took home seven colts last week and although they didn’t push into seven figures for any of those purchases they came close twice, including the son of a first-season sire.
In fact, first-season sires were something of a theme for the Alliance at Magic Millions this year, accounting for three of their seven purchases - in line with a growing appetite from the wider market which saw some remarkable results such as a filly by Too Darn Hot (GB) (Lot 828) selling for $1 million.
“There’s no doubt that some of the things that are happening at this sale are a little bit new,” Hedge told TDN AusNZ last week. “You’ve got horses which are good physicals but perhaps by lesser proven stallions that have been selling really well, and some first-season sires that are selling really well.”
“There’s no doubt that some of the things that are happening at this sale are a little bit new. You’ve got horses which are good physicals but perhaps by lesser proven stallions that have been selling really well, and some first-season sires that are selling really well.” - Suman Hedge
At the head of those was Darley’s shuttler Blue Point (Ire). A Champion Sprinter, he led the first-season sires at the end of Book 1, with an aggregate of $6,050,000 and an average of $378,125.
“It all seems to be tied in with type - the whole buying bench seems to be focussed on getting the most elite physical types, and what they make is really how determined they are to get those,” Hedge surmised. “Back in the day it was really more about commercial sires and big, commercial families was where the top dollars were, and now it’s all about the physicals.
“It’s true, it’s probably more the situation where if you buy from a proven horse and it fails there’s always that feeling that the stallion was great and this particular one didn’t work. But, if you buy from a first-season stallion and it doesn’t work out, and then if the stallion turns out to be poor, then on reflection people say that was a bit silly.
“Back in the day it was really more about commercial sires and big, commercial families was where the top dollars were, and now it’s all about the physicals.” - Suman Hedge
“Many stallions produce their very best horse in their first crop… But the most important thing as a buyer is to not put things into too many boxes, just act with confidence and have a broad line.”
Cutting through the noise
That confidence saw the Alliance stretch to $900,000 to fend off stiff competition for Lot 690, a colt by Blue Point - the most expensive of his progeny to pass through the ring last week. Hedge admitted it’s a lot of money for a first-season sire, but this was a purchase determined by more than just the kind of exceptional physical specimen that was at the centre of high prices last week.
Lot 690 - Blue Point (Ire) x Bumbasina (Ire) (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
He is the third foal from Bumbasina (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), the dam of star of the west and recent G1 Northerly S. winner Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}), and a half-sister to two Irish stakes winners. As Hedge noted, with such a pedigree and a physique to match, any question mark over his first-season sire wasn’t going to stop him.
“Too many people are worried about all the negative things and the noise and often that depletes your confidence and you cost yourself buying a nice horse. Whether we’re right or wrong, the future will tell us that, but I think you’ve always got to act with confidence and buy the horse you really believe in.
“Whether we’re right or wrong, the future will tell us that, but I think you’ve always got to act with confidence and buy the horse you really believe in.” - Suman Hedge
“So, we don’t have any biases against first-season sires or anything like that, but where we’re more selective is the farms they come off. We do like to buy off prolific farms because historically you see it’s often the same farms that are producing the elite horses. We do have a bit of a bias there but we try to keep it simple and just buy what’s in front of us.”
Hedge and the Alliance signed for the Blue Point colt in conjunction with Annabel Neasham and, whilst they have horses with leading Sydney trainers already, it will be a first for the Alliance to be sent to Neasham’s Warwick Farm base.
“Obviously, we’ve observed Annabel over the last couple of years and seen that she’s such a promising young trainer,” said Hedge. “She’s done such a good job to establish herself so quickly and at a really high level.
Annabel Neasham and Lizzie Jelfs | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“She indicated a really strong interest in that colt, it was one of the horses that she was desperate to get. It worked out well, as had that not happened we’d have probably been against each other and it would have been even more expensive.”
A relative bargain?
Perhaps a more conventional horse to be purchasing for a sum nearing a million dollars was the Snitzel colt consigned by Mill Park Stud as Lot 735. At $950,000, he was Hedge and the Alliance’s most expensive purchase last week, and he was signed for alongside Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA), Anthony Freedman Racing and ARJB Racing.
He is out of Cocoa Doll (More Than Ready {USA}), the dam of last season’s G3 MRC Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies) runner-up Written Swoosh (Written Tycoon) and half-sister to Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Away Game - also by Snitzel.
Lot 735 - Snitzel x Cocoa Doll (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
With such an appealing pedigree and the progeny of Snitzel the fourth most expensive on average across Book 1, does Hedge feel he’s found a bargain?
“I don’t know if anything’s really a bargain here, everything seems very expensive,” he said. “But, you’ve just got to make a decision to either get involved and buy the horses that you really rate highly or let them slip by. It’s a very, very strong buying bench here.
“He’s a horse that, internally, we rated well, he just looked like a precocious, early 2-year-old, and really fits the model of what we’re trying to achieve. We’re very happy to secure him, but certainly we had to really stretch the budget to get him.”
