Written by Nathan Exelby
Cover image courtesy of Inglis
An online purchase for $8000 came full circle on Monday when an Alabama Express filly, Lot 370, sold for $370,000 to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Brad McCarthy Bloodstock at the 2024 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Every now and then forces conspire to produce a little bit of bloodstock magic and for breeders Peter and Janet Gaist, that happened on Monday at Oaklands with a filly sold through the Two Bays Farm draft.
The Gaists own Manner Lodge at Rochester in Victoria and the property was ravaged by floods in 2022.
Manner Lodge was devastated by floods in 2022 | Image courtesy of Janet Gaist
It is still yet to be fully restored as Peter and Janet try to piece it back together.
“It completely wiped us out. We still only have half the farm to use, it’s still ongoing. The farm damage was nearly $500,000 and we weren’t covered by insurance to a degree,” Janet said.
“It (the 2022 floods) completely wiped us out. We still only have half the farm to use, it’s still ongoing. The farm damage was nearly $500,000...” - Janet Gaist
As a result, their small group of horses have been placed on other farms over the past 18 months, including the Alabama Express filly, Lot 370, that was sold to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Brad McCarthy Bloodstock on Monday for $370,000.
She is the result of an online purchase Peter made in May of 2022 to buy the Lonhro mare Lucy’s Look for a mere $8000. She was carrying this fily at the time.
“It was during COVID. We had a mare in foal and Peter said she needed a mate,” Janet explained.
“Peter is one of those people. He has good knowledge about breeding and has a knack for picking out a stallion.”
Gallery: A match made in heaven
The stallion on this occasion was Alabama Express. He had just finished his first season at stud not quite six months earlier, but Peter felt he was likely to make the grade.
“It was about three or four sales we went through and didn’t buy one. We bided our time until we found one that I wanted,” Peter said.
“I liked the stallion, I liked the cross. Now it looks cheap.
“She’s probably worth a bit of money that mare now that she’s thrown a horse that can get that sort of money.”
“She’s (Lucy's Look) probably worth a bit of money that mare now that she’s thrown a horse (Lot 370) that can get that sort of money ($370,000).” - Peter Gaist
Alabama Express was quick out of the blocks with his first crop.
Karavas was his first stakes winner, while the Waterhouse-Bott-trained Shangri La Express won the $1 million Golden Gift and remains a top contender for this month’s Golden Slipper. The Yulong-based stallion also has the stakes-placed Poster Girl, Alabama Lass and Express Yo’self this season.
“We were watching every single Alabama run,” Peter said. “When Shangri La Express won (The Golden Gift) we enjoyed that very much.”
The couple were daring to dream what the filly might make on Day 2, joking she might make somewhere between $350,000 and $400,000, but in reality, thinking $200,000 would be a fantastic result.
Lot 370 - Alabama Express x Lucy's Look (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We actually said this morning $400,000, but I was joking. We said we would be nuts off if that happened. And for Gai to buy her… it’s amazing,” Janet said.
It is the biggest sale under the Two Bays Farm banner to this point, Stud Manager Robert Carlile noted.
“We’re really good mates with Rob. He’s just a horseman through and through, just a brilliant young man,” Janet said.
Lucy’s Look went back to Puissance De Lune (Ire) (a stallion she visited in her first five years at stud) last year because the couple didn’t have the budget for a higher priced stallion, but with this sale under the belt, Alabama Express is likely to come under strong consideration in 2024!
