Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
The 13-strong Attunga draft features six fillies and seven colts and Nutt said he was pleased with how their preparations have gone and believes there is horse to suit all buyers.
“There should be something in our draft to suit everyone,” Nutt said.
“There should be something in our (Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale) draft to suit everyone.” - Brian Nutt
“We’ve got three by some exciting freshman sires, a few by these young emerging first-season sires and then some by the proven sires so, there is a good mixture across the board.
“The inspections have been just as strong as last year. Whether that translates into a very good sale we will wait and see but we have every confidence in what Magic Millions do in getting people to the sale. It is the first sale of the year, and everyone is pretty revved up to go.”
The Attunga draft features yearlings by proven stallions such as Pierro, Russian Revolution, Capitalist and Dundeel (NZ), as well as some of the first yearlings from Palace Pier (GB), Wild Ruler and Pinatubo (Ire). However, it is emerging first-season sires Bivouac and Wootton Bassett (GB) who Nutt is most interested in.
Gallery: First-season sires that have Brian Nutt excited
Wootton Bassett's legacy arrives Down Under
Wootton Bassett has already taken Europe by storm, siring 58 individual stakes winners, 35 of those as 2-year-olds. No stallion in Europe has sired more 2-year-old Group winners this season than Wootton Bassett.
On Saturday, the Coolmore shuttle stallion put the writing on the wall of things to come in Australia with the Michael Freedman-trained Pallaton (Wootton Bassett {GB}) blowing his rivals away on debut at Randwick, rocketing him to the top of G1 Golden Slipper markets. After the race, Freedman gave the ultimate compliment to Wootton Bassett, announcing he reminded him very much so of the great Danehill (USA). A timely reminder for those looking to buy their next juvenile star at the upcoming Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.
Pallaton winning the Shinzo @ Coolmore Plate | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Attunga will offer a daughter of Wootton Bassett as Lot 141. The bay or brown filly is the first foal of winning mare Allinthistogether (Shocking), a three-quarter sister in blood to New Zealand Group 1-winning stallion Wyndspelle (NZ). An absolute standout from the draft according to Nutt.
“From day one, the Wootton Bassett filly has probably been our favourite,” Nutt said.
“I hate singling them out, but she is a very, very nice filly. She is actually being prepared on behalf of Edinglassie, a great nursery. We’re very excited about her and that result yesterday is just going to create even more interest.
Lot 141 - Wootton Bassett (GB) x Allinthistogether (filly) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“This filly just has a great temperament, and she is very good looking. She is a good size, she has a great walk, and nothing seems to have phased her during the whole preparation. She will sell herself.
“No one has directly told me they are interested, people don’t give themselves up like that, but you can tell as soon as she walks in.
“I have seen a lot of Wooton Bassett’s stock and have seen a few of his yearlings this year around the traps and they are pretty good types overall, but I’d have to say this filly really rates highly amongst what I’ve seen.”
“I have seen a lot of Wooton Bassett’s stock and have seen a few of his yearlings this year and they are pretty good types overall, but I’d have to say this filly (Lot 141) really rates highly amongst what I’ve seen.” - Brian Nutt
Nutt has every reason to be excited with a Wootton Bassett yearling colt out of Park Bloom (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) selling at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 4,300,000gns (AU$9.9 million), the highest price for a yearling colt in the world in 2024 and a European record for a yearling colt. Wootton Bassett yearlings averaged $465,625 at the 2024 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
Bivouac filly set to impress
While we don’t have the advantage of seeing what Bivouac’s progeny have done in Europe, the former World Champion Sprinter made an almost perfect start to his stud career. Siring his first stakes winner after just three starters. Intention (NZ)(Bivouac) caused a big upset in the G2 Wakefield Challenge S. (1100 metres) at Trentham on Saturday at just her second start, with the lucrative Karaka Millions now in her sights.
Lot 243 for is a bay filly by Bivouac and first foal out of winning mare Camplin (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) who hails from a strong female family. Camplin is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Ghisoni (Lonhro) from Group 2 winner Portillo (Red Ransom {USA}) with third dam Snowdrift (Fr) (Polish Precedent {USA}) a blue hen that left an impressive 10 winners headed by Group 1 winner Snowland, stakes-winning sire Snippetson as well as stakes-placed offspring Freeze; the damsire of recent Group 1-winner Port Lockroy (Better Than Ready).
Lot 243 - Bivouac x Camplin (filly) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The filly is also closely related to breathtaking Te Akau 2-year-old Return to Conquer (Snitzel), who was sold by Blue Gum Farm to David Ellis for $1.3 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January.
“When this filly first came to us, I had seen quite a few Bivouacs over the past 12 months, and she struck me as a filly that has a lot more substance than most of the Bivouac’s I had seen,” Nutt said.
“I think she looks as though she will get up and go early. She is quite a strong filly and just looks like a 2-year-old type. We’ve also liked her from the day she got here.”
“I think she (Lot 243) looks as though she will get up and go early. She is quite a strong filly and just looks like a 2-year-old type. We’ve also liked her from the day she got here.” - Brian Nutt
Freshman sires poised to impress
Another sure to turn heads is by freshman sire, Wild Ruler Lot 86. The bay colt is out of Wanted Lady (Wanted), making him a half-brother to last year’s $1.6 million Magic Millions yearling sold to James Harron’s Bloodstock Colt Partnership from the draft of Milburn Creek. Now named Guardsman (Extreme Choice) and in work with Michael Freedman, the colt recently stepped out publicly for the first time, finishing second in a Randwick trial on December 9.
Wanted Lady is a winning half-sister to stakes winner Missy Cummings (Magnus), the dam of Group I winner Mizzy (Zoustar), with stakes winners Laced Up Heels (Toronado {Ire}) and Lady Knockout (Serheed {USA}) also in the immediate family.
“From all reports he is right up there amongst the stronger types by Wild Ruler,” Nutt said.
Lot 86 - Wild Ruler x Wanted Lady (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He looks like a pretty forward colt, well suited to the sale. There has also been some nice updates to the family with Lady Extreme being placed in town.”
According to Nutt the most precocious in the draft may be Lot 379, a colt by Palace Pier. From an old Gooree family, the bay colt is the first foal from three-time winning mare Excelness (Exceed and Excel), a half-sister to G1 JJ Atkins winner Romantic Touch (Northern Meteor) and Group 3 winner Burning Passion (Northern Meteor). It’s also the family of champion Desert War (Desert King {Ire}).
“Kris Lees trained Excelness and he kept saying to me, she was extremely fast,” Nutt said.
“She just had a few soundness issues in her knees. We didn’t see the best of her. This yearling looks like he will get up and go. He is really sharp horse. If I had to pick a horse out of the draft that would get up and go first, he would be the one.”
“If I had to pick a horse out of the draft that would get up and go first, he (Lot 379) would be the one.” - Brian Nutt
Proven success sets the stage
Attunga’s highest lot last year at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was a colt by Capitalist out of Fimatino (Not A Single Doubt), selling to James Harron Bloodstock’s Colt Partnership for $800,000. Now named Caesar (Capitalist), the colt is under the care of Peter Snowden.
“All reports have been positive about Caesar but we probably won’t see him until next year,” Nutt said.
Another from the 2024 draft that has impressed on the track, quite surprisingly, is a Shamus Award colt out of Elimbari (Fastnet Rock). Sold to Neil Jenkinson Pty Ltd and trainer Matthew Dunn for $260,000, he was named Torque To Be Sure (Shamus Award). Nutt expected the 2-year-old to take some time to mature but was pleasantly surprised to see him finish runner-up on Friday night at the Gold Coast in The Debut (1000 metres), a $250,000 race for juveniles.
Gallery: Some of Attunga Stud's 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduates, images courtesy of Magic Millions
“There was one colt last year by Shamus Award that I did not think would be running so soon, called Torque to Be Sure,” Nutt said.
“He ran an amazing second in The Debut and he looks like he is going to be a very, very nice horse.”
“He (Torque To Be Sure) ran an amazing second in The Debut and he looks like he is going to be a very, very nice horse.” - Brian Nutt
With exciting proven and upcoming sires represented in this draft plus, results being produced on the track, Attunga’s 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearlings should be on everyone’s inspection list.
