The name of Yarraman Park Stud is synonymous with success, the Mitchell family run farm having produced the highest priced yearling colt and filly in Australian sales history, but more importantly they’ve also raised some outstanding racehorses including Group One winner Snitzel, whose full sister will be one of the stars at Magic Millions in 2007.
By champion sire Redoute’s Choice from the stakes-winning mare Snippets’ Lass, this sensational bay filly will hit the ring as Lot 333, during the second session of the sale on Friday.
“She is a real star, not overly big, but a great walker with a great attitude,” enthused Arthur Mitchell.
“She is everything you’d like to see and is in fact quite similar to Snitzel, who was not a big horse either.”
Snitzel fetched $260,000 for Yarraman Park at Magic Millions in 2004, before emerging as an outstanding sprinter with seven wins and earnings in excess of $1million, his career highlight coming with a Group One victory in the MRC Oakleigh Plate defeating dual Group One winner Virage de Fortune and globe-trotting super sprinter Takeover Target.
Now one of the most promising sire prospects in the country, Snitzel is the sort of horse we’d all love to own.
This exceptional filly aside, the Yarraman draft for 2007 is packed with quality featuring 25 yearlings in the select part of the sale followed by another four youngsters in Session Five.
Included are yearlings by – Anabaa (USA) (2), Beautiful Crown (USA), Catbird (6), Danzero (2), Elusive Quality (USA), Encosta de Lago (2), Exceed and Excel, Fusaichi Pegasus (USA), Redoute’s Choice (6), Rock of Gibraltar (IRE), Van Nistelrooy (USA), Viscount, etc.
With six yearlings to be offered by Redoute’s Choice, Yarraman has the largest selection of his stock presented by any vendor at this sale and that fact alone should guarantee a constant stream of inspections right up until sale day.
Yarraman Park’s own sire Catbird will also be a star performer for the stud, his stock sure to be in keen demand following another great winning season, his current stars including Catechuchu, Cateclipse, Mimidae and company.
“We take the very best Catbirds to Magic Millions and the six this year are all top class including a brother to Diego Garcia, a sister to Star Cat and an absolutely outstanding filly from Group Two placed mare Lady Lexus,” said Mitchell.
Offered as Lot 63, the filly from Lady Lexus comes from the family of Luskin Star and her dam is by phenomenal broodmare sire Success Express (USA), sire of the dam of Gold Edition who is bred on the same cross as this filly being also by a son of Danehill (USA).
Black type families abound in the entire Yarraman consignment, which features the progeny of seven stakes-winning mares – Amphritite, Eyes to Spy, Flashed, French Braids, Magdalena, Promise Me (NZ), Shalt Not and of course Snippets’ Lass.
“The Exceed and Excel colt from Flashed is a very nice horse, second foal of a young mare, while the Danzero filly from Promise Me will also be popular,” said Mitchell.
The Yarraman collection includes nine yearlings that are siblings to stakes-winners – Belmonte, Diego Garcia, Fatal Attraction, Given, Happy Morning, Kim Uma, Load and Lockett, Opportunity, Snitzel, Stormcat Academy and Stormy Summers.
“We’ve got two really nice fillies by Anabaa from Group Three placed Chalonnaise and also from outstanding producer Humour. The latter would be arguably the best bred filly in the sale,” said Mitchell.
Catalogued on the first day as Lot 18, the Anabaa (USA) filly is a three-quarter sister to Group Two winner Happy Morning and a half-sister to Group Two winner Fatal Attraction, being from the Sadler’s Wells mare Humour (IRE), a daughter of blue hen Princess Tracy (IRE).
“There are any number of nice horses in the draft but others that probably deserve mention are the Encosta de Lago colt from Mad Desire and the Rock of Gibraltar colt from Continental, both are half-brothers to stakes-winners and really lovely horses,” added Mitchell.
One youngster that failed to make the select part of the catalogue but is every bit as good as those that did is Lot 946, the half-sister to Group Two winner Maitland Gold by Magic Albert.
“She is a terrific filly and there are very few Magic Alberts in any of the sales this year, so she should be a standout,” said Mitchell.
For more information on Yarraman Park yearlings for Magic Millions or to arrange a pre-sale inspection contact Arthur Mitchell 0412 495 687 or Harry Mitchell 0412 280 576 or visit www.yarramanpark.com.au
