Resolute Bloodstock Makes Statement With A$1.8 Million Away Game Filly

01/07/2025 12:19 PM

by Thomas Baddock/Kristen Manning/TTR AusNZ

Day 1 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale saw a rush of action late, with progeny by Written Tycoon (Aus), Wootton Bassett (GB), I Am Invincible (Aus) and Snitzel (Aus) sending buyers into a frenzy towards the end of the session.

The auction began with a sense of caution, with several lots by champion sire Snitzel garnering most of the early attention, however the bidding became fast and fierce later in the afternoon with Written Tycoon, I Am Invincible and first-season sire Wootton Bassett (GB) stealing the show with three lots soaring past A$1.5 million.

Lot 185 – Written Tycoon (Aus) x Away Game (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), filly – A$1,800,000

Ciaron Maher was rather nostalgic after partnering with John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock to secure the regally bred daughter of champion sire Written Tycoon out of his former star mare Away Game (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}).

After a successful career on the track, which included multiple Group 1 placings and victory in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, Away Game was sold to Yulong Stud for A$4 million at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, who offered the filly for sale today.

Maher was overjoyed to be partnering with American John Stewart, sighting similarities between Away Game and her daughter.

“I'm rapt, I thought clearly she was one of the fillies of the sale,” Maher said. “Away Game took her and her owners–who were from the States as well, funnily enough–on a great ride and hopefully this filly can take John and Chelsey [Stone] on a similar ride.

“She's a beautiful filly, [from a] great farm and hopefully she can be as good as her mum. There is similar movement [to Away Game]. She probably has a little more substance than Away Game, who was relatively neat. She was an over-achiever on the track, and it looks like she is going to be an over-achiever in the breeding barn as well.”

Away Game foaled a full brother to Lot 185 this season and was served by fellow Yulong stallion Pierata.

Lot 182 – I Am Invincible (Aus) x Avantage (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), filly – A$1,600,000

American John Stewart, under his banner of Resolute Bloodstock, triumphed in an intense bidding war for lot 182, securing the bay filly for A$1.6 million. The second foal of New Zealand Champion 2-Year-Old Avantage (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) by Yarraman Park's Australian Champion Sire I Am Invincible, she was bred by Katom and presented by Coolmore Stud.

Avantage fetched a whopping NZ$4.1 million when sold to Coolmore's Tom Magnier via New Zealand Bloodstock's online platform Gavelhouse Plus in 2021.

There was much anticipation surrounding lot 182, with her half-sister, a filly by Wootton Bassett (GB), topping last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast sale when selling to David Ellis for A$2.1 million, now named Avantaggia (Aus).

“That Danzig cross is something you don't see a lot of in America,” John Stewart said, noting the strength of the Danehill branch in this part of the world. “It is a thread you will see amongst a lot of our purchases.”

“Both fillies had a lot of traits we like; they are good movers from big families.”

“She was a lovely filly and she's been that since she was a foal,” Coolmore's Tom Magnier said. “John Stewart, he's a great friend of ours and he's been a great supporter of us down here and I wish him every success with this filly. It is a great page and a great family, and I hope she becomes a successful broodmare. She's very nice.

“We had a reserve on her and we were happy to keep her up to a level. Fair play to Magic Millions for getting the overseas people involved in the sales. She was one of our nicest fillies of the year. She's [Avantage] been a great producer and when you see the filly on the track here, we're delighted.”

Avantage foaled another filly by I Am Invincible this season and visited Widden Stud's Australian Champion Sire Zoustar (Aus).

Stewart Ready To Make His Mark In Australia

Disappointed to have had to cancel his trip to the sales due to a family emergency, John Stewart is keen to be in Australia soon with six horses in work hopefully racing in the near future.

He is proud of his recent achievements in the United States, noting that “70% of our runners have been in stakes races and 57% of those have been in the prize money.”

“My strategy is to focus on quality, I want to be competitive,” said Stewart on Tuesday. “Australia was always going to be the second place where we wanted to establish ourselves.”

Stewart is a keen student of Australian bloodlines, adding We do a lot of pedigree research and love how Australian pedigrees have evolved, it is very exciting for me to take notice of that.”

Resolute also secured a number of lesser priced horses with Stewart saying that he does not look too much at the individual prices of his yearlings, rather than at the bigger picture, describing his purchases as “a portfolio.”

“We paid up for a few and some we think we actually stole so overall I am really happy.”

At A Glance

• Four horses fetched seven-figure sums on Day 1, the same number as last year's opening session, with Segenhoe Stud standing on top of the vendors' standings by gross after selling nine horses for a total of A$4,370,000.

• The opening session had an average of A$278,549 which was down slightly from last year's Day 1 record of A$281,767. The median, at A$200,000 was also slightly down on the 2024 Day 1 median of A$210,000.

• The total gross of A$45,125,000 was almost the same as last year's Day 1 figure of A$45,928,000, with 162 lots sold this year.

• Tuesday's clearance rate sat at 74.65%, down from last year's opening session clearance rate of 84.9%, although this may improve throughout the sale.

• The top lot (185) was purchased by Resolute Bloodstock and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock who spent A$1.8 million to secure the Written Tycoon filly who is the first foal of Australian Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Away Game (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who was offered by Yulong.

• Resolute Bloodstock was the leading buyer on Day 1, spending A$3.52 million on eight yearlings, not including the A$1.8 million they also spent in conjunction with Ciaron Maher Bloodstock on the sales topper.

• Home Affairs (Aus) led Day 1 by gross with 12 yearlings sold for A$4,165,000 at an average of A$347,083, making him also the leading first-season sire for the day by gross. Stay Inside (Aus) is the leading first-season sire by average with five sold at an average of A$494,000.

• For sires who've had 2 or more lots sell on Day 1, I Am Invincible leads the overall table by average with four sold at an average of A$750,000; while Snitzel isn't far behind with six sold at an average of A$654,167. Wootton Basset, Written Tycoon, and Extreme Choice (Aus) are the other three sires with two or more sold who averaged more than A$500,000 on Day 1.

Lot 196 Wootton Bassett (GB) x Battleofwinterfell (Declaration Of War), colt, A$1,700,000

Following an unprecedented record-breaking performance in the Northern Hemisphere and an exceptional commencement to his stud career in Australia, Wootton Bassett (GB) was destined to attract significant attention at the 2025 Magic Millions Yearling Sales. Consequently, lot 196, a colt out of stakes-placed American mare Battleofwinterfell (Declaration Of War), emerged as the highest-priced colt during the opening session, selling to Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) for A$1.7 million.

Currently recognised as the European Champion 2-Year-Old Sire of 2024, Wootton Bassett, who shuttles for Coolmore, is making a remarkable impact in Australia with his first crop of 2-year-olds. Namely, metropolitan winners Pallaton (Aus) and Gallo Nero (Aus), both of whom are poised to make their presence felt in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic this Saturday on the Gold Coast.

“We went a little bit over what we thought but we thought he was the best colt in the sale,” Hawthorne said. “We probably went A$200,000 over than what we thought but we wanted the colt and there's nothing worse than getting beaten by a short margin and seeing those big colts come out and win big races.

“Wootton Bassett is flying. We just thought we'd get in and get one. He's a lovely moving colt, a great athletic colt. Anthony Freedman will train him. He was Anthony's pick of the sale, and he was my top colt, so we sort of aligned. He will race in the red and white colours of Jonathan Munz and partners.

“It's a family that has a lot of speed. He's just an athlete, he just moved like a dancer. We haven't bought here in a while, so we wanted to get back into the market. We want to sell down some shares in him, but we don't care if we don't. We were rapt to get him.”

Battleofwinterfell was brought to Australia in 2021 by John Muir, the owner of Milburn Creek. Unfortunately, she produced only two foals before her untimely passing in 2023. Her first foal is a 2-year-old filly by Capitalist (Aus), which was sold by Milburn Creek at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale last year for A$45,000 to Elite Thoroughbreds.

Lot 216 – Stay Inside (Aus) x Bleu Zebra (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), colt – A$1,000,000

Lot 216, a colt by G1 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside (Aus) from Bleu Zebra (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), who is a half-sister to Cap D'Antibes Stakes winner Fox Swift (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}) was another to break the seven-figure mark after being knocked down for A$1 million to James Harron Bloodstock in partnership with Aquis Farm's Tony Fung.

Offered by Eureka Stud, it was a dream come true for breeder, Brian Siemsen from Black Soil Bloodstock and the best result the Queensland-based farm has ever realised in a yearling sales ring.

“It was our best seller ever, yearling wise,” Eureka's Bloodstock Manager Harry McAlpine said. “We have always wanted to sell at that sort of level, and he's been an amazing colt from day one, not that you think you can sell at that kind of level off that service fee.

“Mr Brian Siemsen from Black Soil Bloodstock said to me a couple of years back, it was his dream to sell a million-dollar yearling and he's done it.”

The colt comes from a family boasting plenty of speed, being closely related to notable sprinters White Moss (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) and White Sage (Aus) (Reset {Aus}).

“He's a gorgeous horse. All the team loved him,” James Harron said. “He's a real Magic Millions-type colt and the aim would be to have him back here next year. He's the right type of horse to try it. He comes from a great farm and a very exciting first-season sire.

“He was one of our top picks of the sale. We had to push hard and that is the sort of marketplace we're in. The good ones are well-found. He didn't put a foot wrong all week.”

Eureka Stud are renowned for producing tough and talented horses including, Group 1 winners Apache Chase (Aus) (Better Than Ready {Aus}), Pippie (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), Tinto (Aus) (Red Dazzler {Aus}), Temple Of Boom (Aus) (Piccolo {GB}), Show A Heart (Aus), Scenic Peak (Aus) (Scenic {Ire}), Just Now (Aus) (Semipalatinsk), as well as Eureka's flagship stallion Spirit Of Boom (Aus). It's exactly the kind of farm Harron was looking to buy from.

“We love seeing horses coming off farms with rich histories and these horses are suited to Australian conditions,” Harron said. “She [Bleu Zebra] was a decent, fast mare and a city winner here in Queensland and by a champion sire who is becoming a good broodmare sire.”

Bleu Zebra had a filly by Pinatubo (Ire) this season and visited Eureka Stud's Don Corleone (Aus).

Lot 187 – Snitzel (Aus) x Baaqyah (NZ) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), filly – A$950,000

Lot 187, a filly by Snitzel out of the I Am Invincible mare Baaqyah (NZ) was simply irresistible for Sheamus Mills, who forked out A$950,000 for the flashy chestnut offered by Newgate Farm.

“I love the idea of a Snitzel out of a Vinnie mare,” Mills said. “I thought she had the really good attributes you see in both stallions. Just on paper, Vinnie and Snitzel–it doesn't get much better than that. So, hopefully you put two stars together and you get a star. She's bred to be fast, and she looks fast.”

Mills was also attracted to the filly's attitude and energy during his inspections in the lead up to the sale.

“I just love the way she handled the week,” he said. “She paraded just the way I like to see, those horses that have that aggressive energy but keep it fairly confined. I also like to see horses that don't seem to tire, she was one of the few. We didn't end up with a very long list actually and she was certainly one of the fillies that handled the stress well.”

The filly was bred by SF Bloodstock, Henry Field Bloodstock and Hollymount Stud and it was Newgate Farm's best result for the session. Baaqyah had a filly by Snitzel this season and was served by Capitalist.

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