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Record-breaking Capricornia Yearling Sale

14 April 2022

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By Tony McMahon

Last Sunday’s 35th Capricornia Yearling Sale produced a record gross turnover of $1.67 million, bettering the previous best of $1.452 million established last year.

Some 96 of the 118 yearlings presented were sold, which for the first time included a Chinese buyer as well as the powerful interstate operation of Ciaran Maher Racing.

Through a telephone hook-up ringside, Chinese buyer Mr Li Yung paid $30,000 for Lot 14, a Better Than Ready colt offered by Sarna Racing and Breeding, Childers.

The colt, a half-brother to the three-time Hong Kong winner Happy Tango is destined to do its racing in Macau.

Lot 53, a flattering non-QTIS (BOBS-eligible) bay or brown filly by Denman from an unraced Artie Schiller mare went for $40,000 to the Maher/Eustace stable on account of KBL Thoroughbreds, Beaudesert.

KBL sold nine yearlings grossing $220,000, a figure which only Warwick’s Raheen Stud bettered with nine making $273,500.

The Heroic Valour stock were in favour with the large buying bench, headlined by CYS convenor, Rockhampton’s Tony Fenlon, purchasing the very first lot of the sale by that stallion for $50,000.

Fenlon struck again later with Lot 96 a Sidestep filly from Telemon Thoroughbreds for $15,000.

“Really it would be one of the only yearling sales anywhere where you can buy a horse from as low as $,3000, while our top priced yearling (Lot 43) made $55,000,” Fenlon said.

He continued to say that the concept where only yearlings from the 2022 sale were eligible to compete in the $155,000 CYS 2YO Classic (1200m) in 2023 at Callaghan Park represented great odds.

Magic Millions Senior Sales Director and long-time CYS auctioneer David Chester went one step further branding it the best value yearling sale anywhere in Australia and it is now attracting widespread interest.

The average yearling price was returned at $16,848, with a median of $12,000.

The sales topper, Lot 43 a Better Than Ready filly sold by Jorson Park was bought by Rockhampton’s Glenn Donnellan for $55,000 and he later acquired a Brabinger filly for $10,000.  

Central Queensland trainers were particularly active with Clinton Taylor purchasing four yearlings grossing $104,500 while getting as many as another five from the sale to train.

Former premier Rockhampton mentor Tom Button, a dual winning CYS 2YO Classic trainer with Miss Lot Won (2020) and Valley Rattler (2021) last year bought four totalling $67,750.

These ranged in price from $3,750 for the Rothesay filly (Lot 2) to $26,000 for a quality filly by the Japanese stallion Brave Smash.

 Among the local trainers buying were Zoe Hohn (three), Adrian Coome (three), Jason Morgan (two), Dale Whyte (2), Jared Wehlow (2) while Graeme Green, John Wigginton, Thomas Smith, Stephen Rundle and Tim Cook made single purchases.

Rockhampton building contractor Pav Cheimardinov, a successful owner with the Ricky Vale stable, bought three while locals including Bill Korte, Ron Beak, Allan Acton, Bill Reid and Ireland and Rowe Racing also signed off on yearlings.