Coolmore

This article is one of 34 vendors exclusively in our MMGC 2023 souvenir edition ! This edition is not for retail sale and you can only get one by subscribing to BLUEBLOODS

Bluebloods spoke to John Kennedy about Coolmore’s 2023 draft

How would you describe your 2023 MMGC draft?
The yearlings are currently in the early stages of their preparation for the sale in January, and we are extremely excited by the quality of the stock that we will present at the Magic Millions. Once again, we will present an outstanding draft of horses with representation by a well-balanced blend of proven, up-and-coming and brilliant young sire prospects. As per previous years, the Coolmore Australia draft for 2023 will encompass quality stock to suit all budgets and personal preferences.

Coolmore have enjoyed great results with their graduates of the MMGC sale. What are some recent highlights for horses reared at Coolmore?
Everything that we do on the farm at Coolmore Australia is with the ultimate aim of producing elite athletes to excel on the track in the future, and we follow our graduates with great interest.

The pastures and our staff at Coolmore are second-to-none and this has shown in the results on the track in recent years. This year the success of horses raised and grazed at Coolmore has been highlighted by an incredible 5 Group 1 winners including Magic Millions graduates Madame Pommery and Jacquinot, as well as September Run, Fangirl and Snapdancer.

Obviously the great Winx was raised and grazed on the farm and went through our 2013 Magic Millions yearling draft, however some other highlights from our recent Magic Millions offerings include Group 1 winners Vancouver, Sherwood Forest and Winning Ways and Stakes winners such as Jazz Etude, Bright Blue Sky, Lady Of Honour, Parry Sound, Rock and Love Tap.

Your draft features the highly anticipated first crop yearlings by Everest winner Yes Yes Yes. They were very well received at the weanling sales, how have they progressed?
Yes Yes Yes was a brilliantly fast horse, with speed that saw him break track records at Randwick at both two and three. He himself was a Magic Millions yearling sale graduate that went on to become one of the most accomplished three year-old sprinters we have seen in Australia. To beat ten individual Group 1 winners and win The Everest as a Spring three year-old in track-record time is an unbelievable achievement. His yearlings possess many of the qualities that saw him become the one of the fastest horses ever from the Encosta De Lago sire line. They look fast and precocious, just as you would expect from a horse with
his race record, pedigree and physique.

There are a significant number of Yes Yes Yes yearlings represented throughout the sale and the chat from both the Magic Millions staff and breeders throughout the country has been overwhelmingly complimentary.
Justify was a horse of extremely rare ability. His first crop two year-olds have made a phenomenal start on the track, which has to give you confidence about his future in Australia.

Any horse that wins the US Triple Crown obviously has to be an exceptionally talented horse, however he is the only Triple Crown winner ever to retire undefeated.

In his six-start career, he won four Group 1 races and was never headed, and now he has started his career at Stud with great effect. With his first two year-old runners in the Northern Hemisphere he has already produced 23 winners, 10 Stakes performers, 6 Stakes winners and 4 Group winners. What is equally encouraging from an Australian perspective is that his progeny are showing a liking for turf surfaces. This is not really a surprise, given the effectiveness of the Scat Daddy line on turf. Additionally, his blistering speed, mixed with his ability to sustain a strong gallop will serve him well in Australia. Across the board, his progeny have great hips and hindquarters, forearms and gaskins and plenty of bone, which we always thought would suit Australian racing conditions. Reports from trainers throughout Australia are such that we have a lot to look forward to, so we are delighted to present 11 well-related yearlings by him at the Magic Millions, including colts out of the likes of Sunlight and Champagne Cuddles.

A feature of your draft is the strong representation of proven sires. Can you talk us through some of the sires on offer?
There are a wide range of proven stallions represented in our draft, with progeny of the likes of So You Think, Churchill, Rubick, Exceed And Excel, I Am Invincible, Snitzel, Capitalist, Night Of Thunder and Russian Revolution all featuring.

There is also a particularly strong group of 8 Pierro yearlings within the draft. Already one of the elite sires in Australia, we believe Pierro will only continue to go from strength to strength over the next few seasons. His current crop of yearlings were conceived at his peak fee of $137,500, hence the quality of the mares was of an incredibly high standard and this is evident in the yearlings that we present. Last year at the Magic Millions Pierro’s yearlings averaged in excess of $380,000, and we expect them to be extremely well sought after once again. We have a great record with progeny of Pierro that were also raised and grazed at Coolmore. These include the likes of Pinot, Rock, Parry Sound, Rocha Clock, Gamay, Wheelhouse, April Rain and Sikorsky.

We are also represented by 5 quality yearlings by Fastnet Rock, who has maintained his standing as one of the best sires in the country for many years.