Kranji goes shopping again
Singapore trainers spend $1.62 million for 28 lots at Magic Millions National Yearling sale
The gradual reopening of borders around the world seems to have also reopened Singapore trainers and owners’ wallets.
Just walking through the two-day Magic Millions National Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast on Tuesday and yesterday, except for the cooler weather, you would be forgiven for believing you were at Kranji.
Almost half the number of Kranji-based trainers were spotted inspecting the stalls of the 367 lots to be auctioned. From our 22 trainers, 10 flew over straight after Saturday’s race meeting, namely Tim Fitzsimmons, Jason Ong, Michael Clements, Ricardo Le Grange, Daniel Meagher, Stephen Gray, James Peters, Jerome Tan, David Kok and Richard Lim.
In the last two years since Covid-19 shut down travelling, overseas buyers were a rare sight at horse sales around the world.
Only a handful braved the mandatory quarantine, most relied on alternative online sale platforms, or private deals through bloodstock agents – or simply stopped buying.
This week’s massive Singapore turnout at the popular yearling sale is qualified as unprecedented by Magic Millions’ sales director David Chester.
“This is the most number of individual trainers from Singapore to have attended our sale. There were at least 10 of them along with a couple of owners, like Mr Lim Siah Mong and Jayven See,” he said.
“I think so many buyers from overseas came because not many could visit Australia in two years. It’s the first time they can come over without any quarantine.
“People have been buying online since, but nothing beats viewing the horses physically.”
But even if they can put bums on seats, the real litmus test is still when the auctioneer knocks the gavel down and screams “sold”.
Thankfully, our trainers did not go to the Gold Coast for a holiday. They got busy and all but Lim unleashed the purse strings, buying 28 lots that grossed aggregate sales of A$1,649,000 (S$1.62 million).
They did not get the sales topper, an Exceed And Excel colt sold for A$575,000 to Justin Blaxland Bloodstock, but Le Grange just missed the Top 10 with his A$200,000 purchase, the only foal by 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify at the sale.
“He was the pick of the lot. He is a lovely horse with a great balance, ticked a lot of boxes,” said the South African conditioner.
He was also the biggest Singapore spender at A$575,500 for six lots.
“He has some speed on the dam side. So you never know.”
Le Grange purchased the exciting colt for a relatively new Filipino owner, Sandy Javier, for whom he forked out another A$250,000 for two more colts.
He bought three more for two other Filipino owners.
“It’s the first time I took a plane since the lockdown. It’s so much easier to be physically at the sale,” said Le Grange.
“These are new Filipino clients. We liked the horses and tried to get them in the sale ring.”
Sales are about hopes and dreams of a future star on the track, but this time, for Singapore racing, too, said Chester.
“This is the spur the Singapore Turf Club needed to start programming for two-year-old and three-year-old races,” he said.
The two-year-old series were discontinued last year.
However, Tan, who spent the most among the locals, A$167,000 for four, including A$85,000 for a Deep Field colt, said he went in without any long-term agenda.
“If the Singapore Turf Club runs two-year-old and three-year-old races, these will not be ready in time for next year,” he said.
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