Suman Hedge goes to $500,000 for Milburn Creek-consigned yearling

A colt by Arrowfield Stud’s Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) topped the first day of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale on Tuesday when Suman Hedge went to $500,000 to secure the Milburn Creek-consigned yearling. 

Offered as Lot 1619, the colt is out of the two-time Listed winner Walk With Attitude (Hussonet) who has produced one winner to date in Group 3 placed gelding Spend (Snitzel) and this colt is his dam’s fifth foal. 

Suman Hedge told Racing & Sports that he was delighted to have secured the colt, especially given how highly he was rated by Scott Holcombe of Milburn Creek. 

“He was a horse that I’d known a lot about,” said Hedge.  

“We work very closely with Milburn Creek and in particular Scott Holcombe, who we do a lot with. 

“Throughout our discussions during the year and when I’ve gone to the farm, this horse has come up. I was looking forward to seeing him at Easter but he just had a very minor hiccup just prior to the sale and he missed the sale. 

“They were really devastated as they were so looking forward to presenting him. Scott has really rated him amongst the better yearlings that he’s prepared for quite some time. The horse was born on the farm and he’s lived all of his life there - they’ve pretty much bred all of the family and Scott’s just got such a good knowledge of the horse." 

Raced by John Muir’s Milburn Creek, Walk With Attitude is herself a daughter of Listed winner Hillfa (Danehill) and further back this is the family of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) and Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry). 

Hedge said that he rated the colt right up there with some of the best of the year. 

“When we came here we did all of our checks, inspected him and loved him and did the vetting and just really wanted to get involved,” he said. 

“We were pretty aggressive and had a little bit more to go and I’m delighted that we purchased him. 

“I think for me personally, I’ve been pretty active in the colts market and I’ve been able to, probably more so than before, get some good benchmarks and the qualities that we’ve been looking for buying for the Rosemont Victorian alliance, this horse would have sat very high up in that group. So, I was very happy to be able to put something together and buy the horse.”  

A trainer for the son of Snitzel will be decided in the coming days. 

“A trainer hasn’t been decided and we’ve been getting quite a few phone calls because we didn’t put down a trainer for the horse,” Hedge continued.  

“We really just wanted to see whether we could buy him first and we’re sending him to Kolora Lodge to be broken in and I think we just want to let the dust settle a little bit and try and work out which trainer would be the most suitable for him and just take into consideration the fact that he’s a colt and he needs to be managed. 

“I think there are some trainers out there that have been particularly good with these big colts and we have a list of a few trainers that we are considering and I think we’ll make the decision if not tomorrow, in the coming days.”

Hedge bought two further lots, a filly by Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) who was the most expensive filly to sell on Monday, who was bought in conjunction with Mick Price Racing for $220,000. 

Sold by Bowness Stut as Lot 1553, the filly is the first foal out of the four-time winner She Brings Hope (Sebring) who is a half-sister to three winners being out of Davala (Dalakhani).

“We thought the Snitzel was the best colt in the sale and probably the best physical and we genuinely believe that the Extreme Choice filly was the best filly,” said Hedge.  

“That was just as a type. We love the stallion and I’ve been very lucky with that stallion. We pinhooked one and got a very good result earlier in the year and I’ve bred a lot to him. 

“I don’t book many mares, but I bred five mares to him last year and four got in foal and we’ve just recently bought two breeding rights in him, so we’ve been big believers in him and I think his statistics speak for themselves.”

Hedge said that he highly rates Newgate Farm’s Extreme Choice and given the stallion’s fertility issues his progeny have a rarity factor. 

“Out of all the young stallions his statistics are better than anyone and probably better than most of the young stallions that have come through in recent years,” said Hedge.  

“When we looked at him, because of his fertility issues and the numbers that are out there, they are kind of like limited editions when you’re trying to buy them and you have to value them accordingly. 

“We put him in the highest bracket of elite stallions and we knew we would have to be aggressive. This particular filly, I loved her the first time I saw her. She’d definitely come on quite a bit from January when they first tried to sell her and obviously the stallion has done an amazing job since that time. 

“She just presented really well. She walked with a very athletic action and was really correct and clean and was a very attractive filly. Mick Price, who I do a lot with, not only trained Extreme Choice but trained the dam and as soon as he saw this filly said ‘that’s Extreme Choice - that just like him’. So, with that it was all very compelling and made sense. Once again we were really, really happy to buy her.”

Hedge bought one further lot, a colt by Spieth (Thorn Park) in conjunction with Will Clarken Racing for $60,000.