Coming from the finance background and armed with Bachelors in Business, Michael Ward has tasted resounding success in the Bloodstock Syndication industry. Along with his brother Chris, Michael continues to take Triple Crown Bloodstock to new heights. He sat down for a little chat with Ten Furlongs. Here’s what we discovered.
Q: What do you think of the drafts in this year’s Easter Sale? As is always the case with the Inglis
A: Easter Yearling Sale, it is a very strong catalogue with some very well related yearlings on offer and it will be as competitive as ever.
Q: Which yearling in recent years gave you the most pleasant surprise with the sale price versus performance?
A: We’ve had several Inglis graduates who have done exceptionally well for us in recent years. In particular, Moss Trip who was purchased for AUS$32,000 and is now a Group 3 winner and Peggy Jean who won the Group 1 Sires’ Produce in 2014 for the Triple Crown team after her purchase for AUS$46,000. Both are horses of a lifetime!
Q: How often do you attend the Easter Yearling Sales?
A: We have a presence at the Easter sale each and every year as we look for our next Redzel or Hot Snitzel!
Q: How important is black type and race record in your evaluation of a yearling prospect?
A: We look at a variety of factors. Of course the quality of the family in its ability to produce elite racehorses is important, but in equal measure we place an importance on type and essentially we’re looking for athletes with the genetic make-up to race at the top level.
Q: What stallions do you like as broodmare sires?
A: We’ve had success with a variety of broodmare sires and those with proven records like Encosta De Lago and Canny Lad we always take note of. But then we’ve had success with less notable sires including Falbrav, a son of Fairy King like Encosta De Lago is. He is the damsire of Charlie Boy and also an exceptional yearling we picked up from the Inglis Premier Sale in March.
Q: Are there any underrated sires on the horizon?
A: We were one of the first to latch on to the progeny ofSnitzel with Group winners Redzel, Hot Snitzel and Flying Snitzeletc, so we specialize in picking sires on the up! Epaulette is a sire who has made a flying start to life and we’re very excited to see what he does in the years ahead. We already have a Stakes winner from his first crop in Military Zone and a couple of nice yearlings of his with shares available now.
Q: First season sire pick for 2019?
A: There are several exciting additions to the sales’ catalogue this year. Of note I’d say are the Darley pair of Kermadec and Exosphere, while Press Statement has stamped all his progeny with a good, strong physique.
Q: What are your plans for Redzel in the forthcoming year? Is Everest on the agenda once again?
A: The Everest will most certainly be on the agenda again for this year and we’ll look forward to negotiating a deal with the slot holders to have him target the three-peat in the spring. In the immediate future we’ll be targeting the Group 1 TJ Smith at Randwick before heading north for the Group 1 Doomben 10,000.
Q: With so many sales this year already, have you been busy buying?
A: It has been a busy period here at Triple Crown and we’ve been delighted with what we’ve bought so far this sales season. We have shares available now, so if anyone has had the dream of owning a racehorse, we can most certainly help them live that dream!
Published In Easter Yearling Sales Supplement 2019
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