“I just loved him,” Freedman said. “He’s a lovely moving horse and the stallion couldn’t be going any better.
“We’ve known the Coolmore boys for a long time and back in the day, we trained quite a few for them. Tom and I have been chatting for a little while about trying to do something together and obviously he is by their stallion.
“He was a colt that he really liked, so it just worked out well.”
A fan of the sire, Freedman had anticipated the price and expects that to be the standard with his progeny going forward.
“The stallion couldn’t be going any better and I don’t think they’re going to get any cheaper,” he said. “I think there’s 17 of them in the Easter catalogue in a couple of months’ time, so it was about what we thought we’d have to pay.
“We were fortunate enough to have a lot to do with Danehills back in the day and so many of his good ones just had that really relaxed demeanour, and that’s what I’ve seen of his [Wotton Bassett] stock that I’ve had so far.”
Later in the day, Cranbourne horseman Mick Price, who trains in partnership with Michael Kent jnr, was also eager to source a colt by the Coolmore sire and was pleased to have the gavel knocked down to his $600,000 bid for lot 103, the Wootton Bassett half-brother to Group Three winner Francesca, who was offered through Windsor Park’s draft
“I liked it when I looked up and saw A$540,000,” quipped Price, in reference to the exchange rate.
“I think he [Wootton Bassett] is an amazing stallion. We watched the whole story on him – the guy (Bobby O’Ryan) buys him for $200,000 and as a 12-year-old Coolmore buy him for $50 million. It can only be one thing – because his stock goes well.”
Price was also taken by his dam-side pedigree, with his Group Three winner Ayrton featuring further down the page, and he believes the colt has the potential for a future career at stud.
“He is a beautiful colt, and Ayrton is in the family,” Price said. “He is a beautiful stud-type of colt if we can get the right form with him.
“One of my owners, Greg McCarthy, who bred Ayrton, bred him. I haven’t spoken with him yet, but I believe he is keeping 10%, Tom Magnier is keeping 10%, so we have got 80% to go.”
Price was also pleased to secure lot 58, a son of his former Group One winner Tarzino, for $180,000 out of Westbury Stud’s draft.
“He [Tarzino] was one of my boys, I was very fond of him,” Price said. “I have spoken with Westbury [Stud, who stand Tarzino] about how to breed that horse, and I think if you breed Tarzino to the sharper mares you get a better horse.
“Jungle Magnate [Group One winner] we bought off Gerry [Harvey, Westbury Stud principal] for $75,000 and he’s out of a mare that had a bit of a turn of foot. I think they are the right Tarzinos, so I was happy to have him.
“I paid a little more for him than I would have liked, but he is a late foal, and he is staying here [New Zealand].”
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
