Shalaa colt sells for $1.15 million to James Harron
Shalaa's 11 second-crop yearlings so far sold at Magic Millions 2021 have averaged almost 8 times his fee. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
Shalaa is making a habit of ticking off big milestones early in his career.
His first Australian runner Shaquero became a Group winner on debut last Spring and lines up in the coveted Magic Millions 2YO Classic on Saturday.
Now, with his second crop progeny making their way through the sale-ring, Shalaa has notched up his first 7-figure yearling. James Harron won the battle for Arrowfield’s colt out of 2YO Group winner Honesty Prevails (by Redoute’s Choice) with a $1.15 million bid on Day 2 of the Sale.
Honesty Prevails produced the sale topper at last year’s @mmsnippets Yearling Sale and achieved a brilliant result again this year with a Shalaa colt also cracking seven figures. @jmeharron @ArrowfieldStud @FreedmanRacing pic.twitter.com/LvgpQ0uY68
— Racing.com (@Racing) January 13, 2021
Arrowfield’s John Messara says, “We’re delighted to see the Shalaa colt sell so well, he has been extremely popular all week and it’s a great result all round, for our team as well as Shalaa, and Honesty Prevails, herself an Arrowfield Magic Millions graduate and now the dam of two million-dollar yearlings at this sale.
“James Harron has had amazing success with Arrowfield graduates and will give this colt every opportunity to join the likes of Wandjina, Sweet Idea and Pariah on his honour roll.”
The Shalaa colt will be trained by Anthony & Sam Freedman.
All 11 of Shalaa’s yearlings offered so far have sold, averaging $239,545 which is almost 8 times his $30,000 fee, and five have made $150,000 or more. His top-priced filly, ex Intiba and also sold by Arrowfield, was knocked down to Peter Tighe’s Magic Bloodstock, co-owner of Winx, for $230,000 – the same price the great mare fetched at Magic Millions in 2013.
Edmonds Racing & Kestrel Thoroughbreds, Kacy Fogden, Mick Price, Matthew Dunn & Neil Jenkinson, Matt Laurie, Ellerton Zahra Racing, Danny O’Brien and Darby Racing & Will Johnson Bloodstock have also signed for Shalaa yearlings.
Arrowfield stallions have supplied two of the other four million-dollar colts sold so far: the $1.9 million current sale-topper by Snitzel from Bonny O’Reilly & the $1.1 million Not A Single Doubt-Denmagic colt.
Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt & Redoute’s Choice (whose final yearlings sell in 2021) are all averaging more than $450,000 with 26 lots sold between them.
John Messara adds, “It was good to see the sale continue so strongly today, and it reflects the overall strength of the Australian racing industry in a turbulent environment. Plenty of business is being done at every level and buyers are clearly making the most of their chance to buy at a live sale.”
Arrowfield will present 14 yearlings on Day 3 of the Sale, including a stellar group of two fillies and four colts by four-time Champion Sire Snitzel.
