#1 - Southern Hemisphere pinhooking

In May 2018 David and I travelled down to Australia in search of our next batch of Redwall Bloodstock weanlings. The class of 2018 purchases would be the third group of foals we had bought for the Syndicate in partnership with Widden Stud. As with everything, we are always trying to find that angle to give us an edge or advantage, especially when trading in the Australian markets where costs are quite high. We had learnt pretty quickly (and through our own pockets!) a few simple lessons with regards pinhooking in the Southern Hemisphere; stick to proven or first-season sires, avoid very old mares where possible, try to stick to pedigrees that will qualify for a select sale in 8 months’ time.

The ‘high risk / high reward’ of buying weanlings by sires due to have their first runners is even higher risk when aiming to reoffer at Magic Millions in January as there is simply very little two-year-old racing by that stage. Historically, plenty of good stallions have not even had a winner by the January of their first year and agents and trainers often avoid taking the chance whilst the ‘jury is still out’. None of this is rocket science and applies to bloodstock markets the world over. The edge we felt we had above all of this when buying foals last May was Zoustar.

He was already due to be crowned Champion First-Season Sire at that stage. Sunlight had flown the flag in winning the Magic Millions 2yo Classic, the Magic Night Stakes Gr.3, the Silver Slipper Stakes Gr.2 and running a huge race to finish third in the Golden Slipper Gr.1; but we knew there was so much more to come and were happy to gamble on Zoustar making an even bigger impact with his first three-year-olds.

Of the seven foals we bought last year, three were by Zoustar – two colts and a filly – and we underbid a few more! Just the day after the weanling sale finished, we stayed on to watch our own Zoustar colt Zousain, finish a narrow second in the Sires’ Produce Stakes Gr.2 at Doomben, only to be beaten by another Zoustar colt, Lean Mean Machine. The paternal half-brothers met again later in the year when filling the second and third spots in the prestigious Coolmore Stakes Gr.1, with the Zoustar queen herself, Sunlight, taking the crown. The Group 1 1-2-3 for Zoustar proved a monumentous day for Widden Stud, where he stands in Australia, as well as Qatar Racing and Tweenhills, as it had already been agreed by then that he would shuttle to stand with us in 2019.

We paid a fair premium for buying foals by the Champion FSS but our faith was well rewarded a few weeks ago when Redwall and Widden Stud sold a Zoustar colt (x Shakeira), who had been purchased for $310,000, for $900,000 to Spendthrift Farm. Another Zoustar we bought doubled his money and a lovely filly purchased for $230,000 heads to the Inglis Easter sale in April. My investors in Redwall Bloodstock are a great team of supporters of old friends and family and some industry professionals who put a lot of faith in us from the beginning of this project. It was wonderful that Mike and Zara Tindall were both on hand on the Gold Coast to enjoy the moment that we sold the Zoustar/Shakeira colt – I’m not sure who was more nervous!

In two out of the three years that Redwall has traded in Australia, we have sold the most profitable pinhook of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. We’ve had our share of flops but it’s a numbers game and with the help of my friend Zoustar, the gamble paid off and the scales are currently tipping in our favour!

Good luck,

Hannah.