Selling their first crop of yearlings foaled and raised from their new Hunter Valley farm, Jo and Greg Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds were saving the best for last with a stunning Snitzel colt from Ultimate Fever selling late in the day for $1.6million to Coolmore Australia.
He was their third million-dollar yearling of the sale following on from the Fastnet Rock filly from Different To (NZ) that sold for $1.1million yesterday to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock and the $1million Snitzel colt from Tavarnelle bought by Tom Magnier earlier today.
A full brother to Group III winner Sprightly Lass and stakes-winner Le Cordon Bleu, he is the last foal of juvenile stakes-winner Ultimate Fever, who is now retired from stud duties.
The colt was bred by Paul Jelfs of Harp Thoroughbreds, who purchased Ultimate Fever for $100,000 from the 2020 Inglis Broodmare Sale from Luskin Park Stud when she was in foal to Flying Artie.
Jelfs was a close friend of the late Paul Whelan, a very successful breeder under his Luskin Park banner, who enjoyed much success breeding with Ultimate Fever and raced Flying Artie before his retirement to stud.
“I was in the ownership of Sprightly Lass with the Whelan’s and when Paul passed away I decided to buy a few of his mares and the family were happy for me to do so,” Paul Jelfs told Jemma Cutting of Inglis.
“We decided to go back to Snitzel as she’d had so much success with him and as Jo said, ‘it was a sure bet’.
“She’s 23 this year so she’s been retired and will live out her life at Lime Country.”
Arrowfield Stud’s Snitzel has had a sensational sale with this youngster the highest priced colt of the sale just ahead of the $1.5million colt from Ms Bad Behavior (Can) bought by Tom Magnier for $1.5million.
Coolmore won the Golden Slipper with their homebred Snitzel colt Shinzo, so it’s not hard to see why they are keen to go back to the source!
