Mike and Debbie O’Donnell of Fairhill Farm have a great record for producing quality youngsters offering a premium return for savvy pinhookers or the promise of stakes success for end user purchasers and their 22 strong draft for the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale is a must inspect.
They will offer weanlings by 14 different sires including three by leading first season sire Home Affairs, three by leading second season sire Farnan as well as youngsters by proven G1 sires Harry Angel (IRE), Pride of Dubai, So You Think, Tassort, Toronado (IRE) and Royal Meeting (IRE), best known as the sire Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes winner Hayasugi, who was bred and sold as a weanling at this sale by Fairhill Farm.
Her weanling half-brother by Harry Angel (IRE) will be offered this year as Lot 203 and while he’s the obvious standout (read more here), there is real depth and quality right through the draft.
“Home Affairs has done everything so far that could have been hoped for and we have three of his colts in our draft,” said Mike O’Donnell.
“There is a colt from Dragon’s Tail that is a half-brother to G1 winner Age of Fire, a colt from Fly Lightly that is from the Joe Denise family and the second foal of Sahra is an absolute ripper of a colt.
“Her first foal is a Wootton Bassett 2YO colt called Sardar that is in work with Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou and the feedback on him has been very positive.”
Farnan is a young Golden Slipper winning sire that is making a great impression as a leading second crop sire and the three in the Fairhill Farm draft are all strong on pedigree.
“There’s a Farnan colt from dual G1 winner Xanadu, a filly from stakes-winner Ballet Suite and a filly from My Sanctuary (GB) that is from the family of Arc winner Alpinista and the grand-dam of this filly is triple G1 winning blue hen Albanova,” added O’Donnell.
“For investors that really follow pedigree and love a good family, we’ve got a Pride of Dubai colt from Miss Quaintly that will prick the ears.”
Offered as Lot 390, the colt is from metro winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Miss Quaintly, who traces in tail female line back to legendary matriarch Special, the dam of breed shaping sire Nureyev and grand-dam of another breed shaper in Sadlers Wells.
“The first two foals of Miss Quaintly are both multiple winners and if there is one thing we know about Pride of Dubai… when he gets a good one, it can be very, very good,” said O’Donnell.
Click here for the whole draft and additional highlights are as follows
Lot 3 Colt Home Affairs x Sahra, by Hinchinbrook
From the third crop of Home Affairs, the sire of four stakes-winners headed by Golden Slipper winner Guest House. Second foal of metro winning half-sister to G3 placed Margham, the dam of SW Mohave.
Lot 50 Colt Toronado (IRE) x Starscent, by Zoustar
By outstanding G1 sire Toronado, a great favourite in Hong Kong. First foal of a placed half-sister to SW Oughton and to the dam of G1 NZ Thousand Guineas winner Captured by Love from the family of Group winners Savvy Nature and Addictive Nature.
Lot 281 Colt Sword of State x Goldilicious (NZ), by Helmet
The only entry in this sale by exciting young first season sire Sword of State, who has sired two SW’s Warwoven and Torture, plus the colt from Las Brisas (GB) that topped Karaka Book 1 this year when fetching $1.1million. Half-brother to dual G3 winner and $1.7million earner Torranzino and is from a placed half-sister to G3 winner Showbeel and grand-daughtre of Champion Female Stayer Showella.
Lot 323 Filly Zousain x Jolie Brise, by Fastnet Rock
By Zousain, sire of this season’s smart G3 winning 2YO filly Verzain. Half-sister to this season’s highly promising G3 winning 3YO colt Napoleonic and juvenile G3 winner Ready Set Sail and is from a top producer that has seven foals to race and all are winners. Bred on similar Zoustar (sire of Zousain) x Fastnet Rock as eight SW’s headed by G1 winners Joliestar, Zougotcha and Climbing Star.
