The yearling sales pre-occupy the entire thoroughbred racing and breeding industry at this time of the year with a series of auctions already behind us and the biggest date of the year waiting immediately ahead.

Riverdene Stud has returned from the Classic Sale in Sydney and the Magic Millions Sale in Adelaide with some satisfactory returns for our stock.

Our top-price of the two venues was $32,000, received for a bay/brown colt by MARWINA from the Whiskey Road (USA) mare Whiskey Reign. The youngster is a full-brother to Winning Spirit, a stakes-placed winner of seven races, and was purchased by Shenton Park Racing P/L.

The best price received for a filly was $30,000, fetched by a brown daughter of JEUNE KING PRAWN from Peeping Spy. Sold early on the first day of trading in Adelaide, the youngster was sold to Griffiths Training P/L.

Resident Riverdene Stud stallion ZARIZ was also responsible for a pleasing sale when a powerful grey colt produced from Shadowy Outline brought $27,500. The youngster has his future awaiting him in Perth having been sold to Yenrise P/L.

Some very impressive looking first crop yearlings by HALF HENNESSY have been spotted at the sales, which augurs well for the stallion’s long-term stud future.

So far in the 2007 Australian Yearling Sale Series, the stallion’s progeny have sold to $44,000 and registered averages of $20,000 or more at the venues they have attended. These include the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where an average of $26,900 was posted for the five youngsters to change hands.

The quality of buyers taking home the HALF HENNESSY stock also gives good reason to believe that the breed has a bright future. In addition to Bede Murray, the stallion’s mentor during his illustrious racing career, other notable names on sales receipts include prominent trainers David Balfour of South Australia and Shaun Dwyer of Queensland, as well the well-known Cowell family.

February 18 proved to be a Red Letter Day for HIGH ROLLING following a three-timer recorded by his progeny interstate.

On the same day as Roly Dancer and Stakes Are High scored on the Goulburn program in New South Wales, Mahogany Room also saluted at Bunbury in ‘The West’.

Notably, the trio are products of an interesting cross-section of maternal bloodlines featuring Sir Tristram, Sir Dapper and Agincourt (USA) as damsires.

HIGH ROLLING had his best-ever month in February with nine wins for the period. Most notable among this healthy tally of victories was that of Anabolic Miss, a 4-year-old daughter successful in a $24,000 contest at Sandown over 1400 metres.

PEDIGREE OF THE MONTH

The Melbourne metropolitan winning racemare Anabolic Miss posted the most significant success of the HIGH ROLLING breed last month claiming the lion’s share of a $24,000 purse. The same mare also boasts some very interesting bloodlines on both sides of her pedigree to discuss and to take notice of for future reference.

Easily one of the most prominent names sighted in her pedigree is the great racemare Fiancee, an AJC Flight Stakes winner by Baguette raced by the Tait family. The former racetrack star was bred to Kaoru Star to produce Captured, the grand-dam of Anabolic Miss. Consequently, this good winner of HIGH ROLLING is bred on the same cross as the outstanding New Zealand-based stallion Pins whose stud fee was recently increased to a cool 50K for the forthcoming season.

Other strains of the Star Kingdom-line that has also worked well with Snippets include Luskin Star, Biscay, Zephyr Bay, Star Watch and Marscay to produce a healthy number of top-class runners.