4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Horse bought for same price as Hewick sells for almost €300,000 before running
A horse purchased for just €851 has been sold for a colossal €298,126 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale in Australia.
The Harry Angel colt was bought for a similar price as the fee paid for National Hunt hero Hewick, who has amassed over €900,000 in prize money for Co Carlow trainer John 'Shark' Hanlon. The colt by the same sire as Group One winners Tom Kitten and Private Harry is from the beautifully related Postponed mare Enclosure.
Being sold by Alma Vale Thoroughbreds after being purchased by TJ Le Breton and her husband Greg of Temerity Park Stud, who paid A$1,500 (€851) for the horse as a weanling, the colt fetched A$525,000 (€298,126) at the sale on Tuesday as he went for 350 times more than the price that was paid for him last year to Hong Kong based trainer Manfred Man.
'He was bought online for $1,500 from Sledmere,' Alma Vale's Verna Metcalfe said. 'It's a huge result for Temerity Park – they're a very good client and they are battlers like we all are.''It's so good to get a huge result like that. It's awesome to be selling up at Magic Millions and getting results like that,' Metcalfe added.
'He turned up in pretty good shape,' Alma Vale's Oscar Englebrecht noted. 'We only put the polish on.
'He's been an absolute professional all week. He paraded so well. He had two really good judges on him and they really wanted to own him."
'We've had a pretty good year and it's great to end on a high,' he added.
Willie Leung, speaking on behalf of the buyer, commented: 'Harry Angel is now a red hot sire and is very popular in Hong Kong.
'He's had a couple of really good winners in Hong Kong and that's why we got him for Manfred Man.
'This one looks really outstanding in the sale and with his outstanding pedigree I think he's a good buy.
'We come here for the best and I believe he's the best,' Leung added.
