The yearling sale dance

The following is a story I wrote on The Breed last year – following Testarhythm’s impressive recent form it’s a story worth revisiting.

Back in 2003, when I was doing a bit of bloodstock buying, I fell in love with an athletic yearling filly at the Karaka Premier Sale.

The filly, from the Windsor Park draft, was from the second crop of Group 1 winner Danske, by Danehill (USA) from a smart Stakes-winning filly, Straussbridge, by a former top Sydney sprinter Straussbrook.

I broke all the rules about keeping my opinion of the filly to myself – I made four visits back to her barn to inspect her, and even came to loitering around the Windsor Park area waiting for someone else to drag her out, so I could get another look.

This was infatuation. In another place and another situation, I’d be arrested for stalking.

I followed her to the pre-parade ring, a velodrome of a space where four or five yearlings strut around, some in perfect unison with their handlers, while others, created all sorts of attention by dancing sideways, prancing, kicking and screaming.

“My filly” just strode around like it has been part of her routine all her short life.

The filly was a “Danehill” bay, but with no white; she possessed a mother-in-law shaped rear end, powerful forearm, just the right amount of length of body, and an exquisite head. To cap it off she walked like a Kings Cross hooker.

The good news was that I’d gleaned from the Windsor Park crew that the reserve was around $35,000 – I had $50,000 to spend, so I was very much in the game.

While the filly was walking around the outside parade, I noticed a familiar person, as usual clouded in cigarette smoke, leaning on the rail. I was sure Gerald Ryan had honed in on the filly. He’s an astute judge of a good horse, and this filly fitted his profile.

I sidled up to Ryan and asked the question: “You interested in the Danske filly?” He didn’t directly answer the question with his reply – “Yeah, nice … that Flying Spur’s a lovely filly.”

The Danske filly was lot 365; following her around the ring was a big, strong, chestnut Flying Spur filly, lot 366, from the Trelawney draft. The filly’s dam, Street Star, was a daughter of Jetball.

Relief, I thought, he’s probably on the other one, but this is a horse sale, a place for card sharks where tactics and sleight of hand are as important as the bank balance.

The bidding started slowly. More good news, I couldn’t see Ryan. Sometimes when I bid, I like to be on the horse from the start, dictate the pace of the encounter. This time I waited. Bidding stymied at $37,500. I came in at $40,000 – I was on the right leg to bid my maximum of $50,000, if needed.

Back to me at $45,000 … $47,500 from the opposition. … I made my last bid $50,000, but the call came back quickly, new blood at $52,500. I’d missed her.

Well-known Australian agent Kieran Moore signed the ticket for $60,000. Oh well, I thought, he’d have been hard to beat at any time. As Moore walked away, I noticed Ryan come from the side to greet him. Hands shook, smiles all round … and a lesson learned.

The filly, not surprisingly for a horse with her athleticism, raced as a juvenile in Sydney under the name Dancing Bridges for a syndicate of owners that included Ryan.

Dancing Bridges won at Canterbury at her second start in February 2004, but then ran ninth behind Burning Sands in the Group 3 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Canterbury in March. Her next start third, behind Gaze On, in the Listed Baillieu Stakes (1400m, Warwick Farm) was a beauty, a sign of her real talent.

Unfortunately, she broke down after four runs in the spring, which included a terrific second behind Johan’s Toy in the Listed Reginald Allen Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm.

This story surfaced after I watched Dancing Bridges’ impressive 2YO son, Testarhythm (by Testa Rossa), plough through a heavy track to win at Canterbury last Wednesday, his first win from only three starts. Testarhythm (pictured as a yearling) is a male version of his mother, a cracking-looking yearling, who topped the 2009 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale at $110,000, to the bid of Sydney trainer Darren Smith.

Obviously, Smith had something I didn’t in 2003 – more money than Gerald Ryan.