Expectations High for Anamoe at Gold Coast Sale

On paper, first-crop sire Anamoe (AUS) appears to have everything going for him. And, on the evidence of chat around the Magic Millions complex in the build up to this week's Gold Coast Yearling Sale, plenty of noted judges expect the top-class colt to deliver on that considerable potential. Godolphin's homebred son of Street Boss won nine group 1 prizes during his time with James Cummings, scoring in elite company at 2, 3, and 4. He has, following withdrawals, 31 lots set to come under the hammer over the coming four sessions. No one was more effusive in their praise than Peter O'Brien, general manager of Segenhoe Stud, who bullishly claimed: "I will literally run naked from here to Sydney and back if he's not a good stallion!" The Hunter Valley-based Segenhoe offers five lots by Anamoe, two colts and three fillies, including a half-sister to three-time group 1 heroine Joliestar (AUS), consigned as Lot 407. Expanding on the traits being shown by Anamoe's youngstock, O'Brien said: "Their minds are next level, they're bombproof. The biggest issue we've had with our five here at Magics, we couldn't exercise them enough—their constitutions are so good. The comparison for me, having had Danehills back in year one, they remind me of his stock. They're great doers, great movers, and just have terrific constitutions. I just cannot see him not being a champion stallion." Anamoe retired to Darley's Kelvinside operation in the afterglow of being crowned 2023's Horse of The Year. His first crop was duly conceived at a fee of AU$121,000 (inc GST). His star-studded 149-strong debut book contained 74% black-type performers, most notably 10 individual group 1 winners as well as the dams of a further eight elite-level scorers. Segenhoe was among the breeders who rowed in. "We've sent 44 mares to him in his first three years, of which 14 were in year one," said O'Brien. "So after seeing those 14 foals, we've basically sent 30 mares to him. I'm enamored! I've never been as impressed with a young stallion's stock as I have with his." O'Brien suggested that Anamoe's race record "speaks for itself," and said that his exploits on the track are more than backed up by his movement and strapping physique. "He danced every dance as a racehorse and he's a beautiful big scopey horse who's all quality," he said. "But the key for me is his action; he's just a beautiful mover. We identified strong, short-coupled mares to go to him because he's such a scopey horse, and every one of the foals we've had, including our five yearlings here, there's only one out of about 25 that can't walk. I'm a huge fan of him and we've got five here that are all well-bred, beautiful-looking horses." O'Brien identified Lot 323, the filly out of the well-bred mare Goddess (Fastnet Rock), as being a particularly popular member of the stallion's Magic Millions offering. "The dam had group 1 potential but she broke down in her only race, in which she started odds on," he said. "She's a really well-bred, good-looking mare and we'd kept the name Goddess for her for a reason. She's a very strong, short-coupled Fastnet Rock mare, very much Danehill-esque, and we sent her to Anamoe to get a bit more scope and quality, which we got. This filly's a queen and a lot of people think she's one of the best fillies in the sale." With inspections on the Gold Coast reaching the business end, renowned judge Sheamus Mills was among the agents to give Anamoe's progeny a firm thumbs up. "You tend to get into these sorts of conversations around the bar or at dinner, and I think most people are finding horses they like by Anamoe," he said. "Most people, whether they're colt buyers or filly buyers, they've got one or two Anamoes on their list, from what I can tell. It'll be interesting to see where people value them. Does he punch on with the big boys or is there some level of caution there? "It's hard for those first-season sires up against the proven horses. I think it's been a while since we've had a first-season sire that can really compete at that level, probably back as far as Sepoy. Have we seen a better racehorse go to stud since then? He's probably the best credentialed stallion we've seen at the sale yard since." Having been busy working his way through the Magic Millions catalogue, Mills echoed O'Brien's observations about the qualities being shown by Anamoe's offspring. "He's got a good spread between colts and fillies and they're pretty much peas in a pod," he said. "They're well-grown horses so he obviously puts plenty of size and strength into the mare. Brain-wise I'd say they're pretty cool customers. They parade well and show themselves, they do themselves a favor as far as sales horses go. Most of them move very well, too. "It's going to be interesting to see what sort of horses he gets on the track. I wouldn't have necessarily thought he'd get precocious stock, but they seem so collected that he may just surprise in that regard. From a racehorse point of view, he could do it himself. Now the question is: do his progeny do it all too? At this stage in the game all he can do is put some good sorts on the ground, and I think he's certainly done that. I think he'll be really well received." The five-day Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale begins Jan. 13 at 11 am local time, with 1,221 lots cataloged across the five sessions.