Thiamandi and Buddy Bundy continued the great run of graduates of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale when they both captured stakes races on Saturday.
Both graduates of the 2012 sale, Thiamandi and Buddy Bundy respectively won the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield and Listed Lightning Stakes at Morphettville.
The pair, who could have been bought for a combined $30,000 at the Morphettville auction have now earned over $500,000 – a massive haul considering both are three-year-olds with bright futures ahead.
Thiamandi scored a valuable group win when she cruised to victory in the $150,000 Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield.
Sent out at $19, Thiamandi sat behind the leaders Le Bonsir and Lord of the Sky until coming with a blistering in the sprint to race past that duo and set up a two length win over Gig ($17) and fellow Adelaide sprinter and last start stakes winner Nearest to Pin ($17).
The hot favourite Lord of the Sky ($1.40) faded in the straight and wound up in fourth place.
Prepared in Adelaide by Lloyd Kennewell, Thiamandi was purchased by Lloyd along with owner Luke Koumi for $10,000 from the draft of local horseman Craig Curtis.
Kennewell wasn’t at Caulfield as he’s currently with a group of family and friends on a US holiday in preparation for his upcoming marriage to fiance Melissa. The group cheered home the win from a sports bar in Las Vegas.
Thiamandi is the first Australian stakes winner for Street Cry’s Group One winning son Street Boss. She is the second stakes performer for her dam Country Class.
A three time winning and group placed daughter of Woodborough, Country Class is the dam of five living foals – all have raced and won and another, the Adelaide winner Gonski Girl earned black type with a second placing in the Listed Pewsey Vale Stakes.
Country Class, who won from 1000 to 1400 metres, is from the Flemington winner and Cranbourne Cup placegetter Malahide (Kings Island) and is a half sister to the stakes placed Lady Cavalier.
Buddy Bundy capped a premiership winning season for his connections when he scored a thrilling win in the Listed Lightning Stakes at Morphettville.
A Ducatoon Park sales graduate, Buddy Bundy showed great fight to hold out a late challenge from Herenoa to win by a short half head. Connections then had to withstand a protest to be declared the winner.
Buddy Bundy was bred by SA Thoroughbred Breeders’ committee member Mary Birnie and Greg Sanders. Birnie also bred Macau star Sino Brilhante, who seven days earlier was a Group Two winner for the Gary Moore stable.
From just nine runs, Buddy Bundy has won six races and been twice placed. He provided a fitting result to Adelaide’s final stakes race of the season with premiership winners Phillip Stokes and Dom Tourneur combining for victory.
“He’s come a long way and he’s done a great job,” Stokes told the Adelaide Advertiser. “He’ll go to the paddock now and have three or four weeks off.”
The 22nd stakes winner for Emirates Park based sire Al Maher, Buddy Bundy is one of nine winners for his dam Chase the Chick.
A stakes performed winner by Kenmare, Chase the Chick is also the dam of the Sydney winners Look at Mars and Royal Catch, Melbourne winner Monsieur Feraud, Brisbane winner Primal Impulse and Adelaide winners Serena and Rainbow Black.
Another of her daughters, the placed King’s Theatre mare Comeback Queen is the dam of the prolific winner Zaratone – a winner of 17 races including the Group Three Sebring Stakes and two runnings of the listed Starlight Stakes.
Chase the Chick is a half sister to Artless, the dam of Group One winning pair Excellerator (8 wins and $2,228,495) and Miss Artistic.
Meanwhile, another pair of value buys from the Adelaide Yearling Sale – Happy Trails and Richie’s Vibe showed they were on track big spring campaigns with an impressive exhibition gallop at Morphettville yesterday.
Happy Trails (an $11,000 buy) and Richie’s Vibe (a $10,000 bargain) are both trained by Paul Beshara and impressed their trainer with their gallop.
Multiple Group One winner Happy Trails is expect to run in the Spring Stakes early next month in Adelaide before a Melbourne campaign aimed at the Cox Plate – a race he narrowly missed winning at his most recent run before injury last October.
Buddy Bundy pic courtesy Jenny Barnes.
