Case Clay at Magic Millions

by Jessica Owers and Oz Wedmore, TDNAusNZ

Case Clay was in the headlines last month with his announcement that, after 20 years with Three Chimneys Farm, he was going solo. This week he finds himself on the Gold Coast, and we caught up with him to learn a little more about the next chapter of his career.

Nearly 20 years ago, American bloodstock agent Case Clay did an interview with a local Kentucky newspaper. He said that succession, complicated as it was when it came to family business, didn't always go to plan.

Succession was something Clay knew all about as a young man and native of Midway, Kentucky, because his father, Robert Clay, founded Three Chimneys Farm in the early 1970s, which stood among its pastures the likes of Seattle Slew and Dynaformer.

In that 2004 interview, Clay said his father had never asked him to join him at Three Chimneys Farm, but the more the pair talked, the more the younger Clay learned about the racing and breeding industry.

By the time 2013 came along, and the Goncalo Torrealba family bought a controlling interest in Three Chimneys Farm, Case Clay was well on his way in a brilliant industry career of his own.

This week, the American finds himself ensconced on the Gold Coast, with its palm trees, stiff sunshine and Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“There aren't many industries that would allow me to go swimming the surf in the morning, then go straight to work,” Case said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “This is a global business and it's taking us to places we may not otherwise get to go.”

Arrowfield Years…

Clay's bloodstock duties are just one feather in his cap these days.

In America, he is the racing manager for Willis Horton Racing, he has an equine insurance business and buys horses for various clients and, in Australia, he is the American representative for Arrowfield Stud. He manages about 20 mares on this side of the world for clients, but his relationship with Arrowfield goes back a long way.

“I worked for Arrowfield about 20 years ago and John Messara has been a mentor for me,” Clay said. “So, about five years ago, I started working for Arrowfield again, this time as an American representative. We recruited some mares down here to Australia, and there are few of their offspring selling at this very sale this week.”

In those early years that Clay was at Arrowfield, Redoute's Choice (Aus) had his first crop to the track and Not A Single Doubt (Aus), his white-socked son, won the Strawberry Hill Slipper at Wyong, leading home Oratorio (Aus).

That was in 2003 and Clay was trackside at Wyong that afternoon with Messara. One start later, Not A Single Doubt won the Listed Canonbury S.

“John and his partners were very encouraged about what Redoute's might do, so it was very exciting to see how it's developed,” Clay said.

One of Clay's interesting sidenotes this week is his association with the American stallion Gun Runner, which, given Gun Runner has no yearlings on the Gold Coast this week, isn't as odd as it first sounds.

The Three Chimneys stallion was announced in 2022 as being offered to Southern Hemisphere time.

Gun Runner has got off to a really great start in America, and the goal is to see what he can do in Australia and Japan,” Clay said. “He's already had some in the pipeline from his third and fourth crop, and there's some breeding this year in 2023, and they're trying to expand that in the Japanese and Australian markets.”

Clay has complete faith that Gun Runner, a six-time Grade I winner, will work in Australia. The horse is an ideal outcross, which will suit so much of the local broodmare band that is heavily Danehill-influenced.

Additionally, Gun Runner is from a Giant's Causeway mare, and that's a sire line that has worked in these waters in the past.

So how does Clay think breeders should access Gun Runner in Kentucky?

“I would think the most logical way in, to keep expenses down in not sending a mare up and then back, would be to purchase a mare either privately or in the November sales in Kentucky,” Clay said. “Then either breed on Southern Hemisphere time and ship down, or, if the mare is already pregnant, foal down and then breed to southern time before shipping down.”

It's a routine that Australasian breeders are getting used to, especially in the last few years with the popularity of Frankel (GB) and that horse's brilliant strike rate in Australia. At Banstead Manor, Frankel is likely to cover around 50 mares in the European off-season, meaning plenty of breeders have committed.

“I think you get what you pay for,” Clay said. “It's a quality exercise.”

Friends in High Places…

Just before Christmas, Clay announced his departure from Three Chimneys Farm. He'd done a lot of things in his life, like graduating with an economics degree from DePauw University, and even working in advertising for a time, but for 20 years professionally, he'd been with Three Chimneys in Kentucky.

It was a farm he knew all about, right from his parents' tenure through to the Torrealba era, and he was critical in recent years to its client relationships, both domestically and abroad.

Somewhere in the middle, he had started Case Clay Thoroughbred Management, a bloodstock agency of sorts. It negotiates private and auction purchases, manages portfolios and makes representations, among other services, all the while with Clay in his role at Three Chimneys Farm.

But the time came to go it alone and he kept the farm on as a vital client, which will only work in Gun Runner's favour.

Case isn't a stranger to sire power, growing up, as he did, on Three Chimneys. The property has been home to Seattle Slew and Dynaformer, as mentioned, but also to the likes of Rahy, among others.

“I feel lucky to have grown up at Three Chimneys who, by way of Seattle Slew, had a lot of top-end breeder clients,” Clay said. “Some of those clients have become generational, lifelong friends, from Kentucky to Europe, Australia and Japan. And we just happen to buy and sell horses to and from each other, which has been mutually beneficial. My other clients have found it valuable as well because they have private access to top stock.”

A good example of this symbiosis is the German-bred mare Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}).

As a 2-year-old, she caught the eye of Bal Mar Equine's Paul Varga, who was keen to buy her from Germany. The filly's then owner, Gestut Ammerland, was a long-time client of Three Chimneys and, via good friend Crispin de Moubray, Clay helped to make the purchase happen. Dalika went on to be a Grade I winner.

Another example was the Distorted Humor mare Magical World, whose private sale from Daisy Phipps Pulito to Three Chimneys was brokered by Clay. The mare has since produced three stakes winners and she sold for a staggering $5.2 million at Fasig Tipton's 2021 Lexington November Sale.

Her multiple Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' daughter, Guarana (Ghostzapper), sold at the same sale for $4.4 million.

Case also brokered the deal that sold Ivanavinalot, a daughter of West Acre to John Antonelli. The mare later became the dam of multiple champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro).

As such, this American is right at home in the palm-fringed, sun-soaked environment of Magic Millions. It's a long way removed from his other hobby–skiing–but if his popularity on-complex is anything to go by this week, the father of three is well-liked and well-known.

It's early in the piece for him as a solo agent, but he's most looking forward to the people in his job because people are what it's all about in this line of work.

“I'm really looking forward to continuing to build my bloodstock management/insurance business, and providing clients access to quality via relationships,” he said. “And hopefully get to the winner's circle in the process.”

The post Case Clay at Magic Millions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TDN Q&A With John Messara

While 2021 marks the end of an era for Australia's Arrowfield Stud, with the last yearlings by its breed-shaping sire Redoute's Choice (Aus) going through the ring, it has likewise signaled the start of another, with young shuttler Shalaa (Ire) getting off to a bright start with his first Southern Hemisphere-bred crop headed by the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero (Aus). Arrowfield will offer yearlings by both at the upcoming Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on Apr. 6 and 7, and we caught up with Arrowfield's John Messara to discuss Shalaa, the consignment and some broader industry trends.

TDN: Shalaa has got off to an excellent start in his first season with runners. Can you tell us why you think his progeny are suited to Australia?

JM: Yes, Shalaa has got off to a good start here. He was a champion 2-year-old racehorse in Europe, he's good-looking and from a sireline that was beginning to work in Australia. I must say, his progeny all seem endowed with his quality and athletic demeanour. From the start, trainer feedback has been good.

TDN: After Shalaa's first year, what kind of support did he receive in his subsequent three books, and what types of mares do you think are best suited to him? How have his yearlings been received this year off the back of his early results?

JM: We have been serving approximately 150 mares each year with him and demand at the sales for his progeny has remained strong. It is a bit early to say what kind of mares will work for him, however, he seems to tidy up the progeny of most mares.

TDN: Arrowfield has 49 to sell at Easter-tell us a bit about the draft as a whole.

JM: We have what I believe is a well-balanced, high-standard draft of yearlings for Easter, including a number of yearlings by Japanese stallions and a group of exquisite yearlings by our champion sire, Snitzel. The response from those who have inspected the draft on the farm over the last 10 days has been positive, and there is a strong recognition of our record as a source of top performers and prospective stallions.

TDN: When most other sales markets have been happy to consolidate during the global pandemic, the Australian yearling market has been vibrant this year, setting records at the major sales thus far. Why do you think Australians have been so keen to invest in Thoroughbreds?

JM: Australia has seen a buoyant market in most asset classes during the COVID-19 crisis: real estate, the stock market, boats, Thoroughbreds etc. I think it's a combination of factors which has caused this. The massive injection of funds into the economy by the Australian Government and our very low interest rates have been contributors. Our natural isolation and effective response to the virus compared to most other countries has made us a bit of a haven.

Then there has been the psychological effect of all the scientific and government warnings about the drastic potential of COVID, which led to people believing they were staring death in the face on a major scale when in fact we have been able to control the disease very well. I think this has caused people to reassess their lives and begin to “live for the moment,” unleashing significant discretionary expenditure on horses, boats, cars–if that was their hobby–or on upgrading their homes, etc.

TDN: Australia's prizemoney has also done well during the pandemic; minimum prizemoney levels were quickly restored and Racing NSW recently announced a $20-million prizemoney injection. Why has Australian prizemoney been able to flourish and grow during this time?

JM: There are two reasons: racing was about the only sport or entertainment that continued relatively unabated during the pandemic and so it enjoyed a big rise in wagering turnover; that has underpinned the sport's revenue base. In NSW, [we underwent] negotiations with the state government six or seven years ago that led us to be placed on the same footing as the Victorian racing industry as far as state wagering taxes were concerned. This tax alleviation was conceded to Racing NSW and was to be introduced on a five-year graduated basis. I believe we are now enjoying the full benefit of this.

The racing industry in Australia is most fortunate to be supported by the best fundamentals for racehorse owners in all the open racing economies. Australian racing is working its way back into being a mainstream sport here again.

TDN: This year's yearling sales mark the end of an era with the last crop of Redoute's Choice going through the ring. Can you describe how important he has been to Arrowfield and to the Australian industry?

JM: Redoute's Choice's multiple champion sire titles certainly underpinned the Arrowfield operations over a number of years and the massive revenue generated by his progeny by way of yearling sales and prizemoney benefitted the industry as a whole.

TDN: Likewise, Danehill and his descendants, with Redoute's Choice at the forefront, have shaped the modern Australian breed.

JM: Yes, it's true that Danehill and his most influential son have shaped the breed in Australia. Danehill, Redoute's Choice and their sons have, in fact, won 20 of the last 25 Australian champion sire titles–quite an achievement. There was more evidence of their dominance just last weekend when each of the 15 starters in the G1 Golden Slipper had at least one line of Danehill blood in their pedigree.

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Snitzel Earns Fourth Straight Sire Title

Arrowfield Stud’s Snitzel (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}-Snippets’ Lass {Aus}, by Snippets {Aus}) has become just the sixth sire in the 137-year history of the Australian Sires’ Premiership to earn four or more consecutive champion sire titles. With the current season Down Under wrapping up on Friday, Snitzel joins his grandsire Danehill (who won nine titles, six consecutively, in the 2000s), Star Kingdom (1960s), Delville Wood (1950s) and Valais and his son Heroic (1920s and 30s) as sires to earn a quartet of premiership titles.

Snitzel’s achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that he is a Danehill-line sire among a Danehill-saturated broodmare population. Competition on the racecourse and in the stallion ranks in Australia have also been at their highest during Snitzel’s era; the region has been the subject of heavy global interest and investment. During the 2019/20 season, a record 11 sires in addition to Snitzel on the sires’ table earned in excess of A$10-million. Snitzel’s A$17.7-million is more than A$2-million clear of I Am Invincible (Aus) and Pierro (Aus).

Snitzel is also the leader by stakes winners (18) and stakes wins (25). His stakes winners in 2019/20 were headed on earnings by his Magic Millions 2YO Classic and G2 Percy Sykes S. winner and G1 Golden Slipper runner-up Away Game (Aus), while I Am Excited (Aus) took the G1 Galaxy H. to become his 14th winner at the highest level. Splintex (Aus) became his 100th stakes winner when winning the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint. Snitzel’s stakes winners this season came from six crops and 14 training yards and won black-type races from 1000 to 2400 metres. Six were homebreds, while others were sold from as little as A$90,000 and up to A$1.05-million.

Snitzel earns an additional accolade in becoming the only three-time winner of the Australian 2-year-old sires’ premiership in the past two decades. His 2-year-olds this season earned A$4.7-million and his 28 winners included four stakes winners.

In the sales realm, Snitzel was responsible for his fourth Inglis Easter top lot, this time the A$1.8-million colt out of First Seal (Aus).

“Only the very best stallions can do what Snitzel does, he is absolutely amazing and we are all extremely proud of him,” said Arrowfield’s Chairman John Messara. “I’m grateful for the support he receives from his shareholders, breeders, buyers, owners and trainers and look forward to seeing them all enjoy more success with Snitzel’s progeny, because there is plenty more to come.”

Snitzel’s three prior championship seasons have also included some remarkable accomplishments. Snitzel was three times runner up for the premiership, including in 2013/14 when he and Redoute’s Choice achieved the first sire/son quinella on the table, and three years later he defeated former champion sires Street Cry (Ire) and Fastnet Rock (Aus) to take the honours for the first time with A$16.2-million in the bank. That season he broke Danehill’s national record of 26 stakes winners in a season and Without Fear’s 40-year-old 2-year-old record of 32 wins in a season. He registered a 2-year-old Group 1 trifecta for the first time Down Under since 1982 in the G1 Sires’ Produce S., and also earned the 2-year-old and 3-year-old premierships.

The following season saw records by Snitzel for prizemoney in a season (A$29.2-million), winners (137), wins (307), stakes winners (26) and stakes wins (43). He also defended his titles in the 2-year-old and 3-year-old premierships. A significant slice of that prizemoney was earned by Redzel (Aus) in the inaugural running of The Everest, but so strong was Snitzel’s season that he didn’t need that, nor the money earned by his four Group 1 winners, to take the premiership.

In 2018/2019, Snitzel’s A$24.2-million haul put him A$6-million clear of I Am Invincible and earned him his third straight sire title. Redzel defended his Everest title, Exhilarates (Aus) won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and a new mark was set for a Snitzel yearling when James Harron paid A$2.8-million for Corumbene Stud’s colt out of Ichihara at Inglis Easter now named Mount Fuji (Aus).

Snitzel’s rates of 9.8% stakes winners to runners and 75% winners to runners, average earnings per runner of A$142,000 and career average earnings index of 2.48 indicate he is the dominant sire of his era, but nonetheless Messara said he “truly believes the best is yet to come for him, with all that we have learned about him, his extraordinary vigour and the mares that have visited him in the past four seasons.”

Messara added, “Redoute’s Choice proved what was possible by leaving The Autumn Sun, Alabama Express and King’s Legacy in his 15th, 16th and 17th crops. That’s well within Snitzel’s capability too.”

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