High-profile owner John O’Neill teamed up with premiership-winning South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott to purchase a colt by Darley’s emerging shuttler Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) for $180,000 early on Monday.
O’Neill’s Punt Road Racing syndicate had Storyteller (Written Tycoon) win first-up at Morphettville on Saturday and his Hickmott-trained two-year-old stablemate Dyer (Zousain) won his first start a fortnight earlier at the Adelaide track.
The Too Darn Hot colt, who is by the same sire as first crop southern hemisphere-bred stakes-placed two-year-olds Arabian Summer, Too Darn Lizzie and Silmarillion, is the last foal out of the Group 3 winner Just Discreet (Exceed And Excel), a sister to the former Hickmott-trained three-time stakes-placed Always Discreet.
Bred by David Peacock and raised at Mill Park Stud, the colt’s two-year-old half-brother Vossmania (Blue Point) won a Geelong barrier trial in January before being exported to Hong Kong.
“He’s got a beautiful pedigree, he’s got one of the best brands in Australia, David Peacock’s brand on him, and he’s by a very exciting young stallion,” Hickmott said.
“He’s a 19th of November foal, so he’s got significant improvement left in him. He’s the last foal out of that mare and the two-year-old was a very impressive trial winner recently before being exported to Hong Kong.”
Sold!
$180,000 for the Too Darn Hot colt from Just Discreet. Offered by @millparkstud the colt is purchased by leading SA based trainer @mhbloodstock. #MMAdelaide24 pic.twitter.com/3U4JPg6m8S— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) March 18, 2024
While O’Neill and his friends will take majority ownership in the colt, some shares will be available to interested parties.
“Any Richmond supporters out there who want to race in the Punt Road Racing colours can join us,” Hickmott said.
“He’s going to be a very popular colt.”
After the first day of selling, Mill park Stud ended the session as the Leading Vendor on averages, and the second leading vendor on aggregate.
With a further nine yearlings to sell on the second day of the sale, hopes a high for the solid stat to continue.
View the draft here.
Copy: ANZ Bloodstock News, Images: Magic Millions
