Dan and Rae Fletcher-owned Queensland operation will also launch first yearlings by globetrotting Group 1 winner Jungle Cat
‘Building’ is the operative word for Telemon Thoroughbreds’ principal Dan Fletcher and next week the flourishing Queensland stud will add a sizable new brick to its ever-strengthening structure when they present their first draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“It’s exciting for us, it’s a milestone. We have a handful of Book 1 horses and some nice ones for Book 2 as well. But we’re all very much looking forward to it,” Fletcher told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It’s a nice little building block for us this year and next year we’ll certainly look to have more of those Book 1 type of yearlings. And the mares that we’ve bought this year, we’re building further still.”
Fletcher and his wife Rae acquired the Innisplain-based property in 2016, rebranding it Telemon Thoroughbreds in 2018, with the stud first consigning yearling drafts in 2019. Their Magic Millions National Yearling Sale draft of that year featured a So You Think (High Chaparral) colt that sold for $250,000.
This year’s season-opening Gold Coast yearling sale marks their first foray on to the vendors’ list of one of Australia’s two major yearling auctions, and the team present a 12-strong draft, including three fillies and a colt in Book 1.
‘Building’ is a wholesome project for Fletcher, from building up the property – Telemon acquired neighbouring Running Creek Stud last year – to building the right team of individuals and, indeed, a noteworthy strategy to build the all-important families that make up part of their burgeoning broodmare band. It is an investment that leaves their 2022 yearling offerings with plenty of potential upside.
Among the Book 1 fillies is Lot 329, the first foal out of the Group 1-placed mare O’Rachael (Northern Meteor) by champion sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia). Telemon secured the mare in foal to Pierata (Pierro) for $260,000 at last year’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale and followed up that purchase just a fortnight later by bringing to Queensland the Written Tycoon filly, going to $100,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. O’Rachael was sent to be covered by Darley’s exciting young stallion Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) last year.
Similarly, their filly by Russian Revolution (Snitzel), catalogued as Lot 67, is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Niccovi (Nicconi). Bought as a weanling for $85,000 at last year’s Inglis auction, she was purchased mere months after Telemon secured Niccovi for $185,000 at the Inglis Digital December Sale. In ensuring the building of quality within the family, Niccovi was sent to I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) for her first cover in the spring.
Lot 434 is a filly by Astern (Medaglia D’Oro) out of Reprimand (I Am Invincible), who is herself a sister to Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed Chris Waller-trained filly Fiesta. A $200,000 buy in 2019 for Telemon, Reprimand was covered last year by Kia Ora’s Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt).
“There’s three really nice fillies (in our Book 1 draft) where we’re investing in the families,” Fletcher explained.
“The Written Tycoon, we own mum and we’re breeding her along, the Russian Revolution we own the really nice half-sister Niccovi and I’m not sure we’ve got a better looking mare than her. She’s let down into just a beautiful animal and is in foal to I Am Invincible, so we’re certainly big on her and we think she’s worth having a red-hot crack with.
“Then there’s an Astern filly that’s out of one of ours in Reprimand and she’s a nice mare that we’re breeding through as well. She’s a sister to Fiesta and she’s going to go to all the best stallions. We think they’re three nice fillies that will have plenty of appeal as racefillies, but they’re going to be nice females to breed with for someone as well.
“We philosophically believe that as a breeder you can have an influence in trying to foster these families, so we’re doing that in all these cases.”
A key glue in the making of this year’s yearling draft has been the move to build an outstanding team to facilitate their ambition and for 2021 Fletcher lured yearling manager Vincent Kieran from South Australia’s Mill Park Stud to Queensland to oversee the preparations of Telemon’s sale consignments.
Since 2016, Mill Park has produced no less than 16 individual stakes winners from its yearling consignments.
“The yearling preparation has gone well and it’s a real credit to the team,” Fletcher said. “We’ve got Vincent Kierans who has come and done our yearlings for us. Vincent used to work with Mill Park Stud and they need no introduction. This will be the second group of yearlings that Vincent has overseen and he’s got a really good team behind him.
“I’m really happy with the way they’ve come together. It’s only been an eight or nine-week prep but they’ve really shown up beautifully and we’re looking forward to showing them to people.”
This year’s yearling sales carry special importance for Telemon, with the launch of the first yearlings by their globetrotting Group 1 winner Jungle Cat (Iffraaj).
Among six Book 2 yearlings on offer by the former Godolphin-raced Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner, two are in Telemon’s draft; a colt out of the stakes-placed Shovhog (Danehill) mare Startling Pleasure (Lot 996) and filly out of Casual Witness (Star Witness) from the family of dual New Zealand Group 1 winner Ray’s Hope (Star Way) (Lot 1091).
“It’s particularly exciting to launch his first yearlings, and especially with our two to see them come through that sales process and how they’ve coped. They’ve each come through with flying colours,” Fletcher said.
“The filly, in particular, she’s the second foal of that mare and the first foal was a bit reactive and she was quite headstrong, and it’s a very interesting comparison when you see the Jungle Cats come through and she’s been tractable and has a constitution … when you see a pronounced difference like that it really grabs your attention. If that’s how they all take to the yearling prep, you’ve got to get excited about their prospects for the racetrack as well.”
Former Haunui Farm shuttler Iffraaj (Zafonic), is a stallion responsible for four Group 1 winners among 29 stakes winners from his southern hemisphere-bred crops, and his sire-sons have enjoyed noteworthy success in recent years, representing a sireline which is set to yet again rise to prominence in the coming period through the likes of shuttlers Ribchester, Wootton Bassett and his Cambridge Stud-based son Almanzor.
Furthermore, European stallion Hot Streak celebrated a first-crop Group 1 winner last year, courtesy of A Case Of You in the Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr 1, 1000m).
“It’s been fascinating to see how influential Iffraaj has become. I had a look at some of the mares that Wootton Bassett had covered and it’s a ‘who’s who’ list of mares,” Fletcher enthused.
“That sireline is really emerging and as a performer on the racetrack Jungle Cat is up there with them, so he’s got a really good profile to start with and then when all the foals came out with his really distinctive structure, he’s really put his stamp on them.
“He’s a good racehorse and he looks pre-potent genetically, so the next thing is we’ll all see together whether they can run but they certainly look like they will.”
By Alex Wiltshire