The strength of first-season sires at the Magic Millions sale continued on Friday with a colt by Newgate Farm-based stallion In The Congo selling for $625,000.
The colt, bred and offered by Newgate Farm, is the first foal of Stolen Jade and was purchased by trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who trained In The Congo during his racing career.
Waterhouse and Bott prepared the Snitzel colt to win the Group 1 Golden Rose and the San Domenico Stakes during a successful three-year-old season.
“We have such a strong belief in In The Congo as a stallion and how successful he will be,” Bott said.
“He was a phenomenal racehorse to have in the stable. What he did in that early part of his two and three-year-old career … he showed remarkable precocity and tremendous natural speed.
“His win in the Golden Rose was top-class, the way he sustained that speed.”
Armed with their firsthand experience, the Tulloch Lodge trainers set out to secure what they considered the standout colt by In The Congo at the sale.
“That colt is all class, there’s so much quality about him and he had so much presence,” Bott said.
“The way he continued to handle the preparation and the sale, he is just the ultimate professional and has a really good constitution. There’s so much to like about him.”
Conceived off a service fee of $33,000 including GST, In The Congo has also been represented by yearlings selling for $350,000, $300,000 and $280,000 on the Gold Coast this week.
