MM Adelaide Yearling Sales 2020
It is now time to turn our attention to the MM Adelaide yearling sales of 2020. They are not quite the sales they were in my youth. Cummings and Hayes were both training here. John Hawkes was a premier jockey. Mark Kavanagh was fearless over the jumps. But time changes a lot of things. Nevertheless, the MM Adelaide has some interesting yearlings. All you need is knowledge and luck. Two of the 521 lots which interest me and I believe would be worth looking at. Anyone following my blogs on the various sales will notice I concentrate on sires that have a track record of producing winners. My systems are based on statistical analysis. Without statistics there can be no analysis.
Lot 139 (b c Al Maher-Theophania)
Al Maher has proved to be a versatile stallion. He has sired 27 SW of which 4 have won at the G1 level All his G1 winners has saluted at 1600m or further. In fact his most successful horse Delicacy, not only won the Australasian Oaks, the SA and WA Derbies, but also the Perth Cup (3200m). This is not to say Al Maher cannot produce sprinters. Monsieur Gustave won the G3 Summer Stakes (1200m) and three Listed races-one at 1400m and two at 1200m. I have calculated a PRI value for this Al Maher colt of 89.2. This suggests a City winner which could go on to even greater things.
Lot 261 (ch c Manhattan Rain- Daily Flyer)
Manhattan Rain has proved to be another versatile sire. He has sired 13 SW with 2xG1winners. She Will Reign won both the Golden Slipper (1200m) and the Moir Stakes (1000m). At the other end of the distance scale, Whisky Baron won the Metropolitan (2000m) in South Africa. And if you want to take it even further, Runaway was successful in the G3 Geelong Cup (2400m) and the L VRC St Leger (2800m)

Manhattan Rain
There is little doubt that the dam’s side of the pedigree is one of the most influential of the 20th century. Going back to Mumtaz Mahal the grandam of Nasrullah, through to other names in the family such as Octagonal, Tristalove, Commands, Danewin, Impaler, Diamond Lover-it goes on and on. The six generation Female Index is 11.6% which is most impressive. The pedigree shows inbreeding to the mare Rolls. This can be either good or bad depending on how you look at it. On the bad side I understand Rolls was a difficult mare to manage (one handler called her “a nut case”) So temperate genes might be wanting. On the other hand she contributed racing genes to make a Golden slipper winner.
A PRI value of 85.0 points to a city class horse, and perhaps something even better. As I have said previously, look at them closely and make you opinion.