The parallels between Vinery champion More Than Ready and his Breeders’ Cup winning son Pluck continued at last week’s Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Pluck is a replica of his sire and 5 of his first-crop yearlings averaged $65,000 off a service fee of $10,000.  Warwick Farm trainer Gabby Englebrecht paid top price of $100,000 for his filly from Diamond Cove.

More Than Ready’s first Australian crop were sold at the 2004 majors and they averaged $61,520.  His most expensive yearling at the Gold Coast that year was a $105,000 filly from Superb Lady.

Racing as Fritz’s Princess, she won up to Group 2 level in The Shorts at Randwick and earned over $700,000 for owner Nick Moraitis.  Now a 12 year-old, the mare is the equivalent of a gift that keeps giving – her filly foal by Redoute’s Choice made $230,000 at last year’s Magic Millions National Sale.

More Than Ready was a dominant winner of the 2004-05 Australian first-season sires’ premiership with Group 1 AJC Champagne Stakes winner Carry On Cutie leading the charge among his 16 individual winners.

That was an Australian record until Northern Meteor sired 18 winners in 2012-13.

Pluck’s international pedigree and appeal is unquestionable with two of his Magic Millions yearlings sold to South African trainers Mike Azzie and Paul Lafferty.

Azzie has links with the Vinery freshman’s family going back two generations.  He trained Pluck’s second-dam Secret Pact (Bush Telegraph) to three stakes wins including the LR George Azzie Memorial which was named in honour of his grandfather.

Pluck’s dam Secret Heart (Fort Wood) won the LR Prix du Cap at Kenilworth before she was sold to North America where her first foal was the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner.

The next Pluck yearlings catalogued for sale are available at the Inglis Classic Summer Book commencing on February 8.  Among them is the half-sister to G3 BTC Classic winner Platinum Kingdom entered by Vinery as Lot 264.