Astute bloodstock agent Dermot Farrington made his presence known at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale purchasing Group 2 winning Swift Witness. Catalogued as Lot 533, she was rated very highly by the Irish agent.
“She’s one of the best types here, with one of the best race performances, so we thought we would have to fight to get her, and we did, so we’re delighted to get her, ” commented Farrington.
An opening bid of $500,000 saw the top class two and three-year-old slowly creeping towards the million-dollar mark. Categorised as a “likely seven figure filly” by her many admirers’ pre-sale, Swift Witness gave her owners a nerve racking few minutes before the hammer finally fell at $1,000,000.
$1 million for Swift Witness at the National Broodmare Sale. Offered by Glenesk Thorughbreds she goes to @FARRINGTON_D. #MMGCNational2022 pic.twitter.com/17cOMw9XdU
— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) May 24, 2022
Farrington later stated that the daughter of Star Witness would stay in Australia. “I will leave it up to the client. She obviously deserves to go to a very good horse.” It now transpires her new owner Rick Jamieson’s Gilgai Farm plans to mate her to Vinery Stud’s second season sire and Gilgai Farm bred Ole Kirk (by Written Tycoon).
Swift Witness declared herself as a force to be reckoned with, impressing her trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott right from the start. A winner of her first two trials, Swift Witness picked up black type at her first start when running third in the Wyong Magic Millions 2yo Classic. An ultra-impressive 3 length victory at the Gold Coast a few weeks later saw her rocket into favouritism for the all-important $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2yo Classic. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be her day, finishing mid-field and pulling up with heat stress. Her next start was to yield an agonisingly close second in the Group 2 ATC Riesling Stakes, before an unplaced effort in the Golden Slipper ended her 2-year-old season.
Swift Witness to only appear on five more occasions, all as a Spring 3-year-old. She once again was able to make her presence felt in high level races, landing the prestigious Group 2 ATC Silver Shadow Stakes at her first start back, before admirable performances in the Group 2 ATC Tea Rose Stakes (third) and Group 1 ATC Flight Stakes (fourth). These three performances saw her equal top points scorer for the Darley Princess Series (with Four Moves Ahead), and she was sold with a free service up to the value of $66,000 to any Darley Australia stallion.
Swift Witness comes from a highly active, precocious family. Out of the Commands mare Taylor’s Command, she is a full sister to stakes placed Terminology and a half sister to Taylor’s Dream (Rubick) which was sold in foal to Bivouac for $360,000 at this same sale. Taylor’s Command foaled a brother to Swift Witness last year and was subsequently covered by Wootton Bassett.
