Steve Wolfe reflects on Watch Me Dance who sets WA record after being sold for $600,000 at winter sale

Veteran trainer Steve Wolfe says it is remarkable that a horse from Albany has set a WA sale record, after Watch Me Dance was snapped up for more than half a million dollars on Sunday. Watch Me Dance will continue her racing career in Victoria after trainer Lloyd Kennewell bought her for a WA sale record $600,000 at the Magic Millions Perth winter sale. Kennewell won a spirited bidding war to secure the former champion WA two and three-year-old on behalf of an interstate breeder. Bidding started at $200,000 before rocketing to the new record figure, eclipsing the previous high of $420,000 for quality mare Ellicazoom at the 2018 winter sale. It was another chapter in the fairytale story of Watch Me Dance, who won almost $900,000 on the track after costing just $34,000 as a yearling. The daughter of the late I’m All The Talk won the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m), Group 3 WA Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m) and Group 3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) for Wolfe and a syndicate of female owners. Wolfe flew back in from holidays to see the quality mare go under the hammer. Although sad to see one of his stable favourites depart, Wolfe said her journey was a great story for the Great Southern racing industry. “She was purchased for $34,000 from Mungrup and is now the highest-price horse to be sold in WA,” Wolfe said. “To achieve that from Albany, not only for us but Mungrup and the people involved is incredible. “It’s a big job training horses but it just shows what you can do from a small place like Albany. “It’s quite exciting but sad at the same time, she has been a wonderful filly for us but was just at that awkward stage here in WA.” Wolfe said they took a chance on Watch Me Dance as a yearling. “She is from an unfashionable mare and an unknown sire,” he said. “She has done the job, best two-year-old and three-year-old in the State and first horse in 60 years to win the Champion Fillies and WA Guineas. “The reason why she went for so much is the fact of what we turned her into and I’m proud of our team for achieving that.” A chance meeting with his loyal owner, WA-based Santo Guagliardo, led to Kennewell acquiring Watch Me Dance. “I was over here catching up with one of my biggest clients and ended up at the sale complex, but I bought her for another client,” Kennewell said. “She’s booked on a flight to Melbourne on Tuesday night. “She’ll have a nice break and then get ready most likely for the late spring and early summer. “She’ll race on for another 12 months before she goes to stud. “On her best rating I think she’s up to it over there. “We thought she would pull in that sort of money. Most Eastern States people thought if she went to the Gold Coast sale she’d get a lot more.”