The third chapter in the Sunshine in Paris story unfolded at the Gold Coast on Thursday morning when Macroura sold for $1.5 million to Yulong and the story is not quite done yet as there is a yearling from Zenaida to be offered next week.
When three year old Invader filly Sunshine in Paris edged out Group I winners Ruthless Dame, In Secret and Zougotcha to win the Group I ATC Surround Stakes, she thrust her family into the commercial spotlight.
On Tuesday, Sunshine in Paris sold for $3.9million to James Harron Bloodstock to be the second highest priced horse of the sale, read about her here.
Yesterday, the highest priced offering was Sunshine in Paris’s dam Zenaida, who was bought by Yulong for $1.4million, read about her here.
Today Vinery Stud offered the only other filly from Zenaida as Lot 991 and Group III winning Snitzel mare Macroura is a three-quarter sister to Sunshine in Paris.
Macroura was bought at the 2021 Inglis Chairman’s Sale for $420,000 off the track by A List Stud and was sent to I Am Invincible in her first season. She produced a filly last spring for A List Stud from that mating and is in foal to Deep Field, who got only six mares in foal last spring before he was officially pensioned.
Peter Orton of Vinery Stud was well pleased with the result.
“He’s (Chris Lee of A List Stud) put a lot into the game and it’s good to see him get a little bit more out,” said Orton.
“He’s been buying more over the last few years, which is good for everybody, and it’s good to see him get a result.
“We were fairly optimistic coming in but she exceeded our expectations, which was good but that’s what the sale is doing at the moment with mares of that quality.”
Yulong will now have both Macroura and her dam Zenaida to breed with this spring.
“It’s great to secure her after buying her mother yesterday and we’ll try and build the family with her,” he said.
“There are two very fast fillies out of the mare and we’ll keep breeding and try and keep fillies and see how we go with building the family.
“We haven’t decided yet (on a sire), we’ll just wait and see, but Written Tycoon is probably the obviously one. Physically she suits him and Snitzel works with them.”
He was bought by James Bester Bloodstock at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale last year for $145,000 and was passed in at Inglis Premier earlier this year, but given the hype surrounding his family this week the colt will undoubtedly command plenty of interest.
