A significant number of mares are bought purely for trade purposes
and we saw great results for two of them at the Magic Millions Sale on Thursday
with leading sire I Am Invincible a key ingredient in their sale ring success.Top lot on Thursday fetching $1.6 million for Olly Tait's Twin Hills Stud was Lipari, who was bought by Tait at the same sale in 2017 for $170,000.
After being purchased by Tait, Lipari proved her stripes as the dam of Group I ATC Australian Derby winner Levendi and Group III winner Marcel of Madrid transforming herself into a highly valuable mare and what better way to maximize her sale ring appeal than with a cover to I Am Invincible.
She was purchased by Gerry Harvey for his Baramul Stud and he announced she would be returning to I Am Invincible this spring.
Also providing a great result for Newgate Farm was Member's Joy, who was bought
by the Newstar Partnership from the Inglis Chairman's Sale in 2017 for
$500,000.Her first foal emerged to be Group II winner Pure Elation and a cover to her sire I Am Invincible made Members Joy one of the most highly desirable mares in the catalogue.
She sold this time around for $1.45 million with Aquis Farm adding her to their ever expanding breeding operation.
Mating a mare to a leading sire for the sake of a sale ring return is hardly a bad thing, we all need to make money and I'm certainly not against that, but it does make you appreciate the freedom of being able to choose any sire for a mare and the thought and consideration that goes into global breeding operations not reliant on commercial sale ring returns such as Juddmonte Farms, Coolmore, the Aga Khan and Darley.
They are breeding to produce champions rather
than horses for the sale ring.
