The Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale saw great results for Victorians across all areas; buyers, vendors and breeders.
The highlight draft from Victoria was an exceptionally well bred and prepared group of mares from Dean Harvey's Baystone Farm in Gnarwarre.
Ranked fourth on vendors by gross was a massive achievement by all accounts with $4,992,000 from 21 mares sold only behind Newgate, Yarraman Park and Widden Stud. After two incredibly busy inspection days, and a high number of second and third inspections, it was no wonder that the mares demanded strong competition in the ring.
With a solid consignment of 22 mares in total, they averaged $237,714, which endorses the strength of the trading aspect of the broodmare market.
"Baystone Farm's focus is to find quality fillies or mares straight off the racetrack, getting them in foal to a well-matched and popular stallion and offering them back at the sales," Harvey said.
Example of these mares include Starlike (Exceed And Excel) – purchased for $100,000 twelve months ago and offered again this year in foal to Zoustar, reaching $300,000 when sold to Yulong. Foxy Miss (Foxwedge) was a $30,000 purchase who reached $250,000 to China Horse Club in foal to Written Tycoon, while Amorphous (Redoute's Choice) was a $30,000 purchase who realised $180,000 to Twin Hills when offered in foal to Pierro.
Baystone's top lot was Helix Park (Nicconi), who is in foal to Snitzel, proved very popular selling to China Horse Club for $650,000.
"We knew she was going to be mare that would sell well, just for the fact she was in foal to Snitzel. He's one of the best stallions in the country and she had the pedigree to match," Harvey said.
"From the well preformed race fillies off the track to the lovely broodmares at the end of our draft, we have had a fantastic week," Harvey said. "Our well-credentialled mares were well accepted by the buying bench and sold accordingly, so we were very happy."
While as buyers, Victorians were also highly competitive in the sale ring.
The mare Summit Breath offered by Yarran Thoroughbreds will be coming back south after being purchased by the partnership of Stonehouse Thoroughbreds and X-Factor Pedigrees for $140,000.
Spendthrift also were seen to raise their hand on more than one occasion, with ten commercial mares joining their burgeoning Victorian broodmare band to lend support to their growing number of stallions.
Woodside Park Stud and Suman Hedge joined forces to secure the Sebring mare, She's Demanding from Yarraman Park Stud in foal to the highly spruiked Merchant Navy, as well as the Nadeem mare Lucky Can Be in foal to Zoustar for $640,000.
"I thought she was an absolute star," said James Price of Woodside Park. "We saw her ability to produce a good foal, with her Dissident weanling making good money last week, it was a really good type. She is a half to two Group 1 winners, and she could run herself. She was very neat, compact and will be a beautiful mating to our stallion Written Tycoon. It is rare that the family comes on the market."
While the maiden race mare, the Written Tycoon daughter, Sexy Eyes also caught the eye of Victorian Suman Hedge for $650,000 from the Blue Sky Premium Consignment.
"We identified her as one of the best physicals at the sale, a queen, and she was the one we remembered and the one we were talking about every day when we got back home. I am obviously extremely familiar with the pedigree, being by Written Tycoon, and we just thought she was a lovely mare to start off with. She is going to Zoustar, another horse I am familiar with. She is an easy mare to mate, being such a good type. If you buy those fast mares who have got open pedigrees, it gives you a lot of options," Hedge said.
Victoria's RMA Bloodstock went to $700,000 for the Denman mare Secret Trail in foal to Russian Revolution, and Blue Gum Farm put in a substantial final bid of $420,000 for the More Than Ready broodmare, Just One Moment in foal to Merchant Navy.
Other Victorians to take mares home included Erinvale Farm, Springmount, Musk Creek Farm, Fern Vale Farm, Ponderosa Park and Esker Lodge.
Mick Gibson's Wangaratta based Laceby Lodge purchased two of the best credentialed mares of the day with $420,000 bid to obtain the So You Think mare Global Thinking in foal to Fastnet Rock and the massive bid of $800,000 for Godolphin's Lonhro mare, Sanity in foal to Exceed and Excel.
"Chris Lee loves Godolphin – there is no doubt about that," Mick Gibson said. "He targeted her all the way; she was the first mare we looked at and he has never changed his mind. There was no stopping this result. Chris has bought quality from them up to now. The progeny will definitely be sold. He is keen to keep building up the broodmare band and the farm – he's not going to stop."
Rosemont Stud matched that massive bid of $800,000 when purchasing the New Zealand mare Gift Of Power from Dormello Stud. A maiden mare she will be a high-class addition to their already brilliant and growing broodmare band.
"I thought she would have made seven figures and that would have been too much for me, but we all said under seven figures she is reasonable value and we are here to buy value," said Anthony Mithen of Rosemont Stud.
"We've got a little bit of the family with True Excelsior, who is stakes placed and a bit of a jewel in our crown and I think this is next level. She is a Group 2 winner, balanced, medium sized, attractive – just the type of mare you want to put into your broodmare collection." Mithen said.
Yulong also added some lovely mares to their expansive Victorian broodmare band including the stunning mare Erato for a massive $1,750,000, and Written Era for $775,000, giving them the number one rank for buyers across the whole sale. With 28 lots purchased for a combined total of $6,895,000 at an average of $246,250, they are making a considerable long-term investment to the Victorian breeding industry.
"Mr Zhang is very keen to build here in Australia and there is a lot of development going on at the farm. We have added to the broodmare band this week, and we are really pleased with the mares we've bought," Yulong's Chief Operating Officer Sam Fairgray said.
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