Magic Millions Broodmare Sale Smashes Records

MM BROODMARE SALE SMASHES RECORDS 
The three-day Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale wrapped up on the Gold Coast yesterday with, as expected, records smashed across the board. With the 56-horse Teeley Dispersal highlighting a sale that was complemented by a host of other high-class offerings, the cumulative gross finished at A$69,030,000, a record for the sale and up almost A$40 million–or 131%–on last year. The average was up 81% from 12 months ago at A$129,756, while the buyback rate wrapped up at 15%. 
“It’s been the most remarkable three days,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox. “It’s been the biggest and strongest breeding stock sale held in the Southern Hemisphere. The market has been strong right through, particularly on the better quality lots. Competition was fierce from a buying bench that we haven’t seen in the Southern Hemisphere before. To that end congratulations must go to Chauncey Morris, CEO of Aushorse, who was instrumental in attracting a number of high profile international visitors. The impact of those visitors is clearly evident in the results. I’d like to congratulate vendors and buyers alike–everyone was here to conduct business.” 

Team Coolmore Stays Strong… 
Amongst the busy buyers throughout the three days was Coolmore Stud, which added seven mares to its collection including the sales-topping Monsoon Wedding (Aus) for A$2.3 million, and Estelle Collection (NZ), the dam of star sprinter Lankan Rupee (Aus), for A$1.4 million. The Coolmore team was not prepared to stand down yesterday, adding the session-topping Zouzou (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) for A$775,000. Catalogued as Lot 1228 from the draft of Kulani Park’s unreserved reduction sale, the 12-year-old Zouzou is the dam of dual Group 1-winning sprinter Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), who was recently retired and will enter stud at Widden Stud later this year. Zouzou was sold carrying to the first crop of four-time Group 1 winner All Too Hard, and Tom Magnier, who signed the ticket, indicated that Zouzou would likely visit another exciting young sire in Coolmore resident Pierro (Aus). 
“There’s a great pedigree there and we know how good Zoustar was,” said Magnier. “We have a host of horses at home we could use for her. We’re lucky to have her. She’s a lovely mare and she was beautifully presented.” 
Pierro is set to have a strong second book, as Magnier also noted on Wednesday that he would likely serve Monsoon Wedding. 

Shopping For A Star… 
Widden Stud achieved an excellent coup when securing Zoustar, a son of its ill-fated Champion First 
Season Sire Northern Meteor, just days before his pivotal victory in last year’s G1 Coolmore Stud S., and shortly after that win Sheikh Fahad got in on the action by purchasing a share in the colt. Widden and Qatar Racing were busy yesterday securing high profile mares for Zoustar’s first book, and they waited until the final lot through the ring to purchase the multiple group-winning Solar Charged (Aus) (Charge Forward {Aus}) for A$650,000. Consigned by Vinery Stud as a supplementary lot (Lot 1492), Solar Charged was sold in foal to Widden’s leading second season sire Sebring (Aus). Solar Charged was the last of three purchases on the day by Widden and Qatar Racing, after they picked up the multiple group-winning and Group 1-placed Satinka (NZ) (Stravinsky) (Lot 1111), a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Rangirangdoo (Pentire), in foal to Fastnet Rock (Aus) for A$460,000, and the stakes-winning Assertive Eagle (Aus) (Lot 1259) (Danewin {Aus}), in foal to Denman (Aus), for A$400,000. 
“She’s a beautiful mare, Solar Charged,” Widden’s Antony Thompson said. “Just a beautiful, strong and fast mare–everything you want to put her to Zoustar. She’ll be a star mare for him in his first season. She joins Satinka, who we also bought today, and Assertive Eagle. He does have the most outstanding book of stellar young mares coming to him this year.” 

Stonestreet Spree Continues Down Under… 
A trio of mares shared the third spot on the leaderboard at A$575,000. Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, which made a big splash earlier in the week when securing the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Miracles of Life (Aus) for A$900,000–as well as the second-highest price weanling at last weekend’s National Weanling Sale for A$600,000–added the 6-year-old Born to Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (Lot 1286) to its collection. The stakes-winning and Group 1-placed mare from the family of multiple Grade II winner A.P. Warrior was sold carrying her first foal, by the world champion 3-year-old sprinter Sepoy (Aus). 
Segenhoe Stud, as agent, sold the top-priced weanling at the weanling sale, a filly by Lonhro (Aus) out of True Blonde (Aus) (Naturalism {Aus}) for A$710,000. Segenhoe yesterday offered a sister to that filly, the multiple stakes-winning Regrowth (Aus) (Unbridled’s Song), who was sold to the Queensland-based Josh Hutchins Bloodstock for A$575,000. Catalogued as Lot 1092, Regrowth is the dam of the Group 3-winning Colour (Aus) (More Than Ready), and was sold in foal to leading sire Snitzel (Aus). Her page is one of the best in the Australian stud book, as True Blonde is a half-sister to champion and successful sire Snippets (Aus), as well as the dam of successful sire Not A Single Doubt (Aus). 
“It’s a family you just can’t buy,” said Hutchins. “In this business you’ve got certainly families–you’ve got the Typhoon Tracy family, the More Than Ready family, the Redoute’s Choice family–this is the other family, a family you just can’t get into, so when the opportunity comes, you’ve got to have a go.” 
Donning its buyers hat a few hours later, Segenhoe spent the same sum to secure Group 1-winning mare The Party Stand (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) (Lot 1171 from Newgate Farm), carrying her third foal, by Exceed and Excel. Segenhoe had purchased The Party Stand’s second foal, a Foxwedge (Aus) filly, from Newgate at the weanling sale for A$350,000. 
“I love Thorn Park as a broodmare sire, she’s a Group 1-winning mare and in my humble opinion she was the best type in the sale,” said Segenhoe’s Peter O’Brien. “We bought her foal for A$350,000 last week, she’s in foal to a champion stallion and I thought she was terrific value.” 
The final mare to crack the half-million mark on the day was Lot 1243, the 6-year-old Always Discreet (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). Consigned by Broadwater Thoroughbreds, Always Discreet brought a winning bid of A$510,000 from Sheamus Mills Bloodstock/Kitchwin Hills. The Group 2-placed Always Discreet hails from the excellent producer Oh So Discreet (Aus) (Bluebird), and is therefore a half-sister to Group 1 winner Maybe Discreet (Aus) (Shamardal), and a full-sister to Group 3 winner Just Discreet (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). Always Discreet was sold carrying her first foal, by Sebring (Aus). 
The Magic Millions National sales series continues June 4 with the three-day National Yearling Sale.