The daughter of Charge Forward was offered as the last lot of the sale in a quality packed supplementary and she duly rounded out the long session as the top seller.
Offered by Yarraman Park Stud, Courgette (Lot 1670) was one of three lots to sell for over $1 million in the closing stages of Day Three to wrap the Book One section of the auction.
Tony Bott bidding for E Thoroughbreds outbid Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud to secure Courgette at $2.1 million.
“It was a long day for everyone with her being the last lot,” Bott said. “But we thought she was the prized lot today.”
“She’s the only horse we have bought (at the sale) for our syndicate at Evergreen Stud Farm in the Hunter Valley.”
“She’s the dam of a Group One winner – a Golden Slipper winner – they don’t come along that often.”
“We studied up the pedigree and we loved her on type and everything about her.”
“She’s a young mare and to have thrown a Group One winner with her first foal, we believe is possibly the making of a very good broodmare and she’s in foal to the champion sire in I Am Invincible. She ticked all the boxes for us.”
While Gerry Harvey missed out on buying Courgette he did strike a short time earlier when he went to $1.2 million to buy Oakleigh Plate winner Shamal Wind who was in foal to Redoute’s Choice in her third season at stud.
Newgate Farm presented Shamal Wind on behalf of Donna Love and Harvey was thrilled to secure the daughter of champion international sire Dubawi.
“I thought she was a really good mare,” Harvey said. “I’m hoping she can do it (at stud) – some of them do and some of them don’t.”
“But she’s a good mare, she’s an out cross and she’s in foal to Redoute’s Choice – if I get a filly I will keep it, if I get a colt I will sell it and I will put her to Fastnet Rock.”
Three lots earlier the magical million dollar barrier was eclipsed when Tom Magnier placed a successful $1.1 million bid for Marianne.
Consigned by Kitchwin Hills as agent, the stakes winner Marianne was presented in the sale ring in foal to Yarraman Park Stud’s super sire I Am Invincible.
“She’s a quality mare,” Magnier said. “It’s a good page and the team were very keen on her all week. We’re delighted to have her.”
No decision is yet to be made which stallion will cover the Alexandra Stakes winning daughter of Darci Brahma when she foals this spring.
“We’re very lucky at home. We have an exciting roster at the moment – there’s a few exciting sires amongst them – so we’ll take her home like the rest of them and decide what we’ll do,” Magnier added.
By the time Courgette sold as the last lot this evening the sale gross had soared to over $102 million – just shy of last year’s record figure which came courtesy of a larger catalogue. The average price was up on the 2017 sale while the clearance rate was marginally up on last year’s record breaking auction.
“It was a sensational end to the day,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “It was fantastic theatre and it kept people right around to the end.”
“As I’ve been saying all week you don’t find the dam of a Golden Slipper winner, a young mare and in foal to a champion sire like I Am Invincible – you don’t get those through the ring too often.”
“Tony Bott is a great support of our National Broodmare Sale at the top end. He was underbidder on Listen Here a couple of years ago at $3.3 million so for him to take her (Courgette) home we’re thrilled for him.”
“Our Bloodstock team did a great job to bring these mares together and then to work on getting so many buyers to the sale was a great team effort.”
“To be clearing some 84 per cent, for the average to be up on last year and with a gross of over $102 million is a fantastic effort and we couldn’t be more pleased.”
“This is the epicentre in the Southern Hemisphere for breeding stock,” Bowditch added. “We had a strong weanling sale and for Book One of the Broodmare Sale to round out like this is just fantastic.”
Book Two of the 2018 National Broodmare Sale will be held from 10am (AEST) tomorrow with a great selection of race fillies, maiden mares and broodmares to go under the hammer.
To view a video review of today’s action from the sale ring click here. To check the complete sale results so far and to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.
BOOK ONE SALE STATISTICS
(2017 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 932 (979)
Lots Sold: 683 (711)
Lots Withdrawn: 115 (127)
Lots Passed In: 134 (141)
Top Price: $2,600,000 ($1,750,000)
Average Price: $150,558 ($148,425)
Median Price: $70,000 ($70,000)
Sale Gross: $102,831,000 ($105,530,000)
Sold %: 84 (84)
DAY THREE TOP SELLERS
$2,100,000 – Courgette (Lot 1670)
Vendor: Yarraman Park Stud (As Agent) / Buyer: E Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd (NSW)
$1,200,000 – Shamal Wind (Lot 1644)
Newgate Farm (As Agent) / Baramul Stud (NSW)
$1,100,000 – Marianne (Lot 1640)
Kitchwin Hills (As Agent) / Tom Magnier (NSW)
$850,000 – Sabatini (Lot 1363)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Kia Ora Stud (NSW)
$800,000 – Supreme (Lot 1438)
Widden Stud (As Agent) / Go Bloodstock Australia/Paul Moroney B’stock (NSW)
OVERALL BOOK ONE TOP SELLERS
$2,600,000 – Jameka (Lot 1606)
Vendor: Ciaron Maher Racing (As Agent) / Buyer: Halo Racing Services Pty Ltd (Vic)
$2,100,000 – Courgette (Lot 1670)
Yarraman Park Stud (As Agent) / E Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd (NSW)
$1,700,000 – Diademe (Lot 1007)
Coolmore Australia (As Agent) / China Horse Club (NSW)
$1,700,000 – Omei Sword (Lot 747)
Newgate Farm (As Agent) / Dean Hawthorne B’stock/Freyer B’stock (NZ)
$1,600,000 – Heatherly (Lot 1098)
Yarran (As Agent) / Go Bloodstock Australia/Paul Moroney B’stock (NSW)
$1,500,000 – Silent Sedition (Lot 784)
Baystone Farm (As Agent) / Katsumi Yoshida (Japan)
$1,400,000 – Abbey Marie (Lot 606)
Segenhoe Stud Australia (As Agent) / Dean Hawthorne B’stock/Freyer B’stock
$1,200,000 – Shamal Wind (Lot 1644)
Newgate Farm (As Agent) / Baramul Stud (NSW)
$1,100,000 – Marianne (Lot 1640)
Kitchwin Hills (As Agent) / Tom Magnier (NSW)
LEADING BUYERS
(ranked by total spent)
$5,190,000 – China Horse Club – 9 lots
$4,635,000 – Go B’stock Australia/Paul Moroney B’stock – 7 lots
$3,194,000 – Yu Long Investments (Australia) Pty Ltd – 14 lots
$3,170,000 – Newgate Farm – 8 lots
$3,100,000 – Dean Hawthorne B’stock/Freyer B’stock – 2 lots
$2,870,000 – Steve Morley B’stock/Glenlogan Park – 8 lots
$2,600,000 – Halo Racing Services Pty Ltd – 1 lot
$2,540,000 – Woodside Park Stud/Iskander Racing – 10 lots
$2,516,000 – Baramul Stud – 7 lots
$2,145,000 – James Bester B’stock – 8 lots
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by gross)
$10,608,000 – Coolmore Australia – 45 sold
$10,367,000 – Newgate Farm – 37 sold
$6,092,500 – Willow Park Stud – 49 sold
$5,495,000 – Yarraman Park Stud – 19 sold
$4,519,000 – Baystone Farm – 16 sold
$4,365,000 – Bell View Park Stud – 21 sold
$4,051,500 – Godolphin – 22 sold
$3,346,000 – Vinery Stud – 19 sold
$3,198,500 – Widden Stud – 24 sold
$3,101,000 – Attunga Stud – 13 sold
